"We had a very wet winter, but the time is now to adapt to California's drier future," says Karla Nemeth, director of the state's Department of Water Resources.
To that end, the state has awarded Southern California's Metropolitan Water District $38 million to help replace lawns with more water-efficient landscaping, the Pasadena Star-News reports.
The money will be used to increase rebates for replacing non-functional turf with water-efficient landscaping from $2 per square foot to $3 per square foot.
"As businesses and institutions comply with this new mandate, we hope they will replace their non-functional turf with sustainable landscapes," MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil says in a statement.
The grant is part of the DWR's Urban Community Drought Relief program, which has awarded more than $217 million to 44 projects to help strengthen drought resistance and prepare for future dry seasons.
"We can't just conserve water," Nemeth says.
"California is doubling down on infrastructure to capture, move, store, and recycle water to better prepare for extreme swings between floods and drought.
The Delta tunnel, expansion of surface reservoirs and groundwater aquifers, and large-scale recycled water projects are all needed to ensure a strong economy and healthy environment
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