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Program Conditions - Water Smart Landscapes

Please read the program conditions carefully before applying for the program.

I. Pre-conversion Eligibility
A. Areas to be converted must use water from an SNWA water agency or groundwater well within the Las Vegas Valley Groundwater Basin. The applicant’s water and/or groundwater account(s) must be in good standing.
B. Areas to be converted must be maintained lawn or permanently-installed outdoor surface of water. Conversions necessary to comply with any governmental code, law or policy relating to landscape design standards are ineligible.
C. At least 400 square feet of lawn and/or water surface must be converted. Smaller projects are accepted if they completely eliminate a lawn or water feature on a commercial, institutional or multifamily property or eliminate the front or back lawn of a single-family home.
D. Before removing any lawn or water features, the application must be submitted to SNWA and the applicant must participate in an SNWA pre-conversion site review. Starting without SNWA approval will make the conservation ineligible.
 
II. Landscaping Requirements for the Converted Area
A. 50% Living Plant Cover: At completion, converted areas must contain enough plants to create at least 50 percent living plant cover when the plants are fully grown. The SNWA provides a list of coverage for each type of plant and these values will be used even if plants are small when the project is completed. In a single-family residential project, you may instead request SNWA to determine whether the requirement is met by considering the entire plantable area of the front or back yard where the conversion occurred (in which case all plantable areas must meet the requirements of sections IIB and IIC of this program agreement). Remaining lawn areas are not considered as plant cover.
B. Efficient Irrigation: If a watering system is used, it must be a drip irrigation system equipped with a pressure regulator, filter and emitters. The system must be free of leaks and malfunctions. Each drip emitter must be rated at less than 20 gallons per hour (gph). If part of a lawn is converted, the sprinkler system must be properly modified to provide adequate coverage to the remaining lawn without spraying the converted area (narrow lawn areas often waste water and should be avoided).
C. Surface Treatments: The converted area must be completely covered by a layer of mulch permeable to air and water. Common mulching materials include rock, bark, ungrouted flagstone or pavers and artificial turf manufactured to be permeable. Concrete or other impermeable treatments do not qualify. Living groundcovers qualify as mulch provided the individual plants are installed at sufficient density to assure 100 percent plant cover. If a weed barrier is used beneath the mulch, it must be manufactured to be permeable to air and water.
 
III. Terms of the Rebate
A. SNWA’s Assurance: This agreement expires in six calendar months. The six-month term begins the day after SNWA approves the agreement and ends at 5 p.m. on the first business day after six calendar months have elapsed. Once you notify SNWA of completion, any wait for a final inspection is not counted against your six-month term. Only one payment may be received under this agreement: future conversions require a new application.
B. Incentive Amounts and Limits: The incentive is $1.50 for every square foot of grass converted, with no cap on maximum square footage. The SNWA may reject or limit applications based upon the availability of funds. Checks are issued only to the property owner or owner’s legally-appointed agency (typically 30-60 days after inspection). Well users’ rebates are subject to availability of special funds and limited to 2,500 square feet per calendar year.
C. Final Inspection: After notification of the project’s completion, SNWA will conduct an inspection to verify program compliance. If the conversion fails inspection, you will be allowed 60 days or the remainder of the six-month period, whichever is greater, to fully comply with the program conditions.
D. Requirement to Sustain the Conversion: The converted area must remain in compliance with all program conditions for a period of 10 years. This requirement is void upon transfer of ownership. You may be required to refund some or the entire rebate if this requirement is violated.
E. Other responsibilities of the applicant: SNWA enforces only the conditions of this agreement. The applicant is responsible for complying with all laws, policies, codes and covenants that may apply. Quality and appearance of the conversion is the responsibility of the applicant. Rebates may be considered taxable income.