Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Leonard Vialpando
Department: Resilient Environment Division: Natural Resources Division
Information
Requested Action
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MOTION TO APPROVE form interlocal agreement (“ILA”) for Broward County municipalities and water utilities to participate in Broward County’s NatureScape Irrigation Service (“NIS”) and Residential Irrigation Rebate (“RIR”) Programs, in substantially the form proposed in Exhibits 1 through 3; authorize the County Administrator to make nonmaterial modifications to the form ILA that do not increase cost or risk to the County and to execute ILAs with participating Broward municipalities and water utilities, subject to review and approval as to legal sufficiency by the Office of the County Attorney; and authorize the County Administrator to take any necessary administrative and budgetary actions to implement the agreements.
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Why Action is Necessary
Board approval is required to approve a form ILA and authorize the County Administrator to approve and execute the final ILAs.
What Action Accomplishes
This action authorizes the use of the form ILA and authorizes the County Administrator to approve and execute the final ILAs, subject to review and approval as to legal sufficiency.
Goal Related Icon(s)
☒County Commission
☒Go Green
☐MAP Broward
Previous Action Taken
None taken.
Summary Explanation/Background
THE RESILIENT ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT AND THE NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTION.
This item supports the County Commission’s Goal of Resilient Community of “ensuring accessible, seamlessly integrated investments in renewable energy, sustainable practices, manufacturing, resilient infrastructure, and environmental protection.”
Action on this item approves three form ILAs that, if executed with a Broward County municipality or water utility, would allow the municipality or water utility to participate in the County’s NIS and/or RIR Programs. Under these programs, the respective city or water utility reimburses Broward County’s Natural Resources Division for NIS evaluations performed by the County and/or residential irrigation rebates issued and administrative services associated with delivery of the regional programs. This is the fifth five-year renewal supporting NIS and RIR operations and demonstrates cost-effective collaborations in furtherance of regional water quality and water conservation goals.
The NIS is modeled after the State’s Mobile Irrigation Lab program and focuses on large municipal, water utility, and professionally managed properties where the potential for achieving significant water savings is greatest. The NIS conducts site assessments to measure current water consumption, evaluates current irrigation efficiencies, and provides recommendations for reducing water usage through more efficient irrigation system design and operation. The NIS also provides recommendations for landscape improvements in accordance with NatureScape Broward principles. To date, participants implementing NIS recommendation saved nearly 1.7 billion gallons of water. NIS services, on average, reduce the water usage at each site evaluated by twenty-one percent (21%).
In 2019, the County pilot-tested the Residential Irrigation Rebate Program, distributing 60 rebates to residents for irrigation system upgrades and providing education and guidance on efficient landscape irrigation practices. The applications for rebates under the pilot program well-exceeded the pilot program capacity, revealing a significant opportunity and need for a more sustained residential irrigation program component from the public.
The Programs’ performance is measured by the number of site evaluations completed in a year, number of rebates issued, and water savings achieved. This reporting procedure is consistent with State recommendations for goal-based water conservation initiatives and consumptive use permits issued by the South Florida Water Management District.
On December 6, 2005, Broward County entered into an ILA with twenty-one (21) municipal and water utility partners providing for an initial five-year partnership and cost-share funding to launch and operate an urban mobile irrigation lab (the NIS). The NIS partnership was renewed on April 13, 2010, with eighteen (18) municipal and water utility partners. At the March 17, April 14, and May 5, 2015, Commission meetings, the Board renewed the NIS ILA for a third five-year term, with nineteen (19) municipal and water utility partners participating. On May 19, 2020, the programs were renewed for a fourth five-year term with the seventeen (17) municipal and water utilities participating.
Source of Additional Information
Monica Pognon, Director, Natural Resources Division, (954) 519-1476.
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
The anticipated total funding to be provided to the County based on the ILAs is $1,333,862, over a period of five years, with in-kind services provided by Broward County. Collected revenues will be deposited in the Natural Resources Contracts Fund.