Two water utilities in the Coachella Valley pay homeowners to remove turf and put in desert-friendly landscaping instead. The Coachella Water Authority & Sanitary District pays $3 per square foot, up to $3,000, for City of Coachella customers. Mission Springs Water District pays $2 per square foot, also up to $3,000 for residential customers, for homes in Desert Hot Springs and nearby unincorporated Riverside County. Both require an approval step before any turf comes out.
Key takeaways
- The Coachella Water Authority & Sanitary District (CWASD) pays $3 per square foot of turf removed, up to $3,000, for residential properties on City of Coachella water service. A rebate reservation has to be issued before removal, and reservations last 120 days (Coachella Water Authority & Sanitary District, Conserve Coachella).
- Mission Springs Water District pays $2 per square foot, up to $3,000 for residential customers ($10,000 for commercial), for Desert Hot Springs and nearby unincorporated Riverside County. No rebate is paid for work done before MSWD issues a Notice to Proceed (Mission Springs Water District, Turf Rebates).
- Both programs require the converted area to be at least half living plants at maturity. Neither allows mulch-only or rock-only conversions, and neither allows artificial turf.
- Desert Hot Springs homeowners may also have Desert Water Agency as an option, and other Coachella Valley cities are served by Coachella Valley Water District at a different rate. Which utility bills you decides which program applies.
- Funding is limited on both programs and handed out first come, first served.
How the Coachella program works
CWASD, the City of Coachella's own water utility, runs its turf removal rebate separately from the wider Coachella Valley Water District program that covers other parts of the valley. It pays $3 per square foot of turf removed, up to $3,000, for residential properties on City of Coachella water service. The turf has to be currently irrigated with potable water, and the application has to be approved and a rebate reservation issued before any of it comes out. That reservation is good for 120 days.
The converted area needs at least 50 percent living plant cover once it matures, and trees do not count toward that figure. Mulch-only or rock-only yards do not qualify, and no live turf can remain in the converted area. Any spray or rotor irrigation heads have to be retrofitted to low-volume drip, and artificial turf is not allowed under this program. Homeowners removing more than 1,000 square feet, or converting more than half their irrigated area, should contact CWASD before applying. The finished landscape has to stay in compliance for five years, or the district can require some or all of the rebate back. Funding is limited and handed out first come, first served. CWASD can be reached at 760-501-8100.
How the Mission Springs Water District program works
Mission Springs Water District (MSWD) serves Desert Hot Springs and nearby unincorporated Riverside County. Its turf rebate pays $2 per square foot, up to $3,000 for a residential property (the commercial cap is $10,000, through the same application). The process runs in order: a pre-conversion inspection, a signed Project Agreement, an MSWD-approved planting list, and then a Notice to Proceed. Nothing done before that letter arrives qualifies for reimbursement.
The finished landscape needs plants covering at least half the conversion area once they mature. MSWD also requires a smart irrigation controller, low-flow irrigation on its own valve separate from any turf that stays, and a pressure regulator and filter. Synthetic turf and hardscape don't count toward the rebate. Homeowners get four months after approval to finish the work, with extensions available, and a post-conversion inspection has to happen before payment goes out. The landscape then has to stay water-wise: no reintroduced lawn, spray irrigation, ponds, or water features, or the rebate gets repaid. Funding is limited. MSWD keeps a plant guide at watersmartplants.com/ms, and the district can be reached at 760-329-6448 or info@mswd.org.
Which program applies to you
The rebate that applies to a given address depends on which utility sends the water bill, not on which city the address sits in. Desert Hot Springs is the clearest example: it falls inside both Mission Springs Water District's service area and Desert Water Agency's, so a homeowner there should check the bill before assuming which program to use. Desert Water Agency, which also serves Palm Springs and Cathedral City, pays $2 per square foot on its own, or $3 per square foot combined with a City of Palm Springs supplement, with no stated size limit.
Homeowners elsewhere in the valley, in Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indio, Rancho Mirage, and parts of Coachella and Cathedral City, fall under Coachella Valley Water District's own rebate instead. That program currently pays $2 per square foot up to 10,000 square feet, and requires 25 percent plant canopy at maturity, a lower bar than either CWASD or MSWD.
See the CWASD program page and the Mission Springs Water District program page for current application details, or check the Coachella Valley Water District and Desert Water Agency programs if a different utility bills your address. All four are on the California rebates page.
