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Berthoud presents draft water-efficiency plan with 7-year target to cut per-capita use by about 5 gallons
Summary
Town staff and consultants introduced a draft water-efficiency plan that targets a reduction from roughly 110 to 105 gallons per capita per day within seven years, recommends 47 activities focused on outdoor efficiency and development standards, and proposes rolling out advanced metering (AMI); the plan will be open for 60-day public review and submitted to CWCB.
Town water staff and their consultant presented a draft water-efficiency plan to trustees that sets measurable targets, tools and an implementation timeline.
Water Utilities Director Ken Matthews framed the plan as an operational effort to reduce demand and peak use rather than only a conservation brochure. “If at the end of the day, if we haven't reduced our water demand and our peak flow coming out of our water treatment plant, we really haven't done anything,” Matthews said during the presentation.
Key items in the draft plan:
- Per-capita target: staff proposes reducing average per-capita use from about 110 gallons per capita per day (GPCD) to about 105 GPCD within seven years (the seven-year horizon aligns with state plan-update cycles).
- Projected savings: hitting the target would translate to roughly 33 million gallons saved over the planning horizon and an estimated $9 million in present-worth monetary value from deferred capital and operating costs, according to the presentation.
- Activities and focus areas: the draft lists 47 recommended activities organized around proactive development standards, outdoor irrigation efficiency, indoor-efficiency support, AMI metering, and public outreach and partnerships (Resource Central and Northern Water programs were noted as existing partners).
- AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure): staff said proposals from six firms have been received and that AMI would initially monitor potable meters, provide a customer portal, enable near-real-time leak detection, and support targeted outreach. Staff said AMI procurement would follow the plan approvals.
- Funding and next steps: staff noted a $41,000 CWCB grant supporting plan work and said the draft will be posted for a 60-day public review consistent with CWCB requirements; final plan adoption and CWCB approval would follow public comment and any refinements.
Trustees asked for an expanded financial analysis of how reduced demand could affect utility revenue and the present-worth of avoided water-system expansion; staff agreed to include more detail on revenue impacts and implementation costs in later drafts. Questions also addressed how AMI retrofits would be scheduled and whether incentives (e.g., turf-conversion rebates) would be used; staff said incentives had been considered but were not included in the draft due to mixed results in other communities and that the plan currently emphasizes programmatic and policy measures.
The board did not vote to adopt the plan; trustees directed staff to proceed with public review and to return with final materials after the public-comment period.
