The City of Austin hopes to encourage homeowners to conserve water with a new program that will give rebates for converting landscapes to native beds or permeable hardscapes, such as gravel, according to a city water conservation website.

Applications, which will be accepted twice a year, will be available starting today at www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/rebatelist.htm.

The amount rebated will be $20 or $30 per 100 square feet converted, depending on whether there is an automatic irrigation system in place, the website says. A minimum of 500 square feet of turf must be converted to qualify for a rebate.

All of this a conscious effort to conserve water after the 2009 drought and dangerous decline in the water level of the Highland Lakes.

‘Honor flag' returns to Austin

At 9:40 a.m. today, the "U.S. Honor Flag" — the flag that flew over the Texas Capitol on Sept. 11, 2001, and since has flown at ground zero in New York, around the country and in Iraq and Afghanistan — is scheduled to arrive at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Plans call for a water cannon salute to greet the American Airlines jet carrying the flag. During a ceremony afterward, Lakeway Police Chief Todd Radford said he will accept the flag and give it to the Austin Police Department.

The flag, which pays tribute to police, fire officials and service members who lost their lives in the line of duty, is set to fly Sunday at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for a Rangers game, then head to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco on July 8.

The flag is scheduled to return to the area July 9 and fly at a Round Rock Express game, AquaPalooza on Lake Travis and at Lake Hills Church that weekend before heading to the Rio Grande Valley.

Austin public art recognized

Two public artwork projects in Austin have been chosen for the 2010 Public Art Year in Review. The Year in Review recognizes 40 of the year's best public artworks in the United States and Canada.

The temporary Austin public art projects that were selected are "Bait Box" by Buster Graybill and "Giant Mushroom Forest" by Bill Davenport. They were on display on the east side of the hike-and-bike trail along Lady Bird Lake and the west side of Auditorium Shores, respectively, from March until the end of last year.