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Minutes 1990-03-05 ~ MINUTES SPECIAL ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL MONDAY, MARCH 5, 1990 CITY COUNCIL C~RS, 215 EAST BRANCH STREET ARROYO GRANDE, CALIFORNIA The City Council met at 7:00 P.M., with Mayor Mark M. Millis presiding. Also present were Council Members A. K. "Pete" Dougall, Gene Moots, Doris Olsen and B'Ann Smith. City Manager Chris Christiansen said the City Council would be discussing the issue of "Water in the City of Arroyo Grande." Public Works Director Paul Karp referred to and summarized five documents in the Council's meeting packet - (1) an excerpt he prepared for the Long Range Planning Committee Report of September 13, 1988, (2) his February 8, 1990 Water Availability; Status Report as of January 1, 1990, (3) his Protection of Unallocated Water Resource report of February 16, 1990, (4) his Potential Water Savings from Implementation of an "Inside the Home Plumbing Retrofit Program" report of February 26, 1990, and (5) his Water Conservation Program Update; Typical Water Consumptions from Large Water Users report of March 2, 1990. Mayor Millis referred to Mr. Christiansen's March 1, 1990, memorandum, and stressed that the City is not out of water and can meet the demands of the community, thanks to some wise planning in the past. He said it is the Council's and staff's responsibility to make sure there is enough water for the ultimate buildout of the City through a combination of conservation and wise allocation of the water. He said that this meeting was a "brainstorming" session to look at ways to save water. Council Members and Staff discussed the following points: 1. The city is not out of water, but it is in short supply. 2. It should be acknowleged that water must be available for a buildout of all parcels in the city. 3. There should be conservation or water use will continue to rise. 4. The City should move ahead to hire the Water Conservation Director. 5. There should be no more annexations with subdivisions. 6. There should be more public education on water conservation. Education should come before penalties. 7. The maximum population which can be served by the City's total available domestic water resource is 16,000. The city can approve the construction of homes for less than 1,000 people without a major conservation effort or acquisition of additional water. 8. Some people believe that the average population per dwelling may be dropping from 2.6 to 2.5 or 2.4 because the population is getting older. 9. The average Citywide water use is 190 gallons per person per day. 10. New large lot housing is using significantly more water because of more landscaping (approximately 260 gal/per/day). 1 - CITY COUNCIL MARCH 5, 1990 11. The Oak Park Shopping Center is using more water than the Town and Country, probably due to more restaurants and medical offices in the former. 12. The Community Hospital remodeling will mean an increase in water use. 13. Unless water rates are doubled or tripled, water savings in the long-run probably would not result. 14. All future building in the city should have low water use plumbing fixtures and appliances. 15. Instant hot water heating units should be mandatory in all new construction. They save water and may be energy efficient. 16. The city should set an example by using drought-resistant plants in landscaping City property where possible. 17. Rainwater and "gray" water should be used for irrigation, and not allowed to run-off, if approval of appropriate State regulators so permit such installations. Mayor Millis invited the Public to speak at the meeting. Offering ideas and suggestions to conserve water were TOM WILCOCK, secretary of the San Luis Obispo Gardeners Association; JIM MCGILLIS, surveyor for San Luis Engineering: JOHN KEEN, member of the parking and Traffic Commission; PETER MILLER, attorney for the developers of Rancho Grande; LEE WEBB; CLARK MOORE, member of the Planning Commission; CHARLES JOHNSON, AND MARIE CATTOIR. Comments included the following: 1. The city should get input from other communities in the State on which measures to conserve water work and which ones do not work. 2. Mandatory landscaping guidelines should be instituted. 3. There should be a maximum size for lawns - a certain percentage of the parcel of land. 4. The use of the one-cup size electric instant hot water heating units for hot drinks should be encouraged. 5. New construction should be required to set up systems of' "looping" hot water heaters, using timers set for when the hot water is needed. 6. When it is no longer cost-effective for the City to sell construction water to contractors, require that water other than drinking water be used for ground compaction. 7. If a City well is not producing good quality drinking water, use that water for compaction and irrigation purposes. 8. Study the legal uses of "gray" water and rainwater; 9. Encourage the use of home circulating pumps, which could save two to three percent of the water. 10. Study the use of "gray" water for flushing toilets. 11. If the City decides to retrofit the older homes, make it on a volunteer basis only. 12. If water is rationed, deal with it even-handedly, setting usage 2 -----...- .-.-.--..-...-.-- _._~-----------,_.._--- .-. --.---.- ., 202 CITY COUNCIL MARCH 5, 1990 and allotment figures the same for all. After the public testimony, Council Members gave direction to staff to return to the Council with the necessary ordinances or resolutions to implement a City Water Policy by the second meeting in March, 1990. They said the policy should include no extreme measures such ,as retrofitting older homes or limiting building permits, but should follow a moderate course. Mayor Millis said the Staff should have a good idea what the Council wants from what was said at the meeting. He said the policy should include: 1. A plan to educate the public on water conservation should be set ~ up. 2. For new construction the use of water saving plumbing and appliances should be required. 3. All new landscapes that are subject to discretionary permits should be drought tolerant. 4. There should be study by Staff leading to the requirement of "looping" hot water systems in new construction. -- 5. Staff should identify more projects like the recycling of water at car washes. 6. The hiring of the Water Conservation Director in the Public Works Department should be accomplished as soon as possible. 7. Parks and Recreation Director John Xeisler and the Parks and Recreation Commission should review all City property to insure the best use of water in landscaping, thus setting an example for the rest of the City. . -- 8. Staff should keep up-to-date on the latest water technology and water sources such as desalinization and the use of reclaimed water. city Attorney Judy Skousen said that before bringing new ordinances on use of "gray" water and rainwater to the Council, she would provide Members with more legal information on the matter. Mayor Millis said the Public is invited to continue to submit ideas for water conservation to the City. The meeting was adjourned at 8:29 P.M. I --74~~ ~~~ l MA OR , I i ATTEST: l)i.A;uo1.1J. ~ CIT CLERK 3 -~~------