CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — As drought restrictions tighten in Castle Rock, more homeowners are taking advantage of a rebate program that pays residents to replace traditional lawns with water-saving native landscaping.
Last week, Denver7's Douglas County Reporter Tyler Melito reported on Castle Rock moving to Stage 2 Drought Restrictions.
During that story, Tyler spoke with Castle Rock Resident Andy Stewart, who mentioned the unique program through Castle Rock Water.
"Castle Rock Water offers an incentive program for converting your lawn to xeriscape," Stewart told Tyler on July 23.
On Wednesday, Tyler met back up with Stewart to learn more about the program and why he chose to do this.
Stewart explained the program was a rebate program, and he was sent information about it in an email from CRW.
"Once we learned about the rebate incentive, that was like, well, if they're offering that, we don't know if it's going to last forever, maybe now's the time to do it," Stewart shared. "We live in an arid climate where it just doesn't make sense to me to keep a grass green when it rains as little as it has this year."
CRW Director Mark Marlowe told Tyler the program encourages residents to tear up their old lawn and replace it with ColoradoScape, native plants that use less water and are used to the climate.
CRW will pay customers $3.25 per square foot of yard they replace.
"This is one of the best ways for us to address long-term water needs and make sure we're being efficient and conserving those critical water supplies in the community," Marlowe explained. "It uses a lot less water. It looks beautiful. It can add value to your home. It creates wildlife habitat. It's great for pollinators and birds, and in most cases, it tends to be lower maintenance for our customers."
Marlowe says in 2026, they have seen a significant increase in interest for the program, and the long-term water savings are noticeable.
"We have so far this year 432 customers committed to it, including commercial HOAs, non-residential and residential. Last year was a good year for us as well; we had 235," Marlowe said. "You're going to see probably on the order of at least a 20%+ reduction in your total water use over the course of a year."
While you can replace your yard yourself for the program, several local companies will help with the process, one of which is Bluebird Design and Landscape.
Owner Sky Moede told Tyler he has noticed more people expressing an interest in alternative yards, and he notes it isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.
"A lot of people are calling in saying, 'Hey, we got dead grass now, or it kind of is dormant.' They don't like the look of it, and they want to find an option within there," Moede said.
In addition to the water savings, Moede says the main draw for people is the maintenance of these alternative yards, or lack thereof.
"Something like this, it's really not much maintenance," Moede said. "I mean, trimming your plants, anything you would have of any native species of plants, is trimming them to make sure you're not picking weeds in there as well.
Moede said he knew about the lack of maintenance; he got rid of his traditional yard a few years ago and has no regrets for doing so.
"My thought process was kind of like low maintenance with dogs and kids, and run a business. It's got a lot to maintain your yard," Moede explained. "It's really easy just to let it sit and forget it."
For those interested in the rebate program through CRW, Marlowe says it is important to reach out to CRW first to complete your application. You can learn more about it here.
