03-01-2021 Council Work Session Packet

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WS – Item 4 WORK SESSION STAFF REPORT Work Session Item No. 4 Date: March 1st, 2021 To: City Council From: Andy Nelson, Environmental Coordinator Jessica Eller, Community Development Intern Re: Smart Irrigation Controller Program Background This program was discussed at the February 1st, 2021 Work Session. At that time, Council requested that more information be presented. Fresh water is a finite resource. In our area, over 60% of water usage for a typical home is used for outdoor irrigation during the growing season. Of that water use, roughly 50% is wasted on overwatering, evaporation, and non-target watering. Wasted fresh water could easily reach 150 gallons per house per day. One of the most powerful and easy to implement options to improve our water conservation efforts in the City involves increasing the efficiency of outdoor irrigation. Improving irrigation efficiency will reduce water consumption in the City without negatively impacting quality of life. Smart irrigation controllers have been found to reduce water use by up to 50%. Installation of 100 controllers could save up to 2.2 million gallons a year, representing nearly 2 days of water use for the entire city. If smart irrigation controllers were installed at all addresses currently connected to municipal water, it could lead to a 20% savings on yearly water pumped in the entire City. This could lead to significant cost savings on infrastructure. Currently, high manganese content in the municipal water supply makes water conservation even more important. If the City’s water needs can be met through operating fewer wells, wells that have higher manganese levels can be utilized less or left offline, which will lead to higher quality water being supplied to residents. As part of the City’s water conservation efforts, staff is proposing to implement a smart irrigation controller purchase program. $20,000 was budgeted for this program in the 2021 Water Utility budget.