J uran Department of Public Services (ora) Public Utilities Division po RECEIVED Kenton Moffett, P.E. Manager Couneil Information Item MAY 05 2075 COPIED TO RE: RainHarvest Program USDEN CITY IL OFFICE 5 2015 April 30, 2015 COUNCI MAY 05 2 OGDENCITYCOUNCIL Members of the Council, ‘The purpose of this report is to inform the Council of an available water conservation program offered through the Utah Rivers Council. The program is known as the RainHarvest program. The program utilizes specially designed barrels to capture rain water to use for landscape watering. The barrels attach to the downspouts of rain gutters and capture water that falls on the roof of homes. se Each barrel is sold for $74 each at the RainHarvest event being held in Murray ‘on May 9" of this year. Ou'side of this event, the barrels retail for $129 each. ‘There are areas where municipalities subsidize the costs. Murray City has offered the barrels for $40 (while supplies last). Some of the savings is realized through municipalities buying in bulk and stockpiling the barrels for purchase. Each barrel is 50 gallons. Anyone that purchases more than one barrel has to register with the Utah Division of Water Rights. No more than 2,500 total gallons of rainwater storage is allowed by state code. The City’s water rate structure is based off of State use standards. These averages indicate 6K gallons a month for indoor use and 36K gallons per Figure I Ivy Rain Bares! month for outdoor use. Rezltor.com indicates the average square footage area of'a home in Ogden is 1,650. The irrigation season generally runs from May through September. According to USClimate Data, May has the largest number of rain events at eight. A rain event would need to be 1/10” on a 1600 sq-ft roof to produce 100 gallons of water. Assuming an average event (0.25”) for each precipitation event results in two barrels, 100 gallons, are saved per precipitation event. Per month the savings in gallons based on average precipitation days, all exceeding 1/10”, would be: May 800, June 500, July 400, August 600, September 500. As a percentage of total use this would be: May 1.9%, June 1.2%, July 0.95%, August 1.43% and September 1.19%. Breaking down 2013 - 2014 precipitation events illustrates that precipitation days providing significant runoff can vary each year. The number of 1/10” precipitation events in 2014 were as follows: May 4, June 2, July 2, August 9, September 6. ‘The number of 1/10” precipitation events in 2013 were as follows: May 3, June 0, July 5, August 1, September 5. It should be noted that many things have to occur for water to actually be saved at these rates. Inrigation systems would need to be adjusted to account for the water stored in the barrels. A pump would need to if the water were to be utilized in pressurized irrigation systems, Storms could not occur in successive days. The water in the barrels would need to be fully utilized before the next storm. The cost savings under the assumption that all average precipitation days exceed 1/10” varies from month to month. In May the savings varies from $1.35 to $2.68 per month, In July the savings varies from $0.68 to $1.34 per month, Assuming the best case scenario (wet conditions), $9.41 would be saved 1.629.832 801.629.8053, 133 West 29% Street e ‘Ogden, UT 84401 www.ogdencity.comper irrigation season, The barrels would currently provide a return on investment in 15 years at the subsidized rate and 32 years atthe retail rate. TTT The barrels come with a mosquito screen that sits under a plastic ring on the top of the barrel. The screen must be kept free of debris for water to freely enter into the barrel. Small punctures in the screen could lead to mosquito problems. Replacement, screens are available if a screen is damaged. ‘Water rights policies frequently change. Laws were recently changed to allow for rainwater harvesting. Capturing rainwater lessens the amount of groundwater recharge. Ogden City’s sources are not greatly influenced by the quantity of groundwater recharge within City limits. Figure 2. Mosquito Screen ‘These are all items to consider regarding this prograra. Currently, nothing prevents the citizens of Ogden from participating in this program. The City is also currently not participating in subsidizing the program. Please consider the facts above. Your feedback on this issue is appreciated. Sincerely, Kenton Moffett, P.E. Public Utilities Manager