We're working to enhance water conservation

The District has been exploring potential amendments to its permitting rules to enhance water conservation. Since November 2009, the District has held numerous workshops and meetings to obtain input from the public and water suppliers on water conservation regulatory amendments, and the first components of potential changes are currently in the formal rulemaking process. Details about those potential changes and the process are available on the rule development web page.

Other potential water conservation consumptive use permit (CUP) rule amendments have been in development since first being discussed at public workshops in the fall of 2009. While District staff members are working to develop potential CUP rule amendments to recommend to the Governing Board, they are also in the final stages of the five-year update to the District Water Supply Plan that will look ahead to 2030. That plan will identify areas where alternative water supplies need to be developed and implemented to ensure that adequate supplies are available to meet projected demands. As part of that plan, District staff expect to identify how some water conservation initiatives implemented by water supply utilities could offset some of the need for additional, and more costly, alternative water supplies.

We believe that the most effective way to achieve the maximum amount of water savings from conservation is through a combination of water supply utility initiatives undertaken in response to the District water supply plan, and District regulatory requirements. During the coming months, we anticipate both of these efforts will be moving forward, with public meetings on both the draft regional water supply plan, and rule workshops (if the Board authorizes the formal rulemaking process).

On Nov. 9, 2010, staff will brief the Governing Board Regulatory Committee on rulemaking analysis and options for potential amendments to agency CUP rules to enhance water conservation. The Board will not be asked to take action to initiate rulemaking. This briefing will be at the Governing Board Regulatory Committee’s 10 a.m. meeting at the District’s headquarters in Palatka. The committee meeting agenda is available on our meetings web page.