Residential Outdoor Watering Restrictions: A Closer Look at Assigned Days

Transcription

1 Residential Outdoor Watering Restrictions: A Closer Look at Assigned Days Anita Castledine Klaus Moeltner Michael K. Price Shawn Stoddard Presented at the workshop Understanding Residential Water Use: New Approaches to Analyzing, Projecting, and Managing Demand, Arizona State University, May 11, / 29

2 setting the stage 2 / 29

3 setting the stage 3 / 29

4 setting the stage Monthly water use, typical Reno resident use (1000 gals.) jan feb mar apr may jun jul aug sep oct nov dec 4 / 29

5 setting the stage and 70s), watering one day a peratures rise (80s and 90s), recommended. For properly uring the hottest part of the indy or during the heat of the, but evaporation is high. In ces prohibit watering between ough Labor Day. local evapotranspiration (ET) information can be found at bs, it is ideal to keep trees out of ound trees and shrubs to hold ovide good drainage. Newly ust have the emitters located area. However, as the tree ted outward, toward the tree s that trees and shrubs require munityforestry.org. Guide to Assigned-Day Watering and Lawn Care in the Truckee Meadows Here in the high desert, lawns and other plants need strong root systems to stay healthy. This guide is designed to help you keep your yard green and healthy throughout the year, while encouraging responsible water use at all times. During the summer, demand on the water system is extremely high. Our customers water usage increases 400% or about 100 million gallons per day system wide. Outdoor watering is the primary reason for this increase. Therefore, it is especially important for all customers to manage their usage during the summer. The Assigned-Day watering program is the cornerstone for efficient water management throughout the year. A direct benefit of the program is the balance and management of peak-day consumption throughout our water system. This has helped Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) avoid costly facility expansions that would increase rates for all our customers. As an added bonus, responsible water use at home and at work saves money on your water bill. Customers often wonder if the water we save is used for growth. The answer is no. Water saved by current residents is not allowed to be used for growth. The unused water is retained for drought reserves or stays in the Truckee River. It cannot be re-allocated for new homes or buildings. No watering between noon and 6 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Mondays are a no-watering day to replenish and maintain the water system. Please don t water when it s raining or windy, or when temperatures are too high. Check your irrigation clock routinely and adjust according to watering needs. Guide to Assigned-Day Watering and Lawn Care in the Truckee Meadows established. If you re planting d, it s wise to do it in the spring cooler and there is less stress s to obtain a 6-week watering w lawns. To obtain a variance, So, when preparing and irrigating your yard throughout the year, be sure to follow these helpful tips. You will keep your landscape healthy and water demands down for the entire community, all while saving money on your bill. Questions? For more information, visit our Web site at Expert advice on gardening can be found by calling the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension at Truckee Meadows Water Authority is a not-fo r-pr community-owned water utilit y and citizen appointees f rom Reno, Sparks and Washoe Count y. 5 / 29

6 setting the stage Outdoor Watering Restrictions Standard DSM tool in many communities 6 / 29

7 setting the stage Outdoor Watering Restrictions Standard DSM tool in many communities More effective than price signals 6 / 29

8 setting the stage Outdoor Watering Restrictions Standard DSM tool in many communities More effective than price signals Politically palatable 6 / 29

9 setting the stage Outdoor Watering Restrictions Standard DSM tool in many communities More effective than price signals Politically palatable Likely to grow in popularity (increasing storage costs under global warming) 6 / 29

10 motivation Motivation No existing research on optimal design of OWRs 7 / 29

11 motivation Motivation No existing research on optimal design of OWRs Exploit local policy change (2 assigned days 3 assigned days) 7 / 29

12 motivation Motivation No existing research on optimal design of OWRs Exploit local policy change (2 assigned days 3 assigned days) Exploit rich variation in weekly watering patterns 7 / 29

13 motivation Main questions Did policy change affect weekly use? 8 / 29

14 motivation Main questions Did policy change affect weekly use? Did policy change affect weekly peaks? 8 / 29

15 motivation Main questions Did policy change affect weekly use? Did policy change affect weekly peaks? Do households that follow assigned days conserve more water? 8 / 29

16 findings Main findings Policy change did not affect weekly use. 9 / 29

17 findings Main findings Policy change did not affect weekly use. Policy change lowered peaks. 9 / 29

18 findings Main findings Policy change did not affect weekly use. Policy change lowered peaks. Households that follow assigned days more closely use more water, have higher peaks. 9 / 29

19 findings Main findings Policy change did not affect weekly use. Policy change lowered peaks. Households that follow assigned days more closely use more water, have higher peaks. This holds under old and new policy, at any weekly frequency. 9 / 29

20 data Data Daily consumption (drive-by remote readings) 10 / 29

21 data Data Daily consumption (drive-by remote readings) summer 2008: 8,747 HHs, 52,666 obs. 10 / 29

22 data Data Daily consumption (drive-by remote readings) summer 2008: 8,747 HHs, 52,666 obs. summer 2010: 7,652 HHs, 48,573 obs. 10 / 29

23 data Data Daily consumption (drive-by remote readings) summer 2008: 8,747 HHs, 52,666 obs. summer 2010: 7,652 HHs, 48,573 obs. overlap: 1,766 HHs, 10,000 obs. / year 10 / 29

24 data Data 2008: 2 assigned days / week 11 / 29

25 data Data 2008: 2 assigned days / week 2010: 3 assigned days / week 11 / 29

26 data Data 2008: 2 assigned days / week 2010: 3 assigned days / week mild enforcement 11 / 29

27 data Data 2008: 2 assigned days / week 2010: 3 assigned days / week mild enforcement no restrictions on hand watering 11 / 29

28 data M T W T F Sat Sun 2008 odd y y even y y 2010 odd y y y even y y y 12 / 29

29 data 13 / 29

30 data 13 / 29

31 data 13 / 29

32 data 13 / 29

33 identification of watering days and types Watering days, id #2667 use (gals.) Watering days, id #3375 use (gals.) no watering watering 14 / 29

34 identification of watering days and types Sample composition Typical household has a variety of weekly watering patterns 15 / 29

35 identification of watering days and types Sample composition Typical household has a variety of weekly watering patterns We group them into schedule-based, SB and off-schedule, OS 15 / 29

36 identification of watering days and types Sample composition Typical household has a variety of weekly watering patterns We group them into schedule-based, SB and off-schedule, OS SB: assigned days, plus 0 additional days 15 / 29

37 identification of watering days and types Sample composition Typical household has a variety of weekly watering patterns We group them into schedule-based, SB and off-schedule, OS SB: assigned days, plus 0 additional days OS: at least 1 assigned day is skipped 15 / 29

38 identification of watering days and types Sample composition Typical household has a variety of weekly watering patterns We group them into schedule-based, SB and off-schedule, OS SB: assigned days, plus 0 additional days OS: at least 1 assigned day is skipped SB also includes category S, a perfectly schedule-consistent week 15 / 29

39 identification of watering days and types Sample composition Typical household has a variety of weekly watering patterns We group them into schedule-based, SB and off-schedule, OS SB: assigned days, plus 0 additional days OS: at least 1 assigned day is skipped SB also includes category S, a perfectly schedule-consistent week Thus: unit of analysis = household week 15 / 29

40 identification of watering days and types Examples Assigned days Observed watering days Type Sub-type Wednesday, Saturday Wednesday, Saturday SB S Wednesday, Saturday Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday SB - Wednesday, Saturday Monday, Saturday OS - Wednesday, Saturday Monday, Wednesday, Saturday SB - Wednesday, Saturday Monday, Wednesday, Sunday OS - 16 / 29

41 identification of watering days and types sample percent week types, 2008 sample percent week types, 2010 S SB OS 17 / 29

42 identification of watering days and types Only 19% of HHs always water with the same weekly frequency 18 / 29

43 identification of watering days and types Only 19% of HHs always water with the same weekly frequency Only 26% of HHs have all their weeks in SB 18 / 29

44 identification of watering days and types Only 19% of HHs always water with the same weekly frequency Only 26% of HHs have all their weeks in SB Only 4% of HHs have all their weeks in OS 18 / 29

45 identification of watering days and types Only 19% of HHs always water with the same weekly frequency Only 26% of HHs have all their weeks in SB Only 4% of HHs have all their weeks in OS 18 / 29

46 identification of watering days and types Only 19% of HHs always water with the same weekly frequency Only 26% of HHs have all their weeks in SB Only 4% of HHs have all their weeks in OS subtantial variability of week types across and within HHs 18 / 29

47 Policy Effect Compliance perfect compliance count % sample count % sample weeks 14, % 12, % HHs 1, % % 19 / 29

48 Policy Effect comply both years, n=4,697 / N=57 use /1 8/1 7/1 8/1 20 / 29

49 Policy Effect use overlap, all weeks, n=146,139 / N=1, use use /1 7/15 8/1 8/15 7/1 7/18 8/1 8/15 overlap, SB weeks, n=83,363 / N= 1, /1 7/15 8/1 8/15 7/1 7/18 8/1 8/15 overlap, OS weeks, n=62,776 / N=1,386 daily (gals.) weekly (10 gals.) /1 7/15 8/1 8/15 7/1 7/18 8/1 8/15 21 / 29

50 Policy Effect use full sample, all weeks, n=708,673 / N=14, use use /1 7/15 8/1 8/15 7/1 7/18 8/1 8/15 full sample, SB weeks, n=383,576 / N=11, /1 7/15 8/1 8/15 7/1 7/18 8/1 8/15 daily (gals.) weekly (10 gals.) full sample, OS weeks, n=325,108 / N=9, /1 7/15 8/1 8/15 7/1 7/18 8/1 8/15 22 / 29

51 Assigned Days Effect Weekly use, 3 watering days Weekly use, 4 watering days 1000 gals gals gals Weekly peak, 3 watering days 1000 gals Weekly peak, 4 watering days SB OS all / 29

52 Assigned Days Effect Estimation confirms descriptive results 24 / 29

53 Assigned Days Effect Estimation confirms descriptive results consumption increases with frequency, peaks stay flat 24 / 29

54 Assigned Days Effect Estimation confirms descriptive results consumption increases with frequency, peaks stay flat SB-type has 20% higher use than OS-type at same frequency 24 / 29

55 Assigned Days Effect Estimation confirms descriptive results consumption increases with frequency, peaks stay flat SB-type has 20% higher use than OS-type at same frequency SB-type has 30-40% higher peak than OS-type at same frequency 24 / 29

56 Assigned Days Effect Estimation confirms descriptive results consumption increases with frequency, peaks stay flat SB-type has 20% higher use than OS-type at same frequency SB-type has 30-40% higher peak than OS-type at same frequency peaks are reduced for SB-types in / 29

57 Assigned Days Effect Frequency = 2 watering days density mean(os)=4.563 mean(sb)= Frequency = 3 watering days density mean(os)=5.268 mean(sb)= Frequency = 4 watering days density mean(os)=5.831 mean(sb)=6.508 SB OS / 29

58 Assigned Days Effect Frequency = 2 watering days density mean(os)=1.597 mean(sb)= Frequency = 3 watering days density mean(os)=1.601 mean(sb)= Frequency = 4 watering days density mean(os)=1.635 mean(sb)=1.928 SB OS / 29

59 The wind hypothesis sample percent windy sample percent very windy S SB OS 27 / 29

60 The wind hypothesis Conclusion Frequency cap is is necessary to curb consumption 28 / 29

61 The wind hypothesis Conclusion Frequency cap is is necessary to curb consumption Policy change was move in right direction 28 / 29

62 The wind hypothesis Conclusion Frequency cap is is necessary to curb consumption Policy change was move in right direction Assigned weekly watering days may be counter-productive 28 / 29

63 The wind hypothesis Conclusion Frequency cap is is necessary to curb consumption Policy change was move in right direction Assigned weekly watering days may be counter-productive Perhaps let HHs choose days 28 / 29

64 The wind hypothesis Conclusion Frequency cap is is necessary to curb consumption Policy change was move in right direction Assigned weekly watering days may be counter-productive Perhaps let HHs choose days Enforce via outreach, nudging 28 / 29

65 The wind hypothesis Conclusion Frequency cap is is necessary to curb consumption Policy change was move in right direction Assigned weekly watering days may be counter-productive Perhaps let HHs choose days Enforce via outreach, nudging We need a real field experiment on this!! 28 / 29

66 The wind hypothesis 29 / 29