The City Council considered adopting a resolution to implement Drought Level III restrictions in response to triggering drought indicators on September 14, 2012. Level III prohibits most outdoor water use and establishes water usage surcharges. The Council also considered an ordinance amendment allowing exceptions to water restrictions and discussed exception requests from commercial car washes, swimming pools, golf courses, nurseries, and an Air Force base kennel. Conditions for exceptions and guidelines for limited landscape watering were discussed.

1. City Council
September 27, 2012

2. Proposed Ordinance Amendment
• Provision added to “Exception and Variance” section
of Water Conservation/Drought Contingency code:
“The City Council may allow exceptions to any of the
provisions of this article. The Council may place
conditions on any exception.”

3. Drought Level III
• September 14, 2012
-Trigger point for entering Level III met
-Water supply available to the city from its developed
sources over the next 12 months is not adequate to
meet the projected demands

4. Drought Level III Implementation
• September 27, 2012
Council consider adopting resolution implementing
provisions of Drought Level III

5. Drought Level III Implementation
• September 27, 2012
Council consider adopting resolution implementing
provisions of Drought Level III
• October 1, 2012
Proposed effective date for Drought Level III

6. Drought Level III Implementation
• September 27, 2012
Council consider adopting resolution implementing
provisions of Drought Level III
• October 1, 2012
Proposed effective date for Drought Level III
• November 1, 2012
Usage surcharges effective with November billing

7. Prohibited Water Uses Under Drought Level III
• Watering of lawns, gardens, landscape areas, trees,
golf courses (including greens), shrubs and other
plants being grown outdoors
• Hand watering or drip irrigation of trees and
foundations may be done on days and at times as
established by the City Council

8. Prohibited Water Uses Under Drought Level III
• Fill, refill or maintain the level of any swimming pool or
fountain
• Washing of automobiles, trucks, trailers, boats or other
types of vehicles, mobile equipment; except for health,
safety, welfare as determined by Health Director

9. Water Usage Surcharges
• Residential accounts- $6.00/1,000 gallons for usage
over 10,000 gallons
• Apartments- $5.00/1,000 gallons for usage over 3,000
gallons/apartment unit
• All other accounts- $2.50/1,000 gallons

10. Drought Level III Implementation
• September 14, 2012 Trigger Point Met
• September 27, 2012 Resolution Adoption
• October 1, 2012 Effective date
• November 1, 2012 Surcharges included in bills

11. Exceptions to
Water Conservation Ordinance

12. Exception Procedure
• Ordinance amendment authorizing Council to grant
exceptions adopted September 27, 2012
• Exception request brought before Council
• Council considers and establishes any special
conditions with respect to the request
• Request is approved or denied by simple majority vote

13. Exception Requests / Drought Level III
• Vehicle Washing
• Swimming Pools
• Golf Course Greens
• Nurseries
• Goodfellow Air Force Base Kennel Area

14. Vehicle Washing
• Commercial Vehicle Wash Facilities
-Hand held spray wand
-In-Bay automatic wash facility
-Tunnel automatic wash facility
-Mobile, self contained, trailer mounted unit
• Residential Vehicle Washing
-Hand held hose
-Bucket

15. Commercial Vehicle Wash Facilities
• Identified 18 commercial vehicle washing
facility accounts
• Water usage over the past 12 months
48.4 million gallons

16. Exception Considerations/Vehicle Washing
• Type of vehicle washing operation
Residential
Commercial fixed location
Commercial mobile
Commercial fleet vehicles
• Requirement to recycle
• Surcharges
• Duration of exception

17. Swimming Pools
• Approximately 1,100 pools in the city
• Average Pool Size- 16 ft X 32 ft
• Average water needed to maintain a pool-
1 1/2 inches/week; 1,915 gallons / month
• Estimated water needed to maintain pools in city-
27.4 million gallons/year

18. Exception Considerations/Swimming Pools
• Residential and Commercial pools
• Outdoor and Indoor pools
• Covering requirement for a pool
• Duration of exception

19. Golf Course Greens
• Courses within city utilizing city water-
Santa Fe and Riverside
• 27 greens at the two courses

20. Golf Course Greens
• Watering requirement for 27 greens
September thru October 150,0000 gallons
November thru February 300,000 gallons
March thru April 1,000,000 gallons
June thru August 1,950,000 gallons
Total 3,400,000 gallons

21. Exception Considerations/Golf Course Greens
• Number of greens allowed to be water
• Allowable application rates
• Watering frequency
• Surcharges
• Duration of exception

22. Nurseries
• Types of nurseries
-Indoor
-Outdoor
• Indoor Nursery
Seasonal stock-Plants in containers or holding beds
Watering generally done by hand held hose or drip
system
• Outdoor Nursery
Plants being grown for future transfer to containers or
holding beds

23. Nurseries
• Five full time nursery businesses identified
• Water usage over past 12 months
Indoor Nurseries- 8.6 million gallons
Outdoor Nursery- 17.8 million gallons

24. Exception Considerations/Nurseries
• Indoor and Outdoor Operations
• Usage limitations
• Surcharges
• Duration of exception

25. Goodfellow Air Force Base
• Exception Requested for Military Dog Kennel
• Request to water grass area within kennel during
months of March through October
• Estimated water usage of 65,000 gallons per month
during watering season

26. Tree and Foundation Watering
• Hand watering or drip irrigation of trees and
foundations may be allowed under Level III
• Council establishes conditions for water use
-Days, times, frequency, amount

27. Sprinkler Meters
• Monthly Base fee applicable unless service is
discontinued
• No charge to discontinue service
• $20 activation fee to re-establish service

28. City Council
September 27, 2012