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ITEM: |
INFORMATIONAL
ITEM/STAFF REPORT |
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15. |
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM REPORT FOR AUGUST |
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Meeting
Date: |
September 15, 2025
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Budgeted: |
N/A |
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From: |
David J.
Stoldt, |
Program/ |
N/A |
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General
Manager |
Line Item
No. |
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Prepared By: |
Kyle Smith |
Cost Estimate: |
N/A |
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General Counsel Review: N/A
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Committee Recommendation: N/A |
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CEQA Compliance: This action
does not constitute a project as defined by the California Environmental
Quality Act Guidelines section 15378. |
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The following information reflects
activities undertaken by the Water Demand Division during the month of August
2025.
I. MANDATORY WATER CONSERVATION RETROFIT PROGRAM
District Regulation XIV requires
the retrofit of water fixtures upon Change of Ownership[1] or
Use with High Efficiency Toilets (HET) (1.28 gallons-per-flush), 2.0
gallons-per-minute (gpm) Showerheads, 1.2 gpm Washbasin faucets, 1.8 gpm
Kitchen Sink, Utility Sink, and Bar Sink faucets, and Rain Sensors on all
automatic Irrigation Systems. Property
owners must certify the Site meets the District’s water efficiency standards by
submitting a Water Conservation Certification Form (WCC) and a
self-certification form. A Site inspection is occasionally conducted to verify
compliance. Properties that do not require an inspection are issued a
Conservation Certification.
A. Changes
of Ownership
Information is obtained monthly from Realquest.com on properties transferring ownership within the District. The information is compared against the properties that have submitted WCCs. Details on 82 property transfers that occurred were added to the database.
B. Certification
The District received 52 Water Conservation Certification Forms. Data on ownership, transfer date, and status of water efficiency standard compliance were entered into the database.
C. Verification
29 properties were verified compliant with Rule 144 (Retrofit Upon Change of Ownership or Use). Of the 29 verifications, 9 properties verified compliance by submitting certification forms and/or receipts. District staff completed 31 Site inspections. Of the 31 properties visited, 20 (64%) passed.
D. Non-Residential
Compliance with Water Efficiency Standards
By January 1, 2014, all Non-Residential properties were required to meet Rule 143, Water Efficiency Standards for Existing Non-Residential Uses. District inspectors performed no verification inspections.
As part of the Non-Residential compliance effort, MPWMD notifies California American Water (Cal-Am) of properties with landscaping. Cal-Am staff then schedule an outdoor audit to verify compliance with the Rate Best Management Practices (BMPs). (Compliance with MPWMD’s Rule 143 achieves Rate BMP compliance for indoor water uses.) Properties with landscaping must comply with Cal-Am’s outdoor Rate BMPs to avoid rates in Division 4 (customers that are not in compliance with Rate BMPs). Rate BMPs are used to determine the appropriate Non-Residential rate division for each customer (there are four different rates based on the amount of irrigated area and compliance/noncompliance with the Rate BMPs).
MPWMD referred no property to Cal-Am for
verification of outdoor Rate BMPs.
E. Water
Waste Enforcement
The District has a Water Waste Hotline 831-658-5653 or an online form to report Water Waste occurrences at www.mpwmd.net or www.montereywaterinfo.org. There were six Water Waste responses during the past month. There was one repeated incident that resulted in a fine.
II. WATER
DEMAND MANAGEMENT
A. Permit
Processing
District Rule 23 requires a Water Permit application for all properties that propose to expand or modify water use on a Site, including New Construction and Remodels. District staff processed and issued 86 Water Permits. Four permits were issued using Water Entitlements (Pebble Beach Company, Malpaso Water, Sand City, etc.). No permits involved a debit to a Public Water Credit account. Eleven, meter enlargement permits, and eight hydrant meter permits were issued.
District Rule 24-3-A allows the addition of a second Bathroom in an existing Dwelling Unit that has only one Bathroom. Of the 86 Water Permits issued, four were issued under this provision.
B. Permit Compliance
Staff completed 34 site inspections for current permit compliance during August. Twenty-four properties passed the interior inspection, and three properties failed due to unpermitted fixtures. One property was inspected to complete a Landscape Water Permit and passed.
C. Close the “Open” Permits (Amnesty) Project
No open permit letters during August. Fifty-Five properties were inspected to close open permits. Forty of the 58 inspected passed and 18 failed. In August, 12 permits were amended using the District Reserve. Other previously noncompliant permits were amended under the conditions of the program to close the permits. A final report on the project will be presented at the October Board meeting.
D. Notary
Services
District staff provided Notary services for 29 customers.
E. Rebates
The District processes rebate applications to ensure that only voluntary replacement of higher efficiency devices receive rebates. The comprehensive list of available rebates can be found in Rule 141. Monthly statistics are shown on the following page.
III.
Outreach and Events
During the month of August District staff attended Carmel Valley Fiesta at Carmel Valley Community Park, The West End Celebration in Sand City and Water Awareness Day at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. Staff distributed conservation items such as low flow shower heads and hose nozzles. Staff also answered a verity of questions regarding water conservation and water credit questions.
EXHIBIT
15-A Rebate Report for August 2025
U:\staff\Boardpacket\2025\091525\Informational
Items\15\Item-15.docx