How Folsom businesses and residents can get money back and save water at the same time

Folsom may be the key to managing the uncertainties of future climate conditions in the American River Basin.

This is according to the Regional Water Authority, a joint representative of two dozen water providers and affiliates in the greater Sacramento region.

City and state officials gathered Thursday at Republix Insurance, a risk management firm in California that successfully transformed their property into a low-water landscape.

Wade Crowfoot, the California Secretary for Natural Resources who in 2020 told former President Donald Trump that he wished “science agreed” with his views on climate change, joined State Water Resources Control Board Member Nichole Morgan, Folsom Mayor Kerri Howell and the RWA’s Amy Talbot and Jim Peifer to discuss water conservation rebate programs that businesses can continue to participate in to build climate resilience and reduce water.

Crowfoot commended Colnn Miguelgorry, president of Republix, for leading the charge and inspiring other businesses to do the same.

“Local business leaders like these leaders are stepping up to make a change on their properties to benefit not only their community, but our entire region and watershed,” Crowfoot said. “Don’t be fooled by these cooler temperatures, the drought that we’re experiencing is severe and getting worse.”

Folsom’s future in water conservation

According to Folsom Mayor Kerri Howell, Adrian Blanco Jewelry, across Natoma Street from Republix, has been inspired to participate in the same landscaping project.

These businesses save limited water resources and protect water quality and habitat for fish by preventing runoff, fertilizers and pesticides from entering the river, according to a press release from the Regional Water Authority.

According to Talbot, the Republix project cost $30,000. To assist with the project, the city awarded a rebate in the form of a one-time payment of $15,000. Talbot said not every project costs $30,000, and that there are ways to earn rebates that are on a smaller scale.

The past three years have been the driest in the California record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and both California and Nevada remain in almost 100% moderate-to-exceptional drought.

Replacing lawn with a low-water landscape is an important water conservation option for dealing with drought as California is predicted to head into its fourth consecutive dry year, according to the press release. Other water conservation options include water banking, for which RWA officials said the Folsom reservoir is perfectly suited.

According to the RWA, water banking occurs when surface water supplies are plentiful and water providers in the region can draw more water from Folsom reservoir or local rivers and use it to offset existing demand for groundwater.

How water conservation affects residents

The city of Folsom is under a stage three “water warning,” which means citizens are required to reduce water consumption by 20%, according to the city of Folsom’s environmental & water resources director Marcus Yasutake. In its efforts to conserve, the city encourages residents to partake in its own water conservation rebates.

Yasutake said the city does not currently have plans to further incentivize water conservation methods, but the rebate and direct purchase programs are very similar to what most water agencies in California offer and the city will continue to offer these annually.

The city’s two newest rebate programs were introduced in October 2021.

According to the city’s website, they included the “cash for grass” initiative, which rebated customers $1 per square foot of grass removed and replaced with a water-efficient landscape. The initiative includes up to $2,000 per address and a rebate to purchase a Flume Smart Home Water Monitor for $75 plus tax; once installed and activated, a Folsom resident would also receive a $25 refund from Flume.

Citizens can earn $175 by replacing toilets with high-efficiency versions that save over 19 gallons of water per person, per day.

The city will give water customers a rebate to those who purchase a Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller that acts like a thermostat for sprinklers for a reduced rate of $75 plus tax.

It offers the irrigation efficiency upgrade rebate for residents who upgrade to weather-based or soil moisture-sensing irrigation controllers, rotary sprinkler nozzles and a drip system retrofit.

“We know coming into this winter that we could be entering into the fourth year of a drought,” Crowfoot said. “The thing about a drought is you don’t know when it’s going to end. So, yes, we’re encouraged by increased conservation among so many in Folsom, but there’s a lot more that we can do.”