ITEM:

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS

 

27.

WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM REPORT

 

Meeting Date:

 April 20, 2009

Budgeted: 

N/A

 

From:

 Darby Fuerst,

Program/

N/A

 

 General Manager

Line Item No.:

 

 

 

Prepared By:

 

Michael Boles

Cost Estimate:

N/A

General Counsel Approval: N/A

Committee Recommendation:  N/A

CEQA Compliance:  Exempt

 

 

I.       MANDATORY WATER CONSERVATION RETROFIT PROGRAM

 

The District continued to carry out District Regulation XIV, which requires the retrofit of water fixtures to ultra-low flow (ULF) 1.6 gallons-per-flush toilets, 2.5 gallons-per-minute showerheads and 2.2 gallons-per-minute faucet aerator when properties transfer ownership.  Property owners are required to certify the property has the ULF fixtures by submitting a Water Conservation Certification form (WCC). 

 

A.     Certification

The District received 62 WCC forms between March 1, 2009 and March 31, 2009.  Data on property ownership, transfer date, and status of conservation requirements from those forms were entered into the conservation database.

 

B.     Verification

In March, 127 inspections were performed. The District completed 50 inspections of properties changing ownership, and 40 (80%) were in compliance.  None of the properties that passed inspection required more than one visit to verify compliance with all conservation requirements.  The District also verified the replacement of 60 toilets resulting from water permit conditions of approval.

 

C.     Changes of Ownership

Information is obtained weekly from RealQuest.Com on properties transferring ownership within the District.  The information is entered into the database and compared against the properties that have submitted WCCs. Properties not in compliance with District law are then identified.  Information on 81 property transfers that occurred in March was entered into the database.  

 

  1. Savings Estimate

Water savings from retrofits (triggered by changes in ownership) verified in March is estimated at 0.456 acre-feet.   Year-to-date total estimated savings is 0.889 acre-feet.

 

 

  1. Water Waste Response

There were no water waste complaints reported by the public.

 

II.                WATER DEMAND MANAGEMENT

 

A.     Permit Processing

District staff processed and issued 99 water permits in March.  One permit was issued for other water entitlements (Macomber, Pebble Beach Company, Griffin Estates, Quail Meadows, etc).  The remainder of the permits issued did not involve a debit to a jurisdiction’s allocation or were debited from a public water allocation.  District Rule 23 requires a water permit application for all properties that propose to expand water demand on a site, including new construction and remodels.

 

District Rule 24-3-A allows the addition of a second bathroom to an existing single family dwelling on a single-family residential site. Of the 99 water permits issued in March, six were issued under this provision.

 

B.     Permit Compliance

District staff completed 64 water permit final inspections in March. Twelve of the final inspections failed due to unpermitted fixtures, and two failed for not having low-flow fixtures in place as required by the permit. Of the 50 properties that were in compliance, 49 passed on the first visit. In addition, 13 properties required pre-inspections in response to Water Permit Applications received by the District.

 

C.     Deed Restrictions

District staff prepares documents that are recorded on the property title to enforce District Rules and Regulations, enforce permit conditions and allow public access to water records.  In March 2001, the District Board of Directors adopted a policy regarding the processing of these documents.  Specifically, an extensive quality control process was put into place and the District is now responsible for thoroughly reviewing and recording these documents.  In the month of March, the District prepared 33 documents.  Of the 99 permits that were issued in March, 28 (28%) required deed restrictions.  District staff provided deed restriction Notary services for 37 water permit applicants.           

 

III.             JOINT MPWMD/CAW REBATE PROGRAM

 

In January 1997, the District enacted a program that offers refunds of up to $100 for older residential toilets replaced with ultra-low flow models.  The program was expanded in 1998 to provide rebates for voluntary non-residential toilet retrofits.  It was expanded again in 2003 to provide rebates for ultra-low consumption appliances and cisterns.  In September 2007, the refund amount for water savings appliances was increased from $100 to $150 for High Efficiency Toilets, point of source on demand hot water, and 28 gallon washing machines; $125 for ultra water saving dishwashers and $200 for 18 gallon washing machines and instant access hot water systems. Water saved through this program is set aside to reduce community water use.

 

Participation in the rebate program is detailed in the following chart:

 

 

 

 

 

REBATE PROGRAM SUMMARY

March-2009

 

2009 YTD Total

Total-to-Date (January 1997 - Present)

I

Application Summary

 

 

 

 

 

 

A.

Applications Received

76

 

320

7788

 

B.

Applications Approved

54

 

248

6069

 

C.

Single Family Applications

73

 

260

7121

 

D.

Multi-Family Applications

3

 

10

450

 

E.

Non-Residential Applications

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial

 

 0

 

0

140

 

 

Industrial

 

 0

 

0

0

 

 

Institutional (public authority)

 

 0

 

0

0

II

Types of Fixtures Rebated

Total Per Item

Estimated Water Savings

 

 

 

A.

SFD ULFT

7

700.00

0.161

24

4864

 

B.

SFD HET

20

3,000.00

0.600

51

385

 

C.

SFD ULF Dishwasher

4

500.00

0.012

20

564

 

D.

SFD ULF 18-gallon WM

22

4,400.00

0.330

134

1229

 

E.

SFD ULF 28-gallon WM

1

150.00

0.015

5

24

 

F.

Instant Access Hot Water Systems

2

385.00

 

5

48

 

G.

On Demand Hot Water-Point of Source

1

100.00

 

5

7

 

H.

Cisterns

1

110.00

 

3

16

 

I.

Residential Smart Controllers

0

0.00

 

6

11

 

J.

MFD ULFT

0

0.00

0.00

7

1895

 

K.

MFD HET

0

0.00

0.000

0

8

 

L.

MFD ULF Dishwasher

1

125.00

0.003

1

6

 

M.

MFD ULF 18-gallon WM

1

200.00

0.015

3

7

 

N.

MFD ULF 28-gallon WM

0

0.00

0.000

0

1

 

O.

Non-Residential - ULFT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial

0

0

0

0

714

 

 

Industrial

0

0

0

0

0

 

 

Institutional (public authority)

0

0

0

0

0

 

P.

Non-Residential - HET

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial

0

0.00

0.000

0

106

 

 

Industrial

0

0.00

0.000

0

0

 

 

Institutional (public authority)

0

0.00

0.000

0

0

 

Q.

Non-Residential ULF 18-gallon WM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial

0

0.00

0.000

0

590

 

 

Industrial

0

0.00

0.000

0

0

 

 

Institutional (public authority)

0

0.00

0.000

0

0

 

R.

Non-Residential Smart Controllers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial

0

0

 

0

0

 

 

Industrial

0

0

 

0

0

 

 

Institutional (public authority)

0

0

 

0

0

 

S.

Non-Residential Zero Water Using Urinals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial

0

0.00

 

0

113

 

 

Industrial

0

0.00

 

0

0

 

 

Institutional (public authority)

0

0.00

 

0

0

III

Total Dollars Rebated

 

$9,670.00

 

$45,424.50

$1,121,282.51

IV

Estimated Water Savings in Acre-Feet Annually*

 

 

1.136

4.436

216.268

* Retrofit savings are estimated at 0.023 AF/ULF, HET toilets, 0.003 AF/dishwasher, 0.015 AF/ washer; 0.03 AF.

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