HomeDesert landscapingRebate
$ Lawn-to-desert rebate
How much will the water district pay to replace your lawn?
The Washington County Water Conservancy District pays homeowners per square foot of living grass they replace with water-wise landscaping. Put in your lawn’s size and the calculator adds up the district’s published terms. It’s an estimate: the district measures, decides and pays you directly. I don’t run the program, I build yards to its spec.
Send a photo and what you’re thinking. Zane answers his own phone.
01 Calculator
Your yard, on the district’s terms.
Three numbers. The arithmetic is shown, so you can check it against the agreement yourself.
Estimated district payment
For 1,000 sq ft in St. George with 2 new shade trees, finished by June 1, 2027
about $3,200
- 1,000 sq ft × $2$2,000
- First 1,000 sq ft × $1 (2026–27 supplement)$1,000
- 2 shade trees × $100$200
If the district approves the project and its measurement matches. Santa Clara’s own program adds up to more on top (city money; ask the city whether it combines with the district’s 2026–27 supplement).
Without JavaScript this is the worked example. Change the numbers above and press “Work it out” on a device that runs scripts, or do the sum from the terms below.
Get an estimate built to the program’s specsMinimum 300 sq ft of living grass; maximum $100,000 per property per year. Terms as of October 2026, read from the district’s pages at wcwcd.gov/welp and wcwcd.gov/welpagreement on October 12, 2026. They change; the district’s site is the source and the district’s decision is final. Cannon Landscape doesn’t run the program and has no say in who qualifies or how much is paid.
02 Don’t remove your grass yet
The order of events decides whether you get paid.
Grass that comes out before the district’s site visit is not eligible. This is the sequence the district publishes; the application is yours, and I can walk you through it at the estimate visit.
- Apply to the district.Online at wcwcd.gov/welp. The district says it makes contact within 14 business days.
- District site visit.Someone from the district measures the living grass before anything is touched. This is the number the rebate is paid on.
- Approval.You sign the district’s agreement. Only now does the lawn come out. You have 12 months to finish.
- Build to spec.Plants that will cover half the area when grown, drip on its own valves with a filter and regulator, at least 2 in of mulch, no plastic sheeting. This is the part I do.
- Inspection.The district checks the finished yard against the agreement.
- Conservation easement recorded.A permanent easement goes on the property’s title: the converted area can’t go back to lawn, and that follows the house to the next owner. Read the agreement before you sign.
- The check comes to you.The district pays the property owner directly, within about 30 days of the inspection. Nothing passes through me.
The district’s own instructions are the ones that count. Program page: wcwcd.gov/welp. Full terms: wcwcd.gov/welpagreement.
Built to the program’s spec
Send me the lawn as it is. I’ll quote the conversion the district will pass.
A text with two photos and the square footage is enough to start. The written estimate itemizes the plants, the drip and the rock, so you can hold it next to the district’s number.
Send a photo and what you’re thinking. Zane answers his own phone.