ITEM:

INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORTS

 

24.

WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 2011

 

Meeting Date:
March 21, 2011

Budgeted: 

N/A

 

From:

Darby Fuerst,

Program/

N/A

 

General Manager

Line Item No.:

 

Prepared By:

Gabriela Ayala

Cost Estimate:

N/A

 

 

General Counsel Review:  N/A

Committee Recommendation:  N/A

CEQA Compliance:  N/A

 

I.       MANDATORY WATER CONSERVATION RETROFIT PROGRAM

District Regulation XIV requires the retrofit of water fixtures upon Change of Ownership to Ultra-Low Flush Toilets (ULF) (1.6 gallons-per-flush), 2.0 gallons-per-minute (gpm) Showerheads, and 2.2 gpm faucet aerators. Rain Sensors are also required for all automatic Irrigation Systems.  Property owners must certify the Site meets the District’s efficiency requirements by submitting a Water Conservation Certification Form (WCC).  A Site inspection to verify compliance is conducted when five years have passed since a previous inspection. 

 

A.    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 Regulation XIV are identified.  Details on 81 property transfers that occurred in February 2011 were entered into the database.  

 

B.     Certification

The District received 49 WCCs between February 1 and February 28, 2011.  Data on ownership, transfer date, and status of conservation requirements were entered into the database.

 

C.     Verification

In February, 58 inspections were performed to verify compliance with Rule 144 (Retrofit upon Change of Ownership or Use).  Of the 58 inspections performed, 46 (79%) were in compliance.  Eleven of the properties that passed inspection involved more than one visit to verify compliance with all conservation requirements.

 

District inspectors are noting that a large percentage of toilets are being replaced with High Efficiency Toilets (HET).  These retrofits are occurring as a result of remodels and new construction, and as the toilet of choice for Rule 144 compliance.  State law mandates the sale and installation of HET by January 1, 2014, with a phase-in period that began in 2010.


  1. Savings Estimate

Water savings from retrofits triggered by Rule 144 that were verified in February 2011 are estimated at 1.221 acre-feet annually (AFA).  Water savings from voluntary retrofits that exceeded requirements (Ultra-Low Flush Toilets to HET), 17 toilets, is estimated at 0.416 AFA.  Year-to-date estimated savings occurring as a result of Rule 144 is 2.858 AFA.

 

  1. Water Waste Response

There was one Water Waste complaint reported by the public, and staff made several verbal contacts in the field after observing Water Waste.  Follow up letters were sent as needed to correct the Water Waste.

 

II.    WATER DEMAND MANAGEMENT

 

A.    Permit Processing

District staff processed and issued 52 Water Permits in February 2011.  Four Water Permits were issued using Water Entitlements (Macomber, Pebble Beach Company, Griffin Estates, Quail Meadows, Water West, etc).  The remainder of the Water Permits issued involved neither a debit to a Jurisdiction’s Allocation, nor a debit to a Public Water Credit Account.  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.

 

All Water Permit Applicants have received a disclaimer informing them of the Cease and Desist Order against California American Water and the possibility that MPWMD will be reporting Water Permits details to California American Water.  Disclaimers will continue to be provided to all permit recipients with property supplied by a California American Water Distribution system.

 

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 52 Water Permits issued in February, 12 were issued under this provision.

 

B.     Permit Compliance

District staff completed 56 Water Permit final inspections in February 2011. Thirteen of the final inspections failed due to unpermitted fixtures. Of the 35 properties that were in compliance, 22 passed on the first visit. In addition, 8 pre-inspections were conducted in response to Water Permit applications received by the District.

 

C.     Deed Restrictions

District staff prepares deed restrictions that are recorded on the property title to provide notice of District Rules and Regulations, enforce Water Permit conditions, and provide notice of public access to water records.  In March 2001, the District Board of Directors adopted a policy regarding the processing of deed restrictions.  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 February, the District prepared 28 deed restrictions.  Of the 52 Water Permits issued in February, 17 (40%) required deed restrictions.  District staff provided deed restriction Notary services for 58 Water Permit Applicants.       

 

III. JOINT MPWMD/CAW REBATE PROGRAM

Early in January 2011, funding for the Rebate Program that was authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in 2009 ran out!  The Rebate Program was temporarily halted while California American Water applied for an additional $250,000 for Rebates from the CPUC.  On February 8, 2011, the CPUC approved the additional funding and MPWMD reinstated the Rebate Program for all applications other than Lawn removal Rebates.

 

At the February 24, 2011, Board meeting, Resolution 2011-04 was adopted lifting the suspension of the Lawn Rebate program. Revised guidelines were considered by the Board but are not in effect pending the adoption of a revised ordinance. The Draft Ordinance will be considered by the Board at the March 21, 2011 meeting.

 

Participation in the Rebate Program is detailed in the following charts. Table 1 indicates the program summary for California American Water Company; Table 2 indicates the program summary for Seaside Municipal and Non-California American Water users.

 

Prior to the January Board meeting, the District performed no pre-inspections and 7 final inspections for Lawn Rebates to document removal of Lawn and replacement with low water using plants or permeable surfaces or installation of Synthetic Turf. In the month of February, the District prepared 18 deed restrictions associated with the approval of Lawn removal.

Table 1 – Rebate Program Summary-California American Water Customers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 2 –Rebate Program Summary-Non-California American Water Customers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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