California American Water and Monterey Peninsula Water Management District Expand Conservation Rebate Programs

Starting this month, California American Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District will be offering more rebates at higher dollar amounts for installation of water-saving appliances and water-wise landscaping.

Earlier this year, California American Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District launched a turf replacement program in which residents can earn rebates for removing lawn and replacing it with low water use plants, permeable surfaces or synthetic turf. As of Sept. 1, this program has also been expanded and offers $1.25 per square foot of lawn removed and replaced with low water use plants or permeable surfaces up to 5,000 square feet (up from 2,000 square feet). Lawn replaced with synthetic turf qualifies for an additional rebate of $2.00 per square foot up to 2,000 square feet, bringing the maximum rebate amount to more than $10,000.

In addition, an entirely new rebate has been created of $100 for installation of a graywater irrigation system supplied by a clothes washer or bathtub/shower. Rainwater harvesting or cistern rebates are now $25 for each 100 gallons of rainwater storage up to 25,000 gallons. The previous rainwater catchment rebate was limited to 3,000 gallons, meaning the maximum rebate for such systems has now increased from $750 to over $6,000.

Rebates for commercial businesses have also been increased for installation of pint urinals (from $250 to $300), water efficient ice machines (from $400 to $500) and X-ray film processor recirculation systems (from $2,000 to $2,500). Commercial rebates have been added for Cooling Tower Conductivity/pH Controllers, Dry Vacuum Pumps, High Efficiency Connectionless Food Steamers, High Efficiency Commercial Dishwashers, Graywater Irrigation Systems, retrofits of medical steam sterilizers that utilize a continuous water flow with a water tempering device and WaterSense labeled Ultra-High Efficiency Toilets.

The amount of time a resident or business has to apply for a rebate after installing a water saving device has increased from 90 to 120 days. Applicants must save their receipts and submit a rebate form available on the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District website at www.mpwmd.dst.ca.us. Candidates for the lawn removal and replacement rebates should contact the District at (831) 658-5601 prior to removing their lawn to schedule a pre-inspection. More information about the rebate program is available at the District’s website or at www.montereywaterinfo.org.

California American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE:AWK), provides high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 600,000 people.

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 16 million people in 35 states, as well as Ontario and Manitoba, Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.