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City to partner with SRP on five-year park irrigation efficiency assessments and upgrades
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Summary
Chandler staff outlined a five-year partnership with Salt River Project to audit and upgrade park irrigation systems: SRP will fund professional assessments and match 50% of improvement costs, with a goal of 15 parks per year.
City staff on Aug. 11 described a five-year partnership with Salt River Project to identify and fix inefficient park irrigation systems across Chandler.
Simone Jolsrud, the city's water resource manager, told council the program has two parts: SRP will fully fund professional irrigation assessments (100%) at city sites, with the city and SRP sharing the cost of recommended repairs or system upgrades on a 50/50 basis. Staff said the goal is to complete assessments at up to 15 parks per year so that all city parks (about 70) can be covered over five years. "SRP will fund a 100% the cost of a professional irrigation consultant to come and do an assessment on each park," Jolsrud said.
The program's intent is water savings and preparation for potential future reductions in Colorado River and SRP supplies. Jolsrud said the assessments produce written reports and that the second step—repairs or upgrades—will use SRP cost-share funding matched by city irrigation budgets. Council members asked whether assessments and repairs would proceed concurrently; staff said audits and improvements will generally be coordinated and that the program is designed to be aggressive and concurrent so 15 sites per year is achievable.
Vice Mayor Ellis and other council members praised the public-private partnership and sought confirmation that SRP funding would last the five-year period and would be used to reach the stated 15-site-per-year goal. Jolsrud said staff requested an agreement for up to 15 sites per year and intends to use all available SRP funding, with leftover capacity applied to other city-owned landscaped properties if parks are completed early.
No formal council action took place in the study session; staff said the item was presented for review and will return as needed for any formal agreements.
