HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 7/30/2019 - Memorandum From Lisa Rosintoski And Liesel Hans Re: Utilities Water Conservation 2018 Annual ReportUtilities
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222 Laporte Ave
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.212.2900
V/TDD 711
utilities@fcgov.com
fcgov.com/utilities
M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: July 24, 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: Utilities Water Conservation 2018 Annual Report
Bottom Line: This memo and attached material provides an update on the community’s progress
toward the Water Efficiency Plan goal. Programs and services in 2018 saved over 133 million
gallons in 2018 (up 55 percent from 2017) and is about 1.7 percent of the total treated water.
Discussion: The City’s Water Efficiency Plan, approved by City Council in early 2016, guides
the Water Conservation Team regarding services, programs, incentives, public education, and
regulations. The Plan set a water use goal to reduce Utilities’ water service area use to 130
gallons per capita per day (GPCD) by 2030. This means we must use 10 percent less over the
next 10 years. Plans are required by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) and must
be updated at least every seven years. This allows Fort Collins Utilities to have access to
programs, services and grants offered by the CWCB.
The 2018 Annual Report provides an update on the team’s efforts, including a review of
accomplishments, programs, services, special projects, and water use. In 2018, the water use in
the Utilities’ water service area was estimated to be 143 GPCD, which was 1 percent higher than
2017 but 9 percent lower than 2016. The 10-year average is 145 GPCD. In 2018 we treated about
the same amount of water that we did in 1986, while the service population has grown by over
50 percent.
What is GPCD? The metric is calculated as total treated water divided by the estimated
population and 365 days. This metric reflects all water uses: residential, commercial, irrigation,
etc. The GPCD therefore reflects a wide variety of uses and may increase with significant
changes to our commercial customer base, for example. Our annual GPCD is expected to reflect
DocuSign Envelope ID: EB5E33E2-5A15-40C6-9EC3-936B66A00053
7/24/2019
7/25/2019
7/25/2019
7/25/2019
7/25/2019
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the weather conditions of the year. This is a good thing because it means our customers respond
(e.g. reducing irrigation when it rains). The overall trend is what shows progress toward our goal.
Staff is working to put this metric on the City’s Community Dashboard, but first needs to verify
data quality and processes to keep it regularly updated.
Total water savings from water conservation programs were estimated to be over 133 million
gallons in 2018, which is about 1.7 percent of the volume of water treated throughout 2018 and
is 55 percent higher than 2017.
The Water Efficiency Plan identified five Areas of Opportunity. Each are listed below with a
sample highlight from 2018:
248
143
93,600
134,345
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20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
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Leverage Advanced Meter Fort Collins data and capabilities: Staff expanded the
“Continuous Consumption” (the leak notification) program to commercial customers.
This service uses an algorithm that flags patterns of use that likely indicate a leak, which
is helping customers to find and fix leaks faster.
Promote and support greater outdoor water efficiency: Staff celebrated the 20
th
anniversary of the residential Sprinkler Audit Program! This program is a partnership
with ELCO and Fort-Collins Loveland water districts and provides free sprinkler system
inspections throughout the summer.
Encourage greater integration of water efficiency into land use planning and
building codes: City Council adopted new plumbing codes that will result in new
building and homes with higher-performance and more efficient equipment. The small
and simple showerhead efficiency change alone is expected to save 264 million gallons
over the course of the City’s buildout.
Expand commercial and industrial sector strategies: Savings from commercial
programs and services more than quadrupled from 2017 to 2018, half of which is driven
by new irrigation-focused efforts and half driven by indoor improvements including
several large-scale toilet retrofit projects.
Increase community water literacy: Staff attended the Open Streets event for the first
time, sharing our new irrigation equipment demonstration stand that makes for a fun (and
refreshing) way for someone to view equipment in action and learn simple adjustment
tricks with guidance from staff. Staff also hosts the annual Xeriscape Garden Party at the
City Hall demonstration garden (one of the oldest in the state!) that attracted over 400
residents.
In 2018, staff spent significant time supporting customers facing challenges related to their
annual water allotments and the recently increased Excess Water Use surcharges. In addition to
data- and information-based services, staff developed an innovative program to support
commercial customers in large-scale landscape and irrigation transformation projects. More
information about the Allotment Management Program (approved by Council on April 16, 2019)
will be shared as this program comes to life in 2020.
This update was shared with the Water Board at their July 20, 2019 meeting.
To view these documents online, please visit: fcgov.com/save-water. To view the Water
Efficiency Plan please visit: fcgov.com/water-efficiency-plan
For more information, please contact Liesel Hans, Water Conservation Manager, at 970-221-
6877 or lhans@fcgov.com.
DocuSign Envelope ID: EB5E33E2-5A15-40C6-9EC3-936B66A00053
Gallons per Capita per Day (GPCD) & Population
GPCD Population
33
27
50
65
86
133
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Program Savings per Year (millions of gallons)
DocuSign Envelope ID: EB5E33E2-5A15-40C6-9EC3-936B66A00053