Steps
to apply for new water service (simplified)
1. Fill out New
Water Service Application Request.
2. Talk with
engineering
staff about proposed project to have a preliminary Water
Demand Offset Requirement number calculated and fees
determined.
3. Pay for
Will Serve application fee - $300 and the application is
presented to the Board of Directors for approval. The
Board of Directors meet twice a month.
5. Building
permits are obtained.
6. Final
Water Demand Offset Fee is calculated and all fees are paid.
7. New water
service and meter is installed.
water demand offset?
The
Soquel Creek Water District is committed to balancing water
supplies and demand. Currently our demand is above the supply
ie. the sustainable yield of the aquifers. To avoid overdraft
and possibly salt water intrusion along the coast we must curb
water demand today. The "Water Demand Offset" (WDO)
ordinance was created to avoid a moratorium on development in the
Soquel Creek Water District to extend our existing supplies
until a supplemental water supply can be developed.
water demand offset
program overview
NEW Procedures 5/6/09
Our
policy (Resolution
No. 03-31) requires applicants for new water service to offset
1.2 times the amount of water the new development is projected
to use so that there is a "zero impact" on the
District’s water supply.
Applicants for
new service have their expected future water demand calculated
in acre-feet of water used per year based on the
size and use of the proposed development. To meet the Water Demand Offset
requirement the new applicant pays an offset fee to the District to pay for
the installation of high-efficiency toilets and grass
replacement projects for existing customers.
Calculating water demand offset demand
To assure you receive the proper water demand offset credit
requirements you must
first contact the District and present the proposed building
plans. Once you have received
your building permit, the District will calculate
your expected water demand and determine the offset fee based
on the offset credit. For planning purposes you can download
the water
demand offset requirement calculation sheet to see how the
demand is calculated.
"Go Green" and receive a
lowered Water Demand Offset credit - put in the
plan to Install water efficient fixtures that exceed the current
building requirements and receive a lowered WDO offset credit
requirement and fee.
For more info on how to save money through this program click
here for residential development. Or click
here for commercial development. (pdf format)
Once the total required offset credit has been paid for,
changing the ownership of the site or minor details of the
project will not affect the offset credit that has been
approved. However, changes in water use or additions to the
project may require additional water demand calculations.
Developers are allowed to transfer or sell their credits to
another project/developer (at cost) if
their "original" project is not permitted. The
developer cannot sell or transfer "leftover" credits
from a project.
how
is the water
saved? High-efficiency
fixture retrofits and turf replacement -
The Soquel Creek Water District administers the retrofits of
fixtures. The District hires a licensed plumbing contractor to
purchase and install high-efficiency toilets, showerheads, faucet
aerators, and zero-water urinals to replace higher water-use fixtures in existing
buildings in the Soquel Creek Water District. The District
also rebates existing customers to replace high water use turf
with water smart landscaping or synthetic turf. The new water
service applicant's water demand offset fee pays for these
water conserving measures.
The water demand offset fee is required to
be paid before water service is approved and is contingent on
the availability of credits.
Write
to the Conservation Department or engineering for more
information about your project and the WDO program
requirements.
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