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.
• Funding is limited. This offer is available on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible Participants only while funding lasts. Rebate amounts are subject to change at any time. If funding has been exhausted prior to issuing your rebate check, your project will not receive a rebate. Program funding and participation vary by city and water provider.
• 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. Deceptive applications are subject to inspection at any time and will be denied if proven inaccurate and/or untrue. MWDOC reserves the right to remove the associated address from future eligibility and participation in the regional rebate programs, including turf replacement and water-efficient devices.
• 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. 
• 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.
• Applicants may submit one application per meter address per fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). Any property with 4 units or less qualifies under the residential program. Common areas in townhomes, condominiums, and apartments, and HOAs with 5 or more units are considered Commercial.
  • Residential sites are eligible for a maximum of 5,000 square feet of drip conversion per application.
  • Commercial sites are eligible for a maximum of 50,000 square feet of drip conversion per application.
  • Public sites are eligible for a maximum of 200,000 square feet of drip conversion per application. A public agency is defined as any federal, state, regional, or local government entity, agency, or department including any special district, joint powers authority, city, county, or other political subdivision of the State within MWDOC’s service area boundary.

• 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.
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) and/or Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) reserve the right to verify and perform a second on-site post inspection of any project at any time. This can be before, during, and/or after project completion.
• 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 from all applicants. 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.
• 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 eligible for residential 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.
• 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.
• 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

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, 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.