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2013-03-04 Meeting Report (Water Conservation Master Plan) SPIN MEETING REPORT PROJECT NAME: Water Conservation Master Plan SPIN DISTRICT: City-wide MEETING DATE: March 4, 2013; 6:00 PM 7:00 PM rd MEETING LOCATION: 1400 Main Street, Town Hall, 3 Floor Training Rooms A/B Southlake, TX 76092 TOTAL ATTENDANCE: Fifteen (15) STAFF PRESENTING: Daniel Cortez, Planner II Christi Upton, Environmental Coordinator STAFF PRESENT: Daniel Cortez, Planner II Christi Upton, Environmental Coordinator Caroline Eckel, Assistant to the City Manager STAFF CONTACT: Daniel Cortez, Planner II, (817) 748-8070, dcortez@ci.southlake.tx.us EXECUTIVE SUMMARY to the rapid growth of the region, greater demand for water resources and uncertain environmental drought conditions that all affect the City and its residents. During the development of the Water System Master Plan in 2012, the consultants provided the City with important information such as Water Demand Projections, Water Supply, Storage, Pump Stations, Distribution System and Recommended System Improvements as a part of the analysis of the water system. One of these recommendations that resulted from the analysis was for the City to consider the development of a more comprehensive water conservation plan in order to address future water needs and demands of the City. As a result, the development of a Water Conservation Master Plan was placed within the artmental business plan and scheduled to be considered by the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council.  COMMENTS/ QUESTIONS / FEEDBACK Can you define priority tiers? Î recommendation the master plan contains in order to implement. Tier 1: 1 to 3 years, Tier 2: 4 to 7 years, Tier 3: 7 years and beyond. How do you measure cost/benefit for additional inspections? ould cost or Î st. What lakes does Fort Worth draw from? Cedar Creek, Eagle Mountain, Benbrook and another out by Granberry. Î Not Grapevine Lake? No, Highland Park and possibly University Park obtained most of the water rights to Î Grapevine Lake; City of Grapevine may possibly have some minor rights to it as well. How is water loss measured? how much is brought in from Fort Worth, versus how much is sold. Î Southlake has newer infrastructure so the amount of loss is less than the 15% required. During peak times, is the wear due to the pressure? Well, some maintenance issues occur more frequently costing us more but the bigger Î problem is maximum capacity; do we build a system for a larger capacity even though it may not be used as often? Are there any issues with capturing rainwater? Like in Colorado? Texas is different because of the way the law is written and it gives residents the right Î capture water so rain harvesting or water wells are allowed by right. There was some discussion in the past about a permanent Stage 1 drought contingency measures, is that going to happen? Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and some area cities had the discussion previously but Î Fort Worth backed away so due to our contract with the City of Fort Worth, we did not adopt anything. We are contractually obligated to follow what Fort Worth does. Are our water rates higher or lower than the surrounding cities? Kind of mixed. Î Would the City raise rates to encourage conservation? That is a possibility; however we need a more in depth analysis of our current rate Î structure and possible alternatives. SPIN Meeting Reports are general observations of SPIN Meetings by City staff and SPIN Representatives. The report is neither verbatim nor official meeting minutes; rather it serves to inform elected and appointed officials, City staff, and the public of the issues and questions raised by residents and the general responses made. Responses as summarized in this report should not be taken as guarantees by the applicant. Interested parties are strongly encouraged to follow the case through the Planning and Zoning Commission and final action by City Council.