Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley
Practicing Water Conservation and Education to Sustain Future Generations
The Big Pine Paiute Tribal Utility Department (the Utility) developed a successful
water conservation and education program providing benefits for both current
customers and future generations. The foundation of the program is the belief
that the Tribe is a steward of the land and its waters. That commitment has
enabled the Utility to implement a strong program where water conservation is
a reality.
Realized Benefits
4 The Utility is reducing domestic water use.
o Installation of water meters allowed the Utility to track individual
customer's water usage. This brought awareness to customers of
the volume of the water they consumed and enabled the Utility to
charge customers according to their use. As a result, the Tribe has reduced domestic water usage by
over 65 percent from 2007 to 2011 (Figure 1).
o%
2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
¦ Water Use ¦ Water Reduction
Figure 1. Percent Reduction in Domestic Water Use from 2007 to 2011 for the Big Pine Indian Reservation.
4 The Utility currently operates solely on user fees and is no longer subsidized by the Tribe.
o Funds previously used to subsidize the Utility can now be used to support other Tribal programs
and services to the community.
4 The Utility reduced water loss from the irrigation system and improved access to non-potable water for the
community.
o Improving the irrigation system supported the domestic water conservation program by providing
the community a source of clean water for food production and landscaping purposes. Repairs to
the deteriorated irrigation system increased water availability to the community resulting in less
use of the potable water system.
"Water conservation is
about respecting
water and fairness
across our
community
-Alan Bacock
Environmental
Department Water
Program Coordinator
Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley Water Conservation and Education Program
11 P a g e

-------
Background
The Tribe has long recognized water as a precious resource that must be
respected. Big Pine Paiute Tribal ancestors moved water slowly across the
landscape to maintain a subsistence lifestyle and increase the quality of life
of all organisms. This correlates to a saying used by the Tribe, "Paya
[Water] is Life."
Located in Big Pine, California, northwest of Death Valley, the Tribe had a
history of water shortages prior to initiating the water conservation
program including extreme cases where some customers had no access to
water for short time periods. Convincing customers to conserve water was
initially challenging especially since customers knew that water that is not
used by the Tribe and others in the Owens Valley is diverted to the city of
Los Angeles. The lack of water for irrigation, limited conservation practices,
and the resultant water outages drove the need to establish a Water
Conservation and Education Program.
sncisco
D
San Jose
o
Bakersfietd
Fresno
o
CALIFORNIA
StGi
Death Valley
National Park Las Vegas
o ^
Los Angeles
o
o oAnaheim
Long Beach
San D iff no
Figure 2. Big Pine Tribe Location.
Big Pine Customers
4 550 residents
4 198 connections
The Big Pine Drinking
Water System
Provides drinking water service
to all residential and
commercial customers except
the mobile home park and
consists of:
4 One well (A second well is
currently in the design
phase)
4 One tank
4 Water mains
4 Chlorine disinfection
The Big Pine Sewer
System
Provides sewer service to all
residential and commercial
customers and consists of:
4 Sewer collection system
mains
4 One lift station
4 A two-cell lagoon
Operating and Maintaining Three Systems
The Utility is responsible for operations and maintenance of the water and sewer systems and the irrigation
system. There is one full-time operator to staff all three systems. The Big Pine Paiute Environmental Department
is separate from the Utility but is responsible for collecting compliance samples and applying for grant funding.
Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley Water Conservation and Education Program
2 | P a g e

-------
Innovative Water Conservation and Education Program
In 2008, the Utility received a grant from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to develop a Water Resource
Management Plan. The plan included several key elements critical to improving water conservation, such as:
4	The cost of supplying water to customers,
4	Water use trends,
4	Leak detection strategies, and
4	Water meter implementation.
From the plan, the Utility identified numerous community water conservation and
consumer education projects, for which they obtained additional funding from the
BIA. A key aspect of the management plan was to promote efforts to educate
consumers about water conservation.
This plan enabled the Utility to seek funds from the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR)
which provided funding for implementing the plan. BOR funding helped the Utility
in the early 2000's to initially provide more water accessibility from the irrigation
system and from 2012 supported the water conservation efforts of the Tribe. In
addition to funding water conservation efforts, BOR also helped the Utility to
establish a drought contingency plan to put in motion actions for greater drought
resilience.
Water Conservation Projects
The Irrigation System
One of the ways the Tribe conserves domestic water is by using non-potable water for
irrigation, in the 194Q's, in exchange for land the Los Angeles Department of Water
and Power made an agreement with the Tribe to supply just over 1,100 acre-feet of
non-potable water per year in perpetuity. To utilize this water source, BIA built an
irrigation system that distributed non-potable water from a holding pond to different
areas of the reservation through a network of large mains. Valves located
manholes were used to discharge the water; the original design was to
flood open lands for agricultural purposes. Because the system is operated
by gravity, some areas would flood more than others. As the Tribe grew
and more houses were built, flood irrigation became a hazard for some
new residences. As a result, use of the non-potable irrigation water
declined and use of domestic water for irrigation increased.
To conserve domestic water by better utilizing the non-potable water, the
Tribe has been working with BOR to include controls and efficiencies to
limit flooding during irrigation. These efforts include installing:
4 Yard hydrants to allow users to connect hoses to the system,
Figure 3, A residential irrigation system including a
4 Small pumps to pressurize the flow, and	storage tank and small pump. Photo Credit: Alan
Bacock, Water Program Coordinator,
4 Additional piping to reach more homes.
Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley Water Conservation and Education Program	3 | P a g e
What About
Potential Cross
Connections?
The domestic water
system (potable water)
and irrigation system
(non-potable water) are
two distinct systems
with separate piping
networks.
in 12-inch

-------
The Tribe also improved the irrigation system by encouraging LADWP to repair the
deteriorated watermain and incentivizing customers to use non-potable water for
irrigation by eliminating charges for that water.
With a dual system in place (domestic and non-potable) water demand is better
balanced to provide the appropriate type of water for its intended use.
Domestic Water Meter Installations
In addition to the modifications to the irrigation system, the Water Resources
Management Plan also identified the need to track domestic water usage. The
Utility initially began installing meters on commercial facilities to track water usage
from large domestic water users. As funding became available, the Utility installed
water meters on homeowner connections. This effort identified the high-demand
and the low-demand water users. Water metering allowed the Utility to transition
water fees from a flat rate system to a rate structure that
accounts for water usage. Now the Utility is fully funded
through user fees rather than Tribal subsidies.
"One customer's
water use impacts
all customers."
- Alan Bacock
Environmental
Department Water
Program Coordinator
Education and Community Outreach
When the Water Conservation Plan was written, the
Utility started a robust education plan to inform users
about the importance of conserving water. The focus
began with teaching customers that there is a limited
supply of available water and explained, based on current
practices, why the Utility was frequently running out of
water.
Education efforts have included:
A Door-to-door discussions with customers on the
importance of water conservation and water use.
4 Identifying and reaching out to high domestic
water users. Every month, the Utility develops a
'top 20' list of the highest water users to be read
at Tribal Council meetings.
o Prior to publicizing this data some
customers were unaware of their high-
water usage.
4 Providing educational materials through Posters,
Tribal Education Fairs, and Tribal Newsletters.
One resident was monitored for water usage through a water meter for
one month. It was determined that this individual used an extravagant
amount of water.
In fact, in a 31 day period over
the summer this individual
used 805,000 gallons. An
Olympic size swimming pool
has a capacity of 660,000
gallons. Therefore, over the
course of a month this
individual used enough water
to fill an Olympic size
swimming pool AND
seven residential swimming
pools.
Last year it cost the Tribe $1.27 per 1,000
gallons produced. The cost associated to
produce 1,000 gallons is including
electricity, chemicals, sampling,
wastewater system operation, personnel,
maintenance and improvements. The
water itself does not cost the Tribe any
money, but there is a cost to deliver water
to households.
The individual who used 805,000 gallons
cost the Tribe $1,021.08 for a summer
month. The individual paid the Tribe $34
a month in the summer. Who paid the
rest of the $987.08 it cost to deliver water
to their residence for a month?
Figure 4. Poster display to encourage customers not to waste water.
Figure 5. Educational materials on water conservation and other conservation measures
at a Tribal Education Fair. Photo Credit: Alan Bacock, Water Program Coordinator.
Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley Water Conservation and Education Program
4 | Page

-------
Program Successes in Overcoming Challenges
The greatest challenge in establishing a successful Water Conservation
Program is convincing customers that conservation is necessary. This
presented a significant challenge for the Utility because when irrigation water
is not used, it is diverted to LADWP. As a result, customers were not motivated
to conserve water. To overcome this obstacle, the Utility has spent several
years educating the community on the importance of water conservation. In
addition, the Utility changed the focus from water conservation to water
itself, emphasizing that water is to be respected. Repairs to the irrigation
system and installation of meters enable the Utility to provide tangible data
showing water usage by customer and identifying high users. Successes of the
program include:
4 Reduced demand on drinking water system due to irrigation system repairs.
4 Improved community relations due to a realistic and transparent budget, and customers who
understand the true cost of water.
4 Customers willing to pay their fair share and the Tribe no longer needs to subsidize the utility which
allows Tribal funds to be used for other programs and services.
4 Increased funding for capital projects from Bureau of Reclamation due, in part, to the system being fully
funded through user fees.
Lessons Learned and Looking to the Future
Big Pine Paiute Tribal Utility Department has developed an effective water
conservation and education program that positively impacts the Tribe now and will
continue to provide future benefits. The Utility has shown that it is possible to
achieve a successful conservation program even in the face of many obstacles. The
Utility acknowledges that the road to success is not easy and that changing
customer water usage and promoting conservation practices is a lengthy process
requiring significant Utility resources.
The key to changing water use practices is to educate customers by providing data
showing water usage on an individual basis and a community basis. The Utility also
provides data to show how user fees are utilized so customers know the Utility is
fiscally responsible. This transparency gives customers an appreciation for the
resources required to operate and maintain water, wastewater and irrigation systems.
The Utility is always seeking out ways to improve water conservation. In the fall of 2017, the Utility completed
a preliminary engineering report including design plans to upgrade the irrigation system. Reducing water loss
will allow more water to be available now and in the future.
Changing a customer's
way of thinking
regarding water
conservation can be
challenging and
requires dedication
and patience on the
part of the Utility.
"It is not just a
paycheck to me, it's
serving my
community"
- Paul Huette
Big Pine Paiute Tribal
Utility Department
Operator
v>EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
EPA 810-R-20-005	¦ * ^Agency
MARCH 2019
Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley Water Conservation and Education Program
5 | P a g e

-------