City eyes water-saving options

Petaluma’s top public works official on Monday presented several recommendations for the city to achieve state-mandated reductions in water use, laying a groundwork for carrot-and-stick measures like an expansion of rebates for water-efficient appliances and punitive steps against those who do not reduce.

The recommendations came as part of a special workshop to discuss ways that Petaluma might comply with a California-wide mandate to reduce overall urban water use by at least 25 percent from 2013 levels. Voluntary reductions by the city and its ratepayers last year leave around 16 percent in additional cutbacks needed, amounting to about 15 gallons per Petaluma resident per day, said Dan St. John, director of public works.

While no formal action was taken during the meeting, the discussion provided an early look at the way the city will encourage and enforce cutbacks for its ratepayers. The council is expected to vote on a package of conservation measures on June 1.

On April 1, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an unprecedented executive order requiring cuts in water use across the state, a firm-handed follow-up to a state of emergency he declared in early 2014.

Petaluma Mayor David Glass and Councilwoman Teresa Barrett brought the topic of saving water through a possible moratorium on new development in Petaluma to the city council on April 6, shortly following the order. The moratorium appears to be off the table and is not among the current recommendations for reducing use, though Glass credited the suggestion for stoking interest in the workshop.

“I’m happy that we figured out what we figured out without a moratorium,” he said. “It wasn’t political. It was driven by the fact that there wasn’t any rain.”

City staff recommended several measures included in “stage two” of a four-stage water shortage contingency plan Petaluma first adopted in 2011. In addition to measures regarding outdoor water use, the city would step up its monitoring of individual users and has the authority to issue fines up to $1,000 or shut off service altogether for those who fail to reduce their water consumption, St. John said.

Many in the council expressed concern that residents with a history of conserving water might be unfairly impacted by an across-the-board requirement to reduce use.

“I’d like to see us come up with something that doesn’t punish the people who have been conserving, but still gives us the power go to after people who are not,” said Councilman Dave King.

St. John also suggested that the council consider the hiring of an outside consultant to study expanding Petaluma’s current tiered-rate system for residential water users to include commercial and other accounts, as well as adding a new top-tier for the highest level of use, by early next year. Outside expertise was likely necessary following a recent court ruling that found rates increased to encourage conservation for San Juan Capistrano water customers violated the state constitution by exceeding the cost of doing business, he said.

“In the world of water, the number one measure of water conservation is, you get a meter, you’ve got to have water conservation rates,” he said. “We are currently evaluating the impact of the recent court of appeals change. We need to be very careful if we choose to go that route.”

Many of the council’s own suggestions centered on increasing the use of highly treated wastewater in Petaluma, which currently offsets 1 percent of drinkable water that would otherwise be used for irrigation and will offset around 2 percent after further expansion next year. Suggestions included encouraging retrofitting for indoor use in bathrooms, currently not a practice in the city outside of the wastewater plant itself.

“Casa Grande is 1,300 some-odd students. That’s a lot of toilet flushing during the day. It adds up,” said Councilman Gabe Kearney, who noted that the campus currently irrigates with recycled water. He suggested exploring the cost of retrofitting buildings for recycled water use and requiring such piping in new development.

Residential water consumption, which accounts for around 60 percent of drinkable water use in Petaluma, has trended downward over the past two years, while commercial use has been ticking upward since 2010, St. John said. He recommended that the council support new outreach and potential enforcement for commercial customers to reduce their water use.

Paul Andronico, general counsel for Basin Street Properties, a real estate and development firm with significant holdings in Petaluma, told the council his company was already very focused on the issue. The company, which developed Petaluma’s Theater Square, was looking to reduce use across its holdings by at least 16 percent in the short term and between 25 and 40 percent this summer.

“We take our water very seriously,” Andronico said.

Other recommendations likely to reappear for council vote include an expansion of the current “Mulch Madness” program to encourage residents to install low-water-use landscaping, an audit of the city’s own facilities, a toughening of irrigation rules throughout the week and tougher requirements for water-efficient irrigation for new development.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscouri er.com.)