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<br />Item No. 3 <br />Meeting Date: June 4 & July 2, 2007 <br />Type of Business: WK <br />WK: Work Session; PH: Public Hearing; <br />CA: Consent Agenda; CB: Council Business <br />City Administrator Review _______ <br /> <br /> City of Mounds View Staff Report <br />To: Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From: Greg Lee, Director of Public Works <br /> <br /> Item Title/Subject: Water Conservation – Sprinkling / Irrigation <br />Policy <br /> <br /> <br /> Background: <br />The City currently has an odd/even watering policy. It allows customers to water <br />their grass on odd numbered days for odd numbered addresses and even days <br />for even numbered addresses. This policy has served the City well in the past, <br />but has become outdated. <br /> <br /> <br /> Discussion: <br />The City is subject to an annual permit fee from the DNR (Department of Natural <br />Resources) for all water pumped by the City. This fee is on a prorated scale of: <br /> Over 500 million gallons= $7.50 / million gallons <br /> 451 to 500 million gallons= $7.00 / million gallons <br /> 401 to 450 million gallons= $6.50 / million gallons and so on <br />Last year the City of Mounds View pumped just over 501 million gallons. The <br />DNR also just started a summer surcharge program in 2005. Which is “A <br />surcharge of $20 per million gallons will be applied to the volume of water used in <br />each of the months of June, July, and August that exceeds the volume of water <br />used in January of each year. The summer surcharge applies to municipal water <br />use, irrigation of golf courses and landscape irrigation. This is a surcharge in <br />addition to the regular fee rate based on the yearly total volume used.” In 2006 <br />the summer surcharge was $2,040.00. However, there has been a heightened <br />awareness of environmental issues and an increased desire to conserve natural <br />resources that could be addressed in the City’s watering policy. <br /> <br />During the high demand months there are times when the water supply is <br />diminished to low levels. The City needs to supply adequate water levels for <br />everyday in home usages and fire protection. These efforts are compromised <br />when all residents do not follow the lawn watering restrictions. The City is also <br />restricted on when it can pump water because of an energy savings program.