HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 3/19/2019 - Memorandum From Lisa Rosintoski And Liesel Hans Re: Overview Of Planning Effort To Update The Water Supply Storage Response Plan - Ordinance No. 088, 2014Utilities
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222 Laporte Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.212.2900
V/TDD 711
utilities@fcgov.com
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M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: March 11, 2019
TO: Mayor Troxell and Councilmembers
FROM: Lisa Rosintoski, Utilities Deputy Director, Customer Connections
Liesel Hans, Water Conservation Manager
THROUGH: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City Manager
Kevin R. Gertig, Utilities Executive Director
RE: Overview of planning effort to update the Water Supply Shortage Response Plan -
Ordinance No. 088, 2014
Bottom Line: Fort Collins Utilities Water Conservation Team is reviewing and updating the City’s
Water Supply Shortage Response Plan, Ordinance No. 088, 2014 (Plan), which requires restricted
water use for all Utilities water customers during a declared water shortage. The Plan review process
will include multiple stakeholder groups, as well as City Service Areas and other public engagement
efforts, so that proposed changes reflect a comprehensive set of perspectives and impacts. The goal is to
improve our organization and community’s ability to respond and manage through a water shortage as
well as identify what changes could be made to reduce the frequency and duration of future shortages.
Depending on the feedback received, Staff anticipates a draft of proposed changes for Mayor and
Council review in Quarter 1 of 2020.
Fort Collins Utilities has not declared a water supply shortage since April 2013 and has not reviewed or
updated the Plan since minor changes were made shortly following the 2013 shortage.
1
As a result, this
Plan has been shelved for five years, during which, many new faces have joined the organization and
we have additional information and tools to leverage. One key objective of this project is to help inform
and prepare the many City Service Areas that would be impacted by water restrictions when we
experience the next shortage.
Process: Water Conservation will first review the Plan with City Service Areas, Departments and
Boards throughout the organization to:
1) identify beneficial changes,
2) help City Staff prepare for future shortages,
1 In 2013, Fort Collins Loveland Water and East Larimer County Water Districts elected to implement voluntary water
restrictions within their service areas, which were consistent with Fort Collins Utilities’ level 1 irrigation restrictions.
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3) assist in reviewing or developing individual operation and service plans that address water
restrictions, and
4) evaluate potential amendments.
The following are examples of the City Boards, Services Areas and Divisions that Water Conservation
has met with or will be meeting with soon (this list is not comprehensive – more will be engaged
throughout the year):
City Service Areas and Divisions
Parks
Natural Areas
Operation Services
Sustainability Services
Utilities: Customer Care and
Technology, Water Resources,
Water Treatment
Neighborhood Services
Forestry
Citizen Advisory Boards
Golf Board
Parks and Recreation Board
Natural Resources Advisory Board
Affordable Housing Board
Water Board
Preliminary review with City Staff will precede public engagement efforts and outreach to
stakeholder groups. If beneficial amendments to the Plan are identified, Water Conservation will
work with public and/or stakeholder groups to provide feedback on the amendments. Following
this last step, Water Conservation will bring any amendments to Council for review and
approval. Water Conservation is happy to meet with Council or any constituents who would like
to discuss or have questions related to this topic.
Background: Fort Collins Utilities’ Water Supply and Demand Management Policy (WSDMP)
aims to minimize water shortages; however, it identifies that shortages can occur and a separate
plan is needed to respond (i.e. the Water Supply Shortage Response Plan).
2
Per direction from
the WSDMP, the Utilities plans its water supplies to meet its customers’ demands through a 1-in-
50 year-type drought, while also maintaining a storage reserve that equates to 20% of its annual
demand. A water shortage occurs when the projected water supply is less than the anticipated
water demand, while keeping a set amount of water reserves in storage. The following events, or
combination of, are examples that could trigger a water shortage:
Drought (greater than a 1-in-50-year type),
Reduction in Fort Collins’ Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT) water quota, due to
larger regional factors influencing water allocation,
3
2 The WSDMP’s objective is “to provide a sustainable and integrated approach to 1) ensuring an adequate, safe and
reliable supply of water for the beneficial use by customers and the community and 2) managing the level of demand
and the efficient use of a scarce and valuable resource consistent with the preferences of Water Utility customers
and in recognition of the region’s semi-arid climate.”
3 The Colorado-Big Thompson Project collects and delivers about 200,000-acre feet of water to Horsetooth
Reservoir and other locations in Colorado. Most of this water is the result of melting snow in the upper Colorado
River basin west of the Continental Divide. The project transports the water to the East Slope via a 13.1-
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Water quality issues in the watershed that impact Utilities’ ability to treat the supply, and
Water treatment plant is temporarily offline or other infrastructure issue.
Utilities staff use water supply projections, meteorological forecasts and available storage to
estimate whether supplies will be adequate to meet demands throughout a given year. If
projected supplies are less than projected demands, the associated water shortage response level
is identified and restrictions are activated, as outlined in the current Plan (Attachment 1).
The four restriction levels corresponding to the projected water supply shortage are:
Response Level Projected Water Shortage
1 1-10%
2 11-20%
3 21-30%
4 Greater than 30%
As the response levels increase, water restrictions increase to decrease water demand further.
Recent Water Shortages:
2013 – Responded with level 1 restrictions for two months: Caused by drought and water
quality concerns following the floods that occurred after the High Park and Hewlett fires.
Utilities had to temporarily stop diverting Poudre River water following rain events in the
burned area because the soil and ash in the water posed significant challenges to the
water treatment processes.
2002 – Responded with level 1, then escalated to level 2 restrictions during the summer
months: Caused by drought. Following this shortage, restrictions were first formalized by
the initial Ordinance, most recently updated by Ordinance No. 088, 2014.
In both 2013 and 2002, the implementation of water restrictions was successful; the community
reduced water consumption by more than the response levels’ projected shortage.
There is no requested action at this time. Water Conservation Staff will provide another update to
Mayor and Council mid-review. For more information, please contact Mariel Miller, Water
Conservation Specialist, at mamiller@fcgov.com or 970-221-6719.
CC: Mariel Miller, Water Conservation Specialist
Carol Webb, Utilities Deputy Director, Water Resources and Treatment Operations
Donnie Dustin, Water Resources Manager
mile tunnel. Utilities receives about 50% of its water supplies for Horsetooth Reservoir.
(http://www.northernwater.org/WaterProjects/C-BTProject.aspx)
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