ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORTS
17.	WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM REPORT
Meeting Date:			September 20, 2021	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			David J. Stoldt,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.
Prepared By:			Chris Timmer	Cost Estimate:	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 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, Utility, 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 Site inspection is occasionally conducted to verify compliance. Properties that do not require an inspection are issued a Conservation Certification document.

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 160 property transfers that occurred between August 1, 2021, and August 31, 2021, were added to the database.

Certification

The District received 65 WCCs between August 1, 2021, and August 31, 2021. Data on ownership, transfer date, and status of water efficiency standard compliance were entered into the database.

Verification

From August 1, 2021, and August 31, 2021, 50 properties were verified compliant with Rule 144 (Retrofit Upon Change of Ownership or Use). Of the 50 verifications, 29 properties verified compliance by submitting certification forms and/or receipts. District staff completed 43 Site inspections. Of the 43 properties verified, 21 (49%) passed.

CII Compliance with Water Efficiency Standards

Effective January 1, 2014, all Non-Residential properties were required to meet Rule 143, Water Efficiency Standards for Existing Non-Residential Uses. To verify compliance with these requirements, property owners and businesses are sent notification of the requirements and a date that inspectors will be on Site to check the property. In August, District inspectors performed 21 verification inspections.

MPWMD is forwarding its CII inspection findings to California American Water (Cal-Am) for their verification with the Rate Best Management Practices (Rate BMPs) that are used to determine the appropriate Non-Residential rate division. Compliance with MPWMD’s Rule 143 achieves Rate BMPs for indoor water uses. Properties with landscaping must also comply with Cal-Am’s outdoor Rate BMPs to avoid Division 4 (Non-Rate BMP Compliant) rates. In addition to sharing information about indoor Rate BMP compliance, MPWMD notifies Cal-Am of properties with landscaping. Cal-Am then conducts an outdoor audit to verify compliance with the Rate BMPs. During August 2021, MPWMD referred three properties to Cal-Am for verification of outdoor Rate BMPs.

Water Waste Enforcement

The District has a Water Waste Hotline (831-658-5653) or an online form to report Water Waster occurrences at www.mpwmd.net or www.montereywaterinfo.org. There were six Water Waste responses during the past month. There were no repeated incidents that resulted in a fine.

II. WATER DEMAND MANAGEMENT

Permit Processing

As of July 6, 2021, the District has been processing both electronic and in person applications for Water Permits. Information can be found at https://www.mpwmd.net/regulations/water-permits.

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 90 Water Permits from August 1, 2021, and August 31, 2021. Ten Water Permits were issued using Water Entitlements (Pebble Beach Company, Malpaso Water, etc.). No Water Permits involved a debit to a Public Water Credit Account. In addition to those Water Permits issued in August, ten Meter Permits and five Hydrant Meter Permits were issued. All Water Permits have a disclaimer informing applicants of the Cease-and-Desist Order against California American Water and that MPWMD reports Water Permit details to California American Water.

District Rule 24-3-A allows the addition of a second Bathroom in an existing Dwelling Unit. Of the 90 Water Permits issued from August 1, 2021, and August 31, 2021, 9 were issued under this provision.

Permit Compliance

District staff completed no conditional Water Permit finals during August 2021. Staff completed 36 site inspections. Twenty-five properties passed and eleven failed due to unpermitted fixtures.

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 April 2001, the District Board of Directors adopted a policy regarding the processing of deed restrictions. District staff provided Notary services for 62 Water Permits with deed restrictions.

III. Rebates

The full list of available rebates can be found in Rule 141: https://www.mpwmd.net/rules/Rule141-TableXIV-1.pdf. Below is the rebate information for August 2021.

IV. Outreach & Events

Summer Splash Water Challenge Giveaway

For the second year, MPWMD launched the Summer Splash Water Challenge Giveaway on July 1st. The event consists of a water-themed gameboard where participants watch educational water conservation related videos and answer questions to enter a drawing for a chance to win prizes. The topics covered in the videos included the water cycle, drought, and tips to save water at home. The event was promoted in the local papers and on social media. The Dsitrict received 65 entries for prizes. The prizes offered were a High Efficiency Washing Machine which went to Elisa Gensberg, an iPad, and a 500-gallon cistern. The latter have yet to be claimed by the winners.

Events

After more than a year of not attending outreach events due to the Covid-19 pandemic, MPWMD was represented at the Carmel Valley Fiesta in the Carmel Valley Community Park and at the West End Celebration in Sand City. At both events, staff gave out approximately 420 quick-acting trigger hose nozzles, 290 moisture meters, and other conservation materials to customers eager to save water. Due to the ongoing dry weather, customers were enthusiastic and motivated to find out about the current drought and how they can save water at their property or get rebates for purchasing and installing water efficient appliances. The next event will be a staffed booth at the Monterey County Fair on September 4, 2021.

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