Submetering & Xeriscape

The Board of Directors voted to undertake two projects to reduce water consumption and costs - actions that will benefit the Association as a whole and help meet the state’s water conservation goals. One project is submetering, the other is xeriscaping. Submetering allows individual condominium billing for residential water so residents pay only for the water they use. Xeriscaping is conversion of select areas of lawn to drought tolerant gardens that require less water than grass.

Together, submetering and xeriscaping will reduce Association water costs substantially, which will provide funding for major replacement projects like roofs, unpredictable repairs like plumbing failures, and rising costs for services like landscape contracts and insurance. Rebates for xeriscaping will lower costs significantly, but funding availability is on a first-come-first-served basis, and is unpredictable. Billing homeowners directly for residential water creates a fairer water payment system than today’s one-size-fits all funding through monthly dues. Importantly, reduced Association costs could offset the need for future dues increases, at least in the short term.