Summer water use in Kelowna, BC, increases by a factor of five over winter water use.  This is due in part to the city’s semi-arid climate, along with three other factors:

1) Large lots in affluent neighbourhoods
2) Poorly designed/maintained automatic irrigation systems
3) Landscape choices not conducive to local climate and soil conditions

Over the past 15 years, Kelowna has offered extensive public education programs that, along with conservation-based rates, have reduced overall water consumption by 20%.  However, many of these programs were simply band-aid solutions to the real issues: landscape designs that sucked water, and poorly designed irrigation systems that wasted even more.

To put the brakes on this kind of development, utility staff developed landscape and irrigation standards for new construction.  Endorsed by City Council in April, 2011, these requirements are specified within the Water Regulation Bylaw.  All single and two family dwellings installing new irrigation that is more than 100 square meters in area must obtain approval from the City prior to installation.
 
Owners are required to submit a simple Irrigation & Landscape Water Conservation report, which includes a checklist and a calculation of the landscape water budget and an estimate of landscape water use based on the planned landscaping. The checklist is available online, and the approval process takes less than a day. 

In addition, every new irrigation system must be installed with an outdoor irrigation master shut off valve outside the building, accessible to the City, and a climate or sensor based “Smart Controller.”   These weather-based timers typically reduce water used for irrigation by 25%.

The checklist and calculation of the water budget are the keys to success.  The Utility is not able to require the use of certified irrigation professionals, but an individual would have to be highly qualified to design a system to meet the water budget.  This helps eliminate the fly-by-night irrigation companies who install cheap, poor performing systems.

Similarly, the Utility is not able to require minimum soil depth or to force people to use nothing but rock and water efficient plants – we wouldn’t want to do this anyway.  But in order to meet the water budget, landscape designers will have to be a little more creative.  Landscapes will still be attractive but100% turf will not do anymore.

Did your utility excel at raising awareness of a certain project or to encourage positive consumer behaviour?
Yes, the community is now aware that efficiently designed sprinkler systems use significantly less water than poorly designed systems.  The upfront cost of an efficient system may be a little higher, but savings are achieved on the water bill in the long run.

Did your utility cultivate partnerships with the community residents, a public-private sector partnership or non-government organizations that resulted in results above and beyond expectations?
Through a series of meetings and workshops, the utility solicited advice and input from a number of stakeholders, including local landscape and irrigation contractors, the Irrigation Association of British Columbia, local nurseries and retail outlets, the Home Builders Association, The Urban Development Institute, and many other organizations.  The result was a fast, efficient and streamlined approval process that achieves the Utility’s goals but does not slow down construction.

Did your utility overcome significant roadblocks to achieve its outreach or public service goals?
With multiple stakeholders involved, including six city-departments, the main challenge was not what the landscape and irrigation requirements should be rather how the paperwork should flow through city hall.  Outside stakeholders were in full support of the requirements, but they insisted that the approval process should not be cumbersome.  By using existing bylaws and regulations, the inspection and approval process is efficient and involves minimal staff effort.