Water Committee Agenda and Packet 2009 09 22

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-DRAFT- The City's water conservation practices have had fitful starts through the years. In 1955 the City built a raw water pipeline from Eldorado Springs to reduce the conveyance losses that nearly dried up the City during the 1954 drought. In 1966, it was noted that unmetered taps were using significantly more water than metered taps, which was adversely impacting the treatment plant. In the early 80's water usage out paced treatment plant capacity, which caused problems throughout the water system. In the mid 1980's the City took a more proactive approach to insuring adequate supply and infrastructure to meet the City's needs into the future. Since then the City has been reviewing and updating water demand and supply forecasts, evaluating alternate sources, implementing conservation practices, and insuring that the necessary infrastructure is available. Formal updates of the City's Raw Water Master Plan oc significant planning (development) assumptions change or when water r" e acquired. Informal reviews take place in the interim as minor cha lace and planning assumptions are confirmed. The early stud. e City's existing demands, projected demands and possibl at ns. Louisville developed a comprehensive Raw Water P in 199 which recognized water conservation as a key component in the water supply planning process. The 1992 Plan proposed several water conserva ractices that if implemented could result in a permanent reductio re dem . The goal of those efforts was to reduce the City's per-capita- %. These practices were integrated into the standard operating p arious departments through out the City and the goal was a . ed and edea. These practices continue today and are the foundation 0 ongoi ater conservation practices. Updates to the Raw Water M ontinu 0 incorporate new water conservation methods as they becom ity's goals. The updates have focused on improving raw, tr . ution efficiencies, as well as fully utilizing the resources th e Ci ed through reuse, open space irrigation, and leases with entities The various dep t ithin the City work together to compile data on water usage, land plannin rent and future forecasting of population, development, and projected water ne s. The City's 2008 Comprehensive Plan update includes prediction the type and uses of undeveloped land and expected redevelopment, as well policies for the visions of the City. Some of the policies address conservation, wise use of water, and sustainability. The 2008 Plan Update concurs with the current 2003 Raw Water Master Plan in estimating an ultimate water demand of 7,120 acre-feet. The demands associated with the redevelopment of the former StorageTek industrial site by ConocoPhillips are currently assumed to equate to the City's average non-residential demands, which is a reasonable assumption until firmer numbers are provided. The redevelopment is of a large enough size that it could swing demand numbers in either way. ConocoPhillips is currently conducting an 5 City of Louisville Water Conservation Plan