Water matters: City seeking water advisors
Aug. 6—Are you interested in serving on an advisory committee that helps shape policies and programs related to water conservation in the city? The city's Water Conservation Committee (WCC) is made up of 10 committee members and is chaired by City Councilor Carol Romero-Wirth. One of the members serves in a dual role as a county resident who represents county interests and concerns related to water conservation. The WCC plays an important role and is active on many fronts in considering how to keep Santa Fe a recognized leader in the Southwest for its water conservation program.
The city's Water Conservation Program considers itself to be public input driven. The WCC was instrumental in helping develop a public input process that would allow the public to engage in the city's planning efforts. After 2,100 pieces of public input were collected, the five-year Drought Management Plan was written, and a five-year scorecard that tracked the program's goals and performance indicators was developed. The public's input was organized into short-term and long-term focus points and was further aligned with other city department programs that had a funded water conservation element. The WCC not only helped facilitate the public input sessions but also worked with staff to develop the scorecard. The public asked that the program remain transparent and that they continue to be involved. Therefore, progress, as reflected on the scorecard, is posted on the website every July. Through a series of public meetings and information gathered on the website savewatersantafe.com, public input is gathered to help inform the next year's scorecard.
The Water Conservation Committee also works on focused topics in subcommittee groups. Currently, the subcommittees established focus on the outdoor and commercial sectors. Another subcommittee is comprised of members of the city's Water Conservation Committee and the county's Water Policy Advisory Committee to look at joint city/county water conservation initiatives. The WCC also helps develop neighborhood pilot projects and commercial pilot projects that allow small-scale examinations of what is possible citywide.
Santa Fe's Water Conservation Committee and the Santa Fe Area Homebuilders Association worked together to create the concept behind the Water Efficiency Rating Score (WERS), which has helped the city to responsibly foster growth while still honoring the city's obligation to provide water to all its residents. The Next Generation Water Summit is also an idea that came out of the WCC that meets several performance indicators on the scorecard and helps meet goals related to education, outreach and staff training. The committee is made up of very talented individuals who gladly work on behalf of the city and county in which they live.
The Water Conservation Office extends its appreciation and gratitude for the work of the following individuals who serve on the committee, and especially to Councilor Romero-Wirth for her continued leadership: Beth Kirby, Stephen Schmelling, Beth Beloff, Bill Roth, Reese Baker, Evan Ripley, Autumn Leiker, Jerry Jacob, Matt O'Reilly and Maria De Anda Hay.
For more information about the committee or to submit a letter of interest, contact Christine Chavez, Water Conservation Manager, cychavez@santafenm.gov, or visit our PrimeGov portal (https://santafe.primegov.com/public/committees) to apply.
Water matters: City seeking water advisors
