LADWP: Turf Replacement Rebates

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power: Turf Replacement Rebates

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Turf Replacement program provides rebates to residential and commercial who replace turf with sustainable landscapes that includes:

• California Friendly® plants, including native species, appropriate for the Los Angeles climate
• Mulch and other groundcover to help retain moisture in the soil
• A rain capturing feature like a rain garden, rain barrel, cistern, infiltration trench, or vegetated swale
• Drip irrigation (as needed)

LADWP's goals with this program are to help consumers save on their water bills while also contributing to groundwater recharge, reducing urban stormwater runoff, and enhancing wildlife habitat.

To further foster participation, LADWP provides resources such as:

• Sustainable Landscape Checklist
• "Transform Your Lawn Booklet"
• Example California friendly plants
• Landscape transformation videos

When a property owner applies for a turf replacement rebate, they pledge to keep the new sustainable landscape in place. This pledge helps ensure that LADWP can rely on these decentralized infrastructure solutions going forward - an important component of localized strategies, as LADWP views water conservation and stormwater capture as sources of supply.

To finance this program, LADWP has accessed its bond proceeds but also uses grants, forgivable loans, and 0% interest loans. And operating and maintenance costs are paid for out of the utility's operating budget.

LADWP's decision to debt-finance localized infrastructure drew on the utility's leaderships' experience in the energy sector and involved LADWP working with the city council, the local ratepayer advocate that advises on rates, and the lending agencies and bond buyers to address their concerns about the impact on water use and revenues and how the program would be governed. A key lesson learned is that it is essential for the utility to able to show ratepayers and oversight agencies that the costs of localized infrastructure are outweighed by the benefits to water system.

Click the link below to download LADWP's "Transform Your Lawn" booklet provided as resource for property owners interested in the program.

 

 

Portland: Clean River Rewards

City of Portland, Oregon: Clean River Rewards

The City of Portland’s Environmental Services manages the city’s stormwater system using green infrastructure, pipes, sumps, and the wastewater treatment plant. The City also promotes private stormwater management.

One way the City does this is its Clean River Rewards program – the City’s stormwater utility discount program that rewards ratepayers that manage stormwater onsite with up to 100% discount on their stormwater charges. Both residential and commercial customers are eligible for the discount. To further foster participation the utility provides a number of resources including:

• Free workshops to show consumers how to register for the program and how to manage stormwater on their property
• Onsite technical assistance to help ratepayers determine suitable stormwater options for their site
• A commercial calculator to help businesses determine their potential discount amounts depending on the size and capacity of onsite stormwater management options

More information about the City of Portland's Clean River Rewards program is available here.

WaterNow Survey 2019: Accessing Capital Budgets

WaterNow Survey 2019: Accessing Capital Budgets for Consumer Rebates

Leading up to WaterNow's 2019 Tap into Resilience Summit in Austin, Texas, we asked local elected officials and water managers - "Would you be interested in the option of financing consumer rebate programs out of your capital budget?"

Of the 75 respondents, 51% reported that, yes, they are interested in financing incentive programs using capital dollars with 27% indicating that they were not sure what the question was getting at and only 22% noting that they didn't really see their utility going in that direction right now.

 

To learn more about how communities can finance these incentive programs and scale their investment in these localized, resilient solutions explore the Tap into Resilience Toolkit here and here.

Are you already using your capital dollars to pay for incentive programs with a story you'd like to share with us? Fill out the Share your story survey, and a WaterNow staff member will follow up.

Would you like to connect with an expert who can help you debt-finance or otherwise scale up your investments in consumer rebate programs? Submit an inquiry through the Ask an Expert portal, and one of our pro bono expert panelists will be in touch.

WaterNow Survey 2019: Financing Consumer Rebates

WaterNow Survey 2019: Financing Consumer Rebates

Leading up to WaterNow's 2019 Tap into Resilience Summit in Austin, Texas, we asked local elected officials and water managers - "Is the ability to pay for or finance consumer rebate programs a limiting factor in your community?"

Of the 75 respondents, 59% reported that, yes, their ability to pay for rebate programs is a limiting factor in their community with 50% indicating that it is somewhat limiting and 9% noting that it is very limiting.

 

To learn more about how communities can finance these incentive programs and scale their investment in these localized, resilient solutions explore the Tap into Resilience Toolkit here and here.

Are you already accessing your capital budget to finance consumer incentive programs with a story you'd like to share with us? Fill out the Share your story survey, and a WaterNow staff member will follow up.

Would you like to connect with an expert who can help you debt-finance a consumer rebate program? Submit an inquiry through the Ask an Expert portal, and one of our pro bono expert panelists will be in touch.

WaterNow Survey 2019: Consumer Rebates

WaterNow Survey 2019: Consumer Rebates

Leading up to WaterNow's 2019 Tap into Resilience Summit in Austin, Texas, we asked local elected officials and water managers - "Is your community exploring consumer rebates to implement water efficiency or green infrastructure?"

Of the 75 respondents, 73% reported that, yes, they are exploring consumer rebates as a way to implement water efficiency or green infrastructure in their community with 32% indicating that they are leaders in this area and 41% noting that they have at least some programs but have room to do more. 

 

To learn more about how communities can finance these incentive programs and scale their investment in these localized, resilient solutions explore the Tap into Resilience Toolkit here and here.

Are you a leader in this area with a consumer rebate program you'd like to share with us? Fill out the Share your story survey, and a WaterNow staff member will follow up.

Would you like to connect with an expert who can help you develop or scale up a consumer rebate program for your utility? Submit an inquiry through the Ask an Expert portal, and one of our pro bono expert panelists will be in touch.

Summary of Post Construction Stormwater Standards

Summary of State Post Construction Stormwater Standards

The Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water has compiled a summary of post-construction standards for stormwater discharges from newly developed and redeveloped sites for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Aspects of each state’s post-construction program are summarized in an introductory table, and a full summary of each state’s post construction program is also included.

Download the report by clicking the link below.

DOEE: Local Stormwater Ordinance

Washington D.C. Department of Energy and the Environment: Local Stormwater Ordinance

In Washington, D.C., the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) requires that development or redevelopment activity that disturbs a land area of 5,000 square feet or more must deploy localized stormwater infrastructure capable of managing the first 1.2 inches of rainfall (the 90th percentile rainfall event in the region). One distinctive feature of DOEE's onsite stormwater management requirements is that property developers have the option to comply with the stormwater management requirements onsite, or to meet half of their stormwater requirements onsite and purchase “credits” that represent stormwater management elsewhere in the District. For an overview of stormwater credit trading programs click here.

DOEE's onsite stormwater management requirements were put into place in 2013. DOEE reports that since 2013 over 700 projects have been successfully designed in compliance with the regulations, designing runoff-reducing green infrastructure that will capture stormwater from more than 770 acres of the District, while the annual average number of development projects increased by approximately 20%.

DOEE is currently in the process of updating these regulations for 2019. According to DOEE, though the regulations have generally achieved DOEE’s intent, compliance has been a disproportionate burden for certain types of projects such as affordable housing projects building single- and two-family houses, as well as projects to install or maintain playing fields, trails for walking and biking, and landscaping maintenance.  The proposed rulemaking provides compliance flexibility and exemptions to these projects for which compliance with the 2013 Stormwater Rule is a disproportionate burden. The amendments also make changes to the credit trading program among other changes.

Download the Proposed Amendments to the DOEE's Stormwater Management Regulations by clicking the link below.

 

Overview: Stormwater Credit Trading Programs

COMING SOON - Overview: Stormwater Credit Trading Programs

Stormwater credit trading programs are a market-based mechanism for helping private property owners come into compliance with local ordinances that require onsite stormwater management. Check back soon for an overview of how these programs work. In the meantime, learn about Grand Rapids' credit trading in this video and read about Washington D.C. Department of Energy and Environment's program here.

City of New Orleans Stormwater Code

City of New Orleans Stormwater Code

In March of 2018, the City of New Orleans officially updated its Stormwater Code to include requirements to protect the City’s drainage system post- new development and redevelopment construction. In particular, these requirements apply to any new development or redevelopment, aside from single-, two-family, or residential properties with less than six (6) dwelling units, that is five thousand (5,000) square feet or more of impervious surface, or a total site area of one (1) acre or more. It requires that the plan retain or detain, and filter the first one and one quarter inch (1.25”) of stormwater runoff during each rain event and limit the post-development runoff rate.

The City also offers developers the option to pay a “fee in lieu” of onsite capture. The fees go to a City Enterprise Fund which is in turn used to build green stormwater infrastructure. Based on stakeholder meetings and modeling, the City expects approximately 80% of developers to build onsite stormwater management practices and 20% to pay the fee in lieu.

Read more about New Orleans' program by clicking the link below.

GASB 62: How Does It Work?

GASB 62: How Does It Work?

Watch this video with Ed Harrington to learn about "Regulated Operations" and GASB 62 and the potential to unlock an alternative way to finance localized infrastructure solutions.