Conserving water with climate-resilient landscaping

County of San Diego Waterscape Rebate Pilot Project

San Diego's separate sewer systems for stormwater and wastewater mean that when people over-water their lawns during dry periods or when heavy storms hit, polluted water can flow directly into local waterways and eventually into the San Diego Bay and coastal waters. To address this, Greenprint developed a large-scale pilot project for the County of San Diego’s Waterscape Rebate Program. This program focuses on improving water quality by reducing excess lawn watering and capturing and cleaning stormwater. This pilot served as a learning opportunity to explore how green infrastructure (GI) could be scaled up within the rebate program to achieve broader environmental and community impacts.

Greenprint was tasked with raising awareness among private property owners about available incentives for stormwater management. Our team began by identifying sites that could be a good fit for the program, focusing on areas with high potential for stormwater management and community benefits. We then engaged with property owners to explain the program, educate them on the benefits of stormwater retrofits and show how these improvements could enhance their properties in multiple ways. 

Spring Valley Community Church volunteered to be the pilot site for this program, with the goal of enhancing its outdoor gathering spaces. Greenprint responded by installing permeable pavement patios, creating a welcoming and functional area that allows stormwater to soak naturally into the ground. This project converted over 12,600 square feet of lawn into low-water-use landscaping and replaced more than 4,700 square feet of hard surfaces with permeable pavers and native, drought-tolerant plants. These upgrades help the church save water— a crucial benefit in California’s water-scarce environment — while supporting groundwater recharge and minimizing polluted runoff from traditional lawn watering. Today, the church enjoys a beautiful outdoor space that regularly hosts community events and gatherings.

A 240-gallon cistern collects rainwater for watering plants and cleaning the patio, allowing the Church to reuse water efficiently.

The project was completed and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting event during the church’s annual fall festival. Greenprint organized a native plant scavenger hunt for the kids to help them learn about the new plants added as part of the site improvements. Greenprint also collaborated with church leadership to design and install interpretive signs to explain how the individual green infrastructure features contribute to cleaner waterways and recharge groundwater. 

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Photos: Executive Landscaping