Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors held a water conservation workshop July 23rd and learned that the agency must follow state “Best Management Practices” or it would not qualify for any state grants. Consultant Leslie Dumas of RMC Water and Environment, talked about the governor’s draft 20 By 2020 state Water Conservation Plan, and an effort to “reduce (state) per capita use 20 percent, from the current 192 gallons per capita daily to 154 gallons per capita daily,” which Schwarzenegger’s office said equated to “an annual savings of about 1.74 million acre-feet.” AWA Vice Chair Bill Condrashoff said Dumas gave the AWA board a list of the 14 Best Management Practices (BMPs) that the governor and state will require jurisdictions to follow. He said the AWA “must meet them all to get state grants.” One practice is to have a “conservation coordinator,” designated to oversee implementation of the 14 Best Management Practices. Condrashoff said they did not talk about the qualifications of that post but more about the candidate’s “ability to manage a program.” He said the AWA staff and board will come up with a plan, then get a person to make sure it is implemented.” The plans include water usage limitations, such as designated days to wash cars, or prohibiting an obvious waste of water, such as overwatering until it flows into the street. State incentives include low-water landscaping, high-efficiency washing machines and an “ultra-low-flow toilet rebate program,” given for toilets that flush with less than 1.2 gallons of water. Condrashoff said state BMPs included surveying water use, and “having a good handle on the amount of water being used.” Another was retrofitting plumbing to low-flow toilets and showers. System water audits are another practice, he said, so the agency can see that water going through the treatment facility adds up to meter readings. If it doesn’t match, losses or leaks can be located. Another BMP is metering with all commodity rates, and retail conservation practices include a 2- or 3- tiered pricing schedule, where if you used more, you pay more. Public information was a BMP too, Condrashoff said, noting that “if you can educate the public on where the water comes from and why it’s such a valuable resource, it is the best way to get conservation information out.” Other areas included school education; commercial, industrial and institutional customers; and wholesale agency assistance programs, such as helping Jackson with its BMPs. He said “AWA will help the city of Jackson” in communicating about conservation. Condrashoff said conservation “can save a huge amount of money,” and at least defer infrastructure spending. He said the BMPs are to be met to qualify for any state grant. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.