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Central proposes Orem pilot to pay residents to replace lawns, convert irrigation, add trees
Summary
Central staff asked Orem to be a pilot site this spring for a residential and commercial landscape-incentive program that pays homeowners and businesses to replace turf, convert sprinklers to drip and plant trees; Central would fund only its portion and the city would not be required to adopt a water-efficient landscape ordinance to participate.
Central water agency staff asked the Orem City Council to approve a pilot of its landscape incentive program that would pay homeowners and commercial property owners to remove water-intensive turf, switch overhead irrigation to drip systems and plant trees.
The program pairs two main project typeslawn replacement and irrigation conversionwith an added tree rebate offered last year. Under the pilot Central said it would provide $1.50 per square foot for lawn replacement and $0.50 per square foot for irrigation conversions. A tree rebate would be $50 per tree, capped at five trees per residential project and 10 per commercial project.
Central staff emphasized the pilot would not require Orem to adopt a water-efficient landscape ordinance; it would only make Centrals funding portion available to Orem participants. Previously Central had required cities adopt an ordinance to access additional Division of Water Resources funding, staff said.
Staff described program eligibility and design rules: projects must include living plant material (artificial turf and fully impervious, plant-free designs are ineligible), meet 50% plant coverage at plant maturity, use drip irrigation for planted areas, and apply 3'2 to 4'2 of mulch. If lawns remain, the program requires any remaining turf strips to be at least 8 feet wide. Central gave examples of past projects to illustrate outcomes and incentives: a commercial project that removed 19,000 square feet of lawn had an estimated annual savings of 5,000 gallons and would have qualified for $29,400 under the pilot rates; a Cedar Hills roundabout conversion of 6,000 square feet was estimated to save 165,000 gallons annually and would have received $9,051.
Central staff said Orem participation had precedent: 81 applications from Orem residents in 2022 produced about $55,000 in incentives paid. Central also noted other programs available to Orem residents, including residential and commercial smart-controller rebates and a toilet-rebate program (residential: $150 per toilet, up to two; properties built before 1994 and replacing fixtures of 1.6 gpf or greater are the eligibility baseline).
Council members and staff praised the incentive-based approach and asked staff to work on outreach and logistics; Central indicated a soft opening typically occurs in March with a full application window through April 30. Central also committed to coordinate with Orem on local code and aesthetic preferences and to notify applicants ineligible items such as artificial turf. The council indicated support for the pilot and for staff to coordinate start-up advertising and outreach.
