California water wholesaler rewards conservation projects in all shapes and sizes

A fire department, an avocado farm and a botanical garden are among the unique properties that have financially benefited from a Metropolitan Water District of Southern California conservation program. 

The Water Savings Incentive Program (WSIP) provides rebates to non-residential property owners in the six counties served by Metropolitan who improve the efficiency of their water management operations and equipment. These properties fall outside of the district’s standard commercial rebate programs and are commercial, industrial, institutional, agricultural, and large landscape water consumers.

The program’s “pay-for-performance” structure provides customized incentives of as much as 60 cents per 1,000 gallons of water saved over the project lifespan, up to 10 years. To date, the WSIP program has funded more than 125 projects.

For example, the Ventura County Fire Department purchased several mobile water-recirculating systems to recapture water used during firefighter training sessions. The family-owned Rice Canyon Ranch avocado farm in San Diego County installed new irrigation equipment and switched to higher-density planting of avocado trees. And the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden upgraded its irrigation system with smart irrigation controllers, water efficient sprinklers and flow sensors. (Pictured right, the Ventura County Fire Department uses mobile water-recirculating systems to recapture water during firefighter training sessions, credit Metropolitan.)

“The transformation of daily operations for these organizations translates into long-term, sustainable change for entire communities,” said Metropolitan General Manager Adel Hagekhalil. “When everyone does what they can to use less water, we produce real water savings that benefits millions.”

Online applications for projects are accepted year-round by SoCal Water$mart, a regional program run by Metropolitan. A SoCal Water$mart representative contacts consumers to discuss their proposed projects’ water saving potential, timeline, costs and other project-specific information. 

If a project is determined to be eligible, the representative conducts a pre-inspection site visit to verify current equipment or services. Once a project installation timeframe is determined, funding for the project is reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Most projects receive an initial incentive payment of up to half of the estimated total upon project completion; the balance is paid after one year and verification of the water savings.

Examples of water-saving technologies used in the projects include smart irrigation, water recirculation systems and soil moisture sensors.