TO: Mayor and City Commission
FROM: Cale Curtis, City Manager
DATE: April 22, 2020
Title
RESOLUTION - APPROVING AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN BROWARD COUNTY AND THE CITY OF MARGATE TO PROVIDE COST SHARE SUPPORT OF A NATURESCAPE IRRIGATION SERVICE WITHIN THE WATER UTILITY SERVICE AREA AND AUTHORIZE BROWARD COUNTY TO CONDUCT SPECIFIC TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES AS PART OF LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION EVALUATIONS.
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BACKGROUND: The NatureScape Irrigation Service (NIS) is a program operated by Broward County whose primary goal is to achieve water savings and protect water quality through promoting efficient irrigation. The City participated in the last five-year cycle (2015-2020) and received a total of 26 initial irrigation audits and 15 follow-up audits. Through the first four years of the program, actual water savings of 4,250,488 gallons annually was achieved (follow-up results of 2019 audits are pending). The renewal would continue to provide five initial and three follow-up evaluations annually.
In connection with the NIS program, Broward County pilot tested a residential irrigation rebate program in 2019. Due to the success of the pilot, the County has included a residential irrigation rebate program in this five-year NIS agreement. The program provides residential property owners who use potable water to irrigate their property an opportunity to defray the cost of increasing the efficiency of their irrigation system. Rebates range from $200 to $600 depending on the type of upgrades completed. Details on the irrigation rebate program can be found at https://www.broward.org/IrrigationRebate/Pages/default.aspx. During the pilot phase, the County received 29 applications from Margate residents with 13 sites visited and 4 rebates issued. Broward County has advised that they have been approved for funding from the South Florida Water Management District to cover the cost of the rebates for at least the first year of the agreement.
The implementation of this pro...
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