City Council to Discuss Water Conservation Wednesday

In wake of South Pas receiving a poor rating in the Sierra Club's 2010 water efficiency study, City Council members are slated to discuss possible amendments to the Municipal Code Wednesday. 

"We are in the process of working to bring recommendations to amend the City's
municipal code via an ordinance that will specifically address compliance with recently passed assembly bills and issues raised by the Sierra Club," said Interim City Manager Sergio Gonzalez.

South Pasadena ranked 111 out of 122 incorporated cities in Sierra Club Angeles Chapter's study and failed in 12 of 19 water conservation measures evaluated. Overall, the City scored poor out of four categories: Best, good, poor and worst. 

As a result, City Council will consider the following recommendations Wednesday:

• Consider initiating amendments to the Municipal Code and the Mission Street Specific Plan to require that commercial and residential developments and certain landscaping only projects provide water-conserving landscaping.
• Provide direction on the scope of this amendment.
• Adopt a Resolution of Intent to initiate a Municipal Code amendment.

Fixing the Problem 

South Pas has already taken some steps towards water efficiency. by City Council Dec. 2010 with residents experiencing a 30 percent increase in March 2011.

The City is also slated to hire a conservation coordinator with a portion of that earmarked money.

Yet despite these efforts, South Pasadena still has room to improve in the following areas, according to Sierra Club’s survey:

• Residential Water Efficiency Measures and Commercial Water Efficiency Measures: evaluates city regulations such as toilets being rated at 1.28 gallons per flush. 
• Efficient Commercial & Industrial Processes: evaluates water efficient equipment for food processing, laundry, car wash, and water-cooling system.
• Efficient Municipal Best Practices: evaluates city best practices for water reuse, recycled water, reclaimed water and general use of non-potable water where available.  

Sierra Club did not rate South Pas in Efficient Landscape Irrigation because the City is not yet in compliance with state law

Read more here on how Fair Oaks landscape designs were revised to fall in line with AB 1881.

"A code change would have needed an act of Council and that never happened, putting us two years out of compliance," said NREC and Water Council member Drew Ready.

“... We have a long way to go but there is no reason a city as smart as ours can't reduce water waste, improve our conservation score and become a model for water efficiency for our region,” he continued.

See Sierra Club's South Pas scorecard and details of the study attached.