ITEM: INFORMATION ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
21. WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM REPORT
Meeting Date: April 19, 2004 Budgeted: N/A
Program/Line Item No: N/A
Staff
Contact: Shawn Novack Cost
Estimate: N/A
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee
Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A
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 and 2.5 gallons-per-minute showerheads 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 89 WCC forms between March 1 and March 31,
2004. Data on property ownership,
transfer date and status of conservation requirements from those forms were
entered into the conservation database.
B.
Verification
In the month of March, 177 inspections
were scheduled in response to requests from agents and property
owners. The District completed 144
inspections of properties changing ownership and 123 (85.0%) were in
compliance. Two 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 28 toilets resulting from water permit conditions of approval.
C.
Changes of Ownership
Information is obtained weekly
from the Abstract of Monterey County 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 121 property transfers
that occurred between March 1 and March 31, 2004 was entered into the
database.
D.
Savings Estimate
Water savings from retrofits
(triggered by changes in ownership) verified in March are estimated at 1.035
acre-feet. This number represents
verification of approximately 119% of the properties transferring ownership in
the District during March (e.g. 45 toilets were replaced). The number
for the verification percentage is higher this month due to February
inspections being backlogged into March.
II.
WATER DEMAND MANAGEMENT
A.
Permit Processing
District staff processed and
issued 87 water permits in the month of March. The Paralta & Pre-Paralta allocation deductions
totaled 0.728 acre-feet for the Cal-Am system in March. 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.
Ordinance No. 98, adopted May
16, 2001, allows the addition of a second bathroom to an existing single family
dwelling on a single-family residential site. Of the 87 water permits issued in
March 2004, 10 were issued under the provisions of Ordinance No. 98.
B.
Permit Compliance
District staff completed 27 water
permit final inspections in March. Eight of the final inspections failed
due to unpermitted fixtures or for not having low-flow fixtures in place as
required by the permit. Of the 19 properties that were in compliance, 19
passed on the first visit. In addition, six 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 January 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
and recorded 28 documents. Of
the 87 permits that were issued in the month of March 2004, 19
(22.0%) required deed restrictions.
District staff provided deed restriction Notary services for seven water
permit applicants.
III.
REBATE PROGRAM
In
January 1997, the District enacted a program that offered refunds of up to $100
for every older residential toilet replaced with an ultra-low flow model. 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. 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-2004
|
2004 YTD Total
|
Total-to-Date (January 1997 - Present)
|
|
I
|
Application Summary
|
|
|
|
|
|
A.
|
Applications Received
|
15
|
68
|
4004
|
|
|
B.
|
Applications Approved
|
11
|
50
|
3289
|
|
|
C.
|
Single Family Applications
|
5
|
32
|
3872
|
|
|
E.
|
Multi-Family Applications
|
1
|
11
|
327
|
|
|
G.
|
Commercial Applications
|
0
|
0
|
110
|
|
II
|
Types of Fixtures Rebated
|
|
|
|
|
|
A.
|
Single Family Toilet
|
6
|
23
|
4250
|
|
|
B.
|
Multi-Family Toilet
|
2
|
14
|
1737
|
|
|
C.
|
Commercial Toilet
|
0
|
0
|
685
|
|
|
D.
|
ULF Dishwasher
|
2
|
10
|
12
|
|
|
E
|
ULF Washing Machine
|
2
|
8
|
9
|
|
|
F.
|
Hot Water Demand Pumping Systems
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
G.
|
Cisterns
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
III
|
Total Dollars Rebated
|
$1,200.00
|
$5,478.63
|
$646,225.20
|
|
IV
|
Estimated Water Savings in Acre-Feet
Annually*
|
0.220
|
1.010
|
153.627
|
|
|
|
* Retrofit savings are estimated at 0.023
AF/toilet, 0.003 AF/dishwasher, 0.015 AF washer
|
|
|
|
|
|
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