HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 5/23/2023 - Memorandum From Mariel Miller And Gretchen Stanford Re: 2022 Water Conservation Annual Report
Utilities
electric · stormwater · wastewater · water
222 Laporte Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580
970.212.2900
V/TDD: 711
utilities@fcgov.com
fcgov.com/utilities
M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: May 15, 2023
TO: Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Mariel Miller, Water Conservation Manager
Gretchen Stanford, Utilities Deputy Director, Customer Connections
THROUGH: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Kendall Minor, Utilities Executive Director
RE: 2022 Water Conservation Annual Report
Bottom Line: In 2022, water use was 139 gallons per capita per day (GPCD), 6.5% above
the Fort Collins Utilities Water Efficiency Plan (WEP) goal of 130 GPCD by 2030. This
memo provides an update on the progress toward the WEP goal and includes a copy of the 2022
Water Conservation Annual Report. In 2022, the community and Water Conservation programs
saved an estimated 173 million gallons of water. This is about 2% of the total treated water
demand for 2022 and is a 99% increase in savings from five years ago, in 2017.
Water Efficiency Plan (WEP)
The current WEP, approved by City Council in early 2016, sets a conservation goal and guides
the Water Conservation Team regarding services, programs, incentives, public education and
regulations. Water consumption is often characterized by daily per person use, measured in
gallons per capita per day (GPCD), and is commonly used as an industry standard for
benchmarking; although the water use and population calculation methods vary from community
to community. It is calculated by taking the total annual water demand and dividing by the
service area population over a year.
The current WEP goal is to reduce Utilities’ water service area use to 130 gallons per capita per
day (GPCD) by 2030 and outlines the five key areas of opportunity:
Leverage Advanced Meter Fort Collins data and capabilities
Promote and support greater outdoor water efficiency
Encourage greater integration of water efficiency into land use planning and building codes
Expand commercial and industrial sector strategies
Increase community water literacy
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5/15/2023
5/15/2023
5/17/2023
5/18/2023
The GPCD for 2022 is 139 (2021 was also 139). This means our community must use about 7%
less water to reach our goal by 2030. The five-year average (2017-2022) is about 138 GPCD and
the individual annual target for 2022 (if we’re tracking to our 2030 goal of 130 GPCD) is 138,
which is one more GPCD that we calculated.
It is important to note that while GPCD is used as an industry standard, it can be misleading
because it does not account for variations in population due to commuters/visitors or other
factors like weather, which affects outdoor water use. It also includes water loss in the
distribution system since it’s measured from the point of distribution after the treatment plant. It
does not include metered water to larger contractual users. Staff is currently updating the WEP in
2023 and 2024, which will provide an opportunity to assess the 130 GPCD goal, other possible
metrics for measuring success, and influences from variables like population growth and climate
change on water conservation strategies.
2022 Water Savings Results
Water Conservation programs helped customers save an estimated 173 million gallons in 2022.
This is an 8% increase compared to 2021. Additionally, in both 2020 and 2021, Water Shortage
responses were enacted. In 2020, mandatory water restrictions were enacted in response to the
Horsetooth Outlet Project, and in 2021 a voluntary Water Shortage Watch was enacted in
response to water quality impacts from the 2020 Cameron Peak fire. While estimating savings
from these efforts is challenging, water use was 21 million gallons lower during the 2021 Water
Shortage Watch when compared to the previous five-year average for the same time period. The
following chart shows the increasing trend in water conservation program effectiveness and
water shortage responses since 2013:
Water Conservation Program Annual Savings (million gallons)
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In addition to being responsible stewards of our water resources, Water Conservation is one of
the most cost-effective strategies to increase reliability and reduces the need to acquire additional
costly water supplies. As the cost to acquire and develop water supplies continues to rise across
the state, investing in Water Conservation programs is one of our best tools for water resource
planning and management.
2023 Upcoming Efforts
The Water Efficiency Plan (WEP) is a Colorado State mandated requirement that must
be updated every seven years. A cross-departmental group of staff are currently working
on the update.
o Q1-Q4 2023: Create a water demand model to evaluate a multitude of factors
that will help the City and Utilities be more strategic when it comes to using water
and influencing the community’s use of water. Some of those modeling factors
being evaluated to create planning scenarios include:
Climate impacts.
Population projections.
Land development patterns, specifically density.
Various water efficiency and conservation strategies (programs, policies,
development standards, and other demand management efforts), which
influence water demand.
Supply projections reflective of climate impacts, which inform the need
for various degrees of demand management efforts or implementation
strategies.
Q3 2023-Q4 2024: Integrated and equitable engagement and outreach
o Advance equity, diversity and inclusion in the engagement and outreach
related to the plan and in the identified demand management strategies, so
there are equitable outcomes community-wide.
o Integrate demand management strategies throughout the organization,
including, but not limited to water efficiency and land use planning.
o Identify ways the City organization and operations can be a leader.
o Evaluate and improve metrics to measure water conservation success.
Other upcoming Water Conservation programs and events in 2023 include:
Launch of the popular residential Sprinkler Checkup Program (beginning in June).
Xeriscape Garden Party (June 17, 9 a.m.-noon).
Ongoing enrollment in the Xeriscape Incentive Program (XIP)
Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor training for landscape and irrigation professionals
(July)
Xeriscape and Soil Amendment Codes (fcgov.com/xsa) (1st reading with Council Nov).
CC: Jason Graham, Utilities Water Director
Jill Oropeza, Utilities Senior Director of Integrated Sciences and Planning
Jen Dial, Water Resources Manager
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TOTAL3.8
million gallons
RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIAL TOTAL
51
TOTAL2.7
million gallons
Shift Your Water: 2.6 MG
Landscape Conversions: 1.1 MG
Sprinkler Checkups: 0.2 MG
Outdoor Water Use
Home Water Reports: 37.8 MG
Eciency Rebates: 2.1 MG
Continuous Consumption
(Leak) Notifications: 4.6 MG
Combined Water Use
Ecient Product Installations
(Larimer County): 2.7 MG
Indoor Water Use
TOTAL44.5
million gallons
COMMERCIAL
COMMERCIAL TOTAL
122.3
Outdoor Water Use
TOTAL19.4
million gallons
Indoor Water Use
Eciency Rebates: 1 MG
Ecient Product
Installations: 2 MG
TOTAL3
million gallons
Combined Water Use
Continuous Consumption
(Leak) Notifications: 99.8 MG
TOTAL99.8
million gallons
Landscape Conversions: 3.4 MG
Irrigation Rebates: 5.1 MG
Landscape Water Budget Program: 11 MG
TOTAL ANNUALSAVINGS:173.3
million gallons
WATER CONSERVATION ANNUAL REPORT
Fort Collins Utilities has a strong commitment to ensuring the
efficient and responsible use of our natural resources. Our Water
Conservation Program started in 1977 and we continue to innovate,
providing ongoing and relevant water efficiency support to the
community.
2022
Utilities
140,000
135,000
130,000
125,000
120,000
115,000
110,000
250
200
150
100
50
0
Community Gallons per Capita per Day (GPCD) & Population
200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021Residential GPCD PopulationNon-Residential GPCD 202273
139TOTAL
66
137,200
2000211TOTAL
121,300
124
87
page 1
WATER
CONSERVATION
AND EFFICIENCY
AT A GLANCE
GPCD is down 34%
since 2000.
Based on total water treated.
Residential GPCD
Commercial GPCD
Population
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
WATER
SAVINGS
Actions in 2022
resulted in
173.3 million
gallons (MG)
saved or 2%
of 2022 total
treated water.
LEARN MORE:
Residential Efficiency Programs and Rebates: fcgov.com/save-water
Commercial Efficiency Programs and Rebates: fcgov.com/water-efficiency
2,140 homes’
average annual
water use was
saved in 2022.
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WATER USE IN 2022
Overall water use in 2022 was very similar to previous years
with a few differences to point out:
MEASUREMENT MATTERS
AVERAGE YEARLY USE PER CUSTOMER CLASS:
Single Family & Duplex: 81,000 gal/yr
Multi-Family Building: 448,100 gal/yr
(includes multiple units)
Commercial: 906,350 gal/yr
AVERAGE YEARLY ACCOUNTS:
2022 Residential: 32,766 accounts
• 30,363 SF/Duplex accounts
• 2,403 MFR accounts.
2022 Commercial: includes 2,807
commercial and irrigation accounts
2022 Residential total water use:
3,540,000,000 gallons
2022 Commercial total water use:
2,540,000,000 gallons
page 2
• Residential water use was down 1% and commercial water
use was up 4% compared to a 3-year historical average
(2019 – 2021).
• Residential and commercial water use trended 18% higher
from April-June and 9% lower from July-Sept. compared
to 2021 water use. This may be due to a drier spring (April-
June) and wetter summer (July-Sept) in 2022 vs. 2021.
• 173 million gallons saved in 2022 is an 8% increase in
estimated savings compared to 2021 (160 million gallons).
• Overall, Utilities customers used 139 gallons per person per
day (GPCD), which is the same GPCD as 2021. This is a 34%
reduction in GPCD since 2000. An additional 6.5% reduction
is needed to meet Utilities’ goal of reaching 130 GPCD
by 2030.
Utilities measures and tracks numerous water conservation metrics, including:
• Gallons per capita per day (GPCD) is the total treated water used for commercial and residential customers, divided by
the service area population (about 70% of Fort Collins), and divided by 365 days. GPCD helps determine if conservation
and efficiency efforts are impacting community water use regardless of population growth. GPCD fluctuates greatly with
weather – hotter and drier months during the irrigation season create higher water demands for our community.
• Precipitation and temperature are evaluated to determine water is impacted by annual changes to climate.
• Estimated water savings from programs and services offered by the Water Conservation Program is another way to
evaluate our efforts and impact on water use in Fort Collins Utilities Water Service Area. When possible, we use program
participants’ water use data to get the most accurate water savings estimates. This helps us monitor our efforts and
determine which programs and services are the most effective at saving water.
2022WATER CONSERVATION
ANNUAL REPORT
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov DecMillion GallonsTotal Monthly Water Use
Residential Commercial
3 Year Avg.3 Year Avg.202220222022 Residential total water use:
3,540,000,000 gallons
2022 Commercial total water use:
2,540,000,000 gallons
Average yealy use per customer class:
Single Family & Duplex: 81,000 gal/yr
Multi-Family Building: 448,100 gal/yr
Commercial: 906,350 gal/yr
2022 Commercial: includes 2,807
commercial and irrigation accounts
2022 Residential: includes 32,755
single-family, duplex, and multifamily
accounts
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov DecMillion GallonsTotal Monthly Water Use
Residential Commercial
3 Year Avg.3 Year Avg.202220222022 Residential total water use:
3,540,000,000 gallons
2022 Commercial total water use:
2,540,000,000 gallons
Average yealy use per customer class:
Single Family & Duplex: 81,000 gal/yr
Multi-Family Building: 448,100 gal/yr
Commercial: 906,350 gal/yr
2022 Commercial: includes 2,807
commercial and irrigation accounts
2022 Residential: includes 32,755
single-family, duplex, and multifamily
accounts
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WHAT IMPACTS WATER USE?
WATER CONSERVATION
ANNUAL REPORT
2022 WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
page 3
Water use constantly fluctuates – both individual and overall
community use. Many factors impact how much water we
use, including:
• Conservation Behavior: Different behaviors, such as how
long and how often people shower, water lawns, and
leave faucets running when brushing teeth or washing
hands impact both individual and community water use.
Businesses also impact water use through their daily
practices and production processes.
• Efficient Fixtures/Appliances: Homes and businesses
that have water-efficient appliances, fixtures, irrigation
equipment and technologies use less water.
• Leaks: The average US household wastes 10,000 gallons of
water, or about 12% of the total average household water
use, every year. Leaks are often silent and go unnoticed,
like the ones in your irrigation system, toilet or dripping
showerhead. If leaks were found and fixed, the average
water bill would be 10% less and Fort Collins Utilities would
save hundreds of millions of gallons each year.
• Weather: is a significant factor in how much water we
use outdoors on our landscapes and to a lesser extent,
how much water larger businesses use for cooling towers.
Hotter and drier weather, resulting from climate change,
makes water-wise landscapes and efficient cooling towers
a critical strategy for managing resilient and sustainable
water demand.
• Population: The more people in a household and
community, the greater total water use.
• Land development patterns and urban design: Less
dense developments that include more landscaped areas
require more water for maintenance. Landscapes that are
not regionally adapted or native to our area, such as turf
grasses, require more water than nature provides. The
development choices we make can impact water use for
many years. Parkways, medians, parks and other green
spaces also impact community water use. Choosing the
right landscape for the right purpose and using water-wise
plants avoids costly landscape retrofits in the future.
• Shift Your Water: The 2nd year of Shift Your Water was
more successful than 2021, with 918 households pledging to
stop irrigating their grass by Oct. 1, saving an estimated 2.6
million gallons of water.
• Graywater: A permit process allowing graywater in all
development types for toilet flushing water only was
developed and adopted by Council city-wide.
• Continuous Consumption: Utilities sends notifications to all
customers who have ongoing water use, every hour for 24
hours or more. These notifications inform customers on how
to check for and resolve leaks. In 2022, 3,410 notifications
were sent to residential customers and 7,946 to commercial
customers, which saved an estimated 104.6 million gallons
of water.
• Stopping water waste: If irrigation equipment breaks or
sprays excessively, water runs onto streets and sidewalks.
When someone in the community identifies water being
wasted, they can notify the Saving Water Hotline
(fcgov.com/saving-water-hotline) to resolve the issue.
In 2022, Water Conservation responded to 98
water-wasting incidents.
• Plumbing efficiency standard changes: The adoption of
increased efficiency codes for toilets and public bathroom
faucets and more efficient and compact plumbing systems,
which wastes less water by minimizing the need to flush cold
water from pipes before getting hot water to each fixture.
• Record-breaking year for Xeriscape: The annual Xeriscape
Garden Party saw over 700 attendees, providing numerous
educational opportunities and over 2000 plants for
attendees to take home and plant in their gardens. The
residential Xeriscape Incentive Program saw 94 completed
projects, 35% more than in 2021.
2022WATER CONSERVATION
ANNUAL REPORT
OUTDOOR
WATER USE
(COMMERCIAL
+ RESIDENTIAL)
IS 43% OR
2.61 BG.
BG = Billion Gallons
SINGLE FAMILY &
DUPLEX OUTDOOR
1.22 BG
MULTI FAMILY INDOOR
881 MG
MULTI FAMILY OUTDOOR
196 MG
SINGLE FAMILY &
DUPLEX INDOOR
1.24 BG
COMMERCIAL
OUTDOOR
1.19 BG
COMMERCIAL
INDOOR
1.35 BG
RESIDENTIAL
INDOOR
2.12 BG
RESIDENTIAL
OUTDOOR
1.42 BG
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WATER CONSERVATION
ANNUAL REPORT.
LEARN MORE:
Water Efficiency Plan: fcgov.com/water-efficiency-planUtilities
Auxiliary aids and services are available for persons with disabilities. V/TDD: 711
Esta información puede ser traducida, sin costo para usted, 970-212-2900. 23-25044
2022WATER CONSERVATION
ANNUAL REPORT
page 4
• Water Shortage Preparation: Utilities, local experts
and industry partners continue to monitor Colorado
River conditions and the federal and state discussions
addressing the ongoing drought. Utilities gets half of its
water from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, which is
stored in Horsetooth Reservoir and managed by Northern
Water. If Colorado-Big Thompson Project water supplies
were to be interrupted, Northern Water would determine
if, when, and how much Utilities’ supply would be reduced.
If needed, Utilities will respond to shortages following the
steps set in the Water Shortage Action Plan (fcgov.com/
wsap).
• Landscape and Irrigation Training: There are many
landscape transformation projects happening in Fort
Collins with a focus on replacing high-water use areas with
water-wise landscapes. Along with these projects, there is
a need to ensure new landscapes are successful, attractive
and water efficient. What goes into the ground is only part
of the water savings equation- the other critical factor is
behavior and practice.
Providing discounted educational and certification
opportunities for our community’s landscape professionals
can help increase the water-saving potential of these
landscape conversions.
• Xeriscape and Soil Amendment Codes (fcgov.com/xsa):
Council has an identified priority to increase xeriscaping
and address soil amendments in all types of new and
redeveloped properties. Utilities Water Conservation Team
is leading this effort with engagement opportunities for
the public to provide input on the following proposals:
• Limit cool-season grass (turf) in new development
and redevelopment.
• Expand irrigation efficiency standards.
• Increase flexibility, compliance and enforcement in
existing soil amendment code.
• Water Efficiency Plan Update: The Water Efficiency Plan
(fcgov.com/wep) was last updated in 2015 and outlines
water conservation goals and strategies. This year’s
update aims to integrate water and land use planning
and incorporate climate change modeling, equity and
resilience into future plans and goals.
IN 2023, WE’RE FOCUSED ON
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