REVIEW: At the Council/Staff Retreat in January, 1996, Council endorsed the development of a water conservation program, and approved the hiring of a Water Conservation Specialist for FY97. In March 1997, Council adopted a policy statement establishing the following goals for the Water Conservation and Demand Management Program: provide safe, reliable water service while reducing wasteful uses of water; reduce costs of infrastructure expansion; and conserve a limited natural resource. The water conservation program which has been used to achieve these goals, includes a mixture of educational, financial, and regulatory initiatives.

These educational, financial, and regulatory initiatives focus on two areas: reducing per capita water consumption, and managing the peak demand. The Town's application to the State to increase its interbasin transfer from the Cape Fear River to the Neuse River must address the Town's efforts and successes in implementing water conservation savings. As a part of the description of the Town's efforts in water conservation, a goal of reducing the average per capita demand by 20% between 2000 and 2015 was established. The program’s second focus area, peak demand management, reduces the Town’s reliance on supplemental water supplies.

Because of the fast-track implementation of the program, Town staff has not had the opportunity to conduct a detailed analysis of water usage by customer class, and savings from implementing water conservation measures. Program funds must be targeted towards those initiatives which achieve the maximum reductions for the cost, particularly until expansion of the water plant has been completed. During this period, managing peak demands are the program's most important priority.

In October, 1998, staff presented an update on the Water Conservation and Demand Management Program (see attached report PWUT99-007), which notes the need for a written, comprehensive water conservation plan. After careful consideration of the program's status and accomplishments, staff proposes to proceed with the development of a comprehensive Water Conservation Plan, which would allow allocation of program resources in the most cost-efficient manner possible. Funding of $60,000 for the development of this comprehensive plan was not included in the FY99 budget.

TOWN OF CARY

STAFF REPORT

REVIEW:

At the Council/Staff Retreat in January, 1996, Council endorsed the development of a water conservation program, and subsequently approved the hiring of a Water Conservation Specialist for FY97. The program began in December, 1996, when the Water Conservation Specialist position was filled.

In March, 1997, Council adopted a policy statement establishing the goals of the water conservation and demand management program. As stated in the policy,

"It is the policy of the Town of Cary to develop and implement a water conservation and demand management program that will decrease the average annual per capita usage of potable water. The program will include a mixture of educational, financial, and regulatory initiatives to encourage water conserving practices where consistent with the overall mission and values of the Town of Cary."

The established program goals are as follows:

• Support the high quality of life in Cary by providing safe, reliable water service while reducing wasteful uses of water;
• Reduce costs of infrastructure expansion; and
• Conserve a limited natural resource.

The Town’s water conservation program has two focus areas: reducing the per capita water consumption, and managing the peak demands that occur during the hottest, driest times of the year. Implementing a water conservation program is a required component of the application to the State to increase the Town’s interbasin transfer from the Cape Fear River to the Neuse River. As a result, a goal of reducing the average per capita demand by 20% between 2000 and 2015 was established. The program’s second focus area, peak demand management, reduces the Town’s reliance on supplemental water supplies.

At the 1997 Council/Staff Retreat, the following program elements comprising the voluntary, regulatory, and incentive-oriented approach were approved:

• Public information and education programs
• Municipal use evaluation
• Water plant efficiency
• Water loss accountability
• Scheduling water use
• Water reuse and recycling
• Response to drought and infrastructure emergencies
• Restrictive ordinances
• Diversion of water demand to nonpotable sources
• Water rate incentives
• Ordinances defining fixture use
• Financial incentives and rebates

The program elements were further delineated into immediate and long-term initiatives. These elements make up the Town’s Water Conservation Plan, a copy of which will be distributed to each Council member. A brief summary of each of these initiatives and their status follows.

Immediate Conservation Initiatives

Public information and education. Extensive efforts to publicize messages about water conservation in mass media, including but not limited to: newspapers (Cary News and News and Observer); radio; television (news interviews and commercial); Town website; utility bills; education booths at Spring Daze, Lazy Daze, and Raleigh’s WaterFest (attended by 2,000 children); presentations to civic groups and at conferences; the most recent effort is "Beat-the-Peak ‘98" education campaign. The value of the extensive television news coverage and PSAs, radio interviews,, and print coverage of "Beat-the-Peak" far exceeded program costs. The campaign included the following components:

1. The "Tuna Can Plan," during which 25,000 cans were distributed door-to-door to Cary homeowners in early June. The one-inch cans were accompanied by a flier that explained how to use them to measure the weekly amount of water needed by lawns.
1. A new town publication, "Landscaping Cary Style," focuses on drought-resistant trees and shrubs, recommended turfgrass varieties, irrigation techniques, proper soil preparation and water-wise landscaping. Customers have received the publication in water bills and at points-of-sale.
2. The "When-to-Water" website, designed to give people important information about water use and weather patterns.
3. The Block Leader Program - a grassroots communications effort designed to educate citizens about water conservation. Throughout the summer, the town recruited and educated volunteers about efficient outdoor irrigation practices. Over 110 Block Leaders have reached out to 12% (3,098) of the Town’s utility customers.

Learning to be WaterWise elementary program. This is a program in which retrofit kits are distributed to fourth and fifth graders, with classroom lessons and at-home water usage "assignments". After conducting a pilot program at Penny Road elementary in 1997, efforts are currently focused on encouraging retrofits in older areas of town. The first two schools to accept an invitation to participate are Cary Elementary and Northwoods Elementary.

Commercial and residential demonstration projects. The Town has partnered with the NC Cooperative Extension Service to develop the WaterWise Gardener program, modeled after an extremely successful effort in the Chesapeake Bay region. Using water efficiently on the landscape reduces runoff, which subsequently improves water quality due to reduced fertilizer and nutrient inputs (a particular issue of concern in the Neuse River Basin). Eight residential demonstration projects are underway in the pilot program.

Town water use and efficiency. Staff are constantly searching for ways to improve the efficiency of water use in day-to-day operations, including use at the water plant, reducing the "lost" water in our water system operations, and grounds watering. Significant achievements have been made in these areas.

Water Treatment. During the water treatment process, filter backwashing constitutes the greatest amount of water loss (it takes water to make water). WTP staff have implemented the use of state-of-the-art equipment to maximize particle removal during the treatment process. As a result, filter run times are maximized and less total water is required for the backwashing process.

Annual System Disinfection. The State requires all chloramination disinfection water systems to switch over to chlorine treatment three weeks each year. By utilizing a fluoride tracer technique, staff are able to precisely determine when the distribution system has completely turned over. Implementation of this process in 1997 saved the Town over $67,000 in personnel and water treatment costs, and 34 million gallons of water over the previous year’s switchover.

Unaccounted-for Water. Better known as water loss in the distribution system due to leaks and other problems, the AWWA-recommended industry standard is 10-15%. With the use of state-of-the-art leak detection equipment by PWUT’s Operations Division, the running 12-month average in Cary is currently 4.08%. Careful monitoring and scheduling of usage by contractors has also helped reduce the unaccounted-for loss. Japan is reported to have the lowest water loss rate in the world at 4%.

Water Conservation Workteam. This internal working group consists of members from Town departments which deal with water use in day-to-day activities, including planning, inspections, utility billing, grounds maintenance, customer service, and utilities operations. These members meet up to twice a month to give input on the Water Conservation and Demand Management Program and to increase interdepartmental coordination on water conservation issues.

Grounds maintenance. All Town-managed properties are planted with drought-tolerant plant material to minimize water use and maintenance. The only irrigated properties are the ballfields, which must be maintained for player safety. Grounds crews follow the one-inch per week recommendation by monitoring rainfall and only applying the supplemental amount of water needed when necessary. Wherever possible, future Town irrigation systems will use onsite water rather than potable water.

Early closing toilet flapper rebate. Reducing water use in the bathroom offers one of the biggest opportunities for indoor water savings in pre-1994 housing. The rebate program provides utility customers with a financial incentive to purchase early closing toilet flappers, which can save up to 1.3 gallons per flush. Retrofitting toilets not only improves efficiency for many toilets, but will also remedies leaks. Only flappers meeting official certification requirements are eligible; these flappers are made of a siliconized rubber, which is more durable than standard rubber. To date, 448 rebates have been redeemed, and over 1,000 flappers have been purchased in area hardware stores.

Irrigation Ordinances. In 1997, the town council indicated a desire to address blatant, wasteful use of outdoor water through the implementation of ordinances. Staff was directed to develop ordinances for irrigating hardscapes, runoff of irrigation water, and irrigation while raining. One of the most visible and wasteful uses of irrigation water in Cary is the runoff from overwatering and overspray onto hardscapes. This practice not only wastes water, it frustrates residents who voluntarily conserve water.

Ordinance 19-48, "Controlling Wasteful Uses of Water," was adopted June 12, 1997. This ordinance was the first step used to target wasteful water usage. The ordinance enables staff to regulate and control irrigation and reduce watering of hardscapes and runoff associated with overwatering. Ordinance 19-48 "Rain Sensors on Automatic Irrigation Systems," was adopted August 14, 1997. Public education is used in conjunction with the ordinances to enhance awareness of the importance of water conservation - as well as the possible ramifications of noncompliance. Active enforcement of these two ordinances began in July, 1998, with the hiring of a Water Conservation Technician. A copy of the enforcement response plan and summary of notices issued to date is attached.

The ordinances described will help drive the area's irrigation industry toward an increased maintenance and service orientation. Unfortunately, many issues like poor irrigation system design, installation and calibration continue. Town staff have begun working with local irrigation companies and the Carolinas Irrigation Association to encourage an increased focus on proper training and provision of irrigation system maintenance services. Incorporating irrigation system design standards and specifications into the town's appearance ordinance is also in progress.

Drought response plan. On June 8,1995, §19-45 "Water Shortage Conservation Measures" was adopted to provide legal authority for the Town Manager to implement water conservation measures when he determines that there is a water emergency, or potential for a water emergency. Section 19-45 was amended in 1996 to further define classes of water use, and to provide for official phases of water conservation measures including voluntary conservation, mandatory conservation, water shortage emergency, and rationing.

Pilot-scale water reuse project. A reuse feasibility study for using treated effluent from the North Cary Water Reclamation Facility was completed in 1997. The Town is currently negotiating with potential customers for the project’s pilot phase as the engineering design of this reuse water system progresses. The construction phase of the pilot project is tentatively scheduled to be completed by winter of 1999.

Long-term Conservation Initiatives. The following components are currently under consideration, and will be implemented upon further direction from Council. The exception is the water rate structure, which was revised July 1.

Public involvement. Opportunities for increasing public involvement in the program are being examined. One potential use of an existing Board is to increase the scope of the Solid Waste Management Advisory Board to include all natural resources. This Board’s expanded role would allow input into the development of a comprehensive conservation plan.

Comprehensive conservation plan. As the Water Conservation and Demand Management program matures, the success of program components will be monitored and adjusted according to cost:benefit ratios achieved. Computer modeling of conservation program elements is underway, as well as the use of data collection equipment to precisely determine local indoor water use trends, as compared to national averages.

Water-conserving rate structure. Structuring water rates to encourage conservation is a key demand-management strategy. The tiered rate structure, which was implemented July 1, consists of three rates: a low usage tier (less than 4,000 gallons per month); an average usage tier (4,000-12,000 gallons); and a high usage tier (greater than 12,000 gallons). The third tier penalizes high water use by charging a substantially higher rate, while the first tier charges a reduced rate, rewarding water conservation.

Full scale water reuse project. After completion of the pilot project, the reuse system will be routed through commercial and residential sectors for irrigation and cooling systems, and at full buildout is expected to reduce demand on the water treatment plant by 3 mgd during peak days.

Institutional/Commercial/Industrial (ICI) conservation. Working with the ICI sector can potentially achieve a high benefit:cost ratio because of the relatively high amounts of water used in the ICI setting (as compared to residential use). Staff are also currently pursuing options to recognize businesses that meet a set of "WaterWise" criteria.

Winter Initiatives. During the fall and winter months, the program’s educational focus will shift to education on reducing indoor water use. Program incentives will include conducting indoor water use audits, distribution of low-flow showerheads and aerators, and continuation of the flapper rebate program. Enforcement-oriented efforts will include inspection of all 2,000 separately metered systems for rain sensor installation.

Conclusion

In 1998, summer water demand for the Cary-Apex water system was projected to peak at 20.4 mgd, more than double the average winter demand. The peak-to-date was actually 20.2 million gallons, which occurred on June 26, 1998.

The Water Conservation and Demand Management Program will continue to be an important part of managing peak demands until the water treatment plant expansion is completed. In addition, Cary's per capita usage must be reduced by 20 percent over the next 20 years to further extend the life of water treatment facilities. By using the comprehensive program initiatives described, the Town and its citizens will continue to improve water use efficiency and help meet the goals as established in 1997.