City To Award Garden Grants

   The City currently imports over 90 percent of its water from Northern California and the Colorado River (over 400 miles).  Nearly half of the typical home’s water is used for watering its garden. Aiming to cut citywide water use 20 percent by the year 2010, the City has added competitive landscape and green building grants programs to its water efficiency incentive programs.
   By replacing thirsty lawns and plants with native California plants and trading in traditional, high-volume spray sprinkler irrigation systems or irrigation systems that use less water more efficiently, property owners can reduce water use by as much as 80 percent and cut maintenance costs by 60 percent.
   Water-efficient gardens produce less yard waste, and reduce or eliminate the need for harmful chemicals and lawn mowers, edge trimmers and leaf blowers that generate noise and pollute the air, as well as provide habitat for beneficial birds and insects.
   The City grants will provide partial funding for new or remodeled innovative garden designs that demonstrate sustainable practices that incorporate one or more of the following elements: California native plants, water-efficient plants, water-efficient irrigation systems, stormwater catchment systems, graywater systems, and/or other innovative water-saving features.
   The City’s Green Building grants promotes LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings and innovative green building technologies. Grants for LEED (LEED-NC) certified buildings will range from $20,000 to $35,000, depending on the level of certification. Innovative technology grants will cover 50 percent of project costs up to $5000 for new construction or renovations that include cutting edge energy efficiency or urban runoff mitigation technologies.
   For more information, call the Water Resources Section of the City’s Environmental Programs division at 458 8405.
   The deadline for applications is September 30, at 5:30 p.m.