ITEM:		CONSENT CALENDAR
4.	CONSIDER AUTHORIZATION TO REIMBURSE SAN CARLOS SCHOOL FOR WATER SAVING RETROFITS
Meeting Date:			December 12, 2011	Budgeted:	Yes--Reimbursable
From:			David J. Stoldt,	Program/	4-2-2-B
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Stephanie Pintar	Cost Estimate:	$12,298.24
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on December 5, 2011 and recommended approval.
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: Staff is seeking authorization to reimburse San Carlos School in Monterey $12,298.24 for purchase and installation of seven motion-activated 0.5 gallon per minute faucets and ten high efficiency commercial toilet bowls and one water efficient toilet. Funding for this program is available under the School Retrofit Program that is reimbursed by California American Water as part of the District’s conservation budget. San Carlos School is the first school to take advantage of this program.

On May 16, 2011, the Board approved retrofitting at San Carlos School in an amount of $8,000 to reduce water used by toilets, faucets and irrigation systems at the educational facility. Recommendations for retrofits were included in the water audit report completed by WaterWise, Inc. (the District’s contractor). Following the May Board approval of funding, San Carlos School solicited bids on the interior portion of the retrofits. The bids received ranged from approximately $14,000 to $16,000, although the District had approved only $1,500 for equipment and up to $5,000 for installation of all retrofits[1]. The estimated cost of retrofitting varied so widely from the original estimate because the toilet bowls required replacement due their incompatibility with ultra-low flush technology, and the existing faucets were for flow reducing faucet aerators. The cost of materials was $7,348.24 and installation/labor cost was $4,950.

San Carlos School installed motion-activated sensor faucets with a flow rate of 0.5 gallons per minute (comparable to the models installed in the District office). Although the flow rate is the same as the WaterWise recommendation, the need to install entire new faucets to accommodate the flow rate was not contemplated in the Board’s May 2011 funding approval. For the toilets, San Carlos School installed Ultra-Low Flush motion-sensor activated flush valves along with new water efficient commercial toilet bowls. The water savings associated with the replacement of the toilet bowls is expected to double the estimated water savings listed in the WaterWise report for the following reason: In the 1980’s-1990’s, San Carlos School installed commercial low flush valves apparently without the benefit of hydrologically matched toilet bowls. This combination of new valve and a toilet bowl designed with older technology resulted in toilets that regularly required two or more flushes to clear waste. The new configuration with sensor flush-valves and high efficiency bowls will result in less repeat flushing and consistent water savings.

Water savings with the completed retrofits are estimated to be 0.24 acre-feet annually or about 77,000 gallons per year. San Carlos School was motivated to work with the District on this retrofit program because they were regularly billing in the second and third tiers on their water bills. The estimated dollar savings at the second tier amount to approximately $820/year, and up to $2,000 at the third tier. Fortunately, the California Public Utilities Commission authorized funding for school retrofits that take place in the California American Water system. This program is reimbursable through the Conservation Budget approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in 2009. The Conservation Budget for School Retrofits provides funding for local educational facilities to retrofit high water use areas and water fixtures with new technology and is directed primarily toward schools that have limited budgets and could not otherwise afford to upgrade toilets, urinals, food service facilities and landscaping devices to water-efficient levels.

RECOMMENDATION: By adopting this item with the Consent Calendar, the Board approves reimbursement in the amount of $12,298.24 to San Carlos School for retrofitting the school’s toilets and faucets to water efficient models. Time is of the essence, as funding for the school retrofit program expires on December 31, 2011.

The Administrative Committee reviewed this item at its December 5, 2011 meeting and recommended approval.

EXHIBITS

None

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[1] Initial retrofit estimates were based on the audit conducted by WaterWise, Inc. WaterWise’s report includes the disclaimer that their findings and costs are estimate and actual costs can vary.