PHASE ONE - 5 YEAR PLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Program Development Advisory Group

To assist the new coordinator, provide critical background information, and program recommendations, a multi departmental advisory group was assembled.   Members include:
Maryann Ustick – Assistant City Manager
Dr. Jorge Garcia – Utilities Director
Gilbert Morales – Water Resources Administrator
Marcy Driggers – Legal Council Utilities
Brian Denmark – Facilities Director
Cathy Mathews – City Landscape Designer
Ted Novak - Parks Special Projects
Anthony De La O – Codes Enforcement
Mark Torres - Permitting
Carol McCall – Keep Las Cruces Beautiful

Special Thanks

For their assistance and explanation of historical and current data from which monitoring and analysis of the water conservation program will be built upon.
Utilities Administrative Services: Pat Dominguez, Manny Carrasco, Diana Navarro
Operations Engineer: John Reid

City of Las Cruces Water Conservation Program

SUMMARY

The City is developing a long range Water Conservation Program.  Phase 1 shall be a five year plan consisting of the following components:

• Identify consumptive patterns and develop quantitative methods of trending and evaluate program performance and cost effectiveness of water conservation initiatives.

• Public Information and Education
• Public – News, Information Stands, Web Page, and P.I.O. productions
• K-12 – Integrated curricular water activities and teacher training

• “Lush and Lean”   Active Workshops and Community Projects
• Xeriscape principles and appropriate plant selection
• Drip Irrigation Basics : Design and Installation

• Lead by Example: Conservation initiatives on City buildings, landscapes, and parks

• Water reclamation, re-use, and “purple pipe” developments

• Increased enforcement of the Water Conservation Ordinance

• Incentives and Rebates– Limited to non-rate based funding i.e. grants and co- sponsored offerings with other departments or organizations.

BACKGROUND

As a proactive measure, and in response to recommendations from the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer (OSE), the City of Las Cruces (CLC) established a full time Water Conservation Coordinator, (“Coordinator”) charged with developing, and administering, a multi component water conservation program. 

Benefits of Water Conservation

Sustains water supply by maximizing efficient use, re-use, reclamation, and supply protection. Increases efficient water use is the most economical way to enhance water supplies. May extend water and wastewater infrastructure lifespan and reduce operating costs. Maintains compliance with OSE requirements for continued acquisition of water rights and other state funds for water and wastewater infrastructure development.
Extends preparedness for critical water use during extended droughts or emergency water shortages
Enacts awareness and stewardship into direct actions that serve the individual, the community and the region.

Existing Water Conservation Initiatives and Measures

Las Cruces is the second largest city in New Mexico and continues to experience a robust growth rate.  Over the years, Utility Administration, City Council, and other City departments have developed water conserving measures.  Existing water conservation measures that shall remain as integral components of the Water Conservation Program are as follows:

A.  Existing Water Conservation Measures

1. Water Conservation Ordinance including
   1. Odd/Even watering schedule
   2. Water waste prohibitions
2. Landscape Ordinance
3. Storm Water Management Ordinance
4. Drought and Water Emergency Response Plan
5. Industrial Pollution Prevention Program
6. Cost of Service Rate adopted in 2004  (rate structure provides incentive for conservation)

B.  Supporting Technologies

1. All users are metered - all water accounted for
2. GIS mapping of utility meters
3. System wide SCADA based monitoring and reporting
4. Computer integration of meter readings to all user groups for accurate consumption monitoring and trending evaluation

PHASE 1  - 5 YEAR PLAN COMPONENTS

Public Information & Education

City Leads by Example

Strengthening of Ordinance Enforcement

Program Monitoring and Economic Analysis

Special Projects

Phase 1 Guiding Principles

Program easily understood and embraced across the community

Extend public awareness and education with focus on reducing summer peak demands

Strengthen and enhance existing ordinances

City to lead by example on City properties

Remain non-rate based in program funding

Revenue neutral impact on utility

 Phase 1 Goal – Reduce peak water demands on system.

Summer landscape irrigation creates the peak demand that nearly doubles water consumption through the summer months. Single family residences are the largest consumptive user group.
	Fig. 1 Typical comparison of average winter vs. summer water consumption across principle user groups. Source – City of Las Cruces Utilities

Conservation components that reduce excessive outdoor irrigation use during summer (peak) months will provide for the largest and most cost effective returns in realizing goals and long-term benefits of water conservation for the City.

Phase 1 Strategies

Public Awareness and Education Campaign
Awareness, Knowledge, Implementation

Public information and education across the community encourages awareness and transforms concerns into individual action and achievement of program goals.

Water Conservation Web Pages – To be integrated into the City’s web site beginning on the opening page with a clickable logo.  Contents will include:

• “Lush & Lean” information
• Water conservation tips
• Featured plants and designs
• Water Conservation Ordinance Information
• Workshop and Program Developments

Information Stands –Water conservation brochures and literature, award nomination forms, projects, workshop schedules, etc. Locations will include:

• Branigan Library
• City Hall
• Permitting Office reception area
• Realty Offices (new arrival packets)

Newspaper, and Radio Releases – The Conservation Desk in collaboration with Public Information Office will generate periodic press releases and media productions on water conservation and related topics. 

“Lush and Lean” - Water Conserving Landscape Workshops

	As a critical component to reducing summertime landscape irrigation, the “Lush and Lean” Program will inform the public about water conserving landscape design principles offering colorful and inviting landscape opportunities appropriate to southern New Mexico. Elements of the Program will include:
	Workshops in xeriscape principles, drip  irrigation, compost utilization, use of timers and other economical water saving devices
Will apply guidelines and recommendations of the Landscape Ordinance Guest speakers, and support will include local landscape professionals, extension agents, Master Gardeners, and others.

Utility billing Information – Extend information to utility customers by including:

• comparative analysis of consumption changes by the customer
•  relative consumption within customer user group
• Informative inserts
• Water wise information packages to new accounts

Top 5% Consumer Letter – A proactive letter advising high consuming customers of their significantly larger consumptive pattern than their user group.  Offering tips on leak detection and conservation.

School District K-12 Water Conservation Curricular Activities

The “Coordinator” shall facilitate integration of Project WET and the OSE Water Conservation Education into the Las Cruces Schools
	Office of the State Engineer Water Conservation Education

 Project Wet is a nationwide program and is locally administered through New Mexico State University WERC Division. The Office of the State Engineer has a well developed outreach program with many informative brochures and other water conservation publications that can be utilized by the City of Las Cruces. Utilization of these materials further integrates the City’s Water Conservation Program with the State Plan on a regional initiative.

City Leads by Example
 Water conserving actions on City landscapes and buildings.

This strategy shall demonstrate the City’s commitment, and invite volunteerism and stewardship by the public. City staff will identify underutilized lawns and buffer areas and schedule systematic conversion to water conserving landscapes and irrigation technologies. Specific landscape benefits will include: 

	Increase City wide application of  low water, “Lush and Lean”, landscaping concepts Develop demonstration gardens Provide for unit cost/benefit analysis of  xeric retrofits. Conduct irrigation audits and audit training
City Buildings: Conduct water audits, leak detections, and where feasible or as a pilot study, determine the cost effectiveness of various water saving plumbing devices.

Revision to Article VII Water Conservation Ordinances

According to the City’s Codes Department, hundreds of responses are to first time offenders and considered “educational” with no citation issued.  The year round public educational initiative should reduce “educational” responses by Codes officers. The Water Conservation Program shall increase the effectiveness of the Water Conservation Ordinance with the following measures:   

:

• Establish a Water Wasting Hotline and promote reporting as part of the public information strategy.

• Adopt  and publicize the penalties for violating the Water Conservation Ordinance:

Type of property   1st conviction       2nd conviction        3rd and subsequent convictions

Residential                $50.00                   $100.00                   $250.00
property

Non-residential          $100.00                  $250.00                  $500.00
Property

• Use Utility field personnel to document and notify individuals, leave door knob notification, of observed Water Conservation Ordinance violations and report to  City Codes Department.

Program Monitoring and Economic Evaluation

Phase 1 shall remain revenue neutral on utility operations.
 
The City has adopted and implemented a cost –of- service structure in utility rates that resulted in recent increase in water rates.   Water conservation has long term economic benefits on utility infrastructure operations and the present and future values of the water itself.  When aggressive conservation measures have been enacted by other communities in response to drought or sudden emergency shortages, water supplies were successfully conserved but significant anticipated revenue losses negatively impacted utility operations and infrastructure debt financing.

 Phase 1 shall establish a water conservation program performance and economic analysis process. Along with performance costs and trending, new strategies, initiated one at a time, should provide for independent evaluation. Ideally, a sensible program will demonstrate conservation, and balance any revenue loss with growth and the long term benefits of extended water supplies and infrastructure lifespan are realized. The economics of water production may fluctuate over time and reflect in the cost –of– service.

Fig. 2  Revenue neutral example with 594 acre feet conserved.

Program Monitoring and Economic Evaluation (cont.)

 Figure 3, below, demonstrates the capacity to examine consumption distribution within user groups. Further reveals that significant water conservation achievements could be attained with minor curtailment in summer consumption alone.

Analysis: During this peak summer month, average single family consumption was approximately 22,000 gallons.

Ten percent of customers using greater than 2x average accounted for 31% of total, while 0.04% of customers using greater than 5x average accounted for  5% of total

Special Projects

Phase 1 shall remain non rate based in program funding.

Increase Global Position System (GPS) addressing of utility meters

This effort has been started by the Utilities Department for other beneficial uses, yet offers a unique program analysis tool that could allow for determining consumption patterns and program receptivity based on  the following factors:

• specific neighborhoods
• age of buildings and infrastructure
• socio-economic characteristics
• early leak detection   

The Phase 1 Plan will also pursue grant funding, and further collaboration with the NMSU engineering and surveying departments, in order to expedite this initiative. The following example was generated as a demonstration of what could be expanded on by City of Las Cruces GIS staff.

Fig. 4, is of actual residential consumption data ranges from lower (Yellow) to higher (Red) amounts. 

Special Projects (Cont)

Reclamation/Re-use/Recharge

The Water Conservation Desk shall pursue grant funding for new and ongoing developments in large scale and pilot studies of water conservation and initiatives.

• East Mesa Water Reclamation Project

• “Purple pipe” developments  - long range

• Open space and storm water collaboration, as it pertains to groundwater recharge and pollution prevention

Incentives and Rebates - Phase I guiding principles do not, at present, allow for programmatic incentive and rebate funding through rates, as is done in some other municipalities. 

Opportunities for grants and non rate derived funding sources exist and will be pursued to provide limited rebates and offerings on a “while supplies last” basis. This would coincide more with the public awareness and educational effort.

Conclusion

Water Conservation is defined as any action or technology that reduces the amount of water withdrawn from water supply sources, reduces consumptive use, reduces the loss or waste of water, improves the efficiency of water use, increases recycling and reuse of water, or prevents the pollution of water. By maximizing efficient and best use of the present water supply, conservation techniques work complementary with developing additional source water supply in assuring long-term sustainability. By adopting the recommended Water Conservation Program, the City will be enhancing the long term sustainability of water resources of the community in a realistic and economically sound manner.

APPENDICIES

SAMPLE TOP 5% FYI   LETTER

Re: For Your Information                                             

Dear Las Cruces Resident:

Hello, I am the Water Conservation Coordinator for the City of Las Cruces’s Utilities office, Water Resources Division.  As we all share this wonderful City, we are committed to a balance of prosperity, growth, and preservation of natural resources.  I have begun working throughout the community and within our City departments in the development and application of the City’s new Water Conservation Program.  Luckily, in Las Cruces we are ahead of the game, and have not waited for the extreme measures that have already struck other southwestern communities.  To determine the success of our efforts, I have been conducting a survey of our present consumption patterns so I can compare them with future patterns.

 You may be surprised to know that your residence at 123 Artesian Springs Lane, is in the top 5% water consumers of single family residences in the city. This letter is solely informational and for the benefit of those who may be unaware of unnecessary high water use patterns or undetected leaks.

There may be a number of reasons for this high consumption rate and many solutions are available to you. I have enclosed a series of residential water saving tips, and ways to detect unknown leaks that I hope you will find informative. You may also visit the City of Las Cruces Web Site. If you would like or need any assistance in performing these checks and conducting a water wise evaluation on your home, please contact me directly.

I thank you for your time and for joining me and the rest of the community as we safeguard our precious water supply. Our efforts today insures us the opportunity to continue to enjoy the healthy and flourishing community that is Las Cruces, and pass it on to the generations that follow.
 
I remain at your service.

Sincerely,

Joshua G. Rosenblatt
Water Conservation Coordinator
505-528-3549

City of Las Cruces “Lush & Lean” Workshops

Needs: 
The primary consumers of City supplied water are single family residences.  The largest summer time consumptive usage of water is the irrigation of single family residential landscapes.  Consumption across all user groups experiences an average 2 fold increase during this time. 

As an attractive City to live in with many resources, community services, a major university and inviting climate, Las Cruces is continuing to experience healthy growth of new residents.  This growth has also triggered a flourishing of single family residential construction over the last 5 years and is on-going. Many citizens and commercial establishments have already demonstrated low water landscape designs, and others have swathed areas with masses of decorative rocks and cacti.

This program will seek to extend the many varieties and advantages of inviting green spaces, using appropriate trees, shrubs, ground covers, hardscapes, and turf areas.  (See Accompanying Workshop Program)

Proposal: “Lush & Lean” Workshops

• Launching of public Workshops.  Frequency to be determined by public response.  The workshops will be divided into two separate topics, each can offer applicable knowledge independently. They will be:
1. Landscaping  design, installation, and maintenance
2. Residential Drip Irrigation – design, installation, and maintenance
• Continuous public access to program information through development of the web pages to be posted on the City’s web site.

Benefits:  

• Reduction in water consumption benefiting the highest consumptive user group during the peak demand season.
• Neighborhood beautification and awareness
• Increase property value
• Increased air quality
• Reduction in Heat Index
• Wind and dust reduction by planting trees

Workshop Program

Landscaping Workshop

Seven Principles of Xeriscaping

1. Planning and Design: Planning and design for water conservation and beauty from the start.
   
2. Practical Turf Areas: Create practical turf areas of manageable sizes, shapes, and appropriate grasses.
   
3. Appropriate Plant Selection: Select low water requiring plants and group plants of similar water needs together. Provide user friendly plant lists based on local availability and adaptability to Las Cruces
   
4. Soil Improvement: Use soil amendments like compost as needed by the site and the type of plants used.
   
5. Use of Mulches and Trees: Use mulches such as wood chips, and trees to reduce evaporation & to keep the soil cool. Trees to provide shade to both house and landscape and provide small windbreak patterns.
   
6. Efficient Irrigation: Irrigate efficiently with automated drip and bubbler systems
   
7. Appropriate Maintenance: Maintain the landscape properly by mowing, weeding, pruning and fertilizing properly.

The workshop will build on these principles as applied to Las Cruces:

1. The City will encourage the planting of appropriate trees and the utilization of compost.
2. Participants will receive written publications and further information references.
3. Participants will understand how to create their oasis in the desert with the creation of micro climates.
4. Participants will receive gifts, coupons, discounts, etc. from supporting nursery outlets.
5. Presenters will be knowledgeable City staff and guest speakers.

Workshop Program (cont)

Drip Irrigation Workshop
Design:  Develop understanding of principles of drip irrigation components as applied to various plant species. 

Installation :  Steps of system layout, safety, backflow prevention, and preventative maintenance guidelines.

Maintenance:  Automated timers, filtration, emitters, line flushing.

Hands on installation:  Small sections in class and on existing projects and demonstration locations in the city.

Participants will feel comfortable to adequately design and install basic residential drip systems.

Participants will receive coupons, discounts, and gifts from participating irrigation suppliers.

Participants will see how drip systems:
• will reduce their water bills
• are easy to install and maintain
• are inexpensive
• will promote better growth
• will promote better health
• need less fertilizers

Presenters will be made up of knowledgeable City staff and guest speakers.