Provide an update to Flagstaff City Council and Coconino County Supervisors on the City's water resources planning process. Staff will present the timeline and steps to ensure that Flagstaff maintains a 100-year Adequate Water Supply based upon the land uses within the voter-approved Regional Plan. The discussion includes identifying water supply options for future consideration and opportunities over the next several years for the community to provide input on Flagstaff's water future.

Water Services employs an integrated master planning approach for determining water utility needs, such as infrastructure, capital, energy, and water, which are based on several demand estimate models (i.e. population projections and land-use models based upon the Regional Plan). The Water Services Integrated Master Plan includes chapters on Water Resources, Water Policies, Water Infrastructure, Wastewater Infrastructure, Water Conservation, and Reclaimed Water. The policy is to update each chapter every 5 years, as a general rule, in order to provide the necessary direction to ensure Flagstaff maintains a 100-year Adequate Water Supply.

The Water Resources Master Plan was initially completed in 2011; however, components of the Master Plan, including water demands, were updated in the Water Infrastructure chapter in 2015. Since the completion of the Water Resources Master Plan, a number of significant developments have taken place in the industry, namely around the One Water concept and technological advances and regulatory changes pertaining to the treatment and use of reclaimed water.  Additionally, water conservation planning has developed from a qualitative exercise in planning to a much more quantitative and defensible industry practice for consideration as a water resource.  The update to the Water Resources Master Plan will evaluate future water supply options including stormwater, additional water conservation, potable reuse, and Red Gap.

Utilities must adjust how to plan for the future and utilize their water resources as a community benefit in terms of sustaining a viable economy and the natural environment. Water Services is exploring integrating an industry shift towards "One Water" planning, where all water is considered an equal value in the community. Objectives could include the following: