Media Corner

For Immediate Release
April 16, 2007

Conservation Master Plan

The Central Basin Municipal Water District was formed in 1952 by a vote of the public to help mitigate the over-pumping of underground water resources in southeast Los Angeles County by providing supplemental water. Today, with 227-square miles of territory and an ever-growing population, the District fully recognizes the importance of meticulous planning of future resource needs. Conservation is a critical resource component of the Integrated Resource Planning process; the goal being a master plan portfolio of conservation programs that deliver a high volume of water savings at a cost-effective price.

The Conservation Master Plan is described in seven chapters providing detailed information on the approach, data procurement and analysis, available water conservation opportunities, potential program concepts and the stakeholder process, a recommended program mix and funding opportunities, and suggested updates to the master plan.

Click here to read the Conservation Master Plan

Chapter 1 provides an overview of our approach to developing the master plan. The specific tasks included:

• Gathering end-user data and organize by sector
• Brainstorming potential conservation program concepts
• Recommending viable programs
• Developing program modules
• Recommending a program mix and 5 year plan
• Finalizing the Conservation Master Plan
• Performing economic analysis

Chapter 2 provides an overview of the data-intensive background work required to complete the master plan. This chapter details information on data gathering methods, data content, data validation, and provides examples of results obtained. The sources of data included:

• Account level water consumption data
• Industrial Classification Codes (NAICS) matched to
• Assessor parcel data relating public information on parcels
• Urban water management plans required by the state
• Demographic information collected by the U.S. Bureau of census
• Geocoding information matched to accounts (latitude and longitude)

Chapter 3 details the opportunities derived from the analysis of the four major markets: residential, commercial, industrial and landscape-irrigation. This chapter lists the specific technologies that were identified as potentially viable, and the evaluation process used to determine the criteria that defined a successful program.

Chapter 4 describes the development of specific program concepts and the review of optimal delivery methods for each technology under consideration. Using a broad economic analysis, the program costs and a list of benefits were projected for each program concept. This chapter also covers input received at the stakeholder workshops and how the program concepts evolved in response to stakeholder feedback.

Chapter 5 sets forth the Recommended Program Mix presented to the Central Basin Board and the 5 Year Implementation Plan that details the timing and resource requirements of the Recommended Program Mix. This Recommended Program Mix is broad and deep. Each program is described in considerable detail in this chapter.

Chapter 6 reviews funding opportunities from sources outside of Central Basin. These funding sources include regional funding from MWD of Southern California, state funding from the Department of Water Resources, federal funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and funding from energy utilities and other outside funding partners. There is a strong public policy precedent for the joint sharing of project costs by the joint beneficiaries of project results.

Chapter 7 provides a temporal perspective of the lifecycle of conservation programs. Water conservation programs go through a growth stage as implementers learn what works—how water use efficiency can be delivered cost-effectively. Similarly, as markets become saturated with specific types of water use efficiency measures, implementation costs can rise. It is important for Central Basin to ensure that this Conservation Master Plan remains a living document—aware of new opportunities for tomorrow's conservation programs and alert to declining possibilities to some of yesterday's conservation programs.

The Appendices provide an overview of the universe of conservation measures provided to stakeholders early in the process (Appendix A); a sample from the second stage economic analysis (Appendix B); and, for the sake of completeness, copies of the two stakeholder workshop presentations (Appendices C and D) alluded to in Chapter 4.

Click here to read the Conservation Master Plan