Innovative Conservation Program

Metropolitan’s Innovative Conservation Program (ICP) provides funding in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) for research that will document water savings and reliability of innovative water savings devices. The objective is to evaluate the water saving potential and reliability of innovative water saving devices, technologies, and strategies.

New projects are identified and evaluated every other year. The next round of funding is scheduled for June 2013. All interested parties including public, private or non-profit organizations are eligible for funding.

For additional information, please contact:
Mr. Raymond Jay
Water Resources Management Group
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
P.O. Box 54153
Los Angeles, California 90054-0153
(213) 217-5777
e-mail: rjay@mwdh2o.com

Valvette Systems
LittleValve Water Savings
This project was designed and undertaken to quantify the water savings of LittleValve sprinkler products compared to existing irrigation products on the market.

Univ. of Calif. Riverside
Leaching Requirements for Turf Grass Salinity Management and Water Conservation
This project investigated the effects of hyper saline water on rye grass across various irrigation profiles.
December 2011 final report
March 2012 update

Central Basin Municipal Water District
Water Savings in Disadvantaged Communities
This study evaluates water needs, savings and the rebate process, and sought to reduce imported water demands, reduce stress on the Bay Delta, improve water supply reliability and meet conservation objectives.

DC Instruments
Water Leak Detection and Stoppage in an Automatic Sprinkler System
This study designed, tested and developed a marketing strategy for a user-friendly non-intrusive acoustic sensor (LeakBuster®) to detect water leaks.

Irvine Ranch Water District / California Department of Water Resources
(DWR)
Evapotranspiration (ET) Data Protocol
The objective of the project was to provide ET in an easily accessible, standard usable format throughout the entire state.

West Basin Municipal Water District / EcoGreen Services, LLC
Field Study Findings Report: Restroom Retrofit Self-Closing Sensor Faucet Retrofit.
The purpose of this study was to measure the water usage associated with sensor faucet replacements in a major hotel complex.

Koeller and Company
Field Study of the AQUS® Water Saving Device
The AQUS® system captures the untreated graywater from the bathroom
lavatory sink, filters and disinfects it, and uses it to flush a tank-type gravity-fed toilet, thereby conserving the potable water normally used for flushing.

The 2011 program focus is on landscape irrigation and commercial, institutional, industrial (CII) water use efficiency. The 2011 RFP is available for reference although applications are no longer being accepted.

Proposals were evaluated through a two-step process; pre-screening of short-form proposals and a competitive full proposal review.

Seventy-eight short-form proposals were received requesting more than $8,000,000. Forty-seven full proposals were evaluated by the review panel. The panel recommended seven projects for award with one alternate. Several of the proposals were recommended for reduced funding.

Click here to view a list of the 2011 Awarded Projects.

All projects must be completed by June 2013.

Global Energy Partners, LLC
Condensing Boiler Economizers
The objective of this report is to evaluate benefits associated with condensing boiler economizers.

Conserv Co
Faucet Washer Retrofit Program
Pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness of the DripStop® Valve to save water and energy.

Orange County CoastKeeper
Orange County Stormwater Infiltration Retrofit Pilot Program
This pilot program assessed the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of a large-scale Low Impact Development (LID) incentive program.

Fytogreen Pacific, Inc., and Cal Poly Pomona
Water Conservation Using Fytogreen
The experiment was designed to test the effectiveness of a soil amendment for water efficiency and increase turf grass quality.

No More Geysers
Report on the Water Savings of “No More Geysers” Automatic Shutoff Device
This report documents an automatic shutoff sprinkler riser field-monitoring project conducted in the landscaped areas surrounding an office building parking complex in Oceanside, California.

Aeromaster
Low Cost Outdoor Irrigation Optimization using the Spray Smart Valve
This project evaluated water savings achieved by using the Spray Smart valve as a tool to optimize existing irrigation systems.