Water+Conservation+Advisory+Committee+February_26_2014_Minutes

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 Time: 4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Location: LSRCA Boardroom, 120 Bayview Parkway, Newmarket

Participants:

Cheri Buxton, Tracey Carrigan, Amos Chan, Emay Cowx, Arlene Etchen, Renee Jarrett, Sarah Kurtz, Jeroen Louwers, Sonya Meek, Lorelie Noble, Leigh Paulseth, Kathryn Powell, Vicki Puterbough, Melissa Rosato, Carol Salisbury, Kent Shadwick, Petra Vollmerhausen

Regrets: John Mill, Suzanne Smoke

Agenda Topic: Welcome & Agenda Review Discussion Leader: Cheri Buxton

Discussion: Q: Question A: Answer S: Suggestion New members were presented the Water Is campaign overview & Long Term Water Conservation Strategy from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at which time the returning committee members joined the meeting. The questions below stemmed from the overview presentation to new members. Q: How does the conservation strategy fit in with community energy planning done by municipalities? A: It has been recognized as a gap right now but industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) capacity buyback program it is traditionally going in to review indoor water use. This will be expanding to include wastewater, and in the summer will be adding outdoor water. The intent is to partner with the energy sector in the future because it has been observed that with so many different groups trying come in to perform evaluations it becomes overwhelming, a waste of resources and people say no resulting in some assessments not being performed. Q: Is the idea of the Sustainable Development Project to be a benchmark program? A: Yes, there is monitoring pre-development, during, and post development. The monitoring during construction is to make sure the construction practices are not damaging the surrounding environment, and post development is reviewing the Low Impact Development features to determine if they are meeting the goals that were established. Q: Will the sustainable development project be open to the public to tour, or will you have a showcase? A: It is a residential neighbourhood so you can walk around, however lots of the development was underground so tours are not going to be of much benefit. Q: What garden centres have taken interest in the native plants & Low Impact Development? A: York Region currently has a strong partnership with 9 garden centre partners so it expected that the program will be strong. The letter regarding this program has not been sent to the Regional centres regarding the native plants yet. The actual number of locations will not be known for another couple months. Q: Is landscaping and irrigation the main water use for the York Region residents? A: 80% of summer water consumption is for outdoor usage. Q: Because the summer is short in Canada how much of that 80% usage is effecting the overall year round water consumption? A: Infrastructure is ‘size for peak’ so the biggest cost savings would be during that peak season. Previous incentives that the Region offered have made a shift in the market so the products are now standard in stores. Now the focus has to be on new incentives focusing on the peak which will include sprinkler systems. This is because they are becoming a popular product and systems are being installed by the ‘do it yourselfer’ with no guarantee it is installed correctly or water efficient. Q: There was a pilot project in Peel region where they chose sites for a 5 year agreement where the

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Region provided landscaping if they removed their irrigation system. A: York is partnering with Peel, but the approach is going to be different. The new tactic will be targeting the service sector contractors so that when installations are happening they are being put in at optimal use. Typical installation has been set to run 3 times a week but that is not need. Educating contractors that you can program the systems to use less water and still keep grass green. This program will start with water irrigation systems, but will be moving into outdoor integrated water management approach, hydro-zoning which is planting things that require the same amount of water in the future. Q: How does a neighbourhood change the fact that their lawn/ground cover has been installed with the wrong seed? A: The Region recognizes that systems are in place and people have the right to landscape the way they want. It is our job to educate and provide tools to the professionals that will be performing the landscaping so more locations are not developed with species that require large amounts of water. Q: At the Federal government do they have initiatives that can bridge what the municipality is working on? A: It is really more a focus for the municipalities to work on and not expect Federal financial support. The long term strategy might be able to get funding regarding energy with a partnership. The Provincial level has supported the Region with initiatives and a member of the Ministry of Environment does attend this committee. Q: What percentage of residents in York Region use well water? A: 5% of residents. Q: Will most incentives be for municipal water usage? A: Educational resources are for anyone to apply regardless of their water supply, the rebates are currently specific to those on municipal systems. Q: Promoting water conservation in the soil is an important aspect to the development and sustainability of native plant gardens. Do you have an education piece on how to condition your soil? A: Lots of people perceive the sustainable native gardens as weedy and unattractive. York Regions focus is to pick 15 plants that are easily maintained, accessible, and look nice building the willingness to plant them. There is no specific promotion on soil conditioning, however other partners do and we can look into building it into education. S: You could move towards more natural environments at school locations. Under Eco school certification process there is a component regarding sustainability which could build the locations visible to the public. A: There was a discussion with the board to get all the Irrigation contractors certified that work with the school board. A: The catholic school board has decommissioned irrigation systems. Q: What is being done with the ICI sector? A: There is an ICI buyback program currently being offered by the Region, but there has not been much uptake. The current participants have been great spokes people generating interest in others and this year’s spaces are almost full, this is also because we are including water & wastewater which has been a concern for many organizations. Q: Are the ICI facilities with heavy water use mainly for toilet or is there heavy water usage in the Region? A: There are many food processing plants, and some different manufacturing plants in York Region. We go in and provide an assessment so they can see how and where they use their water and how to save. The biggest barrier has been sewer discharge, and the nutrient load which could have a fee depending on the load level. Q: Has there been analysis on land ownership by sector or company? A: It is being reviewed and analysed by the Region but that information can be found through MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation). Q: The 15 native plant species being focused on, are they currently available in garden centres?

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A: No they will have to be ordered, which is what needs to be done now so they will be available to the public next spring. S: Markham has a very successful native plant sale done with volunteers. Q: Is the Region working with wild flower farms? A: There aren’t too many in York Region. We have been in contact with some of the native plant growers and discussed the list of plants to see if they would be achievable to grow the large quantities to distribute for the centres in the Region and they believe it is. Q: Is there a composting soil facility where the public can go and access earth to amend and condition their yard? A: Miller has a contract where you can purchase material by the yard. You can also compost your own in the backyard. Action Items: Person Responsible:

Deadline:

Agenda Topic: Long Term Water Conservation Discussion Questions

Discussion Leader: Vicki Puterbough

Discussion: Last year was spent reviewing the Long Term Water Conservation Strategy and opportunities. We would like feedback on these new initiatives and large programs which will be starting shortly.

1.) Water Smart Irrigation Professionals Certification Program a.) Do you have any other suggestions for a rebate and incentive structure? b.) What do you see as the barriers and opportunities to this approach? c.) How should we market this program to ensure the Region is reflecting value for

the money being allocated? d.) What are other ways that we can showcase the success of this (and other)

programs outside of direct water savings? This pilot program will start running in March with 17 contractors. They will attend a 2 days in class education session then have a full day of testing regarding irrigation landscaping. There was an irrigation sub-committee established which has been helping develop the course. The intent is to instill a maintenance program to assess the systems at least once a year. This will help contractors build a relationship with the customer, and also reduce the amount of water usage due to damaged/broken systems. The next phase of this program is to determine the rebates and incentives. The proposed rebate structure will be for irrigation contractors that graduate the program. They will then be provided with access to rebate offers in York & Peel Region. In order to qualify for the rebates they will have to perform irrigation assessments on a minimum of 5 locations that have a 0.5 acre facility or greater. The Region will provide them $500 to perform this assessment. From these assessments the intent is to have the contractors sign up customers on a 3 year maintenance contract which would cost on average $300/year. If contractors have customers that are willing to install water saving products to their system then this program will offer the following rebate: $600 for a Smart Metre $1000 for a Central Controller which is a top of the line product Rain sensors will not be part of the offers as they have a tendency to break, and the other two products come with rain sensors. Q: What is the cost of the program to the contractors? A: Cost for certification is currently free because it is a pilot project. Q: How in their service do they regulate the rules of the town for watering?


A: Many municipalities have odd/even watering. Landscaping does not typically require that much water, the central controllers and Smart Meter can be scheduled for specific days for watering. There is also discussion with municipalities about their regulations, but they will not be changed at this time. Q: Why did the suggested rebate price go up from what was provided in the handout? A: Contractors have not been provided information about the potential rebates as of yet. These amounts are being discussed with the sub-committee to determine what would be a realistic incentive to attract action. Q: Will there be a charge to the customer for the maintenance package or will the $300 cover the work? A: Money will be provided to the contractor. The contractors can charge the customer, however many people are seeing maintenance programs as money grabs and not signing up. This fee which is being offered by the Regions is to allow the service to be performed without the need to charge a client. Some clients may have larger properties where the $300 might not be enough to cover the time needed to do the maintenance and a charge might be applied. This program is being put into the contractor’s hands to establish a business model. Home owners will know there is an incentive to the contractors and they can ask about the rebate. This program will be monitored to determine if the contractors are abusing the system at which point they will be removed from the initiative. Q: Is there a key message that will be presented to the general public? A: Next step will be to determine how to market the value of the program, why water conservation is important, and how much water irrigation systems use. Consultants are currently determining the best ways to promote that. Q: Could you make a standardized contract outlining what services they could/will provide? A: Through this program an App was created for contractors to input their data from the site and generate a report. The reports us a standard template for consistency and ease of understanding. The plain language shows the resident and contractor how much water is being used, how they can reduce the water usage and what is required to do so. Q: Will the app data only be provided to the contractor and the customer? A: York & Peel have 100% access to all data collected. Q: How are privacy issues concerns being addressed regarding the sharing of the private home owner information? A: Contractors have asked for assistance drafting a letter to advise customers about the pilot program and requirements of information to be exchanged with the Region. Currently the program is just for ICI sector and not home owners. There is discussion about assigning numbers to clients to protect privacy. Q: How will this program be effective for those that own and maintain their own systems in residential areas? A: This pilot is only focusing on industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors. There is consideration to include multi-residential buildings in a later phase. Q: Has there been thought to include salesmanship and marketing in the training to the contractors? You could also review the assessments to determine some common issues which could allow for lower cost on product negotiations? A: One of the modules in the training is salesmanship as it has been identified as a barrier for the contractors. The sub-committee has the 3 largest distributers on it but there has not been much support for cost negotiations at this time. York Region and/or Peel Region would not negotiate orders. That would be something for the contractors to discuss. If there is demand the distributers might re-evaluate. S: The program needs to define what a Smart Meter or Central Controller are so that when new products enter the market they are clearly defined as eligible or not. A: There are industry standards and definitions for these products. For this pilot the central controllers used will have to be WaterSense certified.


Q: There is no reference to institutions that are connected to the water supply. If they have their own water supply, not municipal water for irrigation, what is the process? A: This has not been discussed because all the contractors we are currently working with are using municipal water sources. We’ll have to review for potential future clients. S: If the incentive is to reduce the load on the system, we will need to add as a requirement. Q: Is there a reason to not include the residential? A: Currently it is a budgetary standpoint. It would be too much to contain at the moment. The high water users at this point in York Region & Peel Region are ICI users. There are plans to move into residential sectors in the future. York Region is currently creating a DIY guidebook to be provided point of purchase to residents buying their own systems to install. It will provide info. On the importance of water conservation and how to install an optimized system Q: Will there be any promotion to site facilities regarding the awareness of this program? A: For the pilot it has been agreed upon that it will be up to the contractors to promote within their existing customers as not to steal clients from each other, but in the future promotions will exist. Q: How much funding is available for this program? A: This year York Region removed indoor rebates and that money will be allocated towards the project. Q: Could training be developed so both contractors and a facility manager attend so in the future it allows for a better understanding and partnership? A: We have partnered with Landscape Ontario to assist with the project, but funding is not something the Regions want to be continuing. Landscape Ontario will own the program and take across the province once the pilot is completed. Q: Will there be another round of training? A: Yes, as long as the program has uptake. If not, the program will have to be reassessed. Q: Why will water savings not be immediate? Is that because of the current cost of water? Aren’t all projections that water rates are going up? Do the irrigation systems require energy to operate? If so then will you incorporate that into the cost? A: There is minimal energy used, but most systems are based on pressure. The minimal energy cost is not incorporated. The average ICI sector will save 10,000 L of water/day Q: With the ICI sector could you push towards a green team? A: There can be messaging focused towards green teams, but currently the success has been promoting the decrease of the surcharges and increased revenues. Q: Instead of offering incentives could you promise a dollar value savings? A: That is part of the app calculations; we would not guarantee a cost savings because irrigation is dependent on weather. Q: Will that facility being assessed know the Region is participating in the project? A: Yes they will. There will also be follow up audits to confirm the work is done properly and working efficiently. Q: Box stores or malls have the islands in the parking lots which often have dead plants. Are there incentives to go to locations to have them make the changes to native plants? A: The app allows you to take images and put them into the report for the facility to review. Since the appearance is often a fix which can be performed for little cost and quickly the analysis of water used is easily explained for cost savings. Currently these islands would only be discussed with an ICI location if they are in the pilot program. Q: Are golf courses ICI? A: No. They are currently not identified in the terms and conditions, but we will consider adding some work around golf courses. They are not connected to municipal water. Q: Is there recognition for the companies that participate? A: Might provide them a plaque, but still reviewing recognition promotions.


S: If there is something visible on the lawn, it could build trust so others can see the use. Might be able to put the actual number of water saved on the facilities lawn. Q: When they do the maintenance how messy is the look after? A: They can use pressure gauges on the heads, and review the landscape to determine leaks based on vision. There have not been complaints about locations being messy after an assessment has been made. Q: Are part of the requirements going to be the new piping which has come out recently? A: That is a different level of retrofitting which is not going to be part of the incentives. The intent is not to replace an entire system. Q: Have you thought about what will happen if during an assessment it is determined that a system is deficient? A: That happens quite frequently. It does not necessarily mean the system must be completely removed. Retrofits can often resolve the problems. S: Professionals in the industry are being given tools and knowledge to enhance the market. Scale might be difficult to expand the market in a timely approach if your contractors are limited to a small amount. If more people to sign up for training then spots available could run into unfair advantage of who is part of the program. Q: Did you get more applicants then spots available for the first trial? A: At the beginning of the application process there was not a concern about spacing which was maxed at 20 applications. As incentives are being developed more interest and certification programs are currently being offered so that contractors do meet the requirements. S: Should have communications established from the residential side to answer why tax dollars are being focused to ICI and not residential programing. S: Include in part of the communication strategy the measurements, and success stories. If the ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of water, also provide the base line data to show how successful the program is on a look back review. Q: Is the program running already in Peel? A: Peel Region has been doing an outdoor water assessment with an offer of $2500-$3500 for a SMART/ central control system. There has been little uptake on the rebates. Due to this, the pilot project is focusing on a different approach. WSIP is a partnership between Peel, York and Landscape Ontario. Q: Would the ultimate goal be not to have the irrigation systems at all? A: Right now trying to work with the service sector to have a market transformation. In the future might need to review the decommissioning of irrigation systems all together but that is currently not the focus.

2.) Low Impact Development and Native Plants a.) This is an extremely ambitious program with a lot of potential. How do we

manage all the partners that are showing interest? b.) Who should host this program/be the lead advocate for it? c.) How can we create “branding” that encompasses the needs of all the potential

partners? d.) Are there any other aspects of this program that we are missing that could help

contribute to its success? The current assumption that has been made is that people don’t have lots of time or interest in starting large garden projects, or if they do they don’t know where to start. York Region wants to create a web tool for people to see 3D visibility of their landscape to establish a template for native gardening. The web tool will then provide coupon incentives to local stores for the person to purchase sustainable products for their garden. A list of 15 native plants has been established which will be what is launched to the public as water efficient, manageable plants for their gardens. Roll out for this initiative to the public would be Spring of 2015.


This concept has been pitched to neighbouring GTA communities with the hopes that it could become a GTA wide program with the same icons and in store displays to maintain constant labeling and iconography. The Alliance for Better Water Efficiency in the States has offered to host the program, and Landscape Ontario and Canadian landscape association are currently vetting the program so there is lots of interest at the moment. S: Set up a communication task force and pull in the key players. Identify the primary champion/sponsor that can develop one template and collaborate so each individual can tailor to their organization so they may be able to add their own logo. Make sure there is accountability for each partnership. The players at the table should share the resources required to launch: financial, administration support, etc. Have the municipalities contribute financially and others partners that do not have financial capability to supply resources, but have them make a commitment over a period of time. S: Shut the door to new partnerships and allow it to develop with the group that has been established. In the future once requirements are established you can open it up again for more support. If you can determine what the goal for the implementation partners are, it will make the program easier to manage. Q: Do you know what the partner expectations are, and is there a common ground? A: One of the staff and the consultant are creating a list of questions to be sent out to all the partners to determine their expectations. That way we can also gear the common look and feel of the program for all groups. S: If going with a big box store as a partnership you might want to look into Canadian owned stores. With the alliance willing to assist, there is risk that it might become American and not Canadian/York Region initiative. One small element of this initiative is that it assists Low Impact Development (LID); need to make sure that branding is not LID specific. There are technique components of LID but the program itself should not be LID focused. If you look at something such as Eco Schools they created the brand and it now stands for something. S: Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s) might be able to partner to provide assistance to residents with the beginning gardening, having volunteers come to your house and assisting with the initial planting. S: Foodland Ontario is a local brand it would be great to have something like that on your plants to know they are regional/native to Ontario. Q: What are the 15 species and why are you limiting them to 15? A: Didn’t want to overwhelm box stores with a vast list of potentials. The 15 that were chosen are aesthetically pleasing, non-aggressive, and water efficient. There has also been discussion with growers to determine that they could be available for distribution in Spring 2015. Q: Will the brand and labeling created be available for use on other plants? A: Yes future lists will be able to use the branding. Q: Are you going to target first time gardeners, or people that enjoy changing out plants each year, would have to train people about the different gardeners out there? A: Train the trainer program that will be rolled out to box stores will target anyone that comes to purchase plants. The program will teach staff how to educate residents on the importance of native plants, and the best way to sell to different customers. S: New developments will offer landscaping packages for new homes. Has there been discussion of working with them to use native plants. They at times also partner with local greenhouses that bring plants to a new neighbourhood for residents creating their own in the Spring. This way your new subdivisions will be provided with water efficient, native plants.


S: Keep the branding for the program generic so any partners could use in the future and reference in their own promotions. S: Because native plants are geographically defined there needs to be an awareness of how far and wide will this program reaches. During education training, emphasis on this will be important so that if staff members change stores they do not assume the native plants are still the same. S: You might want to consider a partnership with Habitat for Humanity because they require community support for the entire build including landscaping. This would tie into community marketing, and they also have corporate sponsorships including big box stores which might be the same partners you are seeking. S: Marketing with real gardens and real people will help educate the public. Demonstration gardens at the town offices, libraries, and schools with signage. Q: Has there been a marketing budget established for the gardens? A: Want to start the promotions prior to the launch in stores by 2015. The partnership is the current focus but do not have the financial budget from all contributors established. S: The EcoSchools program has a component that provides credits to schools that have sustainable school grounds. Using the 15 plants could assist them in attaining those credits, and if they were provided a plaque they could install in the garden, more awareness would be generated. S: LEAF (Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests), in partnership with York Region, provides street clean up initiatives with tree seedlings. The program might be able to change to native plants because not everyone can plant a tree. Evergreen host tree planting events on regular bases. Could provide hands on education to the volunteers at these events. How to get the community involve: Seed library ~ take seeds and plant them, and then can harvest and return them the following year, and can do an exchange. There is a location in Markham. Community gardens ~ pilot gardens would be great locations S: SNAP (Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan) Eco Landscaping Program Strategy is to make connections with professional landscape designers that are willing to provide discounts for concepts. SNAP is offering 8 free designs with a minimum of 60% native plants. This would also provide new templates, photography options, and testimonies. These new templates could be used for your locations. S: Richmond Hill has Canadian Blooms which provides awards to home gardens. You might be able to include a new category of sustainability into the award qualifications. Troubling issues:

1.) Potentially increase of water as gardens are established 2.) Exclusive natives are hard to source. 3.) Perception of the scruffy garden as not appealing and that nice gardens require maintenance.

The brand/label can’t be LID because that has become yet another ‘buzz’ word in marketing with vast definitions such as ‘natural’ or ‘organic. There needs to be some form of creditability so people understand what they are actually purchasing. Bottom line needs to be “you will save water”. Action Items: Send out list of 15 native plants to group

Person Responsible: Vicki Puterbough

Deadline: March 28, 2014

Agenda Topic: Wrap Up Discussion Leader: Cheri Buxton

Discussion: Biographies of new members will be posted online shortly


Anyone with comments on questions 3 & 4 which we did not discuss please forward them to Cheri Buxton at: [email protected] or Vicki Puterbough at: [email protected] Meetings will continue to be on Wednesday evenings for this committee. We will be adjusting the meeting time from last year so the meetings will start at 5:00 pm. If anyone has a venue we can use to host our meetings please let us know as space at the Region can be challenging to book. Action Items: Source meeting room for WCAC April meeting.

Person Responsible: Kathryn Powell

Deadline: Completed

Next Meeting: April 30, 2014 at the York Region District School Board on Harry Walker


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Water+Conservation+Advisory+Committee+February_26_2014_Minutes