The drought-tolerant landscaping at Christine Laframboise’s El Cajon home has been a work in progress since 2015, when she, her husband and their son painstakingly pulled out two layers of grass and sod — 1,070 square feet of lawn.

This past week, her front garden took top honors in the Otay Water District’s WaterSmart Landscape Contest.

The annual contest is held by many water agencies in San Diego County to encourage and recognize residents who exemplify outdoor water-use efficiency. Agencies judge lawns in their service areas, looking at “before” and “after” photos from entrants, then awarding top picks.