Alameda County Water District Water Conservation Program Presentation Month, Day, Year
Presentation Overview About Alameda County Water District (ACWD) Importance of Water Conservation ACWD s Water Conservation Programs Water-Wise Gardening 2
Mission Statement It is the mission of the Alameda County Water District to provide a reliable supply of high quality water at a reasonable price to our customers. 3
Overview Founded in 1914 Population Served Over 331,000 Nearly 83,000 customers 4
Service Area Fremont, Newark, and Union City 104.8 square miles 5
Water Sources Supply 40% 20% 40% Alameda Creek Watershed Runoff State Water Project San Francisco PUC 6
Customer Profile Institutional 7% Residential 70% Business 14% Industrial 9% Business 14.1% ( 6,000 AF) Industrial 8.8% ( 4,000 AF) Residential 70.4% ( 31,000 AF) Institutional 6.7% ( 3,000 AF) AF (acre-foot) 326,000 gallons 7
ACWD s Commitment to Customers The District is committed to: Ensure water supply and reliability Meet or exceed all water quality standards Provide excellent customer service & tools to assist customers with saving water School education and public outreach 8
Why Does ACWD Want Customers to Conserve Water? Saves water for use in future dry periods Reduces demand on fragile systems: Sacramento Delta Can reduce capital costs (defer costs) and minimize water rate increases Reduces wastewater Saves energy production and distribution Reduces demand for chemicals 9
Conservation Integrated with Supply Conserved water can be stored.. and used in Dry Years Reduced Demand Demand Through for Water Conservation Storage Substantial Short Fall Reduced Short Fall Short Fall minimized Year 1 Normal Year Water Supply Year 2 Dry Year Water Supply 10
What is Water Conservation? Long-term improvements in water use efficiency while maintaining quality of life standards Doing more with less, not doing without. 11
ACWD s Water Conservation Commitment Promote efficient water use with an emphasis on reducing peak demand Member of the California Urban Water Conservation Council ACWD is committed to implementing water conservation best management practices that are cost-effective for the District 12
ACWD s Water Conservation Programs For Residential Customers High Efficiency Clothes Washer Rebate Program Water Saver Kits High Water Use Notification Leak Detection California Youth Energy Services Partnership (CYES) Turf Replacement Incentives Water-wise Gardening Online tool Landscape Workshops The Aqueduct and ACWD website seasonal irrigation notices NEW - 13
NEW Program Free Water Use Efficiency Services for Lower Income Homeowners, including: Water use survey Leak check/fix Retrofits of high volume toilets with high efficiency toilets Installation of water efficient showerheads & faucet aerators 14
ACWD s Water Conservation Programs For Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Customers High Efficiency Clothes Washer Rebates Commercial High Efficiency Toilet / Urinal Rebates Water Use Efficiency Surveys Free Low Flow Devices 15
ACWD s Water Conservation Programs For Large Landscape Customers Smart Weather-based Irrigation Controllers Rebates Water Efficient Landscape Rebate Program Water Use Budgets Landscape Surveys Water Conservation Business of the Year Awards Stopwaste.org Partnership Landscape Contractor Workshops 16
ACWD s Public Information Program Public Outreach (newsletters, website, newspaper ads, press releases, community events) School Education Program Drought Tolerant Demonstration Garden Customer Service Conservation Literature 17
Water-Wise Gardening Overview Why Conserve in the Garden? Water-Wise Gardening Basics Drought Tolerant and CA Native Plants Traits and Species Water Efficient Landscape Incentives & Projects ACWD s Demonstration Garden Water-Wise Gardening Resources 18
Why Conserve Water in Your Garden? Outdoor water use accounts for 40% of annual water consumption Most of the outdoor demand is during the peak summer months 19
Water-Wise Gardening Basics Soil Plant Selection Plant Water Needs Planning & Design Efficient Irrigation 20
Water Efficient Plant Traits and Species Climate adapted plant species need very little water once established Traits of water efficient plants Gray/white leaves reflect heat Thick leaves retain moisture Smaller leaves mean less surface area for evaporation 21
Trees Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia f. Tuscarora ) Oak-Quercus species California buckeye (Aesculus californica) 22
Plants and Shrubs 23
Water Efficient Landscape Incentives Rebates for replacing water thirsty lawn with water efficient landscaping: Low water use plants Permeable landscape material $1 per square foot of turf replaced with water efficient landscaping, up to $1,500 for homes 24
Example Commercial Project 25
Example Residential Project #1 26
Example Residential Project #2 27
Example Residential Project #3 28
Example Residential Project #4 29
ACWD s Water Efficient Demonstration Garden See water efficient plants adapted to the Bay Area s Climate Open to the Public every day! Updates planned for 2014 30
Water-Wise Gardening Resources Books: Sunset Western Garden Book Editors of Sunset Books EBMUD Plants and Landscapes for Summer Dry Climates of the San Francisco Bay Region EBMUD Water Conservation Staff Gardening with a Wild Heart: Restoring California s Native Landscape at Home - Judith Larner Lowry Reimagining the California Lawn, Water-conserving Plants, Practices, and Designs - Carol Bornstein, David Fross, Bart O Brien Local Nurseries Workshops: ACWD s Water-efficient Lawn Alternatives, October 19 th, 9 a.m. - Noon Garden Tours: Bringing Back the Natives A free tour of showcase native plant gardens in the East Bay, first Sunday in May. Self-guided tour of ACWD s Drought Tolerant Demonstration Garden Websites: Alameda County Water District http://www.acwd.org Water-Wise Gardening Tool: http://www.bawsca.watersavingplants.com/bawsca.php Lose Your Lawn the Bay-Friendly Way: http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=1153 Sunset Plant Finder: Find perfect plants for your yard: http://plantfinder.sunset.com/sunset/plant-home.jsp 31
Questions? ACWD Water Conservation Staff Stephanie Nevins 510-668-4207 & Stephanie Penn 510-668-6534 32