#3 Presentation on Water Conservation Plan
CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE MEMORANDUM
May 3, 2010
TO: City Council
FROM:Thomas E. Malone, Management Analyst
SUBJECT: Water Conservation Plan
Request
During the approval process for the last water rate increase, Clean Wisconsin
intervened to promote water conservation. In negotiations with Clean Wisconsin, the
City agreed to prepare a water conservation plan. This condition was included in the
approval granted by the Public Service Commission (PSC).
Staff Recommendation:
Staff feels that the report that has been developed adequately addresses the
requirements of the PSC. The components of the plan that are required include public
education efforts, a residential rebate program and a water audit program.
Staff is presenting the plan to the City Council for review prior to submitting it to the
PSC.
City Manager Recommendation:
The City Manager is looking to present the report to the Council and receive any
feedback. I am supportive of the report, but believe an incentive program for the smart-
rinse devices would strengthen the water conservation aspect.
Background
In October of 2009 the PSC required a number of communities to develop a water
conservation plan in order to address the issue of protecting Wisconsin’s water
resources. Staff from the City Manager’s Office and Water Utility worked to develop a
plan in house that properly addressed the requirements of the plan. Attached is City of
Janesville Water Conservation Plan that is planned on being submitted to the PSC.
The strategies in the plan are divided into four sections that represent the different types
of water customers in the city. The four strategies are divided into residential,
commercial, industrial and municipal categories. The majority of the strategies focus on
targeting residential customers. Residential customers make up the majority of annual
water sales and account for 90 percent of the water customers and make up 38 percent
of the total sales.
The residential strategies include an aggressive public education program, residential
rebate program and researching landscape ordinances. Staff will develop informational
pamphlets to be mailed out to all residential water customers and develop a
presentation that will be offered to local schools and service groups. The purpose of the
pamphlets and presentations will be to provide water saving tips and educate
individuals on the value of conserving water.
The commercial customer aspect of the plan will focus on educating businesses about
water conservation from a cost savings perspective. The City plans to offer a water
audit program to the roughly twenty-nine industrial customers that will review facility
operations to provide ways to improve water efficiency and save money. Additionally
the City plans on reviewing municipal operations through an internal audit process and
expanding the leak detection program within the city’s water infrastructure. The Water
Utility will also improve record keeping concerning the amount of data gathered on
Water Utility water use activities and centralize this data for ease of accessibility and
comparability.
The Public Service Commission requires the City of Janesville to spend $75,000 for the
first year of the program. Of that, an estimated $20,000 will be dedicated to publication
of educational information which includes brochures, visits to schools and service
groups on the benefits of water conservation. $40,000 will be dedicated to rebates for
residential customers for water fixture/appliance and toilet rebates. The Water Utility
plans on offering a $50 rebate to residential customers who provide proof they have
replaced their toilet with a more efficient one and $25 for water efficient faucets and
showerheads. Finally $15,000 will be used to fund a water audit program that will be
offered to industrial customers.
At the end of the first year, the program’s success will be evaluated and changes and
additions to the program will be made as needed. The City of Janesville recognizes the
importance of continuing to develop strategies that can be offered to all water
customers in order to successfully and positively impact the rate at which water is
consumed.
CC: Eric Levitt, City Manager
Jacob J. Winzenz, Assistant City Manager/Director of Administrative Services
City of Janesville
Water Utility
Water
Conservation
Plan
April 2010
1
Introduction
The Public Service Commission (PSC) has required a number of communities to develop a water
conservation plan in order to address the issue of protecting Wisconsin’s water resources. The
Janesville Water Utility is submitting this report to the Public Service Commission, as required
by the Commission’s rate order in docket 2740-WR-107. In addition to the water rates, the
docket orders the following:
“Within 6 months of the mailing of this order to the parties in the proceeding, Janesville
Water Utility shall perform and submit to the Commission a comprehensive conservation
study and plan. Based on this study and plan, Janesville Water Utility shall design and
implement a conservation program within one year of the mailing of this order. This
program shall include, at a minimum, community education, a residential rebate program,
and commercial, industrial, and public authority water use audits.”
Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy group, intervened during the rate hearing to ensure
that water conservation efforts would be implemented. Attached in Appendix 1 is a copy of the
agreement between the City of Janesville and Clean Wisconsin as approved by the PSC.
The Water Conservation Report for the City of Janesville addresses strategies to manage the
preservation of one of Wisconsin’s greatest natural resources. In order to ensure that the ground
water aquifers remain at current levels, municipalities must do their part to address the issue.
The City of Janesville currently has few negative water quality or quantity issues, but knows it is
important to take a proactive approach to protect the water supply for future generations.
Water conservation is a regional and national issue as evidenced in Wisconsin communities and
in the Southwest and Southeast of the nation. Communities struggle to address declining aquifer
levels and save dwindling water resources. The City of Janesville realizes the importance of
addressing this problem at a local level. Even though water levels are stable, it is important to
plan for continued growth and the demand these aquifers will face, as areas as close as Dane
County to our north, Waukesha and Milwaukee Counties to our east and Brown County to our
northeast have already begun to experience declining aquifer levels. If effective water
conservation measures can be realized, the City of Janesville may be able to avoid the
construction of costly new wells and pumping facilities.
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The City of Madison, Wisconsin has developed a water conservation plan to address the growing
needs of their community and the City of Janesville concurs with their rationale for developing
conservation strategies. The following passage is taken directly from the City of Madison Water
Utility Plan.
It may seem counterintuitive for a utility that derives its income from selling water to
plan for conservation, as more water sold means more income for the utility, on a unit by
unit basis. But if the utility has to meet rising customer demand every year, it has to
continually increase its pumping and delivery capacity, and it may eventually have to find
additional sources of water if its primary source is overwhelmed. Each increase in
capacity and supply costs the utility money to develop and operate, and it is actually
cheaper for both the utility and its customers to invest in water efficiency rather than
increased supply. Additional benefits of water conservation include improved water
quality; a reduced burden on surface water quality, as less wastewater is generated;
reduced greenhouse gas emissions due to reduced energy spent on water pumping; and
increased spring, stream, and river flows, as less of the groundwater that feeds them is
withdrawn.
GROUNDWATER
The state of Wisconsin has over 1.2 quadrillion gallons of groundwater. However, each day an
estimated 330 million gallons of water are used for municipal purposes (Kassulke & Chern,
2006). In 2009, the City of Janesville’s usage averaged over 10 million gallons per day. Ground
water levels are partially restored by rainwater, but only about 18-30% of rainfall soaks back into
the ground. The rest either runs off to the nearest water body or evaporates. Despite the
apparent abundance of water in Wisconsin, water conservation is still an important issue. This is
because groundwater moves much slower than surface water making it a challenge to regenerate
depleted ground water supplies let alone bring them back to normal levels.
The last time the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey conducted a Ground-Water
Quality of Rock County, Wisconsin study in 1982, Rock County had adequate supplies of ground
water to cover the needs of its citizens, commerce, agriculture and industry. According to that
report, ground water was almost the sole source of water used in the county. The study states
that as of 2000 Rock County would only be using an estimated 22% of the total amount of water
that infiltrates to the ground water (Zaporozec, 1982). The City is currently working on an
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aquifer study and once it is completed it will allow for the City to update Janesville’s water
resource profile.
An additional challenge in maintaining quality groundwater for drinking water supply is
preventing contamination. Industrial and other potential groundwater contaminants are abundant
in urban areas, and keeping them out of the aquifer requires widespread acceptance of water
quality protection plans. When groundwater becomes contaminated, it can become unusable as a
drinking water source for many years. With over 70% of Wisconsinites using groundwater for
their water supply and various industries relying on it for their livelihood, it is imperative that we
keep this resource plentiful and free of human-generated contaminants (GCC, 2006).
With the exception of its western and southwestern edges, Rock County is located within the
Rock River Basin and has three generalized regional aquifers and one regional confining unit.
Under the City of Janesville, the Rock River Basin groundwater system is made up of glacial and
post-glacial sediments, and bedrock of the Cambrian and Ordovician ages. These glacial and
post-glacial sediments vary in thickness and permeability and almost completely cover the
bedrock formations within Rock County.
GROUND WATER PRODUCTION RATES
The City of Janesville operates eight high-capacity municipal wells. Four of them -- Wells 6, 7,
8 and 9-- are relatively shallow (99 to 215 ft deep) and are completed in outwash deposits. The
outwash wells could easily satisfy all of Janesville water demand but this water has elevated
nitrate concentrations. The other four wells draw from the sandstone aquifer over 1,100 feet
deep.
The Rock River Basin Model (USGS, 2009) database includes 30 high-capacity public wells and
190 irrigation, industrial and community wells within the boundaries of the entire Rock County.
From 1997 through 2006, these two groups of wells were producing on average 7.84 and 3.19
billion gallons of groundwater per year, respectively (USGS, 2009). This database does not
include private, domestic and stock wells that provided water to people in rural areas and
produced an estimated one-sixth of the total groundwater production of the county in 1957
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(USGS, 1963). Assuming that the county’s domestic and stock wells presently pump about one-
fifth of the total produced from public wells, the total annual groundwater production of the
county is about 12.6 billon gallons of groundwater. This represents about 15% of annual
recharge through precipitation to the groundwater system, assuming that the average recharge is
6.3 inches per year over the entire area of the county. Groundwater information will be updated
as new information is made available.
The City of Janesville projects that by 2030 water demand for the City will increase by about
50% compared to the City’s current water demand. It is reasonable to assume that a similar
increase in demand will affect the entire county (AECOM 2009). Thus, by 2030 over 20% of
recharge to groundwater will be intercepted by production wells in Rock County.
HUMAN IMPACT & CONSUMPTION
The City of Janesville’s population in 2008 was 63,540. According to the City of Janesville
Comprehensive Plan completed in 2009, the City’s estimated 2010 population will be 67,529.
That number is expected to grow to 82,408 by the year 2030. Comparatively the 1990
population for the City of Janesville was 53,284. The city population is projected to increase
approximately 20 percent in the past 17 years. There is generally a close relationship between
a community’s population and its total water consumption. Similarly, commercial, public, and
industrial water consumption also tends to vary proportionally with the growth of the
community.
The Janesville Water Utility Master Plan Update (AECOM, 2009), analyzes past water
consumption characteristics by reviewing annual pumpage and water sales records from 1980 to
2007. Average and maximum day water consumptions during this period, together with the
amount of water sold in each customer category, are analyzed. Projections of future water
requirements are based on the results of this analysis coupled with estimates of population and
community growth.
A summary of the City’s historical water sales and pumpage is provided in Table 1. Over the 27-
year period summarized in the table, water sales varied from a low of 3.104 billion gallons per
5
year (BGY) in 1981 to a high of 4.291 BGY in 2000. Total water sales have increased roughly
11 percent since 1980 (water sales increased nearly 35 percent from 1980 to 2000), while total
City of Janesville pumpage has increased by roughly 22 percent over the same period. Since the
peak in water sales in 2000, total sales have decreased approximately17.5 percent to 3.54 BGY
in 2007. A large portion of the decrease in total sales is attributed to the nearly 38 percent
reduction in industrial sales over the same time period. Sales to General Motors (Janesville’s
largest customer) were reduced by roughly two thirds from 2000 to 2007.
The number of Water Utility metered customers continues to increase steadily, with the only
exception being industrial customers, which peaked in 1997. In recent years even though the
number of residential customers has increased, water sales to residential customers have
decreased. One reason for this is the larger amounts of rainfall the Rock County area received in
recent years, particularly 2006 and 2007.
A historical summary of the number of Utility customers served is provided in Table 2.
From the data presented in Table 1 and Table 2, residential customers currently account for
approximately 90 percent of the City of Janesville customers and 38 percent of the total sales.
Commercial water use in 2007 accounted for approximately 7 percent of the City customers and
17 percent of total sales. Metered industrial sales currently account for less than 0.5 percent of
the City of Janesville customers but 39 percent of total sales.
PER CAPITA WATER USAGE
The per capita water usage was evaluated in the Janesville Water Utility Master Plan Update.
The evaluation reported that residential, commercial, and public water usage is often correlated
to a community’s population. Table 3 shows the results of an analysis of the City’s per capita
water consumption for each of these customer classifications that was made from the available
sales records. As indicated in the table, per capita sales to residential, commercial, and public
customers have followed certain trends over the previous years.
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The apparent trend in per capita residential water usage in Table 3 is consistent with observed
results for other Wisconsin municipal water utilities. Although per capita residential water usage
in the U.S. had consistently increased until the early 1970s, water usage statistics indicate that
the increasing rate of per capita consumption has leveled off. This may be due in part to
residential customers becoming more aware of water costs, and water conservation measures
becoming more common.
The City of Janesville’s residential per capita consumption has remained fairly constant over the
previous 15 years, averaging approximately 63 gallons per capita per day (gpcd). Since 1990, per
capita residential demand has remained between 60 and 70 gpcd nearly every year. The
residential per capita consumption used to project future water demands is 65 gpcd, and the
commercial per capita consumption is projected at 28 gpcd. Residential per capita consumption
in Janesville remains high compared with other Wisconsin utilities as indicated in Table 4. The
per capita residential consumption of Janesville’s peer cities, shown in bold on Table 4, averaged
50 gpcd in 2007 with a high of 64 gpcd.
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TABLE 1
WATER SALES AND PUMPAGE HISTORY
JANESVILLE WATER UTILITY
CITY OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN
Annual Water Sales (MGY) Total Total Not Sold But Unaccounted Percent
Year Commercial Sales Pumpage Accounted For Water Pumpage
Residential Commercial Industrial Public
Unmetered (MGY) (MGY) (MGY) (MGY) Metered
1980 1,225.6 486.7 1,407.5 69.2 - 3,188.9 3,669.3 - 480.3 86.9%
1981 1,340.9 603.3 1,102.0 57.7 - 3,103.9 3,905.6 - 801.8 79.5%
1982 1,250.6 643.0 1,317.2 65.6 - 3,276.4 3,813.5 - 537.7 85.9%
1983 1,571.3 521.2 1,377.7 138.5 - 3,608.7 4,202.7 - 594.3 85.9%
1984 1,329.6 438.6 1,648.7 127.4 - 3,544.4 4,259.6 - 336.1 92.1%
1985 1,338.2 417.9 1,737.0 131.8 - 3,624.9 4,069.1 - 443.9 89.1%
1986 1,393.8 560.7 1,469.3 148.3 - 3,572.2 4,195.5 - 623.2 85.1%
1987 1,430.6 577.7 1,916.0 175.2 - 4,099.5 4,329.2 - 229.7 94.7%
1988 1,466.2 558.0 1,715.2 181.4 - 3,920.7 4,720.4 - 799.6 83.1%
1989 1,299.9 549.5 1,635.5 192.9 - 3,677.9 4,308.6 - 630.8 85.4%
1990 1,186.9 543.1 1,646.1 220.3 - 3,596.3 3,992.9 - 396.5 90.1%
1991 1,381.9 557.6 1,603.9 209.3 0.3 3,753.1 4,294.0 - 540.9 87.4%
1992 1,353.8 528.3 1,749.7 189.2 0.3 3,821.3 4,356.6 - 535.3 87.7%
1993 1,221.2 505.7 1,943.3 171.6 0.2 3,842.1 4,242.9 - 400.8 90.6%
1994 1,302.5 531.9 2,074.9 158.7 4.2 4,072.1 4,600.2 - 528.1 88.5%
1995 1,301.4 542.7 2,174.9 141.9 5.8 4,166.6 4,566.1 - 399.5 91.3%
1996 1,341.5 553.5 2,107.6 149.3 2.4 4,154.3 4,765.6 - 611.4 87.2%
1997 1,302.4 544.3 2,152.3 148.4 2.8 4,150.3 4,699.5 - 549.3 88.3%
1998 1,325.0 575.3 2,028.8 147.8 2.5 4,079.4 4,713.5 - 634.1 86.5%
1999 1,351.2 605.1 2,187.3 143.0 2.3 4,289.0 5,074.3 21.0 764.4 84.9%
2000 1,342.3 601.0 2,198.1 146.9 2.4 4,290.8 4,977.1 21.0 665.4 86.6%
2001 1,380.0 604.2 1,943.2 145.0 3.2 4,075.6 4,851.3 46.0 729.6 85.0%
2002 1,483.2 584.6 1,829.4 150.4 3.5 4,051.1 4,897.6 89.4 757.0 84.5%
2003 1,478.4 604.1 1,822.1 150.4 7.2 4,062.2 4,920.9 106.2 752.5 84.7%
2004 1,392.5 580.0 1,546.9 144.7 8.5 3,672.6 4,547.8 196.1 679.1 85.1%
2005 1,546.7 619.4 1,365.2 183.6 7.9 3,722.9 4,789.7 331.7 735.1 84.7%
2006 1,369.5 568.4 1,497.7 160.9 4.3 3,600.7 4,509.6 464.7 444.2 90.2%
2007 1,379.0 591.3 1,364.7 202.3 3.0 3,540.3 4,479.0 268.4 670.3 85.0%
Maximum Value in each category is highlighted blue =
8
TABLE 2
HISTORICAL NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS SERVED
JANESVILLE WATER UTILITY
CITY OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN
Number of Customers
Commerical
Year
Residential Commercial Industrial Public Total
Unmetered
1980 15,219 1,160 75 38 - 16,492
1981 15,184 1,113 73 45 - 16,415
1982 15,306 1,104 74 88 - 16,572
1983 15,419 1,099 80 89 - 16,687
1984 15,509 1,103 80 89 - 16,781
1985 15,845 1,039 77 78 - 17,039
1986 16,160 1,143 74 79 - 17,456
1987 16,291 1,197 74 85 - 17,647
1988 16,390 1,292 76 90 - 17,848
1989 16,405 1,408 76 109 - 17,998
1990 16,361 1,434 75 109 - 17,979
1991 16,644 1,429 76 109 - 18,258
1992 16,958 1,440 76 118 - 18,592
1993 17,254 1,474 78 111 - 18,917
1994 17,569 1,499 78 107 - 19,253
1995 17,943 1,519 79 108 - 19,649
1996 18,401 1,568 82 114 - 20,165
1997 18,827 1,600 82 119 798 21,426
1998 19,124 1,657 80 117 336 21,314
1999 19,429 1,720 80 117 284 21,630
2000 19,789 1,763 81 121 225 21,979
2001 20,037 1,701 78 113 208 22,137
2002 20,362 1,736 77 125 263 22,563
2003 20,654 1,750 75 125 419 23,023
2004 20,975 1,770 76 126 487 23,434
2005 21,349 1,784 76 132 595 23,936
2006 21,681 1,795 76 132 510 24,194
2007 21,942 1,816 75 132 379 24,344
Maximum Value in each category is highlighted
blue =
1997 Customer Summary
2007 Customer Summary
Janesville Water Utility
Janesville Water Utility
Commerial
Commercial
Commercial
UnmeteredIndustrial and
7%
Unmetered
Public
4%
Industrial and
2%
1%
Public
Commercial
1%
7%
9
Residential
Residential
90%
88%
TABLE 3
HISTORICAL PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION
JANESVILLE WATER UTILITY
CITY OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN
Gallons per Capita per Day
Estimated
Commerical
1
Population
Year
Residential Commercial Industrial Public Total
Unmetered
1980 51,000 65.8 26.1 75.6 3.7 - 171
1981 51,101 71.9 32.3 59.1 3.1 - 166
1982 51,165 67.0 34.4 70.5 3.5 - 175
1983 51,096 84.3 27.9 73.9 7.4 - 193
1984 52,085 69.9 23.1 86.7 6.7 - 186
1985 51,928 70.6 22.0 91.6 7.0 - 191
1986 52,202 73.2 29.4 77.1 7.8 - 187
1987 52,336 74.9 30.2 100.3 9.2 - 215
1988 52,381 76.7 29.2 89.7 9.5 - 205
1989 52,826 67.4 28.5 84.8 10.0 - 191
1990 53,284 61.0 27.9 84.6 11.3 - 185
1991 52,538 72.1 29.1 83.6 10.9 0.0 196
1992 53,358 69.5 27.1 89.8 9.7 0.0 196
1993 54,022 61.9 25.6 98.6 8.7 0.0 195
1994 54,553 65.4 26.7 104.2 8.0 0.2 205
1995 56,141 63.5 26.5 106.1 6.9 0.3 203
1996 57,928 63.4 26.2 99.7 7.1 0.1 196
1997 58,639 60.9 25.4 100.6 6.9 0.1 194
1998 59,223 61.3 26.6 93.9 6.8 0.1 189
1999 59,626 62.1 27.8 100.5 6.6 0.1 197
2000 59,794 61.5 27.5 100.7 6.7 0.1 197
2001 60,483 62.5 27.4 88.0 6.6 0.1 185
2002 60,775 66.9 26.4 82.5 6.8 0.2 183
2003 61,110 66.3 27.1 81.7 6.7 0.3 182
2004 61,310 62.2 25.9 69.1 6.5 0.4 164
2005 62,130 68.2 27.3 60.2 8.1 0.4 164
2006 62,540 60.0 24.9 65.6 7.0 0.2 158
2007 62,720 60.2 25.8 59.6 8.8 0.1 155
Maximum Value in each category is highlighted blue =
1
Estimated population data from Wisconsin Department of Administration.
1997 Per Capita Consumption2007 Per Capita Consumption
Janesville Water UtilityJanesville Water Utility
Residential
Public
Public
Residential
38%
4%
6%
31%
Industrial
Commercia
10
52%Commercia
Industrial
l
l
38%
13%
17%
TABLE 4-4
UTILITY RESIDENTIAL PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION COMPARISONS
JANESVILLE WATER UTILITY
CITY OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN
2007 DATA
Wisconsin Water
Residential Residential to Per Capita
Total Sales Population
Utility
Sales Total Sales Residential
(MGY) Estimate
(MGY) Percentage Sales (gpcd)
Hudson 406 735 55.2% 11,770 94.5
Racine 1,872 6,741 27.8% 80,060 64.1
Janesville 1,379 3,540 39.0% 62,720 60.2
Fort Atkinson 260 674 38.6% 12,125 58.7
Eau Claire 1,386 2,965 46.7% 65,202 58.2
Grafton 240 366 65.6% 11,420 57.6
Milwaukee 12,101 35,050 34.5% 590,190 56.2
Beloit 750 1,989 37.7% 37,110 55.4
West Bend 606 1,020 59.4% 30,220 54.9
Cedarburg 225 410 54.9% 11,440 53.9
Manitowoc 668 2,512 26.6% 34,620 52.9
Sheboygan 976 4,987 19.6% 50,600 52.8
Stevens Point 484 2,077 23.3% 25,370 52.3
Kenosha 1,814 4,141 43.8% 95,530 52.0
La Crosse 933 3,338 28.0% 51,580 49.6
Weston 249 655 38.0% 13,805 49.4
Brown Deer 210 455 46.2% 11,715 49.1
Wisconsin Rapids 329 798 41.2% 18,500 48.7
Hartford 235 524 44.8% 13,550 47.5
Chippewa Falls 234 1,235 18.9% 13,515 47.4
Wausau 680 1,418 48.0% 40,080 46.5
Green Bay 1,755 6,653 26.4% 104,020 46.2
Plover 193 373 40.4% 11,580 45.7
Appleton 1,193 2,897 41.2% 72,158 45.3
Watertown 380 706 53.8% 23,166 44.9
Waukesha 1,087 2,448 44.4% 67,880 43.9
Fond du Lac 668 1,461 45.7% 43,270 42.3
Marshfield 290 674 43.0% 19,346 41.1
Grand Chute 297 676 43.9% 20,465 39.8
Oshkosh 906 1,947 46.5% 65,810 37.7
Notes
Communities in Bold Font are City of Janesville Peer Cities.
Water use data from Wisconsin Public Service Commision.
Population estimates from Wisconsin Department of Administration.
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WATER CONSUMPTION AND PUMPAGE PROJECTIONS
Future sales and pumpage projections are based on assumptions of water demand, coupled with
estimates of future population and community growth previously discussed. A detailed summary
of the individual components of projected water sales and pumpage requirements is provided in
Table 5.
TABLE 5
WATER SALES AND PUMPAGE PROJECTIONS
JANESVILLE WATER UTILITY
CITY OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN
Actual Projected Projected Projected
Water Sales Classification 2007 2010 2020 2030
City of Janesville Population Served 62,720 67,529 74,857 82,408
Residential Sales
Per Capita Sales (gpcd) 60.2 65.0 65.0 65.0
Annual Sales (MGY) 1,378.97 1,600 1,780 1,960
Commercial Sales
Per Capita Sales (gpcd) 26.0 28.0 28.0 28.0
Annual Sales (MGY) 594.32 690 770 840
Public Sales
Per Capita Sales (gpcd) 8.8 8.0 8.0 8.0
Annual Sales (MGY) 202.32 197 219 241
Industrial Sales
Annual Sales:
Existing Sales (MGY) 1,364.7 1,400 1,400 1,400
Future Sales (MGY) 160 560 960
TOTAL METERED SALES (MGY) 3,540 4,050 4,730 5,400
Accounted-For Water (MGY) 270 510 590 680
Unaccounted-For Water (MGY) 670 510 590 680
TOTAL PUMPAGE (MGY) 4,480 5,060 5,910 6,750
Notes
Population projections from City of Janesville Planning Department.
Future Industrial sales projected based on 1,500 gpd/acre with industrial growth potential of 1,750 acres by 2030.
Accounted-for water was projected at 10% of total pumpage for future years for water production purposes.
Unaccounted-for water was projected at 10% of total pumpage for future years.
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INDUSTRIAL WATER USAGE
Industrial water consumption can vary widely on an annual basis depending on the types of
industries served and the annual level of production activity. Fluctuations in water consumption
for a particular industrial firm can be attributed to several factors including:
1.Changes in production schedules or operational capacity.
2.Changes in manufacturing processes.
3.Changes in the number of persons employed.
4.Addition or deletion of product lines.
5.Seasonal variation in cooling requirements.
6.Seasonal changes in business activity.
7.Implementation of conservation measures.
The top five water users of the Janesville Water Utility (in descending order) ABITEC
Corporation, Evonik Degussa Corporation, Seneca Foods Corporation, Rath Gibson Inc., and
Goex Corporation in order of 2009 water sales. A review of the 2009 water sales indicates that
these top five high-volume industrial water users consumed about 89 percent of the total
industrial sales. Overall, these five users consumed roughly 35 percent of the total water sales.
Consequently, any significant changes in water consumption characteristics by these high
volume users will have an impact on total water requirements. The 2009 totals included some
use by General Motors (GM), which no longer operates in the City. Therefore the 2010
industrial total will be less than the 1.38 million gallons that were used in 2009.
WATER CONSERVATION PLAN
Goal: To implement an effective water conservation program that creates awareness of water
conservation strategies and offers incentives to do so.
This plan has been compiled by administration personnel with the City of Janesville as a
guidance document to maintain the current annual rate of groundwater pumping, anticipating
growth in new areas, and providing that the additional consumption required to meet the demand
in these new areas is sustainable. The City of Janesville has different types of customers who
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use water in different ways. As required by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, the
conservation plan will contain three fundamental categories which will be discussed in more
detail in the following sections. The basic components of this plan include:
1.Residential Rebates—the Utility will begin to offer financial rebates to residential
customers who purchase water conserving fixtures.
2.Commercial/Industrial Water Audits—this component will offer (and in the future
possibly require) commercial, industrial and municipal/government customers the
opportunity to participate in an on-site audit of their facility intended to help them
identify ways to reduce their water consumption.
3.Public Education—the Utility, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, the Rock
County Environmental Health Department and other interested groups or
organizations will develop and distribute information designed to educate our
customers about the value of water conservation. Conservation information will
be developed to meet the various water needs of our customers (i.e. schools, home
restaurants, car washes, lawn irrigation, and other water using activities).
Other water conserving practices or procedures will be included as this program develops.
Some water conservation practices, ideas and programs outside of the three components listed
above are included in this report and may become part of the City’s conservation program, but
others will be incorporated into the program as their applicability is demonstrated. Appendices 2
and 3 list other communities’ water conservation strategies that were used as a reference for
developing Janesville’s strategies.
Some of the conservation steps outlined in this plan are further divided into sections
corresponding to each customer group: residential, commercial, industrial, and
municipal/government. The strategies in this plan are not meant to be all inclusive. Staff will
continue to evaluate potential ways to promote water conservation within the city. Additionally
strategies listed below can be amended as more effective implementation strategies are
developed through trial and error.
14
In May of 2006 the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) sponsored a statewide Symposium on demand side management strategies. The
Symposium provided an overview of how water demand side conservation efforts fit into a
variety of events and activities. Speakers presented solutions for effective conservation efforts
that have been used across the United States, and addressed water conservation issues unique to
Wisconsin. A number of the strategies presented in this report are based on the information
provided in the presentations.
RESIDENTIAL
The Janesville Water Utility serves 24,467 (2009 PSC Annual report) customer accounts in the
City of Janesville. Residential accounts (22,216) far exceed the number of commercial,
industrial and public authority (government) accounts. For any conservation plan to be
considered a success, it must build on a strong platform designed to meet the needs of our
residential customers.
The City of Janesville will focus water conservation strategies around a number of different
areas.
?
Seasonal Water Use
?
Water Rates
?
Educational awareness
?
Incentive programs for high efficiency fixtures and appliances
?
Landscaping
Seasonal Water Use
For many residents, water use increases significantly in the summer due to outdoor activities
such as car washing, lawn care and swimming pool use. According to the EPA, lawn care makes
up about 1/3 of all outdoor water use nationwide. For example, when using a hose to wash off
sidewalks and driveways, about 50 gallons of water is used every 5 minutes.
15
The City will research ordinance changes that restrict the use of outdoor water use for the
watering of lawns during the hottest parts of the day in the summer time. Additionally as part of
the educational awareness component of the Water Conservation Plan the city will provide
useful information to help residents conserve water during the summer months.
Water Rates
Basic economic principles dictate that higher prices will decrease demand for nearly any good,
and water is no exception. Conservation rate structures create a higher rate charge when water
use exceeds a predetermined level. Rate structure may also have multiple tiers with an
increasing rate associated with each subsequent tier.
At the last rate increase in 2009, prior to the development of a water conservation program, the
Janesville Water Utility applied for inclining rate tiers for residential users. This rate adjustment
was granted by the Public Service Commission. There was no change in the rate structure
(declining rate tiers) for industrial, commercial or public authority. The following table
compares the previous residential rates with the conservation rates that were put into effect in
October 2009.
Residential Rates – Prior to Oct. 2009 Residential Rates – After Oct. 2009
(Declining Tiers - Volume Charges)(Inclining Tiers - Volume Charges)
Rate Steps (CCF) Rate/CCF Rate Steps (CCF) Rate/CCF
0 - 100 $1.08 0 - 15 $0.95
100 - 2,000 $0.85 15 - 40 $1.26
> 2,000 $0.76 > 40 $1.65
The conservation rates have not been in effect for one calendar year; therefore, customers have
not seen the cost of water use during spring and summer months. Evaluation will have to be
done in the future to assess the effectiveness of the rate adjustment.
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Educational Awareness
Creating a successful public education program is one of the major strategies that will be used to
promote water conservation. The City of Janesville will work to publicize and promote water
conservation strategies in the community. In order to build awareness it is important to reach out
and inform residents of the impact they can have on water conservation, and the strategies they
can use. The City of Janesville will implement a number of different strategies as part of the
public education component of the plan.
The City of Janesville will create a water conservation presentation to share with area schools
that request it. The presentation will cover the importance of water conservation in the
community and go through individual practices that will help to conserve water. The City will
pull information from the EPA WaterSense Program and other valuable resources to effectively
inform students. The City’s Green Team, Water Utility Department and management staff will
work together to develop the program. The purpose of the program will be to create awareness
in the youth of Janesville to impact the long range goals of water conservation.
Additionally staff will develop a pamphlet that outlines the residential components of the Water
Conservation Plan and the benefits available to citizens through the program. The pamphlet will
be mailed out to all residential customers and made available at other public facilities.
Toilet & Fixture Incentive Programs
The City will institute a broad incentive program to encourage residents to replace old appliances
and fixtures with new ones that are able to conserve and preserve water. A rebate of $25 will be
given to residential water customers who replace old inefficient fixtures (i.e. shower heads and
faucets) with new ones. $50 rebates will be offered to individuals who replace inefficient toilets
with newer and efficient ones. The City researched a number of similar programs that are
offered in other communities to determine what incentives to offer for water efficient appliances.
The list of fixtures will be updated as more effective sources and ways of promoting water
efficiency are found. For example, the City will look into offering rebates for appliances such as
dishwashers and washing machines. The details of the program are below.
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Toilet Rebate Program
Toilets are by far the main source of water use in the home, accounting for nearly 30 percent of
an average home’s indoor water consumption. Older, inefficient toilets also happen to be a
major source of wasted water in many homes. Replacing these toilets with more efficient ones
can save nearly 11 gallons per toilet per day (WaterSense). By federal law, manufacturers may
not make a toilet that uses more than 1.6 gallons per flush (residential and commercial). A
model that uses 1.6 gallons per flush (GPF) is considered a “low-flow” toilet, whereas a high-
efficiency toilet (HET) uses no more than 1.28 GPF.
The City of Janesville will create a new program that will offer incentives to replace old,
inefficient toilets with high-efficiency models, similar to the lead pipe replacement program that
the utility offered in past years. A $50 rebate will be offered for any toilet that uses 3.5 gallons
per flush that is replaced. In order to receive the rebates, residents would have to prove that
older toilets were actually replaced, and each household would be eligible for a rebate on only
one toilet. After the first year of the program, staff will reevaluate whether to offer additional
rebates per household. The City should attempt to impact as many citizens as possible with the
rebate for the first year, and offering only one rebate per customer allows the opportunity for
other customers to participate. Additionally, the toilets that are being replaced would have to be
older models that are inefficient, so that the new toilets would provide significant water savings.
Showerhead Rebate Program
Showering is another one of the leading ways that residents use water in their home. Showering
accounts for nearly 17 percent of residential indoor water use, or about 30 gallons per household
per day (WaterSense). According to the EPA, more than 2,300 gallons of water per year can be
saved by installing WaterSense labeled showerheads. Also, water savings will reduce demands
on water heaters and save energy for households. A household could save 300 kilowatt hours of
electricity annually. In order to eligible for a $25 showerhead rebate, a WaterSense certified
showerhead must be installed that uses no more than 2.0 gallons of water per minute. The
standard showerhead uses over 2.5 gallons per minute. There will be a limit of 1 showerhead per
water customer billed.
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Bathroom Sink Faucets & Accessories Program
There are many ways to save water when using faucets. For example, turning the faucet off
while brushing your teeth can save as much as 3,000 gallons of water per year (WaterSense).
There are also a number of products available that will help save water as well. There are high-
performing, water-efficient fixtures that help reduce water use in homes and save money on
water bills. Faucets account for 15 percent of indoor household water use. More efficient
faucets can reduce a sink’s water flow by 30 percent or more without sacrificing performance.
The City will offer a $25 rebate for water customers who replace their old, inefficient faucets
with new WaterSense labeled efficient ones. A limit of 2 faucets per customer will be allowed
and proof of purchase and installation must be shown before the rebate is given.
Landscaping
The City of Janesville will also research ordinances that regulate watering with the goal of
promoting water conservation. Other communities have enacted similar ordinance changes and
staff will determine if similar restrictions will be beneficial to Janesville. Additionally
information on how to maintain lawns by using water efficient practices will be distributed to
citizens as one of the components of the public awareness program.
Rain Barrels/Rain Gardens
Rain barrels can be used at residential buildings to catch rainwater and reuse the water for
lawn/flower watering. Rain gardens may be used to reduce runoff where appropriate.
COMMERICAL
The City of Janesville will also develop strategies for commercial water customers to promote
water conservation. For billing purposes, commercial accounts refer to businesses as well as
multi-family housing (more than 3 units). Conservation strategies have been developed and will
continue to be looked at to promote effective water conservation with businesses and multi-
family housing.
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Commercial Education Program
The City of Janesville will work with businesses to promote water conservation awareness.
Brochures and other informational sources will be created and distributed to local businesses,
restaurants and multi-family residences. Information will include useful tips for saving water,
sources for other water conservation strategies and an overview of the City of Janesville water
conservation program.
The City will also work with local business groups to develop seminars that provide useful
strategies and information on water conservation for businesses. The City will contact experts in
the field who are familiar with successful strategies and research information that will be helpful
to businesses. Topics will include the use of water efficient landscaping, LEED certification,
water efficient appliances and a variety of other topics.
Rinse Smart - Pre Rinse Spray Valve Program
This program will focus on the replacement of high water use, low pressure pre-rinse spray
valves that are initially used by many food service establishments to remove food particles
before plates and trays are placed within commercial dishwashers. Nearly two-thirds of water
use in restaurants is used in washing dishes. A similar program has been in place in California
for several years. Tracking reports have shown that a medium size restaurant can save an
average of 50,000 gallons of water per year. The new sprayer can cut pre-rinse water use by 40
percent, with less hot water and less energy used. Valves can help to decrease the amount of
water used, and will also save energy. The City will use educational and informational resources
to inform these types of businesses of the benefits of having a pre-rinse spray valve system in
place.
INDUSTRIAL
In 2009 there were 29 industrial water customers in the City of Janesville that used a total of 1.38
billion gallons of water. Identifying strategies that will reduce consumption of the 29 industrial
customers will help to reduce the overall water consumption of the City. There is no group of
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customers that has a higher per capita impact than industrial customers. For this reason it is
essential that effective strategies be developed for these types of customers.
The City will develop a water audit program that industrial water customers can use in order to
assess their current operations. Staff will review the current infrastructure the industrial
customer has in place and recommend changes to become more water efficient. The program
will be advertised to industrial customers through the aggressive public education program that
will be developed to address the different types of water customers.
MUNICIPAL
The enacting of water conservation measures within the Water Utility can serve as a model for
other governmental buildings as well as the other government/municipal entities. Before
conservation measures are implemented, an audit shall be performed of all Water Utility
buildings, and toilets, showerheads, and sink aerators will be checked for compliance with
current water conservation standards for new construction. All new Water Utility buildings will
be built with water conservation measures in mind.
The following are water saving programs that can be instituted at the Water Utility:
Emphasize and expand the leak detection program: Many leaks in the water distribution system
go undetected. The Utility has leak detection equipment, but devoting the necessary work-hours,
to this task has proven difficult. Older pipes and those in areas prone to main leaks will be
checked on a systematic basis.
Install low-flush toilets, low-flow showerheads, and sink aerators: Following the internal audit,
old toilets shall be replaced with high-efficiency models, showerheads changed to low-flow, and
aerators placed on sinks without them.
Quantify water use by utility through better record keeping: Improve record keeping concerning
the amount of data gathered on Water Utility (and other City departments) water use activities
and centralize this data for ease of accessibility and comparability. Identify the amount of water
used during hydrant flushing, amount of water lost from a main breaks and service leaks, by the
Fire Department used in training and fighting fires, by the Operations Department on water used
21
for street sweeping, etc. This information will help the Utility more accurately determine the
amount of water that is unaccounted when compiling it’s annual audit of water pumped.
Installation of process meters in pumping stations: Some Water Utility pumping stations (and
other city facilities) currently do not have meters for the water that is used inside the building
(i.e., sinks). The feasibility of placing meters in these facilities will be investigated.
Water main flushing: Historically, the Water Utility has employed conventional flushing twice a
year to remove mineral sediment from water mains. The Utility will continue to evaluate its
flushing program to minimize the amount of water needed to clean its mains
Other Governmental Buildings
Audits will be performed of all other governmental buildings served by the Water Utility.
Individuals in charge of the buildings may perform the audits. A questionnaire would be
provided to assist individuals in auditing their own buildings, and further information will be
provided to explain potential water saving programs.
Water conservation measures may include replacing old toilets, installing sink aerators, and
installing rain gardens and rain barrels. The Janesville City Council recently adopted policies to
help insure that city buildings will be as energy-and water-efficient.
CONCLUSION
The City of Janesville will continue to work on developing strategies to encourage water
conservation throughout the community. The City will focus their strategies around educational
awareness, residential rebates for water appliances, toilets and water audits. Staff will evaluate
the success of the programs offered and determine if adjustments should be made. In order to
change the way people look at water conservation, it is important to educate citizens. The City
will accomplish this by multiple strategies.
The Public Service Commission requires the City of Janesville to spend $75,000 for the first year
of the program. Of that, an estimated $20,000 will be dedicated to publication of educational
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information, which includes brochures, visits to schools and service groups on the benefits of
water conversation and all other forms of public information that will be generated. $40,000 will
be dedicated to rebates for residential customers for water fixture/appliance and toilet rebates.
There will no longer be funds available for rebates after the $40,000 is used. Finally $15,000
will be used to fund a water audit program that will be offered to industrial customers. At the
end of the first year, the program’s success will be evaluated and changes and additions to the
program will be made as needed. The City of Janesville recognizes the importance of continuing
to develop strategies that can be offered to all water customers in order to successfully and
positively impact the rate at which water is consumed.
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References
1)AECOM. 2010. Janesville Groundwater Model. City of Janesville Water Utility.
2)Bachhuber, J. & Schroedel, R. 2003. Review on USGA Report “Water Quality
Monitoring of the Rock River and its Tributaries, Wisconsin and Illinois 1998-2000.”
City of Janesville Water Utility.
3)City of Madison Water Utility. 2009. Water Conservation and Sustainability Plan. City
of Madison Water Utility.
4)Corum, L. 2009. Necessity Brees Invention: Water Resource and Conservation
Forecasting Tools. Water Efficiency: The Journal for Water Conservation Professionals.
5)Earth Tech, Inc. 2009. Water System Master Plan. City of Janesville Water Utility.
6) Environmental Protection Agency. 2010. WaterSense.
http://www.epa.gov/watersense/index.html.
7)GeoSyntec Consultants. 2006. Water Conservation & Protection Plan. Waukesha
Water Utility.
8)Janesville Water Utility. 2008. Annual Report. Report Submitted to Public Service
Commission. City of Janesville Water Utility.
9)Public Service Commission of Wisconsin & Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources. September 2006. A Menu of Demand Side Initiatives for Water Utilities.
10)Town of Carey, NC. Water Conservation Website. 2008.
http://townofcary.org/Departments/Public_Works_and_Utilities/Conservation/Water_Co
nservation.htm.
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Appendix 2
Utilities with PSC-Approved/Regulated Water Conservation Programs
Utilities with Inclining Block Rates
?
Waukesha
?
Fitchburg
?
Weston
?
Allouez
?
Janesville
?
Franklin
Utilities with Uniform or other Residential Class Rates
?
Madison
?
Lancaster
?
Grafton
?
Sun Prairie
Utilities with Rebate/Incentive Programs
?
Madison
?
Kaukauna
?
Marshfield
?
Waukesha
?
Sun Prairie
?
Fitchburg
?
New Berlin
Utilities with Other Conservation Programs
?
New Berlin
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Appendix 3
Utilities with Rebate/Incentive Programs
Utilities with PSC-Approved Toilet Rebate Programs
Rebate
Date
Utility Name Approved Description Amount
Waukesha 6/5/2009 Rebates for residential customers $25
Water Utility
Madison Water 12/23/2008 Rebates for residential customers and commercial $100
Utilityapartments.
12/22/2009
Kaukauna 5/4/2009 Rebates for residential customers. $50
Utilities
Marshfield 5/21/2009 Rebates for residential customers. $50
Utilities
New Berlin 4/1/2010 Rebates for residential customers $100
Water Utility
Utilities with Toilet Rebate Programs Not Approved by PSC
Rebate
Date
Utility Name Approved Description Amount
Fitchburg 2/16/10 Toilet rebates for residential /non-residential $100
customers paid with sewer revenues, not water.
26