The City of San Luis Obispo has been awarded platinum status, the highest status, by the Alliance for Water Efficiency for compliance with the Water Conservation and Efficiency Program Operation and Management Standard (G480 Standard).
The City joins only four other water utilities nationally that have achieved platinum status. “The City of San Luis Obispo is pleased to achieve Platinum status for our water conservation program,” said mayor Erica A. Stewart. “This accomplishment reflects our ongoing commitment to responsible water management, made possible through the collective efforts of our populace. We appreciate the collaborative spirit of our community members, businesses, civic groups, and City staff in achieving this milestone and we remain dedicated to advancing sustainable practices for the benefit of our city.”
In San Luis Obispo, water conservation is a way of life. The City’s Utilities Department provides quality drinking water to the community and has improved water conservation by increasing public outreach and communication, providing personalized assistance to community members in detecting and resolving leaks, providing rebates for water-efficient plumbing fixtures and appliances, promoting water-efficient landscaping and irrigation, and proactively identifying and repairing leaks in the water distribution system.
San Luis Obispo remains water-secure and resilient because the community embraces water conservation and generations have planned and invested in diverse local water sources. The City’s current water use of about 4,700 acre-feet of water per year is a stark reduction from pre-drought (2011-2015) water use of over 5,500 acre-feet per year. In fact, the community’s total potable water use today is actually substantially lower than it was back in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, despite population growth over this time period. Overall water conservation efforts undertaken by the community have reduced long-term water use by over 15% community wide.
The Alliance for Water Efficiency recognizes exemplary water utilities that have adopted and complied with the voluntary G480 Standard on their G480 Leaderboard. The G480 Standard describes the critical elements of an effective water conservation and efficiency program. This standard encompasses activities undertaken by a utility within its own operations to improve water use on the supply side upstream of customer meters through distribution system management, and on the demand side through customer billing and education practices.
The City is constantly looking for ways to conserve water, reduce water loss within the community, secure new water supplies, and build greater resiliency into our treatment plant and distribution system. The City currently offers a water conservation rebates to water customers who upgraded to more water-efficient devices. For more information or details on the City’s water conservation program, visit www.slocity.org/water.
To receive updates from the City, please register for City News e-notifications on the City’s website at www.slocity.org/subscribe or follow the City of San Luis Obispo on social media.