CWA approves agreement with MWD to fund recycled water retrofits

The San Diego County Water Authority board authorized an agreement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to provide financial incentives to public agencies for modifying irrigation plumbing to accept recycled water.

The SDCWA’s February 28 board approval authorizes an agreement which will pass incentive funding to participating CWA member agencies and the public agency customers of those member agencies.

The member agencies and their public agency customers currently using potable water for irrigation purposes will be responsible for retrofitting their systems to use recycled water.

Each public agency site will be eligible for the lesser of the actual retrofit costs or $500 per acre foot multiplied by the average annual water use over the previous three fiscal years.

Funding for sites with mixed-use meters will be based on the lesser of $500 per acre foot multiplied by the annual average water use over the previous three fiscal years or $500 per acre foot multiplied by the irrigated acreage times the Evapotranspiration Index for San Diego County.

In August 2007 the Metropolitan Water District board established the Accelerated Public Sector Water Efficiency Partnership Demonstration Program which provides financial incentives to public agencies for implementing immediate water efficiency measures.

MWD staff subsequently established the Public Sector Recycled Water Retrofit Program to provide funding assistance for recycled water retrofits.

Eligible capital costs include design, recycled water meters, piping, appurtenances, irrigation system modifications, controls, and signage. Eligible customers within the SDCWA service area include the County of San Diego and the county’s incorporated cities as well as any school district, fire district, water district, healthcare district, or other public agency.

MWD has not yet identified the public agency customers which will receive funding through the program, and no specific funding from the Accelerated Public Sector Water Efficiency Partnership Demonstration Program has been directly earmarked for the Public Sector Recycled Water Retrofit Program.

MWD allocated a total of $15 million to the Accelerated Public Sector Water Efficiency Partnership Demonstration Program.

The San Diego County Water Authority will not charge its member agencies for staff time involved in administering the recycled water retrofit program.