Linking GSI Benefits to a Collaborative Funding Strategy

Expanding Water Conservation and Green Infrastructure Incentives to Increase Co-benefits and Leverage Funding

Replacing turf on private property with water-resilient, drought-adapted landscaping is a proven strategy to conserve water, manage stormwater, and deliver community benefits. However, limited agency funding and competing priorities prevents broader scale implementation in L.A. County. Incentive programs that promote multi-benefit projects—water savings, water quality improvements, and neighborhood enhancements—can unlock broader funding opportunities and foster cross-sector partnerships to accelerate landscape transformation.

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Illuminating benefit values to secure co-funding and collaboration

Using our established valuation methods, One Water Econ quantified the multi-benefit impacts of landscape transformation incentives—including water savings, water quality improvements, fire protection, and broader community uplift. These findings were integrated into a decision support tool that enables users to evaluate alternative program scenarios and allocate costs based on benefits achieved.

In partnership with WaterNow Alliance, we also developed a roadmap for designing and financing an effective incentive program tailored to L.A. County. This work helped catalyze a new collaboration between the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works to pilot an enhanced, multi-benefit incentive program.