Water Conservation Incentive Program

General Eligibility & Guidelines for Water Conservation Incentive Program

Please read all guidelines and incentive information before applying.
Applicants must be an existing city water customer and home built prior to May 21, 2008. New developments are not eligible, unless given approval by the Water Conservation Specialist. Accounts must be current and non-delinquent.
A pre-irrigation evaluation by the city may be required to determine eligibility. (If only applying for a rain sensor, a pre-evaluation is not required).
A legible copy of the receipt must be submitted before a rebate is issued. The receipt must indicate the products make, model purchase date, and labor cost in separate columns.
Eligible applicants will be required to purchase and install equipment within 30-days from approval of application.
Once installed, the applicant must contact the City to schedule an on-site inspection. Rebates will only be awarded after verification of proper installation.
Applicants receiving a rain sensor must contact the City within 30-days for verification of installation. If the City is not contacted within this period a $20 fee will be applied to the utility bill account.
Rain sensors must be installed in a location where it will receive unobstructed natural rainfall.
Funding for this program is limited and will be provided on a first come, first serve basis.
Incentives will be awarded on a one time basis to any physical address regardless of changes in property ownership.
Only select installation cost are cover. The following are part of the Incentive Program: Professional installation of “Smart” Irrigation Controller, drip and/or micro-irrigation system, or water efficient nozzles.
The City is not responsible for product performance or water savings. No warranty or guarantee is provided.

Saving Money While Saving Florida's Water

The City has upgraded the Water Conservation Incentive Program to help residential and commercial accounts retrofit their irrigation to become more effective and efficient. Saving water not only can save you money on your utility bill, but help sustain our drinking water supply, springs, and wetlands.

Water Saving Upgrade Description	Maximum Credit	Irrigation Evaluation
“Smart” Irrigation Controller	50% not to exceed $200.00	Required
Micro-Irrigation System Retrofits (i.e. Drip System)	50% not to exceed $100.00	Required
Water Efficient Nozzle Replacement	50% not to exceed $200.00	Required
Professional Installation Labor *	50% not to exceed $120.00	Required
Florida-Friendly Landscaping ^TM*	50% not to exceed $50.00	Required
Rain Sensor	Provided by the City	Not Required
Irrigation System Evaluation	Provided by the City	Not Applicable

About Water Saving Upgrades

“Smart” Irrigation Controllers use environmental conditions for a specific location and landscape – information such as water needs of specific plants, plant root depth, type of soil, plants microclimate (sun or shade), slope, irrigation method, and daily weather conditions.
Micro-Irrigation is the most efficient type of irrigation. It applies water directly to the base of the plant where it is needed. Also, there is very little water that is lost to evaporation.
Water Efficient Nozzles apply water more slowly and uniformly than conventional sprays. Provide matched precipitation even after arc and radius adjustments promoting efficient irrigation (includes pressure regulating nozzles).
Professional Installation*of a smart controller, drip and/or micro-irrigation system, or water efficient nozzle replacement to help insure the system and heads are installed and operating correctly.
Florida-Friendly Landscaping^TM* removing sod and replacing it with Florida-Friendly vegetation will use less water and can attract native butterflies and birds, promoting a Florida-Friendly and water conserving environment. Must be landscaping from the Florida-Friendly Landscaping^TM.
Rain Sensors are designed to override an automatic irrigation cycle when adequate rainfall is received.
Irrigation Evaluation - The City will provide an irrigation system evaluation to include recommendation on proper irrigation controller settings, checking rain sensors setting, checking for any clogged, buried, broken, and misdirected sprays, and provide tips on how to lower water usage.

Rotating Irrigation Nozzle Replacement

To qualify, you must install rotators on all of the spray heads on your landscape controlled by a single irrigation valve. In other words, you must replace all of the spray heads assigned to a single “station” or “zone” on your irrigation controller.

Rotators emit water in a stream that rotates across the landscape as it irrigates. Two important ways that rotators conserve water compared to the typical fan spray sprinkler heads are by:

Projecting larger water droplets, so less water drifts away in the breeze and less water evaporates before reaching the ground. Most sprinkler heads on the market tend to create a very small water droplets that more easily drift way with wind or evaporate before reaching the ground.
Emitting less water per minute, so the water has time to soak into the ground rather than becoming runoff.

A few local distributors are:

Ace Hardware Apopka - Rainbird
Home Depot Apopka - Rainbird
Imperial Building Supply (IBS) Apopka - MP Rotators John Deere Landscape Irrigation Clermont - MP Rotators and Rainbird
Lowes Apopka - Rainbird
TWC Distributors Apopka - MP Rotators

Plant Bed Micro-Irrigation Retrofits

Micro-Irrigation Systems applies water directly to plants root base where the water is needed and minimizes inefficient water use.

To qualify, micro- irrigation must be installed to all plant bed areas controlled in a single “station” or “zone.”

All spray heads in the plant beds must be retrofitted with micro irrigation (i.e. Drip system). The irrigation zone must be separate from any area that irrigates turf. Use of any major manufacturer is approved

A few local distributors for Micro-Irrigation Retrofits are:

ACE Hardware - Apopka, FL 407-889-4111
Home Depot - Apopka, FL 407-464-1808
Lowes - Apopka, FL 407-814-2763
Imperial Building Supply (IBS) - Apopka, FL 407-889-4147
John Deere Landscaping Irrigation - Clermont, FL 352-2421126
TWC Distributors - Apopka, FL 407-889-0212

"Smart" Irrigation Controllers

Eligible products must meet the following criteria: System must monitor and use environmental conditions for a specific location and landscape - information such as water needs of specific plants, plants root depth, type of soil, plants microclimate (sun or shade), slope, irrigation method, and daily weather conditions. Must be installed with a rain shut-off device and be equipped with a battery backup. To learn more about Smart Irrigation Controllers, visit the Irrigation Association’s website.

Please Note: Professional Installation is highly recommended.

Rain Sensors

Rain Sensors are devices designed to override an irrigation system when adequate rainfall has occurred. Rain Sensors will be provided to customers by the City. Residents will have 30 days to have the rain sensor installed. Rain sensors must be set to shut-off at ½ inch of rainfall or less. Rain Sensors must be placed where it will receive unobstructed natural rainfall. Once installed, the resident must contact the Public Services Department by phone at 407-703-1731 or email to schedule an inspection of proper installation. After 30 days, if not installed, a fee of $20 will be applied to the customer’s utility bill.

Florida Friendly Landscaping

Florida Friendly Landscaping (FFL) program was developed in 2008 and is composed of three programs: Florida Yards & Neighborhoods (FYN) Homeowner program, the FYN Builder & Developer program, and the Green Industry Best Management Practices (GI-BMP) program. FFL means using low-maintenance and environmentally sustainable practices to help with water conservation and urban pollution.

The Florida-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design can be found on the City of Apopka’s Landscaping Page and the FFL website. Plants must be from the Florida Friendly Landscape Guide and the installation must follow the FFL guidelines and BMPs.

Irrigation System Evaluation

The City will provide irrigation system evaluations to educate on proper irrigation controller settings, checking rain sensors setting, checking for any clogged, buried, broken, and misdirected sprays, and provide tips on how to lower water usage.

The City will provide an irrigation worksheet to residents along with Waterwise material (i.e. Waterwise plant book, irrigation maintenance brochure, etc.)

Please Note the Following:

This service is for educational purposes only; the city will not perform irrigation and landscape labor for participants.
Limit one evaluation per account holder.