With a looming deadline to remove useless grass or face legal consequences, business owners and property management companies are looking for cost-effective solutions to “The Grass Problem.” To help offset the costs of replacing grass, the Southern Nevada Water Authority is offering a rebate program for business, HOA, and multi-family properties.

The Water Smart Landscapes rebate gives $3 per square foot of grass removed and replaced with desert landscaping up to the first 10,000 square feet converted, and $1.50 per square foot thereafter per property. Time is running out for the $3 per square foot rebate, as the rebate drops to $2 per square foot starting January 1, 2025.

What may seem like a hefty project to transform nonfunctional grass into a water smart landscape, is in fact a great investment into the area. It’s all good business sense: a projected savings of 825,000 gallons of water for a 15,000 square foot conversion, reduced repair costs for water and sprinkler damage, reduced pests and pest-control costs, and decreased risk of water waste fees.