HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-10-25 City Council (12)City of Palo Alto
C ty Manager’s Report
TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: UTILITIES
DATE:OCTOBER 25, 2004 CMR:449:04
TITLE:WATER PURCHASE .PROJECTIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PHASE OF THE REGIONAL
WATER SYSTEM’S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
This report on the volume of water Palo Alto estimates it will purchase in 2030 fronl San
Francisco is for the Council’s inforlnation only. No action is required.
BACKGROUND
In May 2002, the San Francisco Public Utilities Conm~ission (SFPUC) adopted a long-
term capital improvement program (CIP) to repair, replace and seismically upgrade the
regional water system’s pipelines and rennets, reservoirs and dams. Palo Alto and the
other member agencies of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency
(BAWSCA) are on record in support of the SFPUC’s CIP program for the regional water
system. The $3 billion CIP is a large undertaking that includes building new pipelines to
lneet existing and projected loads and increasing operational flexibility to enhance
emergency responsiveness.
The environlnental review process is a major step in implememation of the CIP. In order
for it to plan, size, perlnit and design the projects in its CIP, the SFPUC must have
estimates of how much water the regional system will need to provide in the furore. The
project plamfing and permitting process must also consider alternative means for
addressing fl~ture water needs, including other sources of supply and conservation. For
the past year, a consultant to the SFPUC has been preparing projections of how nmch
water each BAWSCA agency will need in the furore. The consultant is working with the
staff of each individual agency to ensure that the basis for the purchase projections, and
the results, are consistent with local land use plans and other characteristics of the
comlnunity.
CMR:449:04 Page 1 of 4
The first step in that process was to develop long-tel~n water demand projections for San
Francisco and each BAWSCA agency. This step has been COlnpleted and an information
report to the Council [CMR:106:04] on May 15, 2004 showed that the long-tem~ water
forecast developed for Palo Alto was consistent with City policies and the adopted land-
use plans.
The next step in the process was to evaluate the potential for implememation of water
conservation measures in San Francisco and each BAWSCA agency. The consultant
used the end-use model developed for the long-term projections to analyze the potential
for and the cost-effectiveness of thirty-two water conservation measures. In this analysis,
a group of conser~vation measures was determined to be cost-effective if implemented in
Palo Alto. These measures were grouped into three potential conservation programs,
Portfolio A, Portfolio B, and Portfolio C. Portfolio A consists of a group of measures
that were expected to save 1.6% of the long-term demand. Portfolio B contains all of
Program A’s measures and additional measures that are expected to save 3.2% of the
long-terln demand. Portfolio C, the 1host aggressive portfolio, contains, all of Program
B’s measures and all additional cost-effective measures expected to save 4% of the long-
terln demand. On September 13, 2004, the Council received an information report
[CMR:395:04] on this evaluation concluding that the long-term conservation savings
potential for Palo Alto is between 1.6% and 4% of the water demands in 2030.
DISCUSSION
Water Purchase Proiections
The final step in the process is to determine how much water Palo Alto plans to purchase
from San Francisco by 2030. The key components of this determination include the
anticipated implementation of water efficiency programs and the expected development
of recycled water. The water demand projection for 2030 is about 16,500 acre-feet per
year (AFY). Palo Alto currently uses about 1,300 AFY of recycled water and has no
plans in place to expand its usage of recycled water. The range of conservation savings
was estimated to be between 260 AFY (1.6% of long-term demand)and 660 AFY (4% of
long-term demand). The table below shows these calculations for the range of
conservation savings.
Water Use in Acre-Feet/Year Water Water Water
Conservation Conservation Conservation
Portfolio A Portfolio B Portfolio C
Demand Projection for 2030 16,500 16,500 16,500
Current Recycled Water Use 1,300 1,300 1,300
Future Recycled Water Use 0 0 0
Water Conservation Estimate 260 525 660
Water Purchase Estimate 14,940 14,675 14,540
CMR:449:04 Page 2 of 4
As the table shows, if the high end of the range is used as a good estimate of long-term
peru~anent water savings due to conservation measure implementation, then the resulting
estimate of purchase requirements from San Francisco is about 14,540 AFY. This is the
estimate provided to the SFPUC for Palo Alto’s future water purchase volume for
purposes of completing the environmental doculnentation for the regional system’s
capital improvemem program.
Action by the Director of Utilities
In May 2004, each BAWSCA agency was asked to confirm that the long-term forecast
that the SFPUC developed is consistent with its adopted land-use plans and all other
assumptions used in the model. According to Palo Alto’s Municipal Code (Section
2.08.200 (a)), the Director of Utilities has the dutv: "to coordinate the forecasting of the
city’s long-range utility needs" and "to forecast and plan the acqnisition and disposition
of sufficient least-cost resource supplies to meet existing and furore supply requirements
in an enviromnentally acceptable manner." Therefore, the Director of Utilities concun’ed
that the long-term water demand forecast presented by the SFPUC reflects anticipated
future water demands and that the data used to develop the forecast is accurate.
In August 2004, the Director of Utilities reported to the SFPUC that 1.4% to 4% of long-
term demand was a reasonable range of potential water conservation savings for long-
range pla~ming purposes. This estimate .was based on the detem~ination of the cost-
effective water consergation measures of the thirty-two measures evaluated..
At this time, the Director of Utilities will report to the SFPUC that the City of Paio Alto
estimates it will purchase 14,540 AFY from the SFPUC in 2030. This estimate will be
used by the SFPUC for purposes of planning and environmental review and conforms to
the previously reported long-range demand projection and the conservation savings
range. It was noted that the estimate is subject to change based on changed conditions,
such as the furore’ cost of water, new pricing structures, and other modified contract
arrangements.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
Projecting resource needs is consistent with City policies and directives, including the
Utilities Strategic Plan (USP) Objective 2: Invest in utility infrastructure to deliver
reliable service. An in-depth examination of water efficiency measures is consistent with
City’s sustainability efforts to conserve water and to increase market penetration of water
efficiency programs in Palo Alto and with USP Key Strategy 7: Implement programs that
improve the quality of the environment.
The long-texan water purchase forecast is consistent with the City of Palo Alto’s
Comprehensive Plan assumptions pertaining to local land use and growth management
CMR:449:04 Page 3 of 4
policy limiting ff~ture urban development to currently developed lands within the urban
service area.
RESOURCE IMPACT
There is no resource impact fronl making this declaration to SFPUC. It does not commit
to a particular amoum of water or obligate the City to any payment strealn.
ATTACHMENT
CMR:106:04 Water Long-Term Demand Projection
CMR:395:04 Water Conservation Savings Potential
PREPARED BY:
DEPARTMENT HEAD:
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
CHYE
~~)reHN~.~o.f~/~/~\ S~nior Resource Plalmer
EMIL ~ HA~RI~SON
Assistant City Manager
CMR:449:04 Page 4 of 4
TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: UTILITIES
DATE:MARCH 15, 2004 CMR:106:04
TITLE:WATER LONG-TER3{ DEMAND PROJECTION
This report on Palo Alto’s long-term water demand is for the Council’s information only.
No action is required.
BACKGROUND
In May 2002, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) adopted a long-
term capital improvement program (CIP) to repair, replace and seismically upgrade the
regional water system’s pipelines and runnels, reservoirs and dams.. The regional w.ater
system CIP is expected to cost about $2.9 billion. In November 2002, San Francisco
voters approved a $1.6 billion bond issue to pay for its share of the regional water systeln
capital improvements ($900 million) and capital improvements for its city sewer systen~
($700 million).
As part of the regional water system capital improvements, the SFPUC is plalming to
ensure tlaat the system can meet projected regional water demands. The SFPUC intends
to fl_~lly comply with the Califonfia Enviromnental Quality Act (CEQA) in implementing
the CIP. The CEQA process requires that the~otential for growth that might be induced
by the potential project(s) be evaluated. City and county general plans, which are
required by law and are also subject to CEQA, must address the broad range of issues
associated with a city’s or county’s development. General plan policies are intended to
underlie most land use decisions within the jurisdiction. As such, the general plans
represent the best existing information addressing land use decisions and evaluating
growth for the areas that rely upon the San Francisco regional water system.
Because of this relationship, the SFPUC has obtained copies of and recorded the stares of
each general plan and individual elements. The SFPUC will identify whether or not each
agency’s land use plan represents a finn basis for facility planning (i.e. whether it is
current, has been formally adopted, has been subjected to a recent enviromnental review,
CMR:106:04 Page 1 of 7
and has a schedule for updating the Plan). On Jnly 21, 2003 a letter was sent to the land
use decision making authorities in the area served by each Bay Area Water Snpply and
Conservation A,gency (BAWSCA) member agency, requesting copies of its general
plal~elements and the relevant environmental evaluation document.
As the formal environmental review process is initiated for. the SFPUC’s CIP, a more
comprehensive review of the general plans will occur, in which the demand projections
for the wholesale service area will be reviewed for consistency with the general plans.
The SFPUC has stated its intention to work in partnership with the BAWSCA agencies in
deterlnining the next steps in cases where demand projections may not be entirely
consistent with adopted general plans. Palo Alto has made its adopted Comprehensive
Plan available to the SFPUC.
Palo Alto and the other member agencies of BAWSCA are on record in support of the
SFPUC’s CIP program for the regional water system. The $2.9 billion CIP is a large
undertaking that includes building new pipelines to meet existing andprojected loads and
to increase operational flexibility to enhance elnergency responsiveness. The
environmental review process is a major step in receiving approvals to proceed towards
implelnentation of the CIP. One of the foundations of the environmental documentation
is to ensure that the regional water system’s projected demands emanate from the land
use planning agencies’ plans for the comlnnnities served by the regional system.
In February 2003, the SFPUC held its first workshop to introduce the BAWSCA agencies
to teclmical studies being completed, in cooperation with BAWSCA, to support the
implementation of the regional water system CIP. These technical studies include
updating regional demand projections used in the SFPUC’s Water Supply Master Plan
and developing water supply concepts to lneet those demands. These studies are
designed to provide technical baseline data critical to the environlnental review process
that will be required to implement regional water system CIP projects. As the SFPUC
began the planning, design and environmental review phases for many of the capital
improvement projects, the BAWSCA agencies, including the City of Palo Alto, were
asked to submit a 30-year water baseline demand forecast.
In May 2003, the SFPUC held a second workshop in order to review the data provided.by
various agencies on water use within these agencies’ service area; review the model
intended to be used for developing futttre demand projections for each agency; and
introduce water supply themes to meet those demands.
The third workshop on wholesale customers’ demand projections was held in September
2003. By this time, it was determined that SFPUC’s consultant wou]d prepare an
individual model for each agency so that methodology and assnmptions would be
uniform across the entire region se~wed by SFPUC. The model is a very detailed end-use
model that requires data from each agency about the nmnber of single- and multi-family
CMR:106:04 Page 2 of 7
households as well as the number of commercial, industrial and institutional customers.
The monthly water use for each customer category was input to the model to detem~ine
the percentage of water use that is outside versus inside. There£ore, actual data and
census data was used to develop the model for each agency.
The population projections as developed by the Association of Bay Area Governments
(ABAG) were used for forecasting population for the period 2002 to 2030. ABAG
projections are based on each agency’s land-use plans. Palo Alto’s Comprehensive Plan
was used by ABAG to create its projections for Palo Alto.
The SFPUC’s consultant met individually with each agency in October 2003 to ensure
that each agency’s model accurately reflected the agency’s circumstances. Palo Alto
provided additional information regarding its historical water conse~wation programs,
which were then incolporated into the model for Palo Alto.
DISCUSSION
On January 23, 2004 SFPUC provided the final long-term demand projections for each
agency and asked that each agency confirm the projections. The SFPUC provided the
input assumptions and output produced from the model it developed to project demand
over the next 30 years. Staff has determined that the forecast SFPUC prepared for the
period 2000 to 2030 is donsistent with key data drivers such as number of housing units,
lmmber of employees for the commercial and industrial sectors, mad population.
The major drivers used by SFPUC’s long-term water use forecast model include water
conservation, population and employment growth, and other issues. The detailed model
for each agency has estimated how many of each water-using fixture exists in each
custolner category. For example, the number of toilets, showers, clothes washers, urinals,
etc. is estimated for the residential and non-residential customers. Then, the model is
calibrated by making sure that the lnonthly water use for each of those fixtures and the
number of fixtures matches the actual historical usage. Once the model is calibrated~
future use projections are developed using population and employlnent projections
developed by ABAG. The natural turnover of each water-using fixture is estimated as
well.
The effect of new plumbing codes and appliance standards have also been considered.
California la,w requires that for new construction after January 1, 1992, only fixtures
meeting the following standards can be installed in new buildings:
~Toilet- 1.6 gallons per flush maxin~uln
-Urinals - 1 gallon per flush maximum
*Showerhead and faucets - 2.5 gallons per minute at 80 pounds/square inch
Replacement of fixtures in existing buildings is governed by the Federal Energy Policy
Act that requires only the above can be sold after January 1, 1994 for residential use and
CMR:106:04 Page 3 of 7
January 1, 1997 for COlnmercial toilets. This law governs natural replacement New
clothes washers are required to meet energy efficiency standards in 2004 and 2007, which
will lead to water efficiency improvements by no later than 2007.
Initial proportions of water efficient fixtures was based on saturation studies provided by
the Alameda County Water District, the Santa Clara Valley Water Disirict and East Bay
Municipal Utilities District plus other information on new teclmology and new
regulations.
The main assumptions used in the projections are listed in Table 1 below.
Table 1: SFPUC Baseline Demand Projections Assumptions for Model
Base Year
Popnlation and employment projections, 2002-
2030
Number of water accounts for base year, water
usage by customer category, and
Unaccounted-for water (difference between
amount of water purchased and the amount of
water consumed)
Indoor/outdoor water use split by customer
category
Residential end uses (division of total water use
into specific end uses - e.g. toilets, showers,
irrigation, etc.)
Non-residential end uses (division of total water
use into specific end uses)
Residential fixture efficiency - current
installation rates
Water savings for fixtures, gal/capita/day
Non’residential fixture efficiency current
installation rates
Residential frequency of use da, ta, toilets,
showers, washers, uses/user/day
Non-residential frequency of use data, toilets
and urinals, uses/user/day
Natural replacement rate of fixtures
Future residential use
Future commercial/industrial use
Future public and other use
2001
ABAG Projectiohs - December 2002
Actual historical monthly data for 2001 fbr Palo
Alto
5-year average of actual historical data
Estimated from actual monthly data
American Water Works Association Research
Foundation (AWWARF) report: "Residential End
Uses. of Water"
AWWARF report: "Commercial and Institutional
End Uses of Water"
2000 Census, housing age by type of dwelling
plus natural replacement
AWWARF report: "Residential End Uses of
Water"
2000 Census, assume commercial establishments
built at same rate as housing, plus natural
replacement
Within ranges in AWWARF report: "Residential
End Uses of Water"
Within ranges in AWWARF report: "Commercial
and Institutional End Uses of Water"
Toilets - 4%/year (25 year life)
Showers - 4%/year (25 year life)
Clothes washers - 6.7%/year (15 year life)
Based on projected population
Based on projected employment or population
Based on projected population
\
CMR:106:04 Page 4 of 7
Palo Alto’s Base Year (2001) Water Consumption
Actual data froln calendar year 2001 was used as the base year used to calibrate the
model for Palo Alto. Water consmnption by customer category in 2001 is shown in
Table 2 below.
Table 2: Data for Palo Alto’s Model -Base Year 2001
Single family residential
Multi’family residential
Commercial
Industrial
Public Facility
Other
Total Water Sold to Customers
Estimated Unaccounted for Water (used in
model for estimating futm’e demand)
Total Water Purchased
14,515
!,886
1,629
247
64
286
5.73 46.87
1.97
2.41
1.23
0.34
0.54
16.08
19.75
10.09
2.77
4.44
18,627 12.22 100.00
0.86 7.0%
13.08
Population and Employment Growth
In the housing section of its Comprehensive Plan (Chapter 4, page 3), the City of Palo
Alto Planning Depamnent has projected that the City’s population will increase from
58,800 in 2000 to 62,880 in 2010 (an annual growth rate of 0.67% per year). Growth in
water consmnption &iven by additional residential dwellings is expected to be limited.
In the Comprehensive Plan, the City recognizes the need to increase the supply of
affordable and market rate housing that meets Palo Alto’s share of regional housing
needs. However, according to the Comprehensive Plan (Chapter 4, page 4), Palo Alto
has a limited supply of vacant residential land. Most of the City’s development potential
consists of infill on small vacant lots, redevelopment of existing properties, and new
mixed-use projects. Only 1.4% of the land area in the City is vacant and there are few
opportanities to annex additional lands in the future.
According to the Comprehensive PIan (Chapter 7 page 2), in 1995, there were
approximately 90,000 jobs in the greater Palo Alto area (including Stanford University).
The Association of Bay Area Government projects that total employment will reach
94,700 by the year 2010. Most of the increase ~s expected to occur in the retail and
service industries. Continued decline is expected in agriculture, malmfacmring, and
wholesaling. The forecast presented in this report is consistent with the lilnited supply of
residential land and with expected employment figures presented in the Comprehensive
Plan.
Rapid increases in real estate prices and rents can cause some water use customers to use
existing space lnore intensely (e.g., more personsper square foot). As presented inthe
housing segment of the Comprehensive Plan (Chapter 4, page 3), this trend has not been
obselwed in Palo Alto and is not expected to develop in the foreseeable furore. The
CMR:106:04 Page 5 of 7
number of persons per household is expected to relnain constant at 2.3 over the period
from 2000 to 2010.
Long-tem:t Water Forecast
Results from SFPUC’s end use model are sumlnarized in Table 3.
expected to increase only marginally over the next 30 years.
Total water use is
Table 3: Base Water Use Forecast in AF per Year
Actual Forecast
2001 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Water Demand 15,150 14,900 14,900 15,000 15,000 15,000 15,100
Chart 1 below graphically shows .the long-term water use projection and actual water
purchases since 1965.
Chart 1: Base Water Purchase Forecast
Historical Water Supply Purchases
and Long-Term Supply Purchase Forecast
20,000
18,000
16,000
14,000
~ 12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 "19"90. 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Action by the Director of Utilities
Each BAWSCA agency has been asked to confh-ln that the long-term forecast that the
SFPUC developed is consistent with its adopted land-use plans and all other assumptions
used in the model. According to Palo Alto’s Municipal Code (Section 2.08.200 (a)), the
Director of Utilities has the duty: "to coordinate the forecasting of the city’s long-range
utility needs" and "to forecast and plan the acquisition and disposition of sufficient least-
cost resource supplies to meet existing and future supply requirements in an
environmentally acceptable manner." Therefore, the Director of Utilities will concur that
the long-term water demand forecast presented by the SFPUC reflects anticipated furore
water demands and that the data used to develop the forecast is accurate. It is noted that
CMR: 106:04 Page 6 of 7
the projected water demands represent a baseline condition and do not reflect the effect of
furore conselwation savings, furore cost of water, pricing structures, assessment of
alternative supplies, demand management and do not represent purchases from the
SFPUC.
Next Phases of Project
Now that there is a very detailed end use model ofPalo Alto’s water use, it can be used
for further study. The next phase of the project currently underway is to examine the
cost-effectiveness to each agency of implementing 32 different water conservation
measures. Palo Alto plans to fully cooperate with the consultant and with SFPUC on this
project and learn what measures it may want to add to its conservation pro~’ams.
Following the assessment of conservation opportunities for each agency, the project will
review potential recycled water projects with each agency. When the impact and
potential for conse~wation and recycled water is fully evaluated, the final step will be for
each agency to estimate how much of its future demands will be met with purchases from
the SFPUC. This project is expected to be completed in mid 2004.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
Projecting resource needs is consistent, with City policies and directives, including the
Utilities Strategic Plan (USP) Objective 2: Invest in utility infrastructure to deliver
reliable se,wice. This forecast is the first step in an in-depth examination of water
efficiency measures, which is consistent with City’s sustainability efforts as well as USP
Key Strategy 7: hnplement programs that improve the quality of the environment.
This forecast is consistent with the City of Palo Alto’s Comprehensive Plan assmnptions
pertaining to local land use and growth management policy limiting furore urban
development to cm-rently developed lands within the urban se~wice area.
PREPARED BY:
/!/JANE RATCHYE 2 ~
{ Senior Resource Plann
DEPARTMENT HEAD:
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
of Utilities
SON
Assistant City lqAanager
CMR:106:04 Page 7 of 7
TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: UTILITIES
DATE:SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 CMR:395:04
TITLE:WATER CONSERVATION SAVINGS POTENTIAL
This report on a reasonable range for Palo Alto’s long-tema water conservation savings is
for the Council’s infomaation only. No action is required.
BACKGROUND
In May 2002, the San Francisco Public. Utilities Comlnission (SFPUC) adopted a long-
~erm capitol improvelnen~ program (CIP) to repair, replace and seismically upgrade the
regional water system’s pipelines and tunnels, reservoirs and dams. The regional water
system CIP is expected to cost about $2.9 billion. In Novelnber 2002, San Francisco
voters approved a $1.6 billion bond issue to pay for its share of the regional water system
capital ilnprovenaents ($900 million) and capital improvements for its city sewer system
($700 lnillion).
Palo Alto and. the other m_ember agencies of the Bay Area Water Supply and
Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) are on record in suppol: of the SFPUC’s CIP program
for the regional water system. The $2.9 billion CIP is a large undertaking that i~cludes
building new pipelines to meet existing and projected loads and increasing operational
flexibility to enhance emergency responsiveness. The enviromnental review process is a
major step in receiving approvals to proceed towards implementation of the CIP. The
first step in that process was to develop long-term water delnand projections for San
Francisco and each BAWSCA agency. This step has been completed and an infom~ation
report to the Council [CMR:106:04] on May 15, 2004 showed that the long-termwater
forecast developed for Palo Alto was consistent with City policies and the adopted land-
use plans.
The long-term demand forecast took into account the existence of plumbing codes that
only allow the sale of certain water-efficient appliances (for example, ultra-low flush
CMR:395:04 Page 1 ofll
toilets) so that, over thne, higher water-using appliances will naturally be exchanged for
more efficient models. The final forecast developed by SFPUC shows that Palo Alto’s
total water use is expected to increase only marginally over the next 30 years. Chart 1
below graphically shows the long-tem~ water use projection (including the use of
recycled water) and actaal water consumption since 1965.
Chart 1: Base Water Purchase Forecast
Historical Water Supply Purchases
and Long-Term Supply Purchase Forecast
20,000
16,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
o
1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
After establishing the long-term demands for each BAWSCA agency, SFPUC conducted
an analysis of 32 water onse~wation measures to deterlnine which measures would be
effective in each agency’s service area.
DISCUSSION
Conservation Measure Evaluation
Using the end-use demand model used ~o develop the long-term forecast, SFPUC’s
consultant analyzed thirty-two water conservation measures to detemaine which ones
would be cost-effective and produce water savings in Palo Alto. The amount of water
savings potential as well as its cost to the utility and to the community was calculated for
each measure. Attachment 1 lists the measures evaluated and shows the results of the
analysis.
CMR:395:04 Page 2 of 11
Tl~’ee portfolios of measures were created to span the range of water conse~z~ation
potential. Portfolio A reflects Palo Alto’s current water conselwation programs. Portfolio
B assumes a somewhat more aggressive program and Po~lfolio C is a very aggressive
program. Some measures were rejected because they were not cost-effective or would
not produce enough savings to justify program implementation. The measures found in
the tl~’ee portfolios are sho~vn in the table below.
Residential Water Surveys
Residential Retrofit
Clothes Washer Re.bate
Public information
Program
ET Controller Rebates
Restaurant low flow spray
rinse nozzles
Large Landscape Conservation
Audits
Rebates for 6/3 dual flush or 4 liter
toilets
Focused water audits for
hotels/motels
Commercial Water Audits
ULF Toilet and Urinal Rebates
Offer incentives for replacement of
clothes washers in coin-operated
laundries
Award program for water savings by
businesses
The water savings estimates for each portfolio are shown in the following table.
A 260
B 525
C 660
1.6 %$219
3.2%$245
4.0%$241
These savings are in addition to the natural changes over time in water-using fixtures due
to the plmnbing code. Savings due to the plumbing code alone are expected to result in
savings 5f 1.410 acre-feet@ear by 2031, or 8.7% of the 203.1 water use.
Next Phases of Proiect
After developing a very detailed end use model of Palo Alto’s water use and using it to
examine the cost-effectiveness of implementing water consexwation measures, the next
step is to evaluate other water supply alternatives, including recycled water. When the
impact and potential for alternatives, including recycled water, are fully evaluated, the
final step will be for each agency to estimate how much of its future demands will be met
with purchases from the SFPUC. This project is expected to be completed in late 2004.
Agreeing to a reasonable range of potential water conselwation programs does not
commit to the City to implement any such programs.Separately from SFPUC’s
CMR:395:04 Page 3 of 11
evaluation of water conservation potential for the environmental review phase of its
capital program implementation, Palo Alto Utilities is also analyzing its water
consmwation potential and developing a long-term water conservation program.
Since October 2002, Palo Alto Utilities has had a co-sharing agreement [CMR:359:02]
for water conse,wation programs with the Santa Clara Vatley Water District (SCVWD).
This water conservation program has been widely successful with utility customers. The
next iteration of the co-sharing program is scheduled to be implemented in October 2004.
The development of a long-term water conservation plan is underway and will involve
consideration of programs that may be offered by the SCVWD, SFPUC, BAWSCA and
those Palo Alto may implement on its own.
Concurrence with Conservation Ranges
Each BAWSCA agency has been asked to review the estimated water savings resulting
for the conservation analysis and concur with the statement that it "considers the water
savings estimate to reflect a reasonable range of potential water conservation savings for
long-range planning purposes." According to Palo Alto’s Municipal Code (Section
2.08.200 (a)), the Director of Utilities has the duty: "to coordinate the forecasting of the
city’s long-range utility needs" and "to forecast and plan the acquisition and disposition
of sufficient least-cost resource supplies to meet existing and ~uture supply requirements
in an environmentally acceptable manner." Therefore, on August 10, 2004, the Director
of Utilities signed the required concun’ence t’om~ of conservation ranges for planning
purposes.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
Projecting resource needs is consistent with City policies and directives, including the
Utilities Strategic Plan (USP) Objective 2: Invest in utility infiastructure to deliver
reliable service. This forecast is the first step in an in-depth examination of water
efficiency measures, which is consistent with City,s sustainability efforts to conselwe
water and to increase market penetration of water efficiency programs in Palo Alto.
Examining water efficiency measuresis consistent with USP Key Strategy 7: Implement
programs that improve the quality of the enviromnent.
This forecast is consistent with the City of Palo Alto’s Comprehensive Plan assumptions
pertaining to local land use and growth lnanagement policy limiting furore urban
development to currently developed lands within the urban service area.
ATTACHMENT
A: Results and Description of Conservation Measure Evaluation
CMR:395:04 Page 4 of 11
PREPARED BY:
//~ J@qE RATCHYE
~._ ~nior Resource Planner
DEPARTMENT HEAD:
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
HARRISON
Assistant City Manager
CMR:395:04 Page 5 of 11
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