Title
Update on Proposed Water Conservation Measures for New Development
Description
This report provides the Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee information related to proposed conservation policies for new development in conjunction with the City of Phoenix Drought Management Plan and Water Use Reduction Guidelines (Drought Management Plan) in response to anticipated further shortages on the Colorado River.
THIS ITEM IS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION.
Report
Summary
Water supply conditions on the Colorado River continue to deteriorate. The two major reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have declined to storage levels not seen since they were constructed. The City uses Colorado River water to supply approximately 40 percent of annual customer demand.
The federal government declared a Tier 2a Colorado River shortage for 2023 and there is a very strong possibility of a Tier 3 Colorado River shortage in 2024. The shortage has varying degrees of impact on the City’s available Colorado River supplies, which makes it an appropriate time to augment the current water conservation policies to continue to plan for and implement a pattern of sustainable growth and efficient water use.
To adapt to this challenge, the City must embrace its heritage of water problem-solving. Only by adopting institutional water conservation policies will the City be able to maintain a pattern of sustainable growth and efficient water use.
In response to the Water Services Director’s declaration of a Stage 1 Water Alert as part of the City of Phoenix Drought Management Plan, the Phoenix City Council directed City staff to update and develop policies to provide a guide for future City Code updates applicable to new development. This conservation policy would apply to many different land uses, ensuring that new development efficiently uses City water.
The proposed “Sustainable Desert Development Policy-Water” would address the following:
1) Water conservation measures for new development to be used first as stipulations in rezoning cases and later as best practices to guide potential updates to the Zoning Ordinance, Building Code, and the Drainage Design Manual, and related processes.
2) A framework to evaluate new large water users (greater than an average of 250,000 gallons per day). Framework would require submittal of water conservation plans for analysis and approval by the Water Services Department. Evaluation of these users would also involve the Community and Economic Development as well as the Planning and Development departments.
3) Increased scrutiny on annexations for areas outside of the current Water Services Department service area.
Phoenix has taken significant action to prepare the City for drought, including supporting construction of Gatewater and New Conservation Space resources on the Salt and Verde rivers, authorizing the Colorado River Resiliency Fund, funding “system conservation” to stabilize Lake Mead, participating in the “500+ Plan,” and constructing the “Drought Pipeline.”
Phoenix will continue to plan, invest, and conserve to ensure a sustainable future while providing safe, clean, and reliable water to its customers without interruption. Additionally, the City will continue to take proactive actions to prepare for even deeper shortages on the Colorado River as we strive to be the most sustainable desert city in the world.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Alan Stephenson and the Planning and Development Department.