Margaret Partlow was getting tired of watering the asphalt.
Partlow, who manages the Santa Rosa Southside shopping center on Santa Rosa Avenue that is home to REI and Cost Plus World Market, turned to the city of Santa Rosa for help last year.
She signed on with the city’s “Green Exchange” program, which offers rebates to customers who pull out lush lawns and replace them with drought-resistant plants.
“It just used to bother me to death that we had to water that grass, which has a berm so water runs down onto the parking lot — there is hardly any way to avoid it,” she said. “We thought it was crazy. Why are we watering asphalt?”
As the heat of July marches on, evidence of water conservation is becoming increasingly obvious as homeowners cut back on sprinkler time or abandon lawns altogether in exchange for more drought-resistant plants.
Cities across the county are reporting a voluntary drop in water use in the 25 percent range, matching state demands to the Sonoma County Water Agency that it achieve a 25 percent reduction in the amount of water it pumps from the Russian River.
Santa Rosa created the “Green Exchange” program in the face of increasing restrictions on how much water municipalities can use.
Southside is just one of the approximately 575 Santa Rosa water customers who have taken part in the Green Exchange program. Another 1,300 are lined up to go a little less green in the name of water conservation.
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