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Advisory committee debates irrigation meters and how much water is used outdoors
Summary
Members asked how much municipal water is used for irrigation and whether separate irrigation meters or adjusted wastewater charges should be adopted; staff said data exist but a comprehensive meter program would be a multi‑year effort and faces staffing and inspection challenges.
Committee members on July 9 asked staff what share of the city’s water is used for irrigation and whether separate irrigation meters should be required to reduce system risk during contamination events.
A member said he had heard claims that roughly 60% of usage might be for irrigation; staff said such figures depend on assumptions and that the department can estimate irrigation consumption by comparing population‑based indoor use and billed totals but that not everyone with outdoor use has irrigation meters. The director noted the city has roughly 80,000 accounts and that about 13.6% of production is lost to system leakage, which complicates consumption calculations.
Staff described an approach used elsewhere that charges a reduced wastewater/return factor for irrigation customers (e.g., 1:0.7 in summer) to reflect that irrigation water does not return to the sewer system. They said meter installation costs, inspector availability and enforcement present practical barriers; the director cautioned implementation would require a phased or grandfathering approach to be equitable and workable.
Committee discussion ended with staff offering to explore the data and return with more precise irrigation‑share estimates and recommended options.
No formal advisory motion was taken.
