Photos: Caltech, Metropolitan Water District, mark a milestone on solutions for ‘thirsty lawns’
Moises Castaneda, left, and Severino Ramirez bury the Turf Replacement Program’s 4,000th tree at Caltech in Pasadena on Aug. 19, 2026. (Photo by Connor Terry, Contributing Photographer)
Moises Castaneda, left, and Severino Rameriaz plant a tree at Caltech in Pasadena on Aug. 19th, 2026. (Photo by Connor Terry, Contributing Photographer)
Moises Castaneda, left, and Severino Rameriaz carry the Turf Replacement Program’s 4,000th tree at Caltech in Pasadena on Aug. 19th, 2026. (Photo by Connor Terry, Contributing Photographer)
Pablo Garcia removes a sprinkler at Caltech in Pasadena on Aug. 19th, 2026. (Photo by Connor Terry, Contributing Photographer)
Severino Rameriaz digs a hole at Caltech in Pasadena on Aug. 19th, 2026. (Photo by Connor Terry, Contributing Photographer)
Moises Castaneda, left, and Severino Ramirez plant the Turf Replacement Program’s 4,000th tree at Caltech in Pasadena on Aug. 19, 2026. (Photo by Connor Terry, Contributing Photographer)
Severino Ramirez waters a tree at Caltech in Pasadena on Aug. 19, 2026. (Photo by Connor Terry, Contributing Photographer)
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Moises Castaneda, left, and Severino Ramirez bury the Turf Replacement Program’s 4,000th tree at Caltech in Pasadena on Aug. 19, 2026. (Photo by Connor Terry, Contributing Photographer)
Lawns are thirsty these days, at a time when the sun is doing its thing on Southern California landscapes.
The Metropolitan Water District and Caltech were on, ahem, common ground on Wednesday, marking a “milestone” in its effort to transform lawns into more sustainable landscapes.
That transformation? The planting of the 4,000th tree through MWD’s Turf Replacement Program.
A “milestone tree” was planted at the Pasadena campus, which is replacing nearly 100,000 square feet of grass with “California-Friendly” and native plants, including 60 new trees.
“The project offered a glimpse of how campuses, businesses and communities can create beautiful, climate-resilient landscapes that use less water, while complying with a new state law prohibiting the use of potable water on grass that is not used for recreation or other purposes,” according to an MWD release on the event.
According to MWD, more than half of all water use in Southern California happens outdoors, but Metropolitan is working to shrink that use with rebates to institutions, businesses and homes that replace their grass with water-efficient landscapes.
The agency’s Turf Replacement Program has transformed more than 235 million square feet of “thirsty lawns” and saving enough water to serve about 84,000 homes annually.
In 2024, Metropolitan launched its tree rebate as part of the program, providing $100 per tree planted, for up to five per project, officials said.
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