Coachella Valley Water District Dave Koller Conservation Manager

Coachella Valley

Coachella Valley Water District CVWD Mission: To meet the water-related needs of the people through dedicated employees, providing high quality water at a reasonable cost. CVWD Motto: Making every drop count since 1918 Conservation manager within the Communication and Conservation Department. Oversee the Water Management Section with a staff of 14 focusing on urban, golf, and agricultural conservation.

CVWD’s approach to landscape water conservation? Water Management staff: Customer oriented 14 conservation staff provide lots of one-on-one service Site visits, conservation reviews, water waste investigations, etc. Landscape plan check Budget based tiered rates Smart Controller free installation, programming, and follow-up.

Conservation communication to your membership and affected stakeholders? 9 Communications staff Workshops, community events, tours, web site Bill stuffers, newsletters, etc. Press releases

Successes achieved to meet landscape water conservation goals and objectives?

7 Eliminating Overdraft (Annual Change in Storage) Base year 1990 Shows benefits of Wet years SWP Advance delivery program Colorado River advanced delivery Aquifer storage provides benefits for future

Investigate and follow up with customers after waste has been reported. Most are fixed promptly.

Golf Course Taskforce o Implemented in 2014 in accordance with the 2010 Water Management Plan o Composed of various professionals including: o Southern California Golf Course Association (SCGCA) o Private consultants o Golf Course Superintendents/Managers o CVWD staff/board o Working together to reduce Golf Course water use even more: 10% by 2020 o Golf and tourism are our largest urban industries. 124 golf courses

Includes both residential and HOAs More than 2.1 M sq. ft. converted Up to 78% water savings compared to turf Before After

Nearly 2,000 installations Average savings of 130 gallons per day and up to 30% reduction in monthly bill

512 installed covering 812 acres Average savings up to 2,419 gallons per day per controller

Ensures compliance with Ordinance , Establishing Landscape and Irrigation Design Criteria 1,955 plans reviewed Most water conserving ordinance in California with ET adjustment factor of 0.5

Courtesy calls to customers with potential high bills On average 3,700 customers contacted per year

9,202 properties mapped Before After 2,579 appeals processed since 2009

5 CIMIS weather stations located throughout the valley 2 portable weather stations Indio #200 is the basis for water budget calculations.

Lush and Efficient Landscape Gardening in the Coachella Valley School Education Programs Community events, presentations, tours and social media Fix-a-Leak Week New this year

Current challenges to achieve conservation goals and objectives Internal to Organization Educating all staff Staffing External to Organization Low water rates Entitlement mentality by an affluent population Lack of knowledge about water conservation

Anticipated challenges to achieve conservation goals and objectives Internal to Organization Organizing and implementing plans Staffing External to Organization Low water rates viewed as a conservation impediment Entitlement (“I can afford it.”) mentality

Recommended conservation practices for ITP consideration Effective Landscape Ordinance requiring: Drip irrigation on shrubs Lower ET adjustment factor Turf setbacks Budget tiered rates that incorporate: Landscaped area Weather Irrigation efficiency Turf Conversion featuring: Flexibility 80% water reduction with desert-friendly designs Changing thought processes

Thank You Dave Koller Conservation Manager