ATTACHMENT 4

 

NATURAL RESOURCES AND TECHNICAL SYSTEMS (NRTS) COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE OWASA BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGARDING WATER CONSERVATION PRIORITIES AND INITIATIVES

 

February 14, 2008

 

Background

 

Water conservation and demand management are critical components of OWASA’s long-term strategy for ensuring a sustainable water supply for the citizens and businesses of Carrboro, chapel Hill, and the University community. OWASA has achieved significant progress over the past several years through its seasonal and tiered rates, process water recycling at the water treatment plant, and the reclaimed water partnership with the University.  The Towns and County enacted uniform conservation ordinances that are among the most proactive and innovative in North Carolina.  The University has implemented extensive conservation measures throughout all sectors of its Chapel Hill campus and has agreed to pay more than $12 million for OWASA’s reclaimed water system that will initially serve the main campus. 

 

In February 2006, OWASA presented information about projected water supply and demand trends and the increasing importance of conservation in meeting long-term water needs to the elected boards of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County. The elected Boards asked that OWASA staff work with their respective staffs in developing information and recommending additional specific actions that would enable the Towns, County, and OWASA to achieve greater conservation of the community’s water resources. This interlocal staff workgroup prepared a comprehensive consensus report and set of recommendations - Collaborative Water Conservation Strategies for Joint Consideration by Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County, Draft, January 2008.  That document provides substantial detail about several potential conservation strategies in addition to those specifically recommended in this NRTS Committee report.

 

The workgroup recommended that the Towns, County, and OWASA adopt new water conservation policies and requirements that are consistent throughout the OWASA service area in order to assure their effective and equitable application among all OWASA customers, businesses, and developers in the community.  One key approach endorsed by the staff work group and recommended by NRTS is that OWASA develop and adopt water use efficiency standards and requirements for new development and redevelopment projects as “conditions of OWASA service”. The Towns and County would then reference OWASA’s standards and requirements as conditions of their respective development approval processes.

 

Recommendations

 

The NRTS Committee recommends two phases of implementation for the following strategies: 

 

Recommended Near-Term Actions

 

  1. OWASA should develop specific standards and enact requirements for all new development and redevelopment to provide water use efficiency plans and to install state-of-the-art water saving fixtures and devices.  Compliance with these standards would be required as a condition of receiving OWASA water and/or sewer service.  Such standards could include requirements for use of “high efficiency” toilets, faucets, showerheads, and other fixtures.
  2. OWASA should require that, as a condition of continuing OWASA water and/or sewer service, an existing service location must be in compliance with OWASA water use efficiency standards and conditions of service upon change of ownership or use.
  3. Local governments and OWASA should conduct water use audits and cost-effective water conservation retrofit projects at local government-owned and managed properties, thus “leading by example”.
  4. The Towns, County, and OWASA should continue to incorporate and formalize our collective commitments to state-of-the-art water use efficiency in the design of new local government-owned and managed properties and, where practical and cost-effective, in renovated local government-owned and managed properties.
  5. The Towns, County, and OWASA should develop sustainable landscape guidelines and requirements to ensure that landscape and irrigation system design, installation, and maintenance are more water-efficient and environmentally-friendly than traditional practices. Such measures could include limits on the amount of turf that can be established on a given site and irrigated with OWASA-supplied potable water, as well as requirements for the placement and design of the irrigation systems. The use of harvested rainwater and reclaimed water would be encouraged as alternatives to potable OWASA water. 

Recommended Longer-Term Actions

  1. The Towns and County should enact requirements for new development projects to connect to OWASA’s reclaimed water system when such service is available.  Requirements could mandate that existing irrigation systems served with OWASA potable water be connected to the reclaimed water system when and where available.  A requirement that potable water-based irrigation systems be converted to reclaimed water service could be one of OWASA’s proposed new conditions of service.
  2. If necessary, the Towns, County, and OWASA should seek enabling authority to enact a policy/provision that prohibits any restrictions via deed, covenant, Homeowners Association rules, etc., that would limit a property owner’s ability to implement sustainable landscaping, rainwater harvesting, or other water conservation practices otherwise permitted by law.

 

The staff and NRTS look forward to receiving questions, comments and direction from the OWASA Board of Directors.

 

Upon direction and guidance from the OWASA Board of Directors, OWASA staff will work with local government staffs to develop proposed water use efficiency conditions of service, and to propose a more detailed implementation plan, including a timetable, projected funding and staffing requirements, and the proposed roles and responsibilities of each respective entity.

 

NRTS Committee Draft Recommendations for Conservation Strategies

February 14, 2008