As we move into what may be another monsoon season with late spring rains and the prospect of winter storms, this is a great time to plan for a rainwater harvesting system! For residents of the city of San Diego, there are two sources of rebate money for rain tanks: the city of San Diego and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. For county residents, the Metropolitan Water District is the only source unless the individual jurisdiction has its own rebate.

First, the city of San Diego rain tank rebate. This rebate provides $1/gallon of rainwater stored up to 400 gallons or $400 total. The main requirements are that the tank be above-ground, connected to a downspout, be installed on a level and solid foundation such as concrete or block, and that there is no connection to a pump or irrigation. These limitations are important to think about when designing your system. Many of our projects involve connections to irrigation, especially when there is a larger storage capacity. A pump can be added after the rebate or there may be a tank that is used for gravity watering only and a separate system for the irrigation connection. For more information, see San Diego Rainbarrel Rebates.

Second, the Metropolitan Water District rebate. This rebate provides $75 per rainbarrel (minimum 45 gallons) OR $300 per cistern 200 gallons or over. The requirements are similar to the city of San Diego with a couple of notable exceptions: the county rebate DOES apply to both above and below-ground cisterns and has no stipulation about irrigation connections. For more information, see SoCal Water$mart.

Contact us to get started on your rainwater system design and raintank rebates!