The front yard doesn't stand out from the neighbors' lawns. Attractive, diverse shrubs surround the small patch of grass, which is browning at the same rate as most Twin Falls, Idaho, lawns in the fall weather.
The difference: Shirl Bennett watered only five times this summer. And she's paying next to nothing for the small amount of water she is using.
Bennett and her husband, Les, were the first to qualify for TwinFalls' alternate landscape and pressurized irrigation rate relief. The four-year-old program provides discounted rates for citizens who have access to pressurized irrigation and who can prove they have native landscaping, which requires less water than traditional lawns. Line drip irrigation or watering with handheld containers is a must, too -- they use less water than automatic sprinkler systems.
The incentive isn't available to all TwinFalls residents. But even among the eligible, participation is scant.
"If you're on a pressurized irrigation system and you have chosen to do a totally xeric landscape, you can apply to the city for some relief," said Twin Falls utilities service director Sherry Jeff. New subdivisions on the edge of the city typically have access to the irrigation, but neighborhoods at the city's heart don't.
Gary Evans, finance director for the city of Twin Falls, said residents had been charged the same flat fee for pressurized irrigation water -- .001503 dollars per square foot of land -- regardless of how much they used. When water-thrifty homeowners complained, City Hall developed the rate relief in 2004. Depending on how homeowners change their landscapes to conserve water, their rates can be reduced 25 percent, 50 percent or 75 percent. Bennett qualified for the highest tier.
Why aren't more homeowners using the incentives like Bennett? The city has no information about the program on its Web site, although it does list drought-tolerant plants and ways to reduce household water use. Bennett said the city of Twin Falls filmed a commercial at her house promoting the rate relief program, but Evans said it never aired. Jeff said "only a handful" of eligible Twin Falls residents had taken advantage of the reduced rate.
Fall is a fine time to look back at the summer's water bills and weigh the allure of a lush green lawn against the cost and time for maintenance.
Even people who can't participate in the city's program can benefit from xeriscaping. Lisa Briggs, employee at Z Boys RockLand &Lawn in Twin Falls, said requests for native plant and rock landscapes have increased in recent years.