The Sacramento City Council has voted to launch a "cash for grass" program that will provide rebates to homeowners who replace their water-guzzling grass lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping.
The Sacramento Bee says demand for the rebates is expected to be high. City utilities officials say they already had a waiting list for the program before the spending plan was unanimously approved Tuesday night.
The rebate plan has not been finalized, but could involve homeowners receiving 50 cents per square foot of lawn, up to 1,000 feet. The city has set aside $100,000 for the program and plans to start issuing rebates in April.
In January the council enacted a mandatory 20 percent reduction on citywide water usage, as the state grapples with an historic drought that has led to low levels in reservoirs and rivers.
