Reaching GPCD Targets and Goals

1
Reaching GPCD Targets and Goals

• for
• Water Conservation Implementation Task Force
• March 29, 2004
• Chris Brown Consulting/GDS

2
Questions

• How is One Percent per Year Achievable?
• Can Small Systems Achieve Goals?
• What does 50 gpcd indoor mean and how can utility
  measure this?
• How is 1.6 Summer Peak/Winter Average achievable?

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Achieving Reduction in GPCD

• System Efficiency
• Public Education
• BMP Implementation

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SAWS Leak Detection Program Begins
One Percent Annual Decline
Five Year Rolling Ave.
Actual
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Historical Water UseAll EPWU Customers
GPCD
Excess rate structure Water Conservation Ordinan
ce adopted
5 Year Rolling Average
One Percent Annual Decline
Actual
160 GPCD was the goal set for 2000 back in 1990
2000 goal was achieved, use by 2001 was 155 GPCD
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Postwood MUD

• Location North Harris County
• Population 3,583 in 2003
• Programs include
• Conservation Pricing
• Public Information
• System Water Loss and Accountability

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Postwood MUD GPCD
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Postwood MUD Conserves (Population versus GPCD)
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Measuring Progress Towards Indoor Residential Goal

• Most sophisticated approach End use study
• Submeter homes to measure each appliance or
  fixtures water flows
• Barring that, we are left with estimates
• More sophisticated approach
• Track key neighborhoods, pick samples of new,
  old, heavy participant in BMPs, no participants
  in BMPs

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Measuring Progress Towards Indoor Residential
Goal (cont.)

• Track implementation of Indoor residential BMPS,
  compare before and after with census tract as
  whole
• Pick census tracts based upon demographics,
  including summer time water use characteristics,
  size of or presence of lawns, etcto pick a
  minimal, maximal, and median neighborhood

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Measuring Progress Towards Indoor Residential
Goal (cont.)

• Pocket slide rule approach wintertime average,
  lowest 7 days of water pumping into the
  distribution system
• Systems with ground and elevated storage need to
  adjust the water pumped for storage changes on
  those 7 days.
• Total gallons pumped on lowest 7 days of
  year/populationannual residential consumption()
  Residential Indoor per capita estimate

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50 GPCD Pie Chart Averages(AWWARF Study)

• 6 toilet flushes
• 7.8 minute shower
• 2.6 loads of clothes a week
• 6 minutes of tooth brushing/handwashing
• 1.5 gallons for cleaning counters and cooking
• 1 gallons for washing dishes in automatic
  dishwasher
• 5 gallons A dripping faucet and other leaks

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GPCD in other Countries

• England, Scotland and Wales 40 gpcd
• Netherlands 34 gpcd
• West Germany 34 gpcd
• East Germany 26 gpcd.
• These countries have targets to further reduce
  their consumption.
• Source Environmental Agency Demand
  Management Bulletin

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Customer Education for Indoor Goal of 50 GPCD

• Clearly spell out expectations of lower water
  use.
• Customers should be educated about per capita
  use.
• Promote BMPs as means to achieve conservation
  goals.
• Cities in Texas with conservation programs show
  declining per capita water use whereas cities
  without conservation programs are not
  experiencing same reductions.

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Getting to 1.6 Summer/Winter Ratio

• Defined as ratio of 3 highest summer months
  average to 3 month winter average
• Summer Peaking Issues
• Landscape watering
• Cooling
• Leaks
• Swimming pools
• Evaluate utility system, and customer use
  patterns to determine priority BMPs

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BMP Provisions to Achieve Summer Peak Reduction

• Pricing
• Plan send general messages to all customers
• Adopt an excessive use rate i.e seasonal
• Charge more for larger meter sizes on residential
  connections
• Landscape
• Plan send general messages to all customers
• Determine number and profile of high summer peak
  use customers
• Offer landscape water surveys to high use
  customers
• Require rain sensors

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BMP Provisions to Achieve Summer Peak Reduction
(cont.)

• New Landscapes
• Specify maximum turf amount on new homes
• On large lots, specify maximum square feet of
  landscaping allowed-leave the rest of site in a
  natural use plant material not requiring
  irrigation
• Require all new automatic irrigation systems to
  have ET controllers set at or below 80 of ET.

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BMP Provisions to Achieve Summer Peak Reduction
(cont.)

• Water Waste Regulations Adopt and strongly
  enforce regulations
• Utility Leak Repair Develop and adopt a strategy
  of repairing all leaks
• Line Flushing Schedule before and after peak
  summer months.

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LCRA Small Systems Data
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Potential BMPs

• Ranked by ease and general applicability
• Water Waste
• Pricing
• System Water Loss
• Park
• Golf Courses
• Landscape Irrigation
• Water Wise Landscaping
• Athletic Fields
• ICI - Cooling