Mission Statement

WATER EFFICIENCY STRATEGY UPDATE

Outcomes

The City of Guelph strives to be a leader in water conservation and efficiency. As

one of Canada’s largest communities reliant on a finite groundwater source, our

ability to reclaim precious water capacity through conservation initiatives offers the

benefits of reducing environmental impact on our water resources and decreasing

utility operational and capital investments while facilitating the water needs of our

growing community.

The 2015 Water Efficiency Strategy Update will identify preferred program

alternatives, associated water savings, program implementation forecasts, and the

resources required to support these programs, all aimed at achieving the water

demand reduction goals of the 2014 Water Supply Master Plan Update.

Goals and ObjectivesIn 2006 City Council endorsed the Water Supply Master Plan which included three

reduction targets based on 2006 daily water production volumes:

• 10 % reduction (5.3 MLD) in daily water use by 2010;

• 15 % reduction (7.9 MLD) in daily water use by 2017; and

• 20 % reduction (10MLD) in daily water use by 2025.

To achieve these targets, the City endorsed the Water Conservation and Efficiency

Strategy in May 2009. The strategy has a goal of a 17 % reduction (8.8 MLD) in daily

water use by 2019.

The 2014 Water Supply Master Plan Update recommends an additional 9.1 MLD

reduction (a total of 19.1 MLD) in daily water use by 2038.

Community Open House – June 23, 2015

Managing our water together - Conservation of our water supply is the

responsibility of everyone in Guelph: residents, businesses, institutions, industry,

and the City. As such, we need as many voices as possible to join the conversation.

We need your help to understand how we can best manage our local water

resources to ensure we meet our water reduction targets.

Phase 1

Project Introduction

Phase 2

Solicitation of

Feedback

Phase 3

Presentation of

Results

• Learning about water

efficiency and

conservation

• Exploring what has

worked and

opportunities for

improvement

• Discussing market

research

• Discussing possible

updates to the current

plan

• Discussing community

feedback on priorities

and opportunities

• Identifying potential

preferred

improvements and

programs

• Presenting results to

the community

• Presenting the final

report to Guelph City

Council

Spring/ Summer

•CLC Meeting

•Discussion Guide #1

•Community open

house

•Business roundtable

•Market research study

•Social media

•Online participation

Summer/ Fall

•CLC Meeting

•Discussion Guide #2

•Community open

house

•Social media

•Online participation

Winter

•CLC Meeting

•Community open

house

•Social media

•Online participation

•Final report and

engagement summary

•Council Presentation

2015

Water Efficiency Strategy Update Process

The Water Efficiency Strategy update includes a three phase process with multiple

opportunities for the public and interested parties to participate and provide their

valued feedback:

WATER USE AND COMMUNITY GROWTH NET PRESENT VALUE (NPV) OF WATER AND WASTEWATER

INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS

WATER USE GOAL PROGRESS

The City of Guelph is a leader in water conservation. Guelph began implementing

water conservation programs in 1999. Participation by residents and businesses in

the City's Water Efficiency and Conservation Strategy has decreased our average

daily consumption by 6.7 million litres of water per day, 3 Olympic-sized swimming

pools, since 2005. This is even more remarkable given that Guelph's population has

grown by 12 per cent over the same period.

This success in water conservation has:

• Extended the sustainability of local groundwater resources;

• Delayed the need for the City to spend money on new water infrastructure that

would be used to meet water supply requirements during peak periods of use

(summers); and

• Helped the City meet Provincial regulations for taking water from local

groundwater sources.

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

110,000

120,000

130,000

140,000

150,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

55,000

60,000

65,000

70,000

75,000

80,000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Population vs Production

Average Daily Production Guelph Population Linear (Average Daily Production)

Po

pu

lati

on

Wate

rU

se (

cu

bic

metr

es/

day)

WATER SUPPLY

MASTER PLAN

WASTEWATER

TREATMENT

MASTER PLAN

$49,847,529

$16,657,935

$42,667,927

$43,085,946

NPV with WSMP 20% Reduction Target (2006 dollars) Avoided Infrastructure Costs

GUELPH’S ACHIEVEMENTS

eMERGE These one–hour consultations are

coupled with a free retrofit package and on-site

expert advice to provide information, resources

and practical recommendations for living lighter

every day. The program focuses on viewing the

home as a whole system by looking through the

lenses of energy, waste, water, alternative

transportation and sustainable food choices. The

goal is to remove barriers to help residents access

knowledge, and to inspire action.

Outside Water Use Program Water Conservation Rebate Programs

Healthy Landscapes provides a free home visit to

residents of the City of Guelph to discuss methods

to reduce outside water use. Water use increases

by 30 per cent during the warmest months of the

year. From installing a rain barrel to choosing native

or drought tolerant plants or adjusting lawn care

practices, there are many simple ways to decrease

outside water use.

Home Visits

Blue Built Home Water Efficiency Standards and Rebate Program

Royal Flush Toilet$1000 rebate

Greywater ReuseRainwater Harvesting

System$100Smart Wash Washing

Machine

$83.57

$107.10

$176.43

$343.38

$467.26

$598.83

$986.43

$1,919.88

Bronze

Silver

Gold (Greywater Reuse

System)

Gold (Rainwater Harvesting

System)

Five-year savings

One-year savings

Blue Built Home is a certification program for new homes that uses an approved set of high

quality home fixtures and appliances designed and third-party tested to save water and reduce

utility bills by as much as 62%. Blue Built Homes are certified according to three water efficiency

standards—Bronze, Silver or Gold. The City of Guelph administers the Blue Built Home program

which is supported by Tarion–registered home builders.

OWUP was created in response to the Ontario Low Water Response

Plan and to conserve Guelph’s finite groundwater supply. This

program protects against the impact of drought during the hot, dry

summer months. The program has three levels that affect residential

outside water use. These levels are triggered by weather and local

watershed conditions:

The Outside Water Use Program is enforced by City of Guelph Water

Services and Bylaw Enforcement Officers.

CURRENT PROGRAMS

The City of Guelph offers a variety of rebates for Guelph residents and property owners who make

an effort to conserve water. Water rebates include:

Water Smart Business: ICI

Total Cost of Retrofit $353,300Annual Water Savings Following Retrofit: 113,844 m3/year

Net Annual Operating Savings –

Water/Wastewater Volumetric Charges:

$182,150/year*

Amount of ICI Capacity Buyback One Time

Incentive:

$93,570

Payback on Investment: 1.28 years*based on 2007 combined water/wastewater rate

Resources for Youth

The Yellow Fish Road Program

Grade 2 and 8 In-School Education

Programs

The Waterloo Wellington Children’s Groundwater Festival

H2Awesome

Water Conservation and Efficiency Public

Advisory Committee

The Water Conservation and Efficiency Public Advisory

Committee (WCEPAC) is a Council-appointed committee that

provides ongoing feedback and advise to City Staff and Council.

The WCEPAC provides recommendations on the following:

• Issues and opportunities to be addressed in the

implementation of the Water Efficiency Strategy Update

• Community consultation and marketing activities

• 2015 Water Efficiency Strategy Update

Water Loss Management

Proactive Sonic Leak Detection

•Leak detection in 2014 - cost $25,000

•Resulted in identifying 5 watermain leaks

•Reclaimed 1,970 m3/day, a $129,400 annual operation and maintenance savings

District Metered Areas (DMAs)

•Installing DMAs to measure water use in defined areas of the City

•Allows for active response to leakage events at the time of occurrence

CURRENT PROGRAMS

The City of Guelph offers interactive and educational activities to teach youth about Guelph’s water,

including the protection and conservation of our precious water resources. These include:

The ICI Capacity Buyback Program provides industrial,

commercial and institutional water consumers with financial

assistance for facility water use audits and one-time financial

incentives for the implementation of retrofits to permanently

reduce water use. The following is an example of the University

of Guelph’s financial investment and payback on water

efficiency: