Project Manager update: Using your feedback to create the plan

Hey everyone! We’re thrilled to share the latest on our Water Efficiency Plan (WEP) update. We want you to be in the loop on how feedback will help shape the future of our community’s water use.

Why update the WEP?
We’re focused on two big goals: identifying the best water-saving strategies for our water service area and using conservation and efficiency to lower our risk of water shortages.

What did we do?
Our approach was all about listening and engaging. We hosted community meetings, worked with community liaisons to connect with historically underrepresented and disproportionately impacted community members, launched a wide-reaching survey to gather your thoughts and ideas, and held workshops with City staff. Thank you to the community members and staff who shared their time, thoughts, and perspectives! We connected with more than 5,000 people through various meetings, focus groups, community events, and surveys, dedicating more than 95 hours to listening to feedback.

Key findings:

1. What are your top water conservation strategies?
   • Most of you are into water-efficient fixtures and xeriscaping (landscaping that reduces the need for water). There's strong interest in focusing on outdoor water use and promoting native plants. Education was also highlighted as crucial, particularly for homeowners, landscapers, and homeowners’ associations.
2. What concerns do you have?
   • The biggest worries are about our water supply’s long-term viability, especially under climate change, and having enough water for growth and future generations. There's a mix of feelings about how to tackle these issues, with some people wanting stricter regulations and others supporting broader public voluntary actions.
3. Mandates vs. incentives: What’s the preference?
   • You’re leaning toward a mix of both. There’s support for regulating large entities, new development, and non-functional turf, while focusing on incentives for individuals and smaller businesses.
4. Effective outreach:
   • The City needs to improve outreach, education, and programming to provide opportunities for everyone to lower their water use. We can do this by building strong relationships, meeting people where they are, and making information accessible through actions like language translation and flexible program participation requirements. Gaps in our current outreach include how we reach low-income renters, Spanish-speaking communities, and key stakeholders like realtors and landscapers.
5. Drivers for action:
   • Most of you are willing to take action to conserve water! We learned that many feel that conserving water is everyone’s responsibility, so creating a culture of conservation across our community – including businesses, residents, and development - is important. Our community also wants the City to lead by example by taking action to use less water in public spaces like parks, streetscapes, and buildings. The good news is, the City is already off to a great start there!

We’re excited to use these insights to enhance our water efficiency efforts and make sure everyone has a role in conserving our precious resources. Stay tuned for the next update and ways you can get involved!

What’s next?
Our current focus is on setting community-wide conservation goals and narrowing down conservation strategies by looking at factors such as equity impacts, resource needs, and water-saving potential. All of this work takes time – we plan to go to City Council in early 2025 to share updates.

For now, take care, and stay water wise out there!

Project Manager Alice Conovitz