Overall Water Conservation Program Effectiveness (million gallons/year)
Desired Result: Above Target
Metric Definition
Annual savings in gallons is calculated by estimating the water use avoided by customers who participate in water conservation programs and services. For example, a customer may have had a 3.5 gallon per flush (gpf) toilet and then received a rebate for replacing it with a 0.8 gpf toilet, so we can estimate the difference in annual water use. For other programs we analyze water use data to estimate savings. “Savings” means avoided water use; in the absence of the water conservation programs and services, that water would have otherwise been used by customers.
Why Is This Important?
This metric is one indicator of the effectiveness of water conservation programs. These programs and services are needed to meet the goals of the Water Efficiency Plan. Capturing savings in a volumetric way is one means to understand effectiveness and participation over time and make improvements. Long-term water conservation should be viewed as a long-term investment; results over time help our community adapt and become more resilient to drought and anticipated effects of climate change.
City Organization Impact on Performance
– City water efficiency projects contributed almost 2 million gallons of annual savings. Projects included pool remodels, leak repairs, toilet retrofits, and irrigation systems upgrades.
Benchmark Information
Performance is continually increasing year-by-year. It is difficult to find similar information from other utilities.