HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Conservation Program FYI
Commission Memorandum
REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission
FROM: Brian Heaston, Project Engineer
Chris Kukulski, City Manager
SUBJECT: Water Conservation Program FYI
MEETING DATE: February 11, 2008 – FYI Item
RECOMMENDATION: Not applicable, memo for informational purposes only.
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this memo is to inform the Commission of water
conservation activities that the City is currently involved with. Foremost, a toilet rebate program
is being created by engineering staff with an anticipated launch date of March 22, 2008, which
coincides with “World Water Day”. The rebate program will offer City water-users a financial
incentive to replace old and inefficient toilets and will be available to residential and commercial
customers. The program will be supported through the water conservation budget of the water
treatment plant, which is funded at $50,000 for the current fiscal year. A similar amount will be
requested during forthcoming budget presentations for the next fiscal year. An effort will be
made to steer program participants towards purchasing WaterSense® labeled toilets by offering a
larger rebate in comparison to non-WaterSense products. A promotional partnership with the
EPA WaterSense program was authorized by the Commission on January 7, 2008.
An “in-house” toilet replacement plan is also in progress. Many of the older City facilities have
inefficient toilet fixtures in use and the replacement plan will target those units specifically
located in buildings not scheduled for future renovation. This item will also be funded through
the water conservation budget.
City engineering staff and treatment plant personnel have volunteered to participate in Water
Education Day activities sponsored by Walmart in celebration of World Water Day. The event
will focus its activities on water conservation education for children and will include brief
classroom style exercises prepared by Project WET (Water Education for Teachers). Staff will
take the opportunity to promote and launch the City’s toilet rebate program at this event.
Conservation-oriented rates were approved by Commission action last fall as recommended in
the Water Rate Study. Single-family residential customers will notice a slight increase in their
water bill reflective of the new tiered-block structure when water use increases in the summer
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months. The tiered rates are only applicable to single-family classified users; all others account
classes (i.e. multi-family, commercial, government, etc.) will be assessed a flat rate.
Last, but not least, a toilet wholesale purchase event is being organized by a coalition of
interested parties in an effort to promote water sustainability. This will be a one-time event
where participants will purchase a pre-selected WaterSense toilet fixture at a reduced wholesale
cost. The event will be marketed to City and County residents through various outlets, including
advertisements in the March City water bill and on the City TV channel. The event will also be
promoted at Walmart’s Water Education Day on March 22, the same day the toilet rebate
program is planned to go live. City residents and businesses can choose to take advantage of the
toilet rebate program in combination with the wholesale event. By doing so, the cost of the
fixture will be reduced even further. The City’s role in the wholesale purchase event will not
extend beyond promotional support, but it will be a great way to kick-off the water conservation
program for the City of Bozeman.
Respectfully submitted,
_________________________________ ____________________________
Brian Heaston, Project Engineer Chris A. Kukulski, City Manager
Report compiled on February 6, 2008
cc: Project File
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