The Town of Okotoks’ annual Water Conservation Rebate Program has been modified for 2023 to provide rebates on costlier projects.
Applications are now being accepted as the Town has up to $25,000 to distribute through the program.
“This year we are encouraging residents to consider water-saving improvements that have a more significant impact and give them the most value in terms of long-term investment,” said Jinny Toffelmire, environment and sustainability coordinator.
“For those who want to keep grass in their yard, there are plenty of drought-tolerant turf varieties that have made great strides in the past several years. There is more choice in the market, with options that look and feel very similar to traditional turf, but require less water,” Toffelmire said.
This year, the program has increased the rebate to $1,500 for drought-tolerant grass to assist households in making the switch.
Rainwater collection systems are also on the list and offer a significant rebate of up to $2,000, as well as considerable water savings. With the ability to capture the equivalent of 10.5 rain barrels of water, the Town says one system can often replace a traditional sprinkler system and provide a household with enough free water to cover most of a yard’s needs, including watering grass.
New this year, fruit tree replacement has been added to the program to help residents with creating deer-deterrent yards. This rebate covers the cost to remove and replace fruit-bearing trees, of a certain size, with one of 13 eligible trees.
Other smaller rebate items include rain barrels, irrigation master valves, soaker hoses, rain sensors, WaterSense irrigation controllers, watering timers, mulch and compost (new this year).
The ‘Raising the Canopy’ project is also back to help residents add to the local tree canopy and provides an extra $100 towards any tree on the plant list.
The eligible plant list has been modified to now focus on nine drought-tolerant and deer-resistant plants that are significant to the Indigenous people in the region. In 2022, Okotoks council accepted a Traditional Knowledge and Land Use Assessment Report as part of the Town’s reconciliation journey with Indigenous people. One recommendation focused on encouraging residents to plant traditional species in their yards and learn about their use by First Nations people.
The Town is putting this recommendation into action this year through the rebate program. These plants have been local to our growing region for hundreds of years; many, such as yarrow and bergamot, are already sold by local nurseries.
Application forms are online and accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are depleted. A plant list, rebate amounts and full details can be found at okotoks.ca/Water-Rebate.
