Resolution 25-162 Water Conservation Month

48:52We will conclude public comment portion of the meeting. Now it's time for resolutions. Madam Clerk, would you please read the first resolution for the recipient please approach?

49:01This is for Water Conservation Month, so if you would please step forward to the podium.

49:08I'll read the resolution first. Okay.

49:12A resolution by the Board of County Commissioners. Resolution number 25-162 resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, declaring the month of April 2025 as Water Conservation Month in Pasco County. Whereas safe, clean, and sustainable water resources are essential to Pasco County citizens, visitors, the environment, and the economy. And Ras, although Pasco County has a limited supply of fresh water in our underground aquifers, lakes, and rivers, the county's population. And

49:43need for water resources continues to increase. And RAS droughts, the water shortage shortages I'm sorry. Whereas droughts and water shortages serve as a reminder that Florida's water resources, no matter how diverse, are finite. And whereas Florida has established the encoura the encouragement and promotion of water conservation and reuse as state objectives in Chapters 373 and 403, Florida statute. And whereas every

50:13business, industry, school, and citizen makeup. Can make a difference when it comes to conserving water, thus promoting a healthy economy and community. NRUS, the State of Florida Water Management Districts, Tampa Bay Water and its member, and its member governments, and the Florida Governmental Utility Authority are working with their community supporters to increase awareness about the importance of water conservation. ANRAS to preserve potable water resources, Pasco County treats wastewater to public access standards, stores more than 712.8

50:45million gallons in reservoirs and tanks, and delivers approximately 25 million gallons per day of reclaimed water to approximately 34,000 residents and to a variety of other customers and locations. ANRAS, the state of Florida, the Southwest Water Management District, and Pasco County have previously declared April, typically a tribe month when potable water demands are most acute, as Florida's Water Conservation Month to encourage citizens to help preserve Florida's precious

51:15water resources. ANRAS, the continued support of April as Florida's Water Conservation Month reinforces conservation messages, ordinances, and efforts put forth by the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners in its support and encouragement of conservation measures. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, that said board hereby declares the month of April 2025 as Water Conservation Month in Pasco County and calls upon each citizen to help protect this precious sheer. shared resource done and resolved in regular

51:45session with a quorum present and voting this twenty fifth day of March 2025.

51:51All in favor say aye. Aye. Commissioner Oakley?

51:55Yes, sir. Welcome. Great thing to talk about is conserving water because everybody thinks seems to think we're out of water, but on the past year of Swift Vud

52:04in

52:04the past year of Tampe Bay Water and I know that we do the very best to protect all our water. We have a 15 million gallon reservoir right now that is full of 15 million gallons. in our community in Pine Ellis, uh Hillsboro and Pasco County. We use approximately two hundred million Our yeah, two hundred million a day. We also can pick up out of the rivers and the water

52:35bodies. And the bypass canal and all, we can pick up two hundred million and put back in the reservoir every day. Use that out. It's very well protected and it's very well looked after and all the uh the assurances that you can afford we're looking at to keep that water safe for our potable water and our drinking. The problem we do have in in Pasco County is we need more reclaim water because for every one house that uses reclaimed water it takes four houses. So we

53:05run short and and some of our citizens have been calling in telling me about those issues of running short. But the fact of it is uh water conservation saves water throughout the year and it's amazing that Uh when you go from uh Uh putting conservation on, you save anywhere from thirty to to sixty million gallons a day. Just because you're conserving either that one day or that two days. of uh water

53:35conservation. So uh it's very well looked after in our community, in our region, and we look for more ways, we have more ways on the out in the future to bring us more water as we need it. So that that's gonna be a very plus. But conserving it is very important. And it's just hard to realize that that they can conserve thirty million gallons a day just by saying only one time watering a week. It's pretty amazing. So But you have something

54:05to say. So

54:08Uh let me just go to the commissioners first. Commissioner Weightman?

54:12Yeah, I mean It's a huge task to manage. you know, next to air our most precious commodity. and to keep safe safe drinking water to supply it to the millions and millions of people that are here and those that are coming. Uh big task and and thank you for what you do and all your efforts to help educate folks that you know, a little different landscaping can go a long way in saving water and Uh human body needs water a little bit more uh importantly than than grass does, so Um thank

54:42you all for what you do and glad you're here today. Thank you.

54:46Yeah, so um I think it's really great that we have Water Conservation Month and thank you for what you guys do and helping sweat a spread awareness. I know I always preach that to my kids like when they're Uh brushing their teeth. I'm like, shut the water off. You know, just every little bit helps if we all do our part. So thank you.

55:04Melissa, I'd like to thank you too for over the years all the w water conservation from we started with the toilet rebate program to all the sensors that we have out there, but all the work you do focusing on it, we greatly appreciate it. And would you like to say a few words?

55:16Thank you. Good morning, Chairman, members of the board. For the record, I'm Sandra Anderson. I'm the Director of Customer Information and Services for Pasco County Utilities. And without your support, and that comes down to the budgeting and everything else, you guys are very active in your communities. You guys send people our way. Water conservation is one of One of the easiest and sustainable ways of ensuring we have the water we need where we need it for the people when they need it. And it's something that every little bit makes a difference regardless of the water source, whether it's reclaim, river, well, whatever it might be, everybody can do

55:46their part. Chairman Oakley, you mentioned about one house for every four, because we have rebates for water conserving fixtures that we'd like everybody to participate with as well. It's going to take more homes to supply that one home, the more we can serve. As a whole, our customers do a great job of the water they use inside their homes. We'll work in orderly targeting on the outside the home as well, but everything makes a difference. We put a little blue bag and we'll have some additional ones in the back. And uh you'll see a uh toilet dye testing where you can drop it in the tank of your toilet

56:16and just to let it sit for a few minutes and see if the water changes collar in the bowl. If it is, you got a leak or it's hung up. We recommend you change that. We have those available at community events at our offices. You can send us an email. Um I and then we also encourage everybody to see if you particip can participate in the rebate program. We have everything from outside the water conservation to inside the home. So we would appreciate that. And I'd like Phoenix to say a few words. She is our water conservation coordinator for the county. Thank you, Phoenix. Thank you.

56:45Phoenix McKinney and as Sanders said I am the Water Conservation Coordinator for Pasco County Utilities and thank you. I'll have the pleasure of being here again once a Pretty much every year. To thank you for your support. It's much appreciated. It is much needed as we continue to have new people move into our neighborhoods and our communities who may have come from other areas, may not be familiar with maintaining landscape and the necessary landscape practices that may be different from the location they came from.

57:15So along those lines, in addition to having the pleasure of speaking With you on a regular basis. I do also have the pleasure of speaking with our community members, either in a group or individually, to help them understand why it is important for us to continue to conserve our water, although we appear to have adequate amounts. And also why it is just important to learn some of the really simple things that you

57:45can do. It's really easy to save water. It's as easy as a little bit shorter shower, turning off the water when you're uh Um brushing your teeth, those type of minor things of of additional importance and where we get some big savings are when our citizens help us with the irrigation with making sure that those irrigation systems are operating efficiently. And again, we do have materials. uh to help them. It's available online. We have them available in our office and I am

58:16available at times to go out and help them uh with some of those easy changes they can make as um as is our uh Cooperating other organization in the community, which is the Extension Service. So your support. and your appreciation is much appreciated by me and by our citizens. Thank you.

58:37Thank you very much. Would you uh the board like to step down with me and take some pictures?

58:43Hmm.

58:46Sorry.

58:58Speech.

59:01How do we

59:02care? That's a big model. Yeah.

59:06It'll be a part of it.

59:15Thank you. Thank you all

59:16so much.