HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - Staff Report dated April 23, 2013 40
Staff Report
WATER RATIONING ORDINANCE
April 23, 2013
During this presentation staff will review the existing water rationing ordinance with
Council, and will highlight areas where staff believes the ordinance should be revised.
Council will be asked to provide direction to staff to prepare a revision to the ordinance.
Staff will also provide a brief overview of the Water Plant's operational response plan
under drought conditions for informational purposes only. No Council action is
requested for that item.
BACKGROUND
The current water rationing ordinance has roots in the drought of 1976-77.
At that time the Ames area experienced about 14 months of significantly below normal
precipitation. This resulted in a drastic lowering of groundwater levels and abnormally
high drawdown levels in the downtown well field, which was our only source of drinking
water at that time. When it reached a point where it seemed likely that demand would
exceed available supply, staff put out a call for voluntary water conservation. The
response from Ames citizens was almost immediate and water demand dropped.
Despite voluntary efforts, water levels continued to drop. Several times during June and
July of 1977 water use exceeded available supply, and staff were forced to draft and
implement a mandatory rationing plan. In 1981 , with some minor revisions, that
rationing plan was adopted in ordinance form. The ordinance was revised in 2001 by
adding a four-tier structure intended to provide different degrees of water use reduction
to match current conditions. In 2007, a revision was made reducing the tier structure
from four stages to three. The only time rationing has ever been implemented was
during the drought of 1976-77.
Staff cannot accurately predict future droughts or any subsequent effect on supply and
demand. Based on rainfall, the drought we experienced last summer was the most
severe since 2000, and required close monitoring of the situation. Fortunately, the City
has added capacity in the form of two new well fields since the drought of 1976-77 and
we were able to meet customer needs in 2012, despite setting a new record for single
day demand of 9.45 million gallons per day. In preparation for future drought events,
staff is reviewing all aspects of our response program in order to be optimally
prepared.
CURRENT RATIONING ORDINANCE
The existing water rationing ordinance can be found in the Ames Municipal Code,
Chapter 28, Division V-- "Water Rationing":
• The Ames City Council declares, by resolution, a "public water shortage
emergency."
• STAGE I: Minor Mandatory Conservation
o Use of potable water that results in ponding or runoff is prohibited
o The use of potable water to wash vehicles is prohibited except at
commercial locations
o Watering of outdoor vegetation at each customer location is limited to
every other day
o Owners of newly seeded or sodded lawns can apply for a 10-day
exemption
• STAGE II: Moderate Mandatory Rationing
o All restrictions from STAGE 1 apply.
o The use of potable water to wash vehicles is prohibited except at
commercial locations that utilize water conservation equipment such as,
recycle/reuse
o Watering of outdoor vegetation at each customer location is limited to
every five days
o Irrigation rates shall not exceed one inch per day and are limited to
specific time of day
o Owners of newly seeded or sodded lawns are further restricted to an
irrigation rate not to exceed one inch per day plus time of day limits
o The use of hydrant meters for construction purposes is prohibited
o Each utility service location within city limits shall pay a surcharge rate of
$0.075 per cubic foot for monthly use in excess of 1.5 times the average
amount metered during the previous December, January and February
billing cycles (Base Allocation)
o Rural customers shall pay a surcharge rate that is 1 .15 times the rate
established for customers within city limits.
• STAGE III: Severe Mandatory Rationing
o All restrictions from STAGE I and STAGE II apply except the surcharge
rate
o The use of potable water to wash vehicles is prohibited, including
commercial locations
o Outdoor vegetation shall not be irrigated, with a few very restricted
exceptions
o Outdoor flower and vegetable gardens may be watered once per week,
not to exceed one inch
o Each utility service location within city limits shall pay a surcharge rate of
$0.225 per cubic foot for monthly use in excess of 1.1 times the average
amount metered during the previous December, January and February
billing cycles (Base Allocation)
o Rural customers shall pay a surcharge rate that is 1 .15 times the rate
established for customers within city limits.
• Utility customers can appeal to the City Manager for an increase in their Base
Allocation which he may grant by specified criteria.
• Utility customers can appeal the surcharge amount to the City Manager who may
grant a reduction according to specified criteria.
• The City Manager is authorized to reduce or terminate service of any customer
who has received three or more notices of violation of the water rationing
provisions.
• Penalties may be enforced in the form of municipal infractions for violation of the
water rationing provisions.
REASONS TO REVISE THE WATER RATIONING ORDINANCE
There are two primary concerns that staff would like to address by revising the
existing ordinance. First, the existing ordinance surcharge rates have not been
updated in step with periodic changes in base rates. In fact, the surcharge rates
have not been updated since the ordinance was established in 1981. Also, the
base rate structure changed in 2008 from a flat rate to a seasonal inclining block
for the majority of customer categories. This necessitates a revision of the
rationing ordinance to work in sync with the base rate structure now in place.
Second, in discussions with Utility Customer Service staff, it was determined that
the present surcharge method described in the rationing ordinance would require
hand calculation for each customer bill for every month the ordinance is in effect,
which is on the order of 18,500 customers. This would overwhelm the division
and should be avoided. It is possible to pay for custom programming to be
developed; however, this is undesirable due to both cost and ongoing issues
every time the base software is updated.
REVISED WATER RATIONING ORDINANCE
Below is a conceptual description for revising the water rationing ordinance. Staff is
seeking Council reaction to the proposed revisions. After receiving Council direction,
staff will develop the actual ordinance language to be brought back to Council for
approval.
The proposed ordinance revisions will replace the concept of a Base Allocation
and associated surcharge rates with "rationing rates" that are multipliers applied
to the base water rates. Making this change will eliminate the need to update the
rationing ordinance every time the base water rates are changed, because rationing
rates become a simple multiplier of base rates. Utility Customer Service has confirmed
that this method can be implemented easily with the existing billing software without
programming modification, thus eliminating additional programming costs. The need for
hand-calculation of bills is also completely eliminated.
The following is a description of the "rationing rate" structure staff is proposing.
Section 28.604 Stage II: Moderate Mandatory Rationing
For each water utility service location, the water utility customer shall pay a rationing
rate when Stage II Rationing is in effect. The rationing rate shall be determined by
multiplying the rates contained in the below referenced paragraphs by the following
factors. The rationing rate shall be effective regardless of the month of the year.
Residential. Multiply the rates in Sec. 28.201(1)(b)(ii)(a) by the following:
First 1,000 cubic feet of usage shall be as shown
Next 1,500 cubic feet shall multiply the rate shown by 2.0
Over 2,500 cubic feet shall multiply the rate shown by 2.0
Non-Residential(Commercial). Multiply the rates in Sec. 28.201 (2)(b)(ii)(a) by
the following:
All consumption shall multiply the rate shown by 1.6
Non-Peaking Industrial. Multiply the rates in Sec. 28.201 (3)(b)(ii)(a) by the
following:
All consumption shall multiply the rates shown by 1.15
Irrigation & Yard Water. Multiply the rates in Sec. 28.201(4)(b)(ii)(a) by the
following:
First 2,000 cubic feet shall multiply the rates shown by 2.0
Next 3,000 cubic feet shall multiply the rates shown by 2.0
Over 5,000 cubic feet shall multiply the rates shown by 2.0
Rural Water Rate. Multiply the rates in Sec. 28.201 (5)(b)(ii)(a) by the following:
First 2,000 cubic feet shall be as shown
Next 3,000 cubic feet shall multiply the rates shown by 2.0
Over 5,000 cubic feet shall multiply the rates shown by 2.0
Section 28.605 Stage III: Severe Mandatory Rationing
For each water utility service location, the water utility customer shall pay a rationing
rate when Stage III Rationing is in effect. The rationing rate shall be determined by
multiplying the rates contained in the below referenced paragraphs by the following
factors. The rationing rate shall be effective regardless of the month of the year.
Residential. Multiply the rates in Sec. 28.201(1)(b)(ii)(a) by the following:
First 1,000 cubic feet of usage shall be as shown
Next 1,500 cubic feet shall multiply the rate shown by 4.0
Over 2,500 cubic feet shall multiply the rate shown by 4.0
Non-Residential(Commercial). Multiply the rates in Sec. 28.201 (2)(b)(ii)(a) by
the following:
All consumption shall multiply the rate shown by 2.2
Non-Peaking Industrial. Multiply the rates in Sec. 28.201 (3)(b)(ii)(a) by the
following:
All consumption shall multiply the rates shown by 1.6
Irrigation & Yard Water. Multiply the rates in Sec. 28.201(4)(b)(ii)(a) by the
following:
First 2,000 cubic feet shall multiply the rates shown by 4.0
Next 3,000 cubic feet shall multiply the rates shown by 4.0
Over 5,000 cubic feet shall multiply the rates shown by 4.0
Rural Water Rate. Multiply the rates in Sec. 28.201 (5)(b)(ii)(a) by the following:
First 2,000 cubic feet shall be as shown
Next 3,000 cubic feet shall multiply the rates shown by 4.0
Over 5,000 cubic feet shall multiply the rates shown by 4.0
Drought Management Plan
Condition General Description Specific Triggers for City Action City Response or Action
Awareness *Conditions are normal *Normal rainfall •Promote the Smart Water
Program
-111111111111111111117-- *Increase groundwater
monitoring frequency.
-Install batter boards at the low
•Stream Flow< 20 cfs at Skunk head dam
•Drier than normal North gauge *Engage public in conservation
conditions exist efforts, with emphasis on
*Observation of decreasing well irrigation.
Preparedness •Acquire permits and prepare
•NWS predicts dry pumping levels.
conditions to persist to pump at Ada Hayden.
*US Drought Monitor condition *Contact Story County and
of D1 (Moderate) or D2 (Severe) remind them we have rights to
pump at Peterson Pits
•Closely watch well levels,
rotating wells as water levels
*Approximately nine months of •W&PC staff meet weekly to
below normal precipitation and review drought situation and
critically low stream levels.
observed effect on operations.
-Water level not flowing over •Brief City Council on water
*Extended dry weather batter boards supply status.
Watch continues -Well pumping levels less than *Start pump at Ada Hayden
7' in 20%(or more) of wells. Lake.
Some may be unusable because *Further increase conservation
of low levels. efforts. Utilize social web sites
*US Drought Monitor condition such as city web site and
of D2 (Severe) or D3 (Extreme) Facebook. Reach out to local
media outlets.
-SuspendeMore than nine months of Enter Stage 1 (or greater) of
below normal precipitation and water rationing ordinance.
Extended drought with no stream flow. rehab program.
period -Well pumping levels less that 7' -Throttle back well isolation
in 50%of wells, or limited to 50% valves to manage low well
Alert Critically low water overall capacity due to wells levels (if possible).
supply being unusabwater
.. - to maintain levelsources,water behind dam from Peterson
*US Drought Monitor condition of *Consider using some Xenia
D3 (Extreme) or D4 (Exceptional) water.
Amen WATER TREATMENT PLANT
�•
Report Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Record Peak Record Peak Water Plant Precipitation Totals [inches]
Day Demand 3-Day Demand 7-dav 14-day I 30-day
9.45 MGD 9.08 MGD 2.18 2.18 2.47
7-Day Average Demand Current Demands & Production Rainfall History
vs. Plant Capacity [Inches]
11 11.5 MGD Mar-2013 Rainfall
10 100%
�, 9 80o� Normal 2.1
c 8 —
7 Actual 1.79
6 60% Deviation -0.31
0 5 40%
4 12-Month Rainfall
3 20%
2 Normal 34.67
1 0% Actual 26.93
0 This weekThis Time Last System Demand 5.37 MGD Deviation -7.74
Year Plant Production 5.56 MGD
Water • •
Running Well Level Status Demand vs. Available Water Supply
Wells Out of Service
Available Well Capacity = MGD
1 )
736% Current Demand = MGD
Supply:Plant Capacity Ratio=
Wells at Watch Levels Current Demand= 36% of Available Supply
1 15
Estimated Water Supply Status
15.0 MGD Max. Well Capacity
Wells at Acceptable Levels
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 0.00 MGD Out of Service
r
17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25
V.44 MGD in Watch Status
102627
14.5 MGD in Acceptable Status