Title
Update on Drought Management Plan and Water Conservation Efforts
Description
This report provides the Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee an update on implementation of the City of Phoenix Drought Management Plan, Conservation and Outreach efforts, in response to anticipated further shortages on the Colorado River.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION
Report
Summary
Water supply conditions on the Colorado River continue to decline. The two major Lower Basin reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have dropped to storage levels not seen since they were constructed. On Aug. 16, 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (“Reclamation”) announced a Tier 2a shortage condition on the Colorado River for 2023. This means Phoenix supplies will be cut slightly, but not at a level that will impact customer deliveries. Reclamation announced in June the need to make more significant cuts to deliveries in order to save Lake Mead and Lake Powell; however, no plan has been forthcoming.
Since the Stage 1 Water Alert was declared on June 1, 2022, the Phoenix Water Services Department has increased public education and outreach, along with water conservation efforts, to help educate customers and City of Phoenix residents on why voluntary water conservation is essential to ensure a sustainable future for everyone. Below is a list of some of the work completed:
Outreach and Education
- Following the Stage 1 Alert declaration, a news release was issued which resulted in extensive coverage by local media;
- On June 6, 2022, Water Conservation Media Day was held in which reporters were invited to meet with the City’s subject matter experts in a model home to see simple conservation tools that help the average person use less water;
- The Stage 1 Water Alert and water conservation messaging has appeared consistently in the City Services Bill newsletter, along with messaging that promotes the Be Water Smart website, which features easy-to-understand water conservation strategies;
- Media campaigns were implemented using print, digital, radio, outdoor and Grocery TV;
- Water conservation signage was added at Burton Barr Library;
- Water Department staff attended two community events in July 2022 to engage with the public and teach them importance of water conservation; and
- The City's Green Team and Water Services Department are presenting a series that focuses on outdoor water use and conservation for City of Phoenix employees.
Conservation Efforts
- Completed Water Waste Door Hanger pilot (100 distributed), preparing for full launch in fall 2022;
- Coordinated with procurement staff to include landscape watering guidelines as an enforceable standard in City-wide landscaping contract;
- Hosted the second cohort of the citizens' Water Wranglers Conservation Institute with more than 20 participants; and
- Identified more than 10 million additional gallons of annual potential water savings for local homeowners associations.
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. As part of this initiative the Water Services and Planning & Development departments are working to develop policy guidelines for new development to ensure that newly-built projects use water in a sustainable manner. Addressing these issues now helps the City ensure that continued growth can better address future community needs for housing and jobs in Phoenix.
The Planning and Development and Water Services Department worked with homebuilders this past year on stipulations for two rezoning cases to successfully integrate water efficiency standards into all homes along with enhanced standards for landscaping and open space preservation. The focal point in this agreement was the use of EPA WaterSense Certification as a requirement for all new homes and common areas to make them as water efficient as possible. This certification includes WaterSense-compliant landscaping and irrigation design, plumbing fixtures, leak detection audits, as well as a formal review and endorsement by an authorized third-party certification organization for water efficiency. The rezoning stipulations also included limits on turf areas, limiting it to only a certain percentage of backyards and banning it in front yards and in many common areas and right-of-way landscaping zones.
Staff are evaluating how EPA WaterSense or some other kind of third-party water efficiency certification, as well as new standards for turf areas and landscaping, can be incorporated into future development throughout the city. The policy will address all development types (i.e., residential, commercial, industrial) aimed at incorporating drought resilience into developments. In addition, the policy will also address annexation of new land for water service and business expansion of large water users. Staff will also engage stakeholders to review and provide feedback on the draft policies prior to bringing them back to City Council for adoption.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
- The Water Conservation Ad Hoc Committee was established on Feb. 28, 2019, and presented to City Council in the March 14, 2019, General Information Packet; and
- The Water Conservation Ad Hoc Committee Report was reviewed and approved at the Dec. 10, 2019, City Council Policy Session.
- The Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee received Drought Management and Water Conservation Ad Hoc Committee updates on June 1, 2022.
- The Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee received an Update on Supply Shortages in the Colorado River on June 15, 2022.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Managers Karen Peters and Alan Stephenson and the Water Services and Planning and Development departments.