Title
Resolution Adoption - The Sustainable Desert City Development Policy-Water (Resolution 22129)
Description
Request City Council approval of a resolution to address water consumption of new development.
THIS ITEM IS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION.
Report
Summary
The history of the City of Phoenix is built on water management and conservation. From the canals of ancient Hohokam societies through the Salt River Project to the construction of the Central Arizona Project, human's ability to thrive in the desert has always depended first and foremost on our ability to use the limited water resources available with care. For this reason, the City, and Central Arizona more broadly, have elected to develop on a backbone of renewable surface water resources rather than a finite resource of groundwater, unlike many other communities in the American West.
Because it is not sustainable to revert to groundwater supplies, the City has taken great care to protect surface water in the region. In 2014, the Council authorized the Colorado River Resiliency fund, improving local watershed resiliency and providing for underground water storage. Water supply is only one side of the equation. Due to the foresight of current and previous civic leaders, the City has made significant progress in demand management and conservation. In 1980, the State of Arizona passed the Groundwater Management Act, becoming the first US state to regulate groundwater and mandate water conservation measures at that scale. Because of these measures and other efforts, per-person water use has fallen by more than 30 percent over the last 30 years. However, hydrologic conditions in the Colorado River, which currently comprise approximately 40 percent of the water delivered to residents, are currently experiencing significant reductions in flow. Therefore, the City can no longer depend on receiving its full allocation from the Colorado River. For this reason, in June 2022, the Water Services Director declared a "Stage 1 Water Alert" as part of the City's Drought Management Plan, which means a supply insufficiency is likely in the future.
To adapt to a challenge of this magnitude, the City will have to 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. The resolution requested (Attachment A) includes the sections highlighted below:
- Section 1: Conservation Measures for New Development.
- Section 2: Conservation and Restrictions on New Large Water Users.
- Section 3: Annexations outside the current Water Department Service Area.
- Section 4: Applicability and Implementation.
Financial Impact
There is no financial impact from this resolution.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
- The Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee received an Update on Supply Shortages in the Colorado River on June 15, 2022.
- The Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee received an Update on Proposed Water Conservation Measures for New Development on Nov. 16, 2022.
- The Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee received an Update on Proposed Water Conservation Measures for New Development on Jan. 18, 2023.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Managers Alan Stephenson and Ginger Spencer along with the Planning and Development and Water Services departments.