Things You Should Know:

• Only the property owner is eligible to apply for the program
• Both residents and local business are eligible as long as they are LBWD customers
• Only the front yard and parkway are eligible; the side and back yard are excluded from the program
• Must submit a simple hand drawn plan and attend an on-line landscape class within 45 days of application approval
• After renovation the new landscape must be maintained and not altered significantly from the original design
• LBWD has $250,000 on hand for the program; approximately 100 residents will receive the full rebate of $2,500
• Your new landscape cannot contain any turf grass, or artificial or synthetic turf
• Your new landscape must be 100% covered with materials such as plants, compost and mulch, and permeable “hardscape
• Plant material must cover at least 65% of the new landscaped area by the time the plants are mature, or after approximately two years

Most importantly (at least from our perspective), the irrigation system, if there is one, MUST be water efficient. Examples of water-efficient irrigation systems include:

• Drip irrigation
• Bubblers for shrubs and trees
• Rotating sprinklers rated at emitting less than one gallon of water per minute
• Pressure regulators, allowing no more pressure than recommended by the manufacturer of the drip system (usually about 10 to 15 psi) or the rotating sprinklers (usually about 35 psi)
• Separate valves for each part of the landscape (known as ‘hydrozones’) that needs a different watering schedule

If you need help installing, making repairs or upgrading your irrigation system, contact LAsprinklerrepair.com by phone at (800) 339-2102 or by email at info @ wcgminc.com. For more information on the “The Beautiful Long Beach Lawn to Garden Incentive Program” visit their website here lblawntogarden.com. Also view the LBWD’s March 30th press release here Long Beach Water Department Unveils Citywide Landscape Rebate Program.

Water Use Prohibitions in the City of Long Beach

1. Washing driveways, sidewalks, parking areas, patios or other outdoor areas with a hose unless using a water-conserving pressurized cleaning device; a simple spray nozzle does not qualify as a water-conserving pressurized cleaning device
2. Irrigating landscape with potable water any day other than Monday, Thursday, or Saturday, except for very short periods of time for the expressed purpose of adjusting or repairing the irrigation system;
3. Irrigating landscape with potable water between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.;
4. Irrigating landscape with potable water using stream rotator-type or gear-driven sprinklers for more than fifteen (15) minutes per watering day per station, or for more than ten (10) minutes per watering day per station for all other types of sprinklers. Exempt from these landscape irrigation restrictions are irrigation systems using very low-flow drip-type irrigation when no emitter produces more than two (2) gallons of water per hour;
5. Operating an irrigation system which, in the determination of the General Manager, is significantly water-inefficient by virtue of any or all of the following: excessive over spray, misting, over pressurization, misaligned or tilted spray heads, or any other malfunction or out-of-adjustment condition; and
6. Irrigating landscape using reclaimed water to the point that the landscape becomes saturated and irrigation waters flow off the landscape.
7. Permitting the excess use, loss or escape of water through breaks, leaks or other malfunctions in the water user’s plumbing or distribution system for any period of time after such escape of water should have reasonably been discovered and corrected;
8. Watering or irrigating lawns, turf, or landscape areas beyond saturation causing significant runoff, as determined by the Long Beach Water Department (Department);
9. Operating a fountain or other water feature that does not recirculate the water

If you require irrigation repair services contact us at (800) 339-2102 or by email at info @ wcgminc.com. If you’re in the Orange County area please visit our sister site OCsprinklerrepair.com. If you need commercial landscape services visit www.wcgminc.com.