Alameda County WD releases water efficiency master plan

Alameda County Water District has been busy developing a Water Efficiency Master Plan that continues ACWD’s efforts to encourage water use efficiency in the Tri-Cities and ensure long-term water supply reliability for its customers. The WEMP is now complete and ready for review. It provides a roadmap for ACWD’s Water Use Efficiency Program for the next five years and strategies out to 2050.

ACWD initiated the WEMP development process in 2019 after it was identified to achieve Strategic Goal 2: Sustain a reliable, high-quality water supply for District customers in ACWD’s 2018 Five-Year Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan stated that ACWD should “develop and implement a Water Efficiency Master Plan to leverage the benefits of Advanced Metering Infrastructure and address changing water use efficiency regulations,” and provide baseline analysis for future water supply planning documents.

Several workshops and meetings were held between July 2019 and October 2020. The District’s Board of Directors provided guidance and priorities for developing water use efficiency strategies and laying a foundation for meeting long-term water supply needs.

The WEMP report documents the planning process, summarizes the analysis, describes various water use efficiency strategies along with their anticipated costs, savings, and cost-effectiveness, and recommends a five-year strategy for ACWD’s Water Use Efficiency Program that:

• Provides a cost-effective means to address water demands in the short term with a foundation for establishing water use efficiency goals out to 2050.
• Expands existing efforts to meet state-mandated targets and aggregate water use objectives.
• Improves accessibility of water use efficiency services for lower-income customers in ACWD’s service area.
• Integrates well with ACWD’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure project.
• Supports customer interests and takes advantage of regional partnerships.

“We want to make effective water use efficiency programs available, programs that our customers want,” said ACWD Board President Aziz Akbari. “Increasing access to those programs helps them conserve while working toward ACWD’s overall water use reduction goals,” added Akbari. He went on to say the WEMP gives footing to meet parallel goals with near and long-term benefits.

Once the Board approves the Final WEMP in April 2021, ACWD will begin implementing the recommended strategy in the WEMP. Over the next several years, modifications to some existing and several new water use efficiency measures will be rolled out.

To learn more about the WEMP, join ACWD’s Virtual Community Informational Meeting on March 25, 2021, at 6 p.m. To view the Draft WEMP visit www.acwd.org/waterefficiencymasterplan.