While state officials are encouraging water conservation due to the current drought and expectations of a drier winter, the Santa Clara Valley Water District has a program to incentivize customers to use less water.
The rebate program has encouraged more customers to switch out their lawns with yards that need less watering, but money isn't the only reason people are making the switch.
"I think the incentives is part of it but I think people understand the droughts are more frequent," Senior Water Conservation Specialist Ashley Shannon told KCBS Radio. "Our last drought was not that long ago."
The rebates are intended for long-term water conservation, Shannon said. There are also rebates for high-efficiency sprinkler nozzles and graywater systems, which divert your laundry water into your landscape.
Weather-based irrigation controls are an especially efficient, helpful technology, which make automatic water adjustments based on the flow of water.
"If it's going to rain, your controller will turn it off," Shannon explained. "There are also flow sensors you can get that monitor how much water is going through your irrigation system. If it notices that there is too much water going through, it will send you an alert or turn it off."
Most water agencies in the state have asked customer to conserve, but state water officials have restrictions will ramp up as necessary if this two-year drought extends into a third.
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