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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #18 Staff Presentation of Water Conservation Ordinance Programs, Seeking Direction of Commission (enter of GoOd Lt ~'r>e \.'~ ~ AGENDA ITEM COVER SHEET Meeting Date: November 18, 2008 Item # I g Reviewed By: ."........ Contact Name: Contact Number: Charles K. Smith, P.E. 407 -905-3159 City Manager: I Subject: Staff presentation of an outline of policies and programs that will be addressed by I the Proposed Water Conservation Ordinance, Seeking Direction of Commission Background Summary: The City of Ocoee's groundwater supply, like all of Central Florida's communities, is finite and the City must take steps to control it through conserving its usage. To accomplish this goal, Staff will present to City Commission the underlying premises for a new Water Conservation Ordinance that should ensure a successful water conservation program. Such premises shall include adoption of WaterStarTM program for new residential properties, establish water budgets based on an allowable annual irrigation depth-coverage, providing for a reward/incentive program for customers adhering to the water budget program, revising the watering violation procedures and limiting hours of irrigation. Issue: Staff will present the premises of a new Water Conservation Program and seeking direction on the final development and scheduling of the adoption of a Water Conservation Ordinance. Recommendations None. Attachments: Outline of Water Conservation Ordinance. Financial Impact: No direct impact from this presentation. Type of Item: (please marl< with an "x'j Public Hearing == Ordinance First Reading Ordinance Second Reading Resolution Commission Approval Discussion & Direction For Clerk's DeDt Use: _____ Consent Agenda _____ Public Hearing _____ Regular A.gellda. Original Document/Contract Attached for Execution by City Clerk == Original Document/Contract Held by Department for Execution Reviewed by City Attorney Reviewed by Finance Dept. Reviewed by 0 N/A N/A N/A Mavor S. Scott Vandergrift center of Good L . <\.~e . l~j~ Commissioners Gary Hood, District 1 Scott Anderson, District 2 Rusty Johnson, District 3 Joel F. Keller, District 4 City Manager Robert Frank DRAFT ORDINANCE PREPARATION (October 2008) Outline for the new Water Conservation Ordinance 1. Define all City water sources; groundwater, reclaim and harvested stormwater as a resource that must be conserved and be subject to the conditions of the water conservation ordinance. 2. Establish the SJRWMD's WaterStar™ program for all new construction. 1. All new residential construction that submits for a permit after adoption of the ordinance. Before C.O. is issued II. Existing homes that undertake a 50% or greater modification to the main structure, 75% change to existing landscaping or voluntary participation. An exemption if not allowed by deed restrictions (HOAs). 3. Establish a "Running Annual Water Budget" (RA WB) for all new WaterStar™ application and provide for a five year transition for remaining customers to a water budget. The RA WB shall be based on an annual depth of irrigation supply of 36" over 60% of a home's green space, including frontage parkway and 12" over remaining area (landscape beds) for a weight value 26.4". The RA WB shall assume a residential lot of 10,000 s.f. with 50% impervious area. Provisions shall be included to allow customer to make application to have staff perform an onsite audit for lots greater than based- specified lot size. 4. Establish an incentive program in which customers that have a usage equal or below their 80% RA WB on a monthly basis will not be subject to watering restrictions. 5. Establish a drought period, May 1 sl to June 15th, where new planting and sodding is discouraged and water exemptions are not supported. This provision would be for only existing commercial and residential properties. 6. Watering Violations will be revised per the following: a) First contact with a customer shall be a non-removable warning and shall not be removable as long as the customer remains at the same address or until the water conservation ordinance receives major modification. b) In counting total violations, a customer's total, not including warnings, shall be reduced by 1 for every 15 months without a violation. This will be subject to existing customer's transition to the RA WB. Customers that remain violation-free for 15 months and comply with the RA WB shall have all violations removed. City ofOcoee Utilities. 1800 A.D. Mims Road. Ocoee, Florida 34761 Phone: (407) 905-3159. Fax: (407) 656-7416. www.ci.ocoee.fl.us c) As it is the goal of Utilities to make every point of contact with our customers as positive as possible, a violation can be removed by participating in one of the Department's educational programs, self-study of approved conservation material or confirmed correction/repair of failed system. 7. Watering times for all City sources shall be limited to between 12:01 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. on the day permitted. Homes with odd addresses are permitted to irrigate Wednesdays and Saturdays and homes with even or no addresses are permitted to irrigate Thursdays and Sundays. Irrigation cyc1e(s) shall not be permitted to run into the next day. 8. The minimum purchase of landscape material required to qualify for a waiver is $250.00 and will be subject to Item 5 above. 9. The City is employing the smart metering system Sensus FlexNet, which is capable of monitoring a parcel's hourly water usage. The FlexNet system shall be used to monitor and verify watering infractions. An initial violation determined by customer by FlexNet shall be considered a warning. Written notification shall be provided to customers with time(s) and dates of violation and a specific statement that owner has 30 days before the FlexNext will be used for further violations. 10. A provision shall be added to address creativity in conserving water to provide for specific allowed use. Example: The use of a soil moisture sensor in all zones and/or a weather-based controller with a consistent below RA WB level of usage would allow irrigation any day.