The Suffolk County Drinking Water Protection Program, funded by a quarterly water-quality surcharge, supports turf-to-native conversion incentives that reduce fertilizer runoff and irrigation demand on the sole-source aquifer.
The Suffolk County Drinking Water Protection Program (DWPP) is funded by a dedicated quarterly water surcharge authorized by countywide referendum, originally adopted in 1987 and extended multiple times. DWPP funds aquifer-protection land acquisition, sewer expansion, and water-quality programs administered by SCDHS and the Department of Economic Development and Planning. Incentive programs through partner organizations including SCWA and Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk County subsidize replacement of high-input turf with native plant beds, rain gardens, and drought-tolerant ground covers, particularly in nitrogen-priority watersheds.
Turf conversion is voluntary; there are no penalties for keeping a traditional lawn, but properties with bare or unmaintained turf may still trigger town property-maintenance enforcement under local blight codes.
Islip, NY
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Islip, NY
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See how Islip's turf replacement rebates rules stack up against other locations.
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