To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Jane Bais DiSessa, City Manager
Prepared By: Austin Creswell, Water Resources Engineer
Through: Brett Sherman, Director of Utilities
Brad Dallam, Assistant Director of Utilities
Date Prepared: May 13, 2021
PURPOSE
This presentation will provide City Council with information about the City’s potable water supply and demand, water conservation programs, and plans for additional water conservation measures this summer. The presentation is informational only, no action from Council is being sought at this time.
BACKGROUND
The City of Brighton has experienced significant growth in recent years along with the rest of the Front Range. This growth has brought increased demands on the City’s potable water system. The City’s current potable water system is capable of producing about 12 million gallons per day (MGD). The summer peak day in 2019 was 11.6 MGD. In 2020 the peak day was 12.1 MGD, briefly reaching the supply limit. This summer, without additional conservation measures, the peak day is estimated to reach 12.5 MGD, potentially exceeding the available supply.
The City is currently going through the process of upsizing the water treatment system to meet these increased demands. Until the new treatment system is operational, the City needs to increase water conservation measures during times of peak water use.
The City has several water conservation programs currently in effect. These programs include:
• Rebates for water-efficient appliances
• Individual irrigation system consultations with City residents
• Slow the Flow audits for commercial and parks
• Garden-in-a-Box
• Educational Webinars
• Community Outreach
Residents are being requested to voluntarily reduce water use this year during the months of July and August. Specifically, residents are asked to irrigate lawns no more than two days a week. If all residents complied with this request, water demands would reduce by about 20%.
Staff will monitor water demands during the early part of July. If it appears that water demand has not sufficiently decreased, staff will recommend mandatory water restrictions.