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Mesa expands grass‑to‑xeriscape incentives with $916,000 WIFA grant; Waterfluence to target HOA landscape waste
Summary
City staff described a WIFA-funded package that raises nonresidential grass‑to‑xeriscape incentives, adds Waterfluence landscape benchmarking for HOAs, and funds targeted landscape assessments; staff presented projected water savings and timelines.
Becky Zusi, Conservation Coordinator, and Lauren Whittaker, Environmental Program Supervisor, updated the City Council on Climate Action Plan work focused on water conservation and described a nearly $916,000 grant from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA) to expand nonresidential incentives and benchmarking tools.
The WIFA-funded package reallocates grant funds to expand the nonresidential “grass-to-xeriscape” incentive and to deploy Waterfluence — a landscape water‑budgeting platform — plus professional landscape assessments targeted at high-usage accounts. “We did receive a grant for about $916,000 from the WIFA,” Zusi said, and staff noted they shifted funds within the grant after strong initial demand for grass-to-xeriscape incentives.
Key program elements and metrics presented: • Nonresidential grass-to-xeriscape: incentive increased up to $50,000 per project (approximately $2 per square foot), with a required 50% low-water-use plant canopy replacement; staff use a…
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