SR-01-08-2013-3J10_
City of City Council Report
Santa Monica'
City Council Meeting: January 8, 2013
Agenda Item: - ,,
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Dean Kubani, Director Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Subject: Water - Efficient Agreement with the U.S. EPA
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute an agreement with the U.S. EPA to become a promotional partner in the EPA's
WaterSense program.
Executive Summary
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) WaterSense program promotes the
efficient use of water through partnerships with local utilities, governments, trade
associations, and professionals in the water - efficiency field. As a partner, the City
would have access to WaterSense marketing materials at no cost. These materials
would be used, when appropriate, in a City marketing campaign to educate the
community about water self- sufficiency and encourage the community to make
permanent water- saving changes. On an annual basis, staff would provide the EPA with
data on its promotional activities and incentive program participation.
There is no cost associated with this agreement.
Background
The EPA's WaterSense program began in 2006 as a way to promote water - efficient
products, services and messages on a national level. WaterSense has a water fixture
labeling program similar to the EPA's Energy Star program. Plumbing fixtures, such as
toilets, showerheads, and faucets, can receive the WaterSense label when fixtures pass
strict testing protocols. In addition, WaterSense provides marketing materials to its
promotional partners, including logos, artwork, sample news articles, sample press
releases and more.
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On March 8, 2011 City Council directed staff to produce a sustainable water master
plan (SWMP) to make the City self - reliant on local water resources by 2020. Staff
prepared an Information Item updating progress on this plan on November 5, 2012.
Discussion
The City faces several water reliability challenges in the coming years:
• Santa Monica's current total water demand exceeds the amount of locally
available water by 3,700 acre -feet; presently, this gap is filled through the
purchase of imported water, which will become more expensive and its reliability
questionable;
• Leading climate experts predict extended periodic droughts over the next thirty
years and severe storms resulting in flooding;
Y The Sacramento -San Joaquin Delta water conveyance and delivery system
faces a number of reliability challenges; and
• State legislation SBX7 -7 requires each urban water retailer to reduce per capita
water demand 20% by 2020.
These challenges reinforce the need for the SWMP to guide the City to close the water
gap and eliminate the City's dependence on unreliable and likely more expensive
imported water. The WaterSense program and educational resources would help the
City to reach the SWMP goal.
Community education, outreach, and water- efficient actions are essential for the City to
achieve its goal to be water self- sufficient and meet the State SBx7 -7 requirements. By
encouraging the community to purchase and install WaterSense- labeled plumbing
fixtures, water use can be reduced up to 20% per fixture.
Water customers that purchase and install WaterSense- labeled toilets and irrigation
controllers may be eligible for rebates provided by the City or Metropolitan Water District
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of Southern California. The number of rebates issued, and the number and type of
promotional activities will be reported annually to the EPA
To use the WaterSense marketing materials to promote labeled products, the City must
become a promotional partner. Becoming an EPA WaterSense Promotional Partner
would enhance the City's marketing efforts, showcase the City as a partner on the
EPA's website, include the City's water savings in the EPA's annual WaterSense report,
and assist the City in reaching its 2020 water self - reliance goal.
The EPA materials would be incorporated into a new City marketing and outreach
campaign; the campaign is being developed in conjunction with the SWMP and will
include production of a variety of educational materials. These campaign educational
materials are intended to increase awareness of the City's water sustainability goals
and promote support for the SWMP, and would inform residents and business owners
about strategies on how to increase local water supply and reduce water demand.
This agreement would aid the City in obtaining the most effective information and water
efficiency innovations. It would help ensure that the SWMP is the best guidance
document for the City to achieve its 2020 goal.
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Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Adopting the recommended action will not have a significant impact on existing staff
resources and no budget action is necessary as a result of the recommended action.
Prepared by: Kim O'Cain, Water Resources Specialist
roved:
Dean Kubani
Director, Office of Sustainability and the
Environment
Forwarded to Council:
11
Rod Gould
City Manager
Reference Contract No.
9679 (CCS).