Municipal Water Leader July/August 2017 by Water Strategies

Volume 3 Issue 7

PHOENIX WATER SERVICES DIRECTOR

KATHRYN SORENSEN ON CONSERVATION AND SUPPLY

July/August 2017

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THE CITY BUILT FOR DROUGHT

Municipal Water Leader is published 10 times a year with combined issues for July/August and November/December by Water Strategies LLC 4 E Street SE Washington, DC 20003 STAFF: Kris Polly, Editor-in-Chief John Crotty, Senior Writer Matthew Dermody, Writer Julia Terbrock, Graphic Designer Capital Copyediting LLC, Copyeditor

Contents

July/August 2017 Volume 3, Issue 7

5 The Conservation Issueâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Playing the Long Game by Kris Polly 6 The City Built for Drought: Phoenix Water Services Director Kathryn Sorensen on Conservation and Supply in Phoenix 14 Tax Parity for Water Conservation by Senator Dianne Feinstein 16 Conservation Innovation 20 One Way to Create a Reservoir: Effective Conservation Campaigns by Linda Christie, Dustan Compton, and Mark Olson 4

22 From Inside Out: A Long-Term Vision for Conservation in Southern California by Metropolitan Water District Staff 28 Approaching Water Conservation Holistically: San Antonio Water System's Karen Guz

AGENCY FOCUS 34 Counting on Conservation at the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District by Darren Hess

SUBMISSIONS: Municipal Water Leader welcomes manuscript, photography, and art submissions. However, the right to edit or deny publishing submissions is reserved. Submissions are returned only upon request. For more information, please contact John Crotty at (202) 698-0690 or John.Crotty@waterstrategies.com. ADVERTISING: Municipal Water Leader accepts one-quarter, half-page, and full-page ads. For more information on rates and placement, please contact Kris Polly at (703) 517-3962 or Municipal.Water.Leader@waterstrategies.com. CIRCULATION: Municipal Water Leader is distributed to irrigation district managers and boards of directors in the 17 western states, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials, members of Congress and committee staff, and advertising sponsors. For address corrections or additions, please contact our office at Municipal.Water.Leader@waterstrategies.com. Copyright ÂŠ 2017 Water Strategies LLC. Municipal Water Leader relies on the excellent contributions of a variety of natural resources professionals who provide content for the magazine. However, the views and opinions expressed by these contributors are solely those of the original contributor and do not necessarily represent or reflect the policies or positions of Municipal Water Leader magazine, its editors, or Water Strategies LLC. The acceptance and use of advertisements in Municipal Water Leader do not constitute a representation or warranty by Water Strategies LLC or Municipal Water Leader magazine regarding the products, services, claims, or companies advertised. MuniWaterLeader

COVER PHOTO: Phoenix Water Services Director Kathryn Sorensen

MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

The Conservation Issue— Playing the Long Game By Kris Polly

onserved water is a critical source for water utilities and districts across the country. It has bolstered and stabilized supplies, helping cities to weather droughts and make each drop of water count. Conservation has also facilitated population growth—most major American cities, even in the West, have have seen overall water use go down, while populations have continued to increase. No city better represents an effective water conservation program than Phoenix. Phoenix Water Services provides drinking water to a growing base of 1.7 million customers who live in the desert. We speak with Phoenix Water Services Director Kathryn Sorensen for our cover interview—she addresses how the city incentivizes conservation to complement its comprehensive and ongoing capital improvements program. As Dr. Sorensen describes it, “When it comes to water conservation, Phoenix plays the long game.” The results of implementing that philosophy speak for themselves—the city’s gallons-per-capita-per-day use of water has decreased 30 percent in 20 years despite serving 400,000 more people. We also have conservation stories from across the West. Two Southern California water agencies—Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Desert Water Agency— weigh in on successful desert landscaping and conservation education programs, which have laid the groundwork for changing customers’ approaches to using water. We also hear from a conservation stalwart Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has introduced legislation to remedy a wrinkle in turf buy-back programs—the treatment of the buyback rebate as income for tax purposes. The senator has put together a bipartisan bill to ensure that those rebates are not treated as taxable income for ratepayers looking to conserve water. In Texas, conservation is as much about partnership as it is about the adoption of

MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

water-saving technology. The Tarrant Regional Water District, which supplies water to millions of people in north-central Texas, discusses the evolution of its conservation outreach campaign and how those efforts have been a sound investment. We also speak with San Antonio Water System’s Karen Guz, who leads the utility’s water conservation efforts. She highlights the value of partnering with local organizations to maximize outreach and effectiveness. Finally, Darren Hess of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District discusses how his district is undertaking a comprehensive plan that includes education and accountability to accommodate Utah’s burgeoning population. Mr. Hess says it best: “If conservation is to be successful, it must be done in a comprehensive manner that looks toward the long-term future of the region and can accommodate the anticipated growth in both population and development.” Like all the people and programs featured in this issue, the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, and the state of Utah, is definitely playing the long game. We hope you find this issue on conservation informative. Please keep us apprised of the new and innovative practices and programs your utility or district is undertaking to make conservation an effective part of your water supply portfolio. M Kris Polly is editor-in-chief of Municipal Water Leader magazine and president of Water Strategies LLC, a government relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural entities in their dealings with Congress, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He may be contacted at Kris.Polly@waterstrategies.com.

The City Built for

DROUGHT

MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

Phoenix Water Services Director Kathryn Sorensen Weighs In on Conservation and Supply in Phoenix, Arizona

Deer Valley Water Treatment Plant.

MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

Phoenix Water Services delivers drinking water to 1.7 million customers across 540 square miles of the Sonoran Desert. Sustainable water supplies have fueled the city’s remarkable population and economic growth. Phoenix incentivizes water conservation through market rates, education, and a variety of programs; it ensures the sustainability of its supplies through a comprehensive Capital Improvements Program to maintain and upgrade thousands of miles of water and sewer lines. At the forefront of these efforts is Phoenix Water Services Director Kathryn Sorensen. Ms. Sorensen, who has a PhD in resource economics, is a force for water policy and management in the Valley of the Sun. Among her many roles, she sits on the board of advisors of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute, is an advisory committee member of the Water Resources Research Center, and is a member of the Rates and Charges Subcommittee of the American Water Works Association. Municipal Water Leader’s editor-in-chief, Kris Polly, spoke with Dr. Sorensen about supply, conservation, and resiliency in one of the nation’s largest cities. Kris Polly: How does Phoenix provide reliable water supplies in a desert environment?

Phoenix

that we don’t need today for use when shortages of Colorado River water occur. And we have access to over 1 trillion gallons of native groundwater, which we treat as a savings account for future generations. In short, our supplies are robust and redundant. The Arizona Department of Water Resources has found that Phoenix has a 100-year assured water supply for current and future uses. Phoenix recognizes that collaboration with other water users is critical to long-term resiliency. We demonstrated the value of collaboration in our agreement with the city of Tucson. Through this agreement, Phoenix stores some of its currently unused Colorado River allocation in Tucson aquifers, where it helps boost groundwater levels and lower pumping costs. In times of shortage on the Colorado River, Tucson will pump that water back out of its wellfields and, in exchange, deliver its Colorado River water to Phoenix. Tucson is built to be dependent on wells, and Phoenix is built to be dependent on surface water. By leveraging the unique infrastructure of each system in a partnership, both cities benefit in increased resiliency. More recently, Phoenix entered into a partnership with the state of Arizona, the Gila River Indian

Community, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the Walton Family Foundation that will save the equivalent of 35 percent of the Colorado River water used by Phoenix residents each year. Specifically, it will fund a contribution of 13 billion gallons of Colorado River water to system conservation in Lake Mead this year. In addition to our Colorado River supplies, Phoenix is taking a leadership role among municipalities in protecting the Salt and Verde watersheds. We are funding projects through the MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PHOENIX WATER SERVICES.

Kathryn Sorensen: Phoenix is built for drought. Living in the desert imparts a deep appreciation for the value of water, which has driven the city of Phoenix to methodically acquire water supplies over the past 100 years. These supplies include water from the Salt, Verde, and Colorado Rivers and reclaimed wastewater. Phoenix has been a leader in the reuse of wastewater for 40 years. We’ve also banked water underground

ARIZONA

Phoenix Water employees.

National Forest Foundation and the Northern Arizona Forest Fund that will reduce the effects of catastrophic wildfire on our water supply, potentially saving the city millions of dollars in water treatment costs. Kris Polly: What programs and tools have helped the city conserve water over the years? Kathryn Sorensen: Phoenix residents understand the importance of water conservation in a desert city. Instead of implementing government MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

mandates, we focus our efforts on ensuring a strong conservation signal in our water rates, educating our customers, and then making sure they have the tools to use water wisely, in a manner that is best suited for their families and businesses. When it comes to water conservation, Phoenix plays the long game. Rather than focusing on short-term, reactive strategies during drought conditions, Phoenix focuses on long-term culture change. We encourage our residents to embrace a desert lifestyle, because some day the

drought will end, but it will still be hot and dry here, and water will still be scarce. This strategy has paid off in dividends. Phoenixâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gallons-percapita-per-day use of water has fallen roughly 30 percent over the last 20 years. Bottom line, water deliveries to Phoenix residents are less than they were in 1995, despite the fact that Phoenix Water serves 400,000 more people. The city has numerous conservation programs and initiatives. Through our PHX Water Smart initiative, we offer free landscape irrigation

and planting workshops to residents year round. We also teach free conservation classes to schools, homeowners’ associations, other organizations, and businesses. Residents can also order helpful conservation literature and media online at no cost (https://www.phoenix.gov/waterservices). We have a program to complete plumbing fixture retrofit and water use efficiency assessments for single-family residences in Phoenix. The program specifically targets older homes and helps homeowners in lower-income areas by reducing their water use. Phoenix was a founding partner in Water—Use It Wisely, an internationally recognized, award-winning conservation program that ensures a consistent regional message about water conservation in the Valley of the Sun.

Water moved its service area from being dependent on fossil groundwater reserves to using renewable surface water supplies. That entailed multibilliondollar investments in expensive surface water treatment plants, groundwater recharge facilities, and enhanced wastewater reclamation facilities. Today, over 97 percent of the water Phoenix delivers to its customers comes from renewable surface water supplies, and in a time when aquifers across the nation are declining, ours are rebounding. The importance of this cannot be overstated, as future generations will likely need to draw on these groundwater resources during times of drought and even mega-drought as they combat the effects of climate change. We are also proud of our positive relationships with local Native American communities. Rather than engage in decades of costly litigation over water Kris Polly: What kind of infrastructure rights, Phoenix, the state, agricultural investment is Phoenix Water going to districts, and others found ways to “Today, over make in the near term? collaborate with Native American communities and reach water rights 97 percent of the Kathryn Sorensen: That infrastructure settlements that have been beneficial water Phoenix investment is 7,000 miles of water for all Arizonans. These settlements delivers to its lines and 5,000 miles of sewer lines. have also provided certainty for We are looking at spending around customers comes water planning and for economic $3.2 billion on infrastructure over development. from renewable the next 10 years, and half of that Phoenix Water reclaims and surface water will be in pipelines. I’m passionate beneficially uses all its wastewater about pipelines because I have to has been doing so for decades. supplies, and in a and be. The proactive replacement and The reclaimed water is used for local time when aquifers agriculture, is exchanged for Salt River rehabilitation of this vast network of pipelines lays the foundation for across the nation supplies through an Indian water delivery of safe, clean water; safe settlement, and provides cooling are declining, ours rights removal of wastewater from homes water for the Palo Verde Nuclear are rebounding.” and businesses; and responsible Power Plant west of Phoenix. The resource management in a desert city. —KATHRYN SORENSON nuclear power plant is the only one in But it won’t be cheap. Phoenix Water the world not situated on a major body has roughly the same number of water of water, and it is able to exist in our lines as the Los Angeles Department of Water and desert environment only because of the availability of Power, but we have only about one-third of the rate this reclaimed water. It’s a powerful expression of the base to support their cost. Pipeline rehabilitation and nexus between water and energy, and it’s an excellent replacement is and will remain a major driver of utility partnership. costs. We must work with our customers to ensure that they understand the importance of investment in Kris Polly: What are some of the major challenges this infrastructure. Phoenix Water is facing? Kris Polly: What are some of Phoenix Water’s greatest achievements? Kathryn Sorensen: Thirty-five years ago, our community made a conscious decision to protect local groundwater resources for future generations. Phoenix 10

Kathryn Sorensen: The water utility industry suffered a severe loss of credibility due to the heartbreaking situation in Flint. This is concerning for many reasons, not the least of which is that credibility with the public and with our policymakers is necessary for the industry to achieve the rate increases that will be MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHOENIX WATER SERVICES.

School outreach.

needed to continue investments in the rehabilitation and replacement of aging infrastructure. The proper replacement of that infrastructure is in turn the basis of maintaining our credibility with the public through provision of clean, safe water. Water and sewer infrastructure is for the most part unseen and not well understood. It is buried underground or hidden behind fortified walls. People do not understand the immense effort involved in providing water on tap at the exact location desired, at the exact time demanded, at the right quality and pressure, and with near-perfect reliability. In the past, the public did not pay much attention to utility rates, which were relatively low. That time is gone, and affordability is emerging as a major concern. If we do not do more to educate the public about the value of water and the infrastructure necessary to deliver it, it will become increasingly difficult to secure investments in rehabilitation and replacement. That would be a shame, because water and wastewater utilities MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

make up the foundation of public health, economic opportunity, and quality of life in our communities. Water and wastewater utilities are also one of the very last bastions of high-skill, high-tech, high-wage industry that still exists in literally every community across America. Kris Polly: What should the public—and elected officials—know about Phoenix Water? Kathryn Sorensen: The city of Phoenix began municipal water utility operations in 1907. Over the ensuing decades, our community acquired the renewable surface water supplies necessary to ensure a sustainable, resilient future; reclaimed and beneficially reused all its wastewater; protected and enhanced its aquifers; settled water right disputes; and helped create a culture of conservation through which customers embrace a desert lifestyle. It’s an incredible legacy. The duty of Phoenix Water is to continue it. M

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Tax Parity for Water Conservation By Senator Dianne Feinstein

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PHOTO COURTESY OF DIANNE FEINSTEIN.

s the western United States continues to recover from a historic drought, it’s clear that more must be done to conserve and better manage our limited water resources. Our water challenges didn’t end with the drought. In fact, they will continue to grow as climate change is expected to increase the frequency and severity of future droughts. On top of that, much of our water infrastructure is outdated or in desperate need of repairs, leaving it ill-equipped to handle the modern demands of many communities. This means we need to rethink our water management policies to address these new challenges. Senator Dianne Feinstein. That certainly includes investing in new water Taxing these rebates only discourages responsible infrastructure and developing new water sources, like water use. desalination. But we also need to reduce the amount That’s why I’ve joined with Senators Dean Heller, of water used in our homes by encouraging individuals Michael Bennet, and Cory Gardner to introduce to buy into water conservation and stormwater the Water Conservation Tax Parity Act, a bipartisan management efforts. bill that would exempt these rebates from federal Unfortunately, our current policies do the exact income taxes. Congressmen Jared Huffman and Dana opposite. People who invest in water conservation Rohrabacher have introduced similar legislation in the improvements for their home are being unfairly U.S. House of Representatives. taxed for doing the right thing, discouraging their This isn’t a new idea. The tax code already exempts participation in these programs. For many families, similar energy conservation rebates from being taxed installing water conservation systems is cost as income. Our bill would simply extend that to water prohibitive. Many public utilities and water providers, conservation rebates, allowing them to be treated along with state and local governments, offer rebates equally in the tax code. Water programs are just as to help offset that high cost. valuable and also play an important For example, Southern in energy conservation. In California’s Metropolitan Water “Residential participation role California, about 12 percent of our District offers the Water$mart is essential to improving energy is used to treat, distribute, rebate to encourage residents to and use water. replace lawns with more waterwater sustainability.” The bill is also retroactive. It responsible landscapes. The rebate —SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN would exempt water rebates for can cover up to half the initial cost improvements made since 2015, for the resident. Similar rebate providing a refund to homeowners who used these programs exist around the country to encourage programs during the historic drought. residents to install rain barrels, gray water recycling Our bill enjoys support from across the political systems, water-efficient appliances, or other measures spectrum, including many utilities and water districts, that provide significant water savings. During the recent drought, many homeowners took which all agree homeowners shouldn’t be punished for advantage of these rebates to do their part in reducing doing their small part to reduce water waste. The Water Conservation Tax Parity Act is crucial to water consumption. Now, they are being hit with a tax bill for the value of those rebates. This makes no sense. ensuring that residents continue participating in water conservation and storm water management. Congress Residential participation is essential to improving needs to pass it now to provide some needed certainty water sustainability. We should be doing everything to these vital programs. M we can to include homeowners, not push them away.

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CONSERVATION

INNOVATION

ecord rain and snowfall this winter erased Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s record drought conditions, which had persisted for 5 years. Water agencies were under state restrictions from June 2015 to April 2017. The drought changed the way Californians think about water use. The arid community of Palm Springs, about 2 hours east of Los Angeles, went through a true transformation. Desert Water Agency serves this area, and its customers cut water use by about 25 percent, which was more than most other communities in the state. This reduction is impressive, given Palm Springsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; scorching summers and bustling tourism scene.

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The Desert Water Agency and CV Water Counts recognized Palm Springs homeowner Chris Prescott for his outstanding work replacing grass with desert landscaping.

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Landscape at the Palm Springs Hilton in California.

CALIFORNIA

the agency’s limited resources.” In September 2014, the agency launched a program to pay residents and businesses to replace grass with desert landscaping. The program has been hugely popular; since its inception, participants have collectively replaced more than 1.5 million square feet of turf. The program’s popularity with customers resulted in a serious drain on staff time, however. Last summer, the agency automated its program application process. The web-based form now in use creates files that can be imported directly into the agency’s MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DESERT WATER AGENCY.

Desert Water Agency

Desert Water Agency has worked with its customers to find ways to be more efficient without sacrificing lifestyle. The agency offers a variety of rebate programs and incentives that evolved during the drought and continue to change to keep up with technology and customers’ needs. “As our community responds to calls for continued efficiency, we want to be there with options,” said Ashley Metzger, Outreach and Conservation Manager for Desert Water Agency. “We need programs that can support our community without consuming too many of

data management system, reducing the need to manually process and enter applications. The agency also asked its customers for more information at the beginning of the process, weeding out those who were most likely to drop out. The agency realized savings by avoiding sinking time and consulting costs into projects that would not come to fruition. The customer experience improved in many ways as well. The wait time to get approval is now hours or days, when it had been weeks. Additionally, customers become more familiar with the rules because they are walked through them online. The program lost steam, however, as statewide drought conditions diminished. “The program picked off the low-hanging fruit in our community—projects that people were eager to complete,” said Ms. Metzger. “We are now reconfiguring the program with targeted outreach to maintain conversions as long as we have grant funding from the state. We’re looking to large projects so that we can continue to maximize efficiency.” The turf replacement program was not Desert Water Agency’s only program to go through a major transformation. Its Smart Irrigation Controller Program recently pivoted to increase involvement and customer satisfaction. The new and improved program promotes the use of web-based weather data to inform watering schedules. The agency partnered with a developer in the region, Sentinel Energy Center, years ago to achieve water savings that would also help the developer offset its water use. Sentinel funds the program, and Desert Water Agency manages it. As part of the MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

agreement, Desert Water Agency tracks water savings of participating customers. At the onset of the program, Desert Water Agency hired an installer to put in controllers in for customers. Now, the agency rebates customers on the smart irrigation controller and installer of their choosing. The draw for many customers is the ability to control their irrigation schedule from an app on their phone. Various manufacturers now offer these techforward devices. The agency wins because it receives far fewer support calls now that the customer is in the driver’s seat when it comes choosing the device and installer, all on their own schedule. Desert Water Agency partnered with local and big box retailers to showcase program information and applications to savvy shoppers. Like all consumers, Desert Water Agency’s customers are looking for ways to save money. The agency recently partnered with local businesses to offer conservation coupons to all residents in the region. The agency sought out businesses that were conservation focused and asked them for special discounts to be advertised on Desert Water Agency’s website (www.dwa.org/coupons). Participating retailers see a bump in business from outreach on the conservation coupon program, and customers get a sizable discount. The first to offer coupons were car washes that recycle water onsite. Desert Water Agency next reached out to local pool companies that offer reverse osmosis treatment for pools. The companies have offered

a discount on the pool purification process, which can eliminate the need to drain and refill a pool. Local leak detectors also were a clear fit; many joined in to provide a discount for their services. Desert Water Agency reminds customers that some homeowners’ insurance companies will discount their rates with a clear leak report. The agency is continuing to look for services and retailers for its coupon program. Testing new programs is important to the board and staff at Desert Water Agency. In some cases, the team can jump into the deep end, but in other cases, pilot testing is needed before the programs can scale. The agency is currently piloting Badger smart meters, which use cellular data to transmit meter reads. The agency asked single-family homeowners, a few businesses, several homeowners’ associations, and the city of Palm Springs to participate in the year-long pilot, which ends in November. The device is an add-on to the existing meter and allows for near-real-time review of water use from any device with web access. The program can send customized notifications to each customer based on their own parameters. Desert Water Agency hopes to see customers interact with these data, which should result in more efficient water use patterns and early detection of leaks. The agency says it is too soon to say whether this program will go full scale. What is certain is that Desert Water Agency will continue knocking down its conservation programs and rebuilding them to fit the needs of its community and water use landscape. M

The drought changed the way Californians think about water use.

One Way to Create a Reservoir: Effective Conservation Campaign By Linda Christie, Dustan Compton, and Mark Olson

Tarrant Regional Water District's conservation campaign advertisement.

from our sprinklers across the lawn for granted. We want to remind the 7 million residents of North Texas how beautiful water really is—it is meant to be used and enjoyed. But its beauty also represents how precious this natural resource is and that it should not be wasted. That is why our campaign slogan is "Use it. Enjoy it. Just don’t waste it". Our conservation messaging has evolved over time. In 2011, we created the Lawn Whisperer—a campaign that targeted outdoor watering and centered around the idea that residents only need to water their lawns 2 days each week or less. The new Water Is Awesome campaign takes a more flexible approach. Now we have more freedom to adjust our message seasonally throughout the year. In the summer, we focus on outdoor watering and ways to be more efficient. In the winter, we can shift our message to focus on reducing indoor water waste while still reminding our audience that in most cases, outdoor MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TARRANT REGIONAL WATER DISTRICT.

n the early 2000s in Texas, conservation was not a top priority for water supply strategy. Things changed by fall 2006, when a 2-year drought gripped the state and showed no signs of letting up anytime soon. For the hardest-hit regions, it was the worst drought in decades. We learned the hard way that our region needed to get aggressive with water conservation to ensure an abundant water supply for our customers and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area residents. Today at Tarrant Regional Water District, we make conservation a top priority through our Water Is Awesome campaign. The goal of the campaign is to creatively communicate the beauty of water with an educational and scientific focus. Many of us live in cities or suburbs where we are not surrounded by the beauty of natural water every day. Our backyards are not home to turquoise lakes and breathtaking waterfalls, so it is easier to take the water shooting

watering is not necessary in the winter months. Though the campaign focuses on both indoor and outdoor water conservation, a majority of our messaging energy is still directed toward outdoor use. Some residents might be surprised to learn that 40 percent or more of their annual water use goes to outdoor watering, and we are trying to change that behavior. One of our most recent video ads is called “Unique States.” The clip begins with aesthetically striking images of water in motion in its unique states: waterfalls, iceberg formations, volcanic steam, a curling wave, drops of dew on a spider web, melting snow. The narrator proclaims, “Water. Is. Awesome.” The clip cuts to a broken and unattended lawn sprinkler gushing water. “So why are you letting this happen?” the narrator asks. Hammering this message home—that water is precious and should be used wisely—is especially pertinent during the summer months when residents are watering their gardens and lawns the most. We strive to send a simple, attentiongrabbing message to the public that does not shame people for using water, but rather educates them about efficient use. If we can get everyone to truly appreciate water, they will treat it better. One huge advantage of our campaign is that we have joined forces with the city of Dallas. Through our partnership, we are able to reach double the audience for the same amount of money. Delivering a uniform message to the 7 million residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area is more effective and efficient— and it has been proven to work. Over half of those who have seen the ads believe the campaign is effective and said it has changed their behavior. We have even received a lot of positive feedback from our city customers who sell water to the public—they are voluntarily embracing the campaign. Since the conservation campaign was launched, public response has had a big effect on water savings. Longterm goals for water conservation are being met even during a time of fast development and increased population. Water customers have succeeded in being more efficient with their water use. Conservation is the least expensive water supply strategy we can pursue. It allows us to extend the life of existing supplies, meet the future needs of a growing population, delay the need for expensive new supplies, and make more water available during a drought. Conservation reduces peak demand, maintenance, and operational costs. An effective conservation campaign costs pennies on the dollar for MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

every 1,000 gallons saved, which is about 10 times cheaper than constructing a new water supply reservoir. For us, water conservation is a water supply strategy. We are proud to have delayed the need to increase water supply at a time when reservoir construction is getting further away and more expensive. In a sense, we have created an extra reservoir without actually constructing one. Water is an amazing but finite resource. We want people to use and enjoy water; we just do not want them to be frivolous in the way they use it. Our goal will always be to make sure the customers that depend on us for their water needs today will be able to depend on us for their water needs 10, 20, or 50 years down the line without having to worry about whether there is enough water to go around. By using water efficiently, we can help ensure that our region has a clean and reliable water supply for decades to come. M Visit www.waterisawesome.com to learn more.

Tarrant Regional Water District

TEXAS

Linda Christie is the director of community and government relations for Tarrant Regional Water District. You can reach her at Linda.Christie@trwd.com. Dustan Compton is the regional conservation program manager for Tarrant Regional Water District. You can reach him at Dustan.Compton@trwd.com. Mark Olson is the conservation and creative manager at Tarrant Regional Water District. You can reach him at Mark.Olson@trwd.com. 21

Drought gardens in Southern California.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

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From the Inside Out

A Long-Term Vision for Conservation in Southern California By Metropolitan Water District Staff

rom every drought, Southern Californians learn valuable lessons. The record-breaking conditions of 2014 to 2016 were no exception. After enduring the hottest and driest years on record, we learned to look at our thirsty lawns differently. Where green grass was once the accepted standard in every yard, beauty and value are now also found in colorful drought-tolerant landscaping. That cultural shift is owed, in part, Metropolitan to the unprecedented investment Water District the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has made over the past 3 years in turf removal, California Friendly™ Landscape Training classes, and irrigation system rebates, as well as public awareness and outreach campaigns. Although all the above were crucial to getting us through the drought, what lies ahead is perhaps even more important—ensuring that the lessons learned are not temporary. We know that the next drought is just around the corner, and climate change and the variability of imported water supplies bring additional uncertainties. Southern Californians must make conservation a sustainable way of life. Metropolitan has invested in water conservation since the drought of 1991, including providing rebates for waterefficient appliances, education programs, and support for regulations that facilitate water savings. But many of those early programs were focused on saving water indoors. So when the recent drought brought an urgent need to significantly ramp up conservation efforts, Metropolitan turned its attention to residential outdoor water use—estimated to account for about half of all household water use. Metropolitan authorized a record conservation incentive budget

of $450 million for 2014–2016, the majority of which was dedicated to its turf removal rebate program. The program, the largest in the nation, offered rebates of $2 per CALIFORNIA square foot for turf removal and resulted in more than 150 million square feet of turf being replaced with drought-tolerant landscaping. That replacement is expected to annually save about 23,000 acre-feet of water. (An acre-foot of water is nearly 326,000 gallons, about the amount used annually by two Southland households.) But beyond those numbers, Metropolitan’s rebate program was designed to help trigger a market transformation, inspiring other Southern Californians to rethink their yards. And looking ahead, Metropolitan is committed to moving that transformation forward. Although we are no longer offering turf rebates, Metropolitan has continued other financial incentives, such as rebates for water-efficient irrigation systems. We also offer a variety of nonincentive-based conservation programs, such as landscape classes, landscape surveys, research, and public information campaigns. As Metropolitan transitions away from offering turf removal rebates, our nonincentive conservation programs will play a key role in supporting a regional conservation ethic. Metropolitan’s California Friendly Landscape Training classes are available to both home gardeners and landscape professionals, covering topics such as site selection and design, rainwater capture, and irrigation management. These classes have been very popular, with nearly 3,000 participants in 2015 alone. The district also launched a residential turf removal class in early 2017, addressing methods for removing existing grass, soil preparation, plant selection, and

Southern Californians must make conservation a sustainable way of life.

MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

Flower in a California drought garden.

The campaign has evolved since its initial launch to maintain public attention and has appeared on billboards, transit shelters, buses, and trains. Every element of the campaign directs people to bewaterwise.com, Metropolitan’s online water conservation portal, where visitors can find a wealth of practical information on how to make permanent water-saving changes, including how to access Metropolitan’s classes and rebate programs. The website is now available in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Metropolitan’s conservation programs played an integral role in the region’s response to the drought. These programs may play an even more important role in sustaining the region’s long-term water savings, to which Metropolitan is committed. Ultimately, conservation is not simply a drought response effort, but a long-term vision and a way of life. M MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

garden maintenance. Both the California Friendly Landscape Training and the turf removal classes not only provide training in the logistics of sustainable landscaping, but also encourage residents to rethink the value of water. To help class participants take the next key step— actually growing a California Friendly garden— Metropolitan will soon offer class participants a landscape consultation design service. On the commercial side, Metropolitan offers free outdoor water audits on properties that are larger than 1 acre through its Large Landscape Irrigation Survey Program. The audits identify leaks and opportunities for irrigation improvements. At the conclusion, participants receive reports summarizing the survey data, recommendations for improvements, and information on available incentives. Participants often later seek rebates for outdoor devices through Metropolitan’s conservation program, making the audit program a valuable bridge between commercial customers and the water-saving incentive programs. Importantly, Metropolitan constantly evaluates its conservation programs for efficacy and value and explores opportunities for new water savings potential and program development. Through this dynamic approach, Metropolitan determines the best use of resources to maximize program participation, cost effectiveness, and water savings. For example, Metropolitan recently analyzed the water savings of various high-efficiency sprinkler nozzles and their rebates. The results showed few differences in savings among the nozzles, and the savings value was actually about half the value used to determine the initial rebate value. Based on this information, Metropolitan reduced the incentive from $4 to $2 per nozzle, allowing funds to be redirected toward other conservation programs. Current and upcoming research topics include a comprehensive study of turf removal savings, the creation of a conservation planning model, and a follow-up study on rain barrel savings and rebate participation. Findings from research studies not only benefit Metropolitan; its member public agencies also are encouraged to use the results to target markets and customers in their programs. Public outreach is the final essential component in Metropolitan’s efforts to maintain the water savings earned during the drought. To encourage residents to make conservation a way of life, in 2016 Metropolitan launched a new water conservation campaign, H2Love, with the tagline “Love Water, Save Water.”

MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

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Approaching Water Conservation Holistically: San Antonio Water System’s Karen Guz

TEXAS San Antonio

San Antonio Water System's Director of Conservation Karen Guz.

Karen Guz: Water conservation is one of the key strategies that SAWS has used over the years. There are three primary factors that make conservation so important to us. One is that we are among the fastest-growing areas of the country. We anticipate that a lot of new residents will move to the area in the future, which means more demand for water. Another factor is the strict regulation of our groundwater. San Antonio has historically relied on the Edwards aquifer for most of its water, which is one of the most heavily regulated aquifers in the country. For example, we can lose 40 percent of our permitted access to the aquifer in an extended drought. The third factor for prioritizing water conservation is our susceptibility to droughts. We are located between the dry half of Texas and the wetter part of the state. Sometimes we have a lot of wet weather, but other times, it is very hot and dry.

John Crotty: How important is water conservation to the city of San Antonio?

John Crotty: What programs and tools have helped SAWS conserve water over the years?

MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM.

Reduced water use can conserve both water and financial resources, and the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) has sought to maximize both kinds of benefits with its water conservation program. SAWS’s program focuses on educating water users about how much water they consume, informing them of the options that are available to increase their efficiency, and providing incentives for customers to take advantage of those options. The result has been reduced consumption, higher efficiency, and a better long-term future for the ever-expanding city of San Antonio. SAWS’s Director of Conservation Karen Guz has been at the forefront of this effort in the conservation department. She spoke with Municipal Water Leader’s senior writer, John Crotty, about how the conservation program came about, what initiatives SAWS takes to educate consumers while improving water efficiency, and how the effort has helped San Antonio continue to grow.

SAWS 2017 Spring Bloom event featured staff and guest speakers discussing rain gardens and water conservation.

Karen Guz: We have been working on water conservation in San Antonio for 20 years, so the specific methods we use have evolved based on our experiences. However, there are three broad strategic concepts that have consistently worked for us. The first is educating our customers about water and helping them to value water properly. That has been successful for us, and people are now quick to react if they see water being wasted. The ongoing challenge is to give people the perspective to see how much water they are actually using and whether they are using it as efficiently as possible. The second strategy involves incentives to encourage people to use available advances in water efficiency. We want people to adopt new or upgraded systems that are more efficient as quickly as possible, and the incentives help them to upgrade faster. For example, if there are more modern irrigation tools that we want people use to reduce water consumption, a rebate or coupon can help encourage them to make that investment. MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

The third strategy is reaching a point at which education and incentives for more efficient water systems will lead stakeholders and decisionmakers to decide that those practices should be standardized as a reasonable regulation and enacted into law to regulate water efficiency. These three strategic principles have guided our efforts, but the specifics of how we educate, what new technologies are incentivized, and what is adopted as a reasonable regulation are constantly changing and evolving. John Crotty: How has SAWS incorporated technological developments into its programs? Karen Guz: We are interested in finding the best way to use water. When people had high-flow fixtures inside their homes, we accelerated the adoption of waterefficient fixtures. We retrofitted hundreds of thousands of pipes and toilets in both commercial and residential buildings, including over 350,000 toilets that we 29

provided. We began by focusing on new houses, but we eventually included preexisting homes in the program. High-flow fixtures are now scarce in San Antonio, and water-efficient fixtures are now mandated by law and code; I consider that a victory for us. We are now focusing on ways to reduce outdoor water use, and we have made a lot of progress in moving people toward using high-efficiency drip irrigation. For individual homes, we are working on things that will help people better understand their water use. Data mining is a major new approach to helping our customers understand how their water use compares to others. In a new pilot program, we provide customers with a portal to view a custom report that includes social norming, which compares their water use to that of others with similar family size, houses, and yards. The report also offers advice on how to become as efficient as other houses, if necessary. The program will also send customers emails and alerts when their water use significantly changes, which may signal a leak. John Crotty: How do you measure the success of these water conservation programs?

John Crotty: Is there any direct metering of outdoor water use? Karen Guz: There is on the commercial side. Since 2001, we have required new commercial properties with automatic irrigation to install dedicated water meters for the irrigation system. We do not have dedicated meters for homes, but I do not believe we really need them. It is generally not difficult to determine which homes are irrigating, because we know how much water an average house uses internally. I hope that someday SAWS will find a cost-effective way to implement automatic meter installation for homes, and we will be starting a pilot for it in the future. John Crotty: What has been SAWSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest accomplishment on water conservation? Karen Guz: The overall decline in water consumption. Our percapita water use has dropped tremendously over the years, including by 50 percent over the past 20 years. Our goal for the future is for the total per capita to drop below 100 gallons per day and our residential per capita to drop to 50 gallons per day. Our residential indoor water use has continued to fall, and we expect our commercial and industrial water use to do the same. Customers are getting

better at detecting leaks and replacing faulty pipes and fixtures. The technological improvements in commercial irrigation have been another factor in our declining water use. We can now communicate with water users better, more easily assess how much water they are using, and suggest how they can be more efficient. Many users have adopted this approach and have decreased their water consumption without sacrificing the benefits to irrigated landscapes. John Crotty: Please discuss how SAWS approaches water for residential and commercial landscapes? Karen Guz: Generally, if a property is dominated by grass, that property will use more water. When landscapes have more diverse plant material, less water is used. Homeowners and landscapers want their properties to look good even in the summer, but this is much harder to achieve if the landscape is primarily grass, because it needs so much water to remain green in the hot summer. We encourage homeowners and business owners to have balanced landscapes, which can include turf grass and a variety of plants that can look good year round without a lot of water. There is more to reducing water use than simply eliminating turf grass. We have to teach people to operate their irrigation systems better if they do have grass, particularly homeowners. We offered our first turf replacement rebate almost 15 years ago, and we were shocked to realize it did not actually save any water. Over two-thirds of those who participated either used the same amount of water as before or MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM,

Karen Guz: It depends on what kind of uses we are trying to measure. For the custom reports and social norming notices sent to homes, we selected 10,000 homes with similar characteristics, placed them in four different groups, including one control group in which no adjustments would be made. This allowed us to compare how effective the changes we make in the other three groups are compared to the control group. Indoor water use is more easily

measured than outdoor because pipe and fixture systems are more contained, which allows us to make better use of sensors. There are a lot of factors that can influence the amount of water used outdoors, and they make analysis of preand postconservation water use problematic.

Children's learning area at the 2017 Spring Bloom event.

more. We found that people were proud of their new plants, but they expressed that pride by applying too much water to those plants. Some also did not change their irrigation system to align with the new landscape. That experience taught SAWS that we need to have a more holistic approach that includes efficient irrigation systems as well as an educated customer base that understands they do not need to water new plants as much as their old grass. MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

John Crotty: Do you hold open houses or workshops to help with that education process? Karen Guz: We keep track of a lot of different educational metrics, and one of them is how many people we are able to educate in the course of a year. We have recruited like-minded organizations whose missions overlap with ours to work with us, and we now have formal performance contracts with those groups.

Our conservation department has 20 employees but serves 1.9 million people; thus, we can only interact with a small number of people. However, we can reach as many as 100,000 additional people per year when our partners hold workshops on our behalf, so that makes a big difference for us. Other utilities should also take advantage of comparable partner organizations in their own communities. M 31

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AGENCY FOCUS

Counting on Conservation at the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District By Darren Hess

METERING AND ACCOUNTABILITY Before we can effectively conserve water, we must know 34

how much water is actually being used. This is particularly true with our large secondary water system, which historically has been unmetered. We deliver retail secondary water to about 18,000 customers, and it is an important component of what the district does. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built an unmetered system in the 1950s and 1960s. As water conservation has become more important in recent years, however, we have tried to ensure the accountability in the system of all the individuals who use secondary water. To do that, we need to properly meter the water delivered to each household. Until

recently, it was nearly impossible to do so because of all the silt, sands, and other debris in the water. But in the past 10 years, technology has improved enough to allow us to properly meter secondary water. We have used several different meters over the past decade. Currently, we use the Sensus iPERL, which is an open port meter. The iPERLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open design allows all the debris in the water to pass through the meter and on to secondary water filters. We have metered nearly 5,000 households and have required a meter on all new construction since 2009. We have also been retrofitting existing households with meters since 2011. MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WEBER BASIN WATER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT.

Droughts, water shortages, and expanding urban populations are all putting new strains on water suppliers. Water districts need to develop alternative strategies to conserve as much of the water they provide as possible, and Weber Basin Water Conservancy District (WBWCD) is no exception. In 2010, we published our Water Conservation Plan, which outlined how we intend to enhance water conservation and efficiency to better serve our customers going forward.

AGENCY FOCUS Weber Basin Water Conservancy District

UTAH

Weber Basin Water Conservancy District's Learning Garden serves as an outdoor classroom for landscaping and conservation.

The new meters have created 30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;40 percent in water savings. The district sends monthly statements designed to educate customers about water use. We do not bill customers with those statements; they are only for educational purposes. In the future, we may charge customers based on their meter use, but probably not until we have installed meters on at least half or more of our 18,000 connections. Our goal is to complete this aspect of the project within 4 to 5 years. One challenge for the conservation program has been acquiring funds to purchase the meters. We have addressed this by securing Reclamation WaterSMART grants, which split costs evenly between the federal government and the district. We also have capital funds that are being allocated to this effort. We feel this is a water supply project for Weber basin, just as if we were drilling new wells or pumping additional water. Any water we can save is water we do not have to go and find or develop, and this more than justifies the investment of capital funds. MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT

Public education about water conservation and efficient water use is a critical component of our conservation program. In addition to the meter statement, we send out water conservation messages with tips and suggestions for smart water use. We also have a water check program under which the district checks the performance of secondary irrigation systems or sprinkler systems. We can tell the customer what deficiencies they have, where they are not receiving adequate water coverage, and how to best address the issues. The district runs a large rebate program for smart irrigation controllers, covering up to half the cost of installation for the customers. Many people do not want to take the time to turn their system off during a rainstorm or may forget to turn it back on after the rain; the smart controller does that on its own because it is connected to the local weather station. The smart controllers also allow customers to better time their irrigations based on the time of the year during the irrigation season.

As the number of water users has increased, our district has enacted additional measures to promote water conservation. We prohibit watering between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., which are the hottest hours of the day. Reducing the number of people who water their lawns or landscapes during those times reduces evaporation loss. We have what we call water cops who drive around and ensure that people are using water in accordance with our recommendations and rules. At the first violation, we leave educational materials for the customer; at the second, we knock on the door and attempt to talk to the customer. At the third violation, we can shut the water off. Thankfully, we rarely have to resort to shutting off water. Most residents are simply unaware of the restrictions and are willing to adhere to them once they are properly informed. As the population continues to increase, we are working with cities to adopt some ordinances that will further educate people about efficient ways to build a landscape for a new home. WBWCD has placed billboards and messaging 35

AGENCY FOCUS

Wasteful watering billboard.

throughout the area, reminding people to conserve water. The billboards include short catchphrases, like “Unmetered doesn’t mean unlimited,” and “You need less than you think.”

LONG-TERM PLAN FOR LONG-TERM GROWTH

Darren Hess is the assistant general manager for strategic initiatives at the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. You can reach him at dhess@weberbasin.com.

MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WEBER BASIN WATER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT; DARREN HESS.

The area around WBWCD is experiencing rapid and widespread growth and development. It is estimated that as much as 85 percent of the increased population in Utah over the next few decades will consist of children and grandchildren born in the state. As we move forward, conservation of indoor water will largely take care of itself with building codes and people becoming smarter about their water use. The biggest savings we can hope for will come from outdoor applications. Cities and water districts seeking to conserve more water should make sure that everyone who is on the system is metered and that all outdoor use is tracked. Users then need to be educated about their water use so they understand how much water they are using. This is achieved through the monthly statement, which compares how much water customers are using with how much water they should be using

based on their estimated need. In the future, everyone will be billed for the water they are using. As this step is implemented, there should be a tiered water rate structure to protect people who are watering responsibly from overpaying. Those who use more water or are wasteful should pay more for their water use. After that, cities should examine their current landscapes and determine what can be done to reduce water use in park strips and other similar areas. If conservation is to be successful, it must be done in a comprehensive manner that looks toward the longterm future of the region and can accommodate the anticipated growth in both population and development. M

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