FLAGSTAFF — The city of Flagstaff was named to the Alliance for Water Efficiency’s Leaderboard on Sept. 23, 2020. This achievement is due to the city’s efforts developing and running an exemplary water conservation program. The city of Flagstaff Water Services Division is the first and only Arizona water utility on the leaderboard.
The Leadership Board designation is based on the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) G480 Standard which identifies 10 critical elements of an effective water conservation program that water providers can adopt at their own discretion. The ten elements include:dedicated staff for conservation efforts, conservation planning, integrated resources planning, public information and education, water waste ordinance, universal metering practices, non-promotional water rate, monthly or bi-monthly billing based on metered use, landscape efficiency program and water loss control program. The current levels of recognition are Bronze, Gold, and Platinum. The city of Flagstaff is recognized at the Gold level.
Pursuit of this recognition is a component of the Water Conservation Program’s Strategic Plan, which will be presented in its final form to the City Council this fall. The plan supports the previous goal of the Flagstaff City Council to become a national leader in water conservation. The city’s Water Conservation Manager, Tamara Lawless, adds “Our Strategic Plan was designed to ensure that we meet the standards of excellence proposed by the Leaderboard and to exceed those standards in the areas that matter most to the Flagstaff community.”
Water Resources Manager, Erin Young, suggests standards, such as those offered by AWWA, are key to accountability in utility performance. “The AWWA standards provide us with an honest assessment of where we stand on performance and the opportunity to gauge our work and outcomes against industry benchmarks. Being named to the Leaderboard is an honor and a reflection of our water conservation priorities and values.”
More information can be found at https://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org and selecting the link for G480 Std. & Leaderboard under the Resources tab.