Title
RESOLUTION NO. R17-15
A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GLENDALE, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA, AUTHORIZING GLENDALE’S PARTICIPATION IN THE PHOENIX SPONSORED MULTI-CITY SINGLE FAMILY WATER USE STUDY TO ASSESS CHANGES IN RESIDENTIAL WATER DEMAND.
Staff Contact: Craig Johnson, P.E., Director, Water Services
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Purpose and Recommended Action
Recommendation
This is a request for City Council to waive reading beyond the title and adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager’s designee to participate with the City of Phoenix in the Multi-City Single Family Water Use Study.
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Background
The Water Services Department of the City of Glendale is recommending that the City participate in a planned multi-city single family study funded by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) and managed by the City of Phoenix Water Services Department. The grant-funded project will monitor water use in homes in Glendale, Phoenix, Chandler and Gilbert in an effort to better understand water demand patterns in single family residences and develop data for improved water demand projections.
Analysis
Phoenix will administer the study and manage the contract with project consultant Aquacraft. Glendale will participate in the project by providing in-kind support through staff time. In-kind participation by Glendale Water Services staff will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following types of assistance:
• Working with staff from the City of Phoenix, City of Chandler and Town of Gilbert, and Aquacraft of Boulder, Colorado (consultant selected by Phoenix) to choose a sampling strategy, undertake a study of identified homes, and then produce a report or reports that meet the objectives of the four municipalities and ADWR.
• Installing, retrieving and downloading data from water meter data logging devices for two week periods that will track water use in the selected sample of homes at a more detailed level than conventional water meters (analysis of the data will be undertaken by Aquacraft in Colorado).
• Examining aerial imagery of selected homes and assigning codes for the homes that represent general type of landscape (e.g. mostly turf, partially desert, mostly desert, etc.) and identify certain types of attributes (e.g. in-ground pools, above-ground pools, saunas, etc.) which will have an impact on outdoor water use.
• Providing historical data on water use for the selected samples and for the larger single family customer base.
To protect customer confidentiality, all information that can be tied to specific homes will be removed when added to the database to ensure complete anonymity for all customers. All analysis will be conducted in such a way as ensure that report information and conclusions are focused on broad classes of residences (age cohort, size of parcel, municipality, etc.) rather than specific units or subdivisions. While the exact sample size has not yet been determined, Water Services is expecting that the number of homes that will be data-logged in Glendale will likely be between 80 and 120. The City of Phoenix and its contractor Aquacraft will provide the data-logging equipment and the GIS landscape coding platform, and will be primarily responsible for the information collection, data analysis and report writing.
Community Benefit/Public Involvement
The study will be focused on how the age of homes and their location within the region have an impact on single family water use and wastewater generation. This information will provide important data that can be used to tailor conservation strategies. Data from the project will allow water planners to estimate how changing service demands will affect infrastructure distribution and collection networks and treatment plants, and help to project future water resource needs.
The final report of the 2012 Ad Hoc Citizen Task Force on Water and Sewer stressed participation in regional water resources planning and maintaining beneficial partnerships to advance water resources sustainability. Participating in the ADWR grant-funded project with Phoenix, Chandler and Gilbert advances this goal.
Budget and Financial Impacts
There is no direct financial impact on the City. Glendale’s participation is limited to in-kind staff time in support of the grant project. The estimated value of the City’s in-kind contribution is approximately $50,000 for the time needed to complete the study. No additional City funds are required.
Capital Expense? No
Budgeted? Yes
Requesting Budget or Appropriation Transfer? No
If yes, where will the transfer be taken from?