Efficiency Rule

WATER USE EFFICIENCY RULE

The 2003 Municipal Water Law required that the Washington Department of Health (DOH) must develop a set of conservation regulations. We know that the final rule has several elements that will affect Spanaway Water Company and its customers.

These items include:

  • Detailed historical data and reporting on water supply, water use by customer class, and past conservation efforts and their effect on water use.
  • Characterization of water supply sources including possible or known environmental impacts.
  • Detailed water demand forecasting by customer class including future reduction of use due to conservation programs.
  • Detailed evaluation of at least 6 conservation measures (for our size system) including potential quantity conserved, cost effectiveness, implementation, funding, evaluation of conservation, and reporting to both the public and DOH.
  • Develop conservation goals through a public meeting process based on the above efforts.
  • From the above, develop a “Water Use Efficiency Program”.
  • Track and provide an annual performance report to both the public and DOH on progress in achieving the conservation goals.
  • Revise/expand/add conservation measures as needed to insure the goals are achieved.
  • Develop a “Water Loss Control Action Plan” if unaccounted for water is greater than 10 percent of total water produced.

The plan must include: activities to be taken to reduce water loss, an implementation schedule, funding for plan for activities, and reporting on progress to both public and DOH.