Water Conservation Committee

City of Joliet 150 West Jefferson Street Joliet, IL 60432 Meeting Minutes - Final Wednesday, October 7, 2020 3:30 PM City Hall, Council Chambers Water Conservation Committee Commission Members Maria Rafac Marc Kaufman Richard Rodriguez Water Conservation Committee Meeting Minutes - Final October 7, 2020 Page 1 of 1 Water Conservation Committee Meeting Minutes - Final October 7, 2020 Pursuant to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan, the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity's Guidelines recommend best practices that limit an in-person meeting to 50 people or less (Council Chambers allows for 18 members of the public)while adhering to social distancing guidelines.During meetings, any member of the public physically present in the Council Chambers in excess of the limit will be asked to wait in another room with live feed to the meeting until the Citizens To Be Heard on Agenda Items section or Public Comments section of the meeting. Pursuant to the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity’s Guidelines, it is recommended that any individual appearing in-person wear a face-covering to cover their nose and mouth. Citizens who are unable to attend the meeting can register “To Be Called” to speak up to 24 hours in advance on theJoliet.gov “Public Comments” web page. Comments can also be emailed in advance of the meeting to publiccomment@joliet.gov. ROLL CALL Present Maria Rafac, Marc Kaufman and Richard Rodriguez APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Marc Kaufman, seconded by Maria Rafac, to approve the Minutes of the 09/02/2020 meeting. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: Rafac and Kaufman Abstain: Rodriguez MINUTES 9-2-2020 TMP0612 Attachments: WCS Minutes 090220 CITIZENS TO BE HEARD ON AGENDA ITEMS No one signed up and no one in attendance wished to speak. NOTE: There is a new temporary procedure for public speaking. Details can be found on the Joliet.gov “Public Comments” web page. This section is for anyone wanting to speak regarding items listed on the agenda, except for items listed under Public Hearing. Anyone speaking on an agenda item is entitled to speak for a maximum of 4 minutes. It is not a question and answer period and staff and the Water Conservation Subcommittee do not generally respond to public comments. Please note speakers who engage in conduct injurious to the harmony of the Water Conservation Subcommittee shall be called to order by the Presiding Officer and may forfeit the opportunity to speak. DISCUSSION: REBATE PROGRAMS UPDATE Amy Ferris discussed the Toilet Rebate program and the Rain Barrel Rebate program . To date we have subsidized 128 barrels this year. There are 21 remaining barrels in the budget Page 1 of 3 Water Conservation Committee Meeting Minutes - Final October 7, 2020 this year. DISCUSSION: WATERSENSE PARTNERSHIP Amy Ferris discussed the partnership with WaterSense. The WaterSense website was reviewed and several programs exist. The website is for partners only. DISCUSSION: WEBSITE UPDATES Amy Ferris discussed website updates. Utilizing the information from the WaterSense website the Build a Better Bathroom section has several pieces that will be linked to the City of Joliet Website. We will start by linking the videos from a few of the campaigns. DISCUSSION: RESTAURANT INITIATIVE UPDATE Maria Rafac discussed the Restaurant Initiative Update. Amy Ferris will supply the survey results to the Committee. The second survey to participants is being designed and planned for Spring. Maria Rafac would like to add additional items to the survey. DISCUSSION: COMMUNITY WATER CONSERVATION EFFORTS - PRACTICAL PLUMBING HANDBOOK Amy Ferris discussed the Practical Plumbing Handbook to be handed out at City Hall for free. It is not available digitally. We will be creating a brochure to promote the handout. DISCUSSION: EDUCATION EFFORTS FOR AREA SCHOOLS - UPDATE Maria Rafac discussed Education Efforts for Area Schools. Due to Covid restrictions this initiative has been delayed. NEW or OLD BUSINESS, not for final action or recommendation Project Wet: Maria Rafac discussed reaching out to ISTC to do water audits and coordinate this with the Restaurant Initiative. Amy Ferris will reach out to him. Level 1 Audits are free. Sustainability Intern at JJC: Maria Rafac discussed a new intern was hired for this position. There are several online hosted evens coming up to coordinate with National Day events . Add this calendar to the water bills to save the Drop (date). District 86 Education Contact: Richard Rodriguez discussed his contact at District 86. Water Loss: Richard Rodriguez inquired about an update regarding water loss. Jeff Freeman of EEI discussed the water loss audit information from 2019. Amy Ferris leads the Water Loss Task Force with representatives from multiple departments. The Federal fiscal year ends each October. Environmental Commission: Richard Rodriguez has requested to inquire with the correct staff that this committee meet again. Maria Rafac asked for direction on how to approach this request. PUBLIC COMMENT No one signed up to speak. Page 2 of 3 Water Conservation Committee Meeting Minutes - Final October 7, 2020 NOTE: There is a new temporary procedure for public speaking. Details can be found on the Joliet.gov “Public Comments” web page. This section is for anyone wanting to speak regarding non-agenda items and are allowed a maximum of 4 minutes. It is not a question and answer period and staff, and the Water Conservation Subcommittee do not generally respond to public comments. Please note, speakers who engage in conduct injurious to the harmony of the Water Conservation Subcommittee shall be called to order by the Presiding Officer and may forfeit the opportunity to speak. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Richard Rodriguez, seconded by Marc Kaufman, to adjourn. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: Rafac, Kaufman and Rodriguez Page 3 of 3