City Council eschews mandatory cuts in residential, commercial use — for now

Benicia’s municipal operation is taking the lead in cutting back water consumption, the City Council heard Tuesday night.

It will take longer to determine whether the city’s residents and businesses will follow that example, city employees told the panel.

The Council heard staff updates on the city’s water situation and how it’s being impacted by California’s drought, and Council members were told that so far, staff is not suggesting any mandatory water cutbacks.

The Council agreed that such a move is not necessary — yet.

But such cutbacks remain a tool the Council could use to assure the city has an adequate water supply until California authorizes the State Water Project (SWP) to supply its contractors with a portion of their pre-purchased shares.

Most of the city’s water supplies have come from the State Water Project, with other sources coming from Vallejo and Solano County and some water reserved in other reservoirs.

However, some of the city’s reserves aren’t available because the water’s release is tied to the percentage of contracted amounts the SWP releases. So far this year, no contractor, including Benicia, is getting a drop of SWP water.

While some of the city’s water sources get replenished every year, other available reserves are one-time-only quantities that won’t be refreshed in the future.

The Council has asked city employees to provide regular updates of Benicia’s situation, which City Manager Brad Kilger described as “very serious,” adding that the city’s approach to the drought “is a work in progress. Things are changing daily.”

Benicia has hired one consultant to help the city explain ways residents and companies can save water, in hopes that voluntary conservation will be enough. Another consultant has started a drought rate study, should the Council decide to seek a water surcharge.

It is working with Vallejo to share the cost of replacing screens at the Terminal Reservoir, and is refurbishing pumps at the Cordelia pump station.

Internally, the city has created a water conservation task force and has started to see what can be done short term as well as longer range, not only to deal with this drought but also to prepare for other years when rain and snow fail to produce enough water.

In addition, the Council has authorized spending up to $900,000 for water purchases, and is negotiating for those buys.

The city’s Parks and Community Services Department has cut back its water use in city parks by 20 percent, saving 11 million gallons this year, the Council learned.

Director Mike Dotson said he looked at 28 city sites, particularly high-use areas, and made judicious reductions; in some cases, he said, cutting off water would cause a loss of turf, such as at the city’s ball fields, and that could lead to hazardous conditions.

But his department has additional water-saving projects he expects to install in city parks that should boost its conservation efforts.

Interim Public Works Director Steve Salomon said Tuesday night that among other ways the city can cut its water use are drip irrigation in median strips; using drought-resistant plants when landscaping is replaced; determining where the city has water leaks; experimenting with graywater; and getting Council approval of recycling wastewater treatment plant water at construction sites.

Those proposals deal with the drought short-term, Salomon said — but no one has a crystal ball to determine whether the drought will end in a year or two, or if the state is only partway through a 10-year drought cycle.

Looking at longer-term suggestions, Salomon said the city could look into using reclaimed wastewater for irrigation, flushing sanitary sewers and even dust control on roads.

Water meters could be replaced with an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system that can be read remotely and more frequently, he said.

Longer-range plans could also include upgrading the water treatment plant’s operations so processed water can be reused, and putting in meters in the sections of Benicia, particularly the Arsenal, where water currently isn’t monitored.

As for communitywide efforts, “conservation will help,” Salomon said. The Council already has asked residents and businesses to cut back their use 20 percent, based on 2012 usage, just as the city is doing.

It has been providing water saving tips on the city website; dedicated an email address, water@ci.benicia.ca.us, and a telephone line, 707-746-4380, that people can use if they have questions or concerns; began sending messages to water customers this month; and set up an informational display at City Hall, said Carrie Wenslawski, Public Works management analyst.

Next month, more information will be available on the city website and will be sent by direct mail and illustrated on banners at City Park and local ball fields, on yard signs, vehicle magnets, tip cards, window clings and restaurant tables, Wenslawski said.

Through Solano County Water Agency, residents can get rebates of $75 for buying high-efficiency washing machines, $100 for high-efficiency toilets, and 50 percent off the cost of a smart irrigation controller, she said.

The rebate to replace lawn turf with drought-resistant landscaping has gone up to $1 for each square foot, up to a $1,000 maximum, Wenslawski said. In addition, the county is offering free home water surveys that offer free water-saving devices as well as tips on conservation. Commercial water users also can be surveyed, and a commercial water savings incentive program can give a company a 50-percent rebate up to $5,000 for water-saving projects.

Because Benicia, through the Community Sustainability Commission, also offers rebates, the city may work with the county to combine those rebate programs to make them easier for residents to use, the Council was told.

City employees have started talking with officials from Benicia Unified School District about the school system’s water cutback plans, and has had similar meetings with the city’s largest water consumer, Valero Benicia Refinery, about what that company is doing to conserve, Salomon said.

Councilmember Christina Strawbridge asked whether Benicia could increase its water holding capacity by dredging Lake Herman. Salomon said it is possible, but because the lake’s bottom might contain hazardous materials from runoff from nearby hills, disturbing that dirt could make the lake’s water unsuitable for use.

Another option would be to raise the lake’s height, he said.

“There’s a chance we could lose that water supply overnight,” Vice Mayor Tom Campbell said, advising against any dredging.

If the city pursues a drought surcharge, it would require a public vote. Campbell recommended the increased assessment have a “sunset,” or ending date clause.

Mayor Elizabeth Patterson reminded the Council that many residents have been conserving all along, and shouldn’t be punished because they can’t cut back another 20 percent. “We have people who already have done a great deal,” she said.

Patterson suggested a “water budget” approach, in which certain sized homes or buildings are given a specific number of gallons as a limit. Should those in the house or building use more than their allowance, they face additional charges.

However, that practice “doesn’t address everything,” such as lost revenues from customers’ reduction in consumption, she said. Getting through the drought “will cause pain,” she said. “We need to be honest with the public.”

Landscaper Alison Fleck suggested people quit thinking of water as an income commodity and more like an expensive resource, like gasoline. When gas prices rise, people start planning their travels better and reduce frivolous driving, she noted.

They should have the same attitude toward frivolous use of water, she said, particularly those who are careless about irrigating their landscaping, letting water wash over sidewalks or flow down streets.

Constance Beutel, chairperson of the Community Sustainability Commission, said Benicia offers free mulch periodically at the Corporation Yard through its garbage and recycling contractor, and that substance can reduce the loss of water around plants.

She also described how a neighbor has used rain barrels to catch water pouring off his roof. City Manager Brad Kilger added that the city-contractor partnership also offers discounted composters.

Leeann Cawley, co-founder of Benicia Plumbing, encouraged residents to buy low-flow toilets, but urged them to research different models because some aren’t designed well, she said, causing users to have to flush them twice and eliminating the savings the homeowner should have achieved.

Sharon Maher, who was appointed to the Community Sustainability Commission Tuesday, said the city should look beyond addressing this specific drought.

“We’re moving to a lifestyle change,” she said. “It’s not whether this drought will last. It’s cyclical. It will come again.”