Water Conservation Progress and Plans for 2024
The 2024 Water Conservation Scorecard, provides the Water Conservation Office with clear directives for the upcoming year. In 2023, our focus was on education initiatives, highlighted by the success of the Next Generation Water Summit. Teaming up with the Santa Fe Watershed Association, we facilitated field trips into the watershed for every 5th grade class in the city as part of the My Water, My Watershed program. Additionally, a workshop series centered on arroyo learning and stewardship was offered to all 6th, 7th and 8th grade Santa Fe Public school teachers in the Santa Fe Public School system.
Building on the successes of the past, we are excited to reintroduce our water fiesta in 2024. This event, a cornerstone of our water conservation program for over a decade before the onset of COVID, will welcome over 600 fourth graders in the fall of 2024. The fiesta will provide an engaging platform for these students to learn essential water conservation principles from our esteemed partners across the state.
The commitment to education continues as we plan to sponsor the Next Generation Water Summit once again. Alongside this, adult outreach initiatives will be aligned, featuring tours of our demonstration gardens, including those newly planted in front of the water division building at 801 W. San Mateo. Our efforts to address leaks through the StopLeak Pilot will persist, complemented by a renewed push to promote the EyeOnWater tool with potential incentives for sign-ups. Excitingly, 2024 will witness the soft launch of new outdoor rebates, encouraging tree plantings, landscape conversions, and submetering technology.
A noteworthy addition to our arsenal is the Demand Dashboard, a cutting-edge technology enabling the identification of indoor and outdoor water use trends. This tool will play a pivotal role in assessing water and land use relationships, aiding in the identification of potential conservation targets. The visual representation of water usage data and trends will inform decision-making and guide our conservation efforts.
A significant undertaking in 2024 involves direct installs in apartment complexes. Adopting a comprehensive approach, we will assess every unit for leaks, retrofitting them with more efficient shower heads, aerators and toilets. This initiative has the potential to replace hundreds of toilets with more efficient models, contributing significantly to water saved.
Looking ahead, 2024 marks the lead-up to a comprehensive re-write of our 5-year water conservation plan. This effort presents a unique opportunity to align with the City’s Santa Fe 2100 long-range water plan and integrate a new public messaging tool called the Water Resources Indicator.
As we navigate the challenges of 2024, the Water Conservation Committee will play a crucial role in evaluating all our programming. Together, we will craft a robust plan for the next five years. Stay connected with us and be prepared to provide essential input in the month of July. Your involvement is key as we continue our collective effort to conserve water for a sustainable future.
