Spray-to-Drip Program Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions

If you have already converted to drip irrigation or do not have working spray irrigation in your Spray-to-Drip conversion area, your project is not eligible for this program. Additionally, projects must not be started prior to the receipt and acknowledgement of the Program’s Letter to Proceed. Do not start converting your irrigation system before you receive your Letter to Proceed.

• Program funding and participation varies by city and water provider. Please visit the Spray-to-Drip Rebate Program Home page to find out if your water provider is offering the program in your area. The property must receive water service from a participating retail water agency.
• Rebate applications must be complete and are subject to verification and review for accuracy, including all necessary documentation. Necessary documentation includes, but is not limited to, pre- and post-project photos, a landscape plan, and a copy of the water bill. Photos that are digitally altered or doctored will not be accepted.
• Your Spray-to-Drip Project will have mandatory Pre- and Post-Inspections. If the Pre and/or Post-Inspections cannot be scheduled and/or completed, your rebate will not be issued. *Commercial & Public Agency projects: The applicant or a designee must be present for the entire duration of the inspection appointment. It is the responsibility of the applicant or designee to confirm all project areas are measured during the appointment.
• A pre-approval is solely an estimate and does not guarantee a rebate. Rebate amounts are subject to change upon verification or inspection. The final rebate is dependent on the completed project area measured during the post-inspection and will not exceed the approved pre-inspection square footage.
• All approved participants must complete their project within 90 days from the date of their Letter to Proceed. Projects that exceed the deadline or any official extension are at risk of cancellation and losing rebate funding. Please contact the Spray-to-Drip Program staff if your project will not be ready for a post inspection within 90 days of the program’s Letter to Proceed date.
• Funding is limited. This offer is available on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible Participants only while funding lasts. If funding has been exhausted prior to issuing your rebate check, your project will not receive a rebate.
• Any property with 4 units or less qualifies under the residential program. Any property with 5 units or more qualifies under the commercial program. Applicants may submit one application per meter address per fiscal year (July 1 to June 30).
  • Residential sites are eligible for an annual (July 1 to June 30) maximum of 5,000 square feet of drip conversion.
  • Commercial sites are eligible for an annual (July 1 to June 30), per meter maximum of 50,000 square feet of drip conversion.
  • Public sites are eligible for an annual (July 1 to June 30), per meter maximum of 200,000 square feet of drip conversion.
    • Commercial and public sites may phase their projects across multiple years. MWDOC does not guarantee funding or that the current level of funding will be available in future years. Commercial and Public sites will need to re-apply for all future year phases, and the application date establishes the year in which the current term and funding levels will be assigned. For purposes of this Program, the Program year begins July 1 and ends June 30.

• All local laws, ordinances, etc., must be followed, including requirements to hire contractors that have valid business licenses. All conversions, including historic sites, are subject to the terms of their local agency’s landscape ordinance and must comply with all applicable Federal, State and local laws, as well as applicable CC&Rs and/or HOA restrictions. 
• MWDOC, your retail water agency and/or their representative will review photos of your landscape prior to, and after being renovated. MWDOC has the right to use those photos for reproduction or promotional purposes.
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California may perform a second post-inspection of random applications at any time and inspection results may affect payment amount and/or require a refund from participant. Applicant must cooperate with this potential second post-inspection.
• By participating in the Spray-to-Drip Rebate Program, you are authorizing your retail water agency to release your water consumption history and data.
• Email addresses provided on the application may be used to communicate additional available rebates or programs.

• Rebates may be subject to federal taxation. A signed IRS W-9 form will be required for all rebate applications. The Internal Revenue Service requires program participants receiving $2000 or more in rebates to receive an IRS Form 1099 unless exemptions apply. The entity listed on W-9 form will receive payment and must match other documents submitted with the application in order to issue payment. Municipal Water District of Orange County, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and your local retail water agency are not responsible for any taxes, penalties, or interest that may be imposed in connection with your receipt of any rebate. 

Project Specific Criteria

• The Project area eligible for a rebate is defined as the area irrigated by functioning spray sprinklers to be replaced with eligible drip irrigation. Drip irrigation installed outside of the spray sprinkler conversion area will not count towards the rebate. Areas that remove sprinklers and do not install drip irrigation will not count towards the rebate.
• All application submittals must include a site plan of the area to be converted.
• The conversion must replace working standard spray irrigation with drip irrigation.
   
• All spray heads in the conversion area must be removed or capped.
• A minimum of 250 square feet of irrigated area must be converted to drip irrigation.
  • Projects less than 250 square feet may qualify if the Project will convert all existing sprinkler irrigation on the property to drip irrigation.
• Each converted irrigation valve must contain eligible Pressure Regulator, Filter, and Inline Emitter Tubing. Only installed drip irrigation equipment listed on the Eligible Products List on the program website, as evidenced by the submission of a purchase receipt or invoice, will be eligible to receive a rebate. Submission of the completed project must include pictures of the installed pressure regulator, filter, and emitter tubing in the project area.
• Microspray, point source emitters, bubblers, drippers, and spaghetti tubing are not rebate eligible for residential projects under the Program. See the Ineligible Products List for picture examples.
  • Bubblers are also not rebate eligible for commercial projects under the Program. 
• Drip irrigation with different flow rates, as well as any non-drip irrigation equipment, must run on separate irrigation valves. Having mixed flow rates on the same valve will disqualify the project from the Spray-to-Drip Program.
• Applicants are welcome to do the work themselves; however, applicant labor is not eligible for reimbursement. We encourage working with a C-27 License Landscaping Contractor whenever possible.
• All invoices, including contractor invoices, must include price, SKU/model numbers, manufacturer, and quantities of the rebate-eligible products purchased.
• Rebate amount will not exceed eligible program costs. Invoices and/or receipts are used to calculate your final rebates. 
  • Invoices must be typed and include:
    • Clearly marked as an “Invoice”
    • The name of the company or contractor providing the service
    • A date when the work was performed or invoice was issued
    • The customer’s address where the work was performed and/or materials delivered
    • A description of the work performed and/or materials purchased
    • Model and SKU numbers of installed drip irrigation tubing and pressure regulators with filtration
    • Any items that are ineligible for reimbursement must be itemized separately from eligible items
    • A dollar amount for the total receipt charge
  • Receipts must be typed and include:
    • The name of the company providing the materials
    • A date when the transaction occurred
    • A description of the materials purchased
    • Any items that are ineligible for reimbursement must be itemized
    • Model and SKU numbers of installed drip irrigation tubing and pressure regulators
    • A dollar amount for the total receipt charge
    • Any items that are ineligible for reimbursement must be itemized separately from eligible items

• Project area must remain in compliance with all Program conditions for a period of fifteen (15) years. If this requirement is violated, you may be required to refund all or a portion of the rebate. This requirement to maintain Program conditions is not binding on successor owners.

RELEASE OF CLAIMS AND INDEMNIFICATION

Neither the Municipal Water District of Orange County, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the California Department of Water Resources, the United States Bureau of Reclamation, your retail water agency, or their contractors or agents makes any representation or warranty regarding the contracted services or products that you may select for your Project under this Program. The purchase and installation of water efficient devices and plants does not guarantee reduced water use.

This Rebate Application and all of the personal information listed in it is a public record and will be made available to any member of the public who requests it.  By signing this Application, Applicant acknowledges that Applicant has no privacy expectation to this information and waives any claim to such.

By participating in the Program and accepting the rebates provided, you thereby release the Municipal Water District of Orange County, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the California Department of Water Resources, the United State Bureau of Reclamation, your retail water agency, and their contractors and agents from any and all claims and causes of action that may arise out of the purchase, installation, and/or use of water efficient devices in connection with this Program. Any and all claims or causes of action you may have in connection with any defect or failure of performance of any contracted service or installed product or device provided to you for your Project may only be pursued with the contractor you hired or the appropriate manufacturer/distributor.

The Municipal Water District of Orange County, your retail water agency, and/or their representative will take photos of landscapes being renovated through this Program. Photos and landscape design plans may be used for reproduction or promotional purposes. Identifying location features, such as address numbers, will not be included in any promotional materials.

The Municipal Water District of Orange County, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the California Department of Water Resources, the United States Bureau of Reclamation, and your retail water agency are responsible for operating and enforcing the terms and conditions of the Program. You, as the Program participant, are responsible for ensuring that your Project complies with all applicable Federal, State and local laws, as well as applicable CC&Rs and/or HOA restrictions. Quality of work and appearance of the converted area are the responsibility of the participant.

Further, you agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Municipal Water District of Orange County, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the California Department of Water Resources the United States Bureau of Reclamation, your retail water agency, and their directors, officers, employees, contractors and agents from all liability and claims of any kind arising out of or related to your purchase, installation, and use of water efficient devices in connection with this Program.