Earlier this month,
I noted that demand side management policies need to take human
behavior into account if they are going to be successful. The
same is apparently true for policies to reduce water consumption in
drought-stricken areas. According to the Los Angeles Times, the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California provides
economic incentives for certain water conservation measures,
including installing water efficient toilets and ripping out grass
to install landscaping that does not consume as much water.
All good, right?
Well, apparently the water savings from installing
water-efficient plumbing is about 10 times greater than from
removing grass from lawns. However, having natural
landscaping has now become the latest must-have among
SoCal landowners, and everyone is applying for the rebate to
remove their grass, thus rapidly exhausting the MWD budget for
these types of rebates. According to the Times, MWD General
Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger
