SRP expands Mesa program that pays residents to replace grass yards with xeriscape

PHOENIX — Mesa homeowners are eligible to save money if they swap out their grass yards for more water-friendly landscaping designs.

The city’s grass-to-xeriscape incentive program offers six types of incentives for residents who ditch their grassy yards for a landscape design that prioritizes water conservation.

Now it’s set to expand due to a partnership between the city and the Salt River Project (SRP).

Through the partnership, SRP will provide up to $15,000 per year for five years, according to a Monday news release.

This will allow city officials to offer incentives to even more Mesa homeowners.

What’s the point of the grass-to-xeriscape incentive program in Mesa?

The 17-year-old grass-to-xeriscape incentive program has helped Mesa residents save 127 million gallons of water over the years, according to the release.

Elvy Barton, the water and forest sustainability senior manager at SRP, explained why city officials are pushing for xeriscape gardens.

“When xeriscaping, you’re allowing for low-water use plants and trees to be planted in residential yards, which reduces their overall water use,” Barton told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.

Not only that, but plants in xeriscaping setups are also resistant to droughts. Plus, they provide habitats for local species, Barton added.

“It’s just really an opportunity for our customers within the Mesa area to really get some great incentives to make this conversion,” she said.

How will Mesa homeowners benefit from SRP expanding the program?

Through the partnership, SRP will provide a dollar-for-dollar match for Mesa’s residential water customers. Essentially, people who remove grass from properties they live in and set up a landscape that uses less water could earn up to $1,100 in incentives.

Barton said it’s hard to estimate exactly how much money Mesa homeowners would save by ditching their healthy grass yards in favor of a water-saving landscape.

“It really depends on the conversion of how much grass they switch over to xeriscaping,” Barton said. “With this partnership, in total, we’re expecting to see 372,000 additional gallons of water annually saved.”

There are two big benefits SRP will enjoy due to supporting the program, Barton said.

Firstly, SRP can use the program as a way to help meet its 2035 community water conservation goal. They want to save 5 billion gallons by that year.

“But it also helps Mesa meet their water conservation goals through residential customers removing grass and replacing it with xeriscaping or a low water use landscape,” Barton said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.