O-2009-3136 water conservation and drought contingency plan

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2. System Problems: The City of La Porte currently has no serious water supply problems. The storage and distribution systems are adequate to supply surface water to its customers through the La Porte Area Water Authority from the City of Houston Southeast Water Purification Plant. E. ALTERNATIVES: Water conservation methods are typically divided into two (2) categories, Demand Management Methods and Supply Management Methods. Demand Management Methods deal with water use on the downstream side of a customer meter. Demand management provides for education or incentives to reduce the water use by the consumer. This method of conservation generally results in a decrease in water revenues because less water is purchased from the City. Supply Management Methods deals with the utility's water system upstream of the customer's meter. The goal of supply management is to improve efficiency and reduce waste within the production treatment, and distribution system. Supply management usually results in decreased costs to the utility as water losses in the system are reduced. 1. DEMAND MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES a. Education and Information: The most readily available and lowest cost method of promoting water conservation is to inform water users about ways to save water inside homes and other buildings, in landscaping and lawn uses, and in recreational uses. An effective education and information program can be easily and inexpensively administered by the City of La Porte. Materials available from the American Water Works Association, Texas Water Development Board, and other like associations are made available to its customers, through hand outs, mail outs, and other sources. The City of La Porte has adopted the Bayshore Sun as its official newspaper. This publication can be used to print articles concerning water conservation. The City of La Porte currently participates in the Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District's program for education of elementary school students in the importance and methods of water conservation. The City sponsors the program by funding the program for the La Porte students in the school district. b. Plumbinq Codes: Water saving plumbing codes for new construction and for replacement of plumbing in existing structures may be adopted. The standards recommended by the Texas Water Development Board represent readily available technologies and do not involve additional costs when compared with "standard" fixtures. Water conserving plumbing codes are adopted for cause, specifically, the Inlelllat:onal Plumbing Code (2006 Version) The City of La Porte utilizes standard codes whenever possible. 4