TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to develop a strategy between the Water Department and the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department to reduce water consumption in City parks and median strips and to report back to City Council on a quarterly basis the amount of and cost to the City for department water usage.
DISCUSSION
The Parks, Recreation, and Marine Department is naturally one of the largest consumers of water in the City of Long Beach. The Department serves the City's parks, recreation facilities, and street medians. The Water Department charges all City Departments for water usage.
Due to the lack of automated sprinklers and other water conservation devices to control the amounts of water used to water the parks and medians, this high amount of water use is in most cases unavoidable.
As the City of Long Beach is asking our residents and businesses to drastically reduce water usage, it would be helpful if the Water Department work with City departments to address areas in which water can be conserved on a permanent basis.
Residents have complained of seeing Park, Recreation, and Marine sprinklers directed towards the street with considerable run-off. Even when pointed in the correct direction, the style of sprinkler is basic and has to manually turned-off.
Therefore, we are requesting the City Manager to develop a strategy between the Water Department and the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department to reduce water consumption in our parks and our median strips.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
SUJA LOWENTHAL, COUNCILMEMBER, SECOND DISTRICT
GERRIE SCHIPSKE, COUNCILWOMAN, FIFTH DISTRICT