The River Friendly Landscaping program operated by the Truckee River Watershed Council is offering free site evaluations and a $400 rebate for improvements.

Andy Otto, program manager for the River Friendly Landscaping Program, said the three main problem areas on most properties are roof runoff, the type of plants being selected for landscaping, and driveways.

It takes only 1 inch of rain falling on a typical 1,500 square foot roof to generate approximately 1,000 gallons of runoff.

Native plants are critical.

Water that drains from driveways carries contaminates to the nearest river or stream.

The average yard costs $400 to $2,200 to retrofit depending on the size, according to Otto.

For more information about River Friendly Landscaping or to sign up for a site evaluation, contact Andy Otto at aotto@truckeeriverwc.org or (530) 550. 8760, ext. 3.