STAFF REPORT
DAT
E: January 4, 2022
T
O: Justin Hess, City Manager
F
ROM: Dawn Roth Lindell, General Manager, Burbank Water and Power VIA: Daniel Tunnicliff, Assistant General Manager, Customer Service and Marketing
BY: Ruzan Soloyan, Acting Marketing Manager
SUBJECT: Overview of Burbank Water and Power’s Water Conservation Programs
RECOMMENDATION
Note and file.
BACKGROUND
Burbank Water and Power (BWP) offers a variety of water conservation programs to Burbank residents and businesses that aim to manage Burbank's water supply. In response to the drought, BWP has increased investment in rebate programs, education, and outreach efforts to promote water conservation among residential and commercial customers.
DISCUSSION
Burbank is dependent on imported water purchased from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), a regional wholesale water supplier that imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California. BWP is one of 26 member agencies of MWD. Customers of member agencies have access to regional water conservation programs and MWD funded member agency administered programs. Funding for water efficiency programs come from two independent principal funding sources, the MWD Conservation Credits Program Fund and BWP's self-imposed Water Public Benefits Charge Fund.
A
nother funding source for programs is MWD's Innovative Conservation Program (ICP), which provides competitively awarded funding to proposals for research of innovative water saving devices. Since 2001, ICP has sponsored pilot and demonstration projects of innovative water-saving devices, technologies, and strategies. BWP applied for and was selected to receive up to $50,000 in ICP funding.
BW
P will use this funding to perform a pilot study that evaluates the water-saving potential and reliability of water usage monitoring devices for providing leak detection and water
WATER AND
POWER
2 usage presentment services to multi-family building owners and residents. The Leak Detection and Water Consumption Monitoring in Multi-family Properties Pilot Project is further explained at the end of the Staff Report.
The following are water conservation programs available to residents and businesses in Burbank through BWP:
1. MWD Regional Rebate Program
BWP residential and commercial customers can take advantage of regional rebate programs offered by MWD without BWP providing any supplemental funding. BWP has the option to customize regional programs to meet any local needs by adding specific requirements and/or supplemental funding to the existing regional rebate programs.
Commercial Rebates
Businesses are eligible for rebates to help encourage water efficiency and conservation. MWD offers rebates on a wide variety of water -saving technologies.
The table below details qualifying devices and current rebate amounts for MWD 's commercial rebates .
Device Rebate Amount
Premium high-efficiency toilets $40
Ultra low and zero water urinals $200
Plumbing flow control valves $5/valve
Weather based irrigation controller $35/station
Rotating sprinkler nozzles $2/nozzle (minimum of 30)
In-stem flow regulators $13/set (8 set minimum)
Soil moisture sensor system $35/irrigation controller station Connectionless food steamers $485/compartment
Air-cooled ice machines $1,000
Cooking tower conductivity controllers $625
Cooling tower ph controllers $1,750
Dry vacuum pumps $125/0.5HP
Laminar flow restictors $10/restrictor (minimum of 10)
Turf replacement $2/square ft. (up to 50,000 square feet of conversion per year per meter)
Residential rebates
Rebates are available for premium high- efficiency toilets, high- efficiency clothes washers , rotating sprink ler nozzles, weather -based irrigation controllers, soil moisture systems, and flow monitoring devices. This year , BWP added supplemental funding to the Regional Rebate Program to encourage additional conservation during times of drought.
3 The table below details qualifying devices and current rebate amounts for MWD 's residential rebates.
Device Rebate Amount
High-efficiency clothes washer $150
Premium high-efficiency toilets $100
Rotating sprinkler nozzles $5
Weather based irrigation controller $100
Soil moisture sensor system $100
Flow monitoring device $150
Rain barrel (50-199 gallons) $35
Cistern (200-500 gallons) $250
Cistern (501-999 gallons) $300
Cistern (1,000+ gallons) $350
2. Home Improvement Program
Overview
BWP's popular Home Improvement Program (HIP) offers energy-water assessments and energy-water efficiency improvements for customer homes. Due to the pandemic, BWP suspended the program on March 16, 2020. Customers were able to apply again for the program starting in September 2021.
The program's water efficiency improvements include installation of low-flow toilets, aerators, and showerheads.In addition, the program offers direct installation services of weather-based irrigation controllers, high -efficiency sprinkler heads , and soil moisture sensors at properties that are within disadvantaged communities (DACs). 1 Eligibility
All residential single -family, multi-family, and multi-family common area customers are eligible for the program.
3. LivingWise Educational Program
Overview
The LivingWise Educational Program provides energy-water education and conservation kits to approximately 1,000 students from three B urbank Unified School District (BUSD) middle schools every year. The program offers:
• Conservation lessons delivered through an online platform • Energy-water efficiency kits containing water -saving devices, such as low -flow showerheads, aerators, water flow rate bags, toilet leak detector tablets, and outdoor watering gauges
1 DACs are defined by CalEPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as those most burdened from an economic and environmental perspective. For more information, visit https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen/sb535.
4 • Student competitions
• Student post-program assessments
Eligibility
All BUSD middle school students, parents, and teachers are eligible.
4. "Water is Life" Student Art Calendar Contest Program Overview
This year BWP partnered with MWD to engage Burbank student artists in grades K -12 and their supporting teachers to give their vision of why water is so vital to our community.
The goal of the contest wa s to raise awareness about conserving our most precious natural resources and to educate students about the importance of clean and reliable water, as well as climate change. This contest provides an opportunity for students to express their understanding of using water wisely through art.
As a result of the 2022 contest, BWP selected nine winners from all three categories of competition (K-5th, 6th-8th, 9th-12th). The winners and their teachers received gift cards and were highlighted on BWP's social media.
Furthermore, BWP selected fifteen art pieces to participate in the regional competition to be displayed in the 2022 "Water is Life" calendar. Of those, two BUSD students won and their art will be included in the 2022 MWD student art calendar.
Eligibility
Burbank school-age students and teachers are eligible.
5. Greywater Education Webpage
Greywater is water from washing machines, showers, baths, and sinks. Greywater is used for outdoor irrigation and to flush toilets. The volume of water savings achieved via the use of a greywater system is not equal to the volume of greywater generated or collected.
The volume of water savings is equal to the reduction in potable demands. Gr eywater financial benefits are derived from reducing potable water demands.
These systems provide a financial benefit to the homeowner if the total life-cycle value of the potable water savings is greater than the total life-cycle cost of the system. Typically, greywater projects have longer financial payback periods as compared to other water efficiency measures, ranging from four to 20+ years.
2 Outdoor irrigation
• Permit is not required for laundry-to-landscape (L2L) greywater systems. Water from clothes washers is discharged directly to landscape.
• Permit is required for b ranched drain greywater systems. Showers and/or lavatory sinks drain via gravity directly to landscape.
2 Payback calculations are dependent on a myriad of assumptions including household size, price of water, and landscaping water requirements.
5 To flush toilets
• Permit is required for pumped greywater systems. These systems require filtration, disinfection, and frequent maintenance.
BWP has a dedicated webp age for different types of gr eywater systems , which is: https://www.burbankwaterandpower.com/conservation/save-water- athome/graywater.
The webpage contains helpful resources such as:
• Educational webinars and presentations
• Information about graywater reuse
• System installation information
6. Burbank Water-Wise Gardening Webpage (Gardensoft)
Gardensoft is a customer -facing online platform that provides customers with California native plant gardening ideas, irrigation information, and education.
7. WaterSmart Software
WaterSmart is a c ustomer-facing online platform that facilitates residential customer engagement, presents residential customers with water usage information, and alerts single-family residential accounts of potential leaks through advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) enabled leak alerts. Key features include:
• Residential customer engagement and education
• Water usage presentment
• AMI enabled leak alerts
8. Water Waste Education and Notifications
BWP follows up on all of the water waste reports received and contacts customers to address water wast e reports. This effort help s the city conserve water. Customers can complete an online Report Water Waste Form to report any observed water waste to BWP at https://www.burbankwaterandpower.com/water/report-water-waste . Customers
may also call BWP's customer service line to report water waste. Finally, BWP Customer Service and Marketing division field personnel will be proactively looking for water waste as part of their route during the drought.
9. Water Drought Webpage
BWP staff increased efforts to raise awareness of the water effiency and conservation due to the onset of the drought. A key resource that staff developed is the BWP drought webpage: https://www.burbankwaterandpower.com/water/water-drought.
The page
contains educational material including why water is always a precious resource in Burbank, water-saving rebates, programs, strategies, and information on the Sustainable Water Use Ordinance.
In addition to the water drought page, BWP staff has prepared videos, social media posts, print mailings, and electric newsletters to disseminate educational content to both residential and commercial customers.
6 10. Rain Barrel Distribution
BWP collaborated with neighboring utilities to participate in three rain barrel distribution events during the last year . Over 80 c ustomers participated and 140 rain barrels were distributed.
11. Solar Cup
Solar Cup is the nation's largest solar -powered boat competition. BWP partners with MWD to engage high school students in Burbank to participate in the program. Each year, high school students throughout Southern California participate in this program that culminates in each team racing their 16-foot long boat on Lake Skinner in Temecula.
Throughout the program, students have an opportunity to develop and increase their leadership and communication skills, as well as gain a better understanding of:
• Stewardship of natural resources, including water conservation • Water supply and water quality challenges
• Renewable energy, through hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math activities
12. Hydration Station Program
BWP is develo ping the Hydration Station P rogram to provide incentives to 16- 20 hydration stations located in DAC areas throughout Burbank.
Program objectives are to provide the community with access to safe and reliable tap water to refill reusable water bottles, and to encourage resource conservation and plastic water bottle waste reduction.
Rebates are proposed to be up to $1,500 for the station itself and up to $1, 000 for plumbing and installation.
Eligibility:
Organizations in high pedestrian traffic areas within DACs are eligible . Staff will be reaching out to BUSD as schools are ideal candidates for hydration stations.
13. "Leak Detection and Water Consumption Monitoring in Multi-family Properties" Pilot Project
Overview
MWD's ICP provides funding for research that documents water savings and reliability of innovative water savings devices. Last year, a total of $275,000 was competitively awarded to proposals seeking up to $50,000.
BWP's proposal titled, "Leak Detection and Water Consumption Monitoring in Multi-family Properties", was selected to receive $50,000 in grant funding under the 2020 ICP, which is funded by MWD and SoCal Gas.
Residents in mul ti-family properties generally are not able to take advantage of leak detection technology, since those properties generally do not have an individual water meter for each unit. Utilizing the grant funding, BWP will test a new type of device called 7 the H2know made by Conservation Labs. The H2know may help provide leak detection functionality to these customers.
The H2know technology device is a monitoring device that attaches directly to each multi- family unit's main water line, eliminating the need for a separate meter. H2know connects to a w i-fi connection and reports usage data to an online platform where residents, property managers, and utility staff can view water usage trends. BWP will install 200 - 250 H2Know devices at multi -family buildings and coll ect data for several months. The results from the study will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the water usage monitoring device.
A planned pilot study will analyze the effectiveness and reliability of the new H2know water usage monitoring device and assess its potential for wider promotion citywide. 3 FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.
CONCLUSION
BWP offers a variety of water conservation programs to Burbank residents and businesses that aim to manage Burbank's water supply. In response to the drought, BWP has increased investment in rebate programs, education, and outreach efforts to promote water conservation among residential and commercial customers.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
3 The pilot is subject to contracting with Conservation Labs, Inc.