Valley Water has a graywater rebate program for residents.
Here is some information from their website (accessed May 27, 2026)
Through Valley Water’s Graywater Rebate Program, receive either $200 or $400 to install a Graywater Laundry-to-Landscape System to make your landscape more resilient with a local, sustainable water supply. Read below to learn rebate amount you may qualify!
This type of graywater system sends rinse water from your clothes washer directly to your landscape without filters, tanks, or pumps. It’s a cost-effective, sustainable option to upgrade how you irrigate your landscape. Check out more information About Graywater.
Who qualifies
Homeowners in Santa Clara County with a qualifying property. If you can answer “yes” or “possibly” to the following statements, then your property likely qualifies:
- The clothes washer is accessible, near an exterior wall or above a crawl space.
- The landscape’s first graywater outlet is 50 feet or less from the clothes washer, or a bit further distance downhill.
- The landscape is the same elevation or downhill from the clothes washer.
- The plants you want to prioritize with graywater irrigation are decorative trees, fruit trees, shrubs, groups of smaller plants or establishing drought-tolerant plants.
- The graywater system can be at least 1.5 feet from the property line and building foundations.
Projects must also adhere to state and local regulations, including Chapter 15 of the California Plumbing Code.
Rebate amount
The rebate amount ranges from $200 to $400 for qualifying residents.
The base rebate is $200. Residential customers in these service areas may be eligible for the higher $400 rebate amount:
- City of Milpitas water customers
- City of Morgan Hill water customers
- City of Palo Alto Utilities customers.
- City of Santa Clara Utilities customers
- City of San Jose Muni Utilities customers To confirm you’re in this service area, enter your address or check your water bill.
Current program funding lasts until June 30, 2027 or until depleted. Applications will be accepted and evaluated on an ongoing basis in the order received as long as funds remain available.
Steps to apply
Step 1: Before you apply, prepare and plan
- For a quick overview of how to install a Laundry-to-Landscape System, watch the video from This Old House.
- See an example of a Laundry-to-Landscape System.
- View a more detailed explanation of how to design and install the system in this one-hour presentation (or download the PDF) from Greywater Action.
Step 2: Apply for the rebate
You can apply for a rebate online or by mail. The application must be approved before you begin any work. You can also complete the paper application and either mail or email it.
Step 3 – Step 5 (multi-steps with resources)
Valley Water has resources, lists of requirements, details on how to design and install the system, and more on their website. Residents can also attend “office hours” with Valley Water staff for help with their system.
Visit Valley Water’s website for updates and to see their resources and requirements.
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