City Leading by Example
The City strives to be vibrant, connected, sustainable and safe. Sustainability is essential to the vitality and resilience of our community. To achieve greater resilience, the City is focusing efforts in three categories: energy, water and waste. We have established long-term goals, actions and results in each category to lead by example for the community:
Energy
Goals
- Upgrade existing municipal facilities towards a 50% reduction in energy use by 2030 and ensure new buildings are carbon neutral by 2030
- Ensure critical loads are met with resilient sources of energy by 2025
- Convert appropriate municipal vehicles to EV by 2025
Actions
- Energy audits were funded by the State Office of Energy and Mineral Resources (OEMR) and completed by the University of Idaho Integrated Design Lab for seven municipal facilities.
- An energy audit of the wastewater treatment facility was conducted through a U.S. Department of Energy grant through CAES and BSU.
- Invitations to bid were issued to the community for lighting and HVAC upgrades in several buildings. Local contracts were secured, bringing jobs to our valley.
- Grants were pursued to offset investments in energy efficiency upgrades, and $15,000 was awarded.
Results
- Annual sustainability performance reports will be published.
- Wastewater treatment use to make up 88% of municipal energy use! 35% energy savings so far!
Water
Goals
- Complete upgrades to the Ketchum Springs Water Line network by 2022
- Reduce municipal water use by 40% by 2025
- Reduce community water use by 40% by 2030
Actions
- Phase 1 and 2 upgrades to the Ketchum Springs Water Line network are underway.
- Invitations to bid were issued to the community for plumbing upgrades to all municipal facilities to switch to low-flow fixtures, saving water and energy.
- New messaging was added to water bills to encourage residents to conserve water.
Results
- Annual sustainability performance reports will be published.
- Ketchum Springs Water Line replacement has saved 100 gallons per minute so far! There is an estimated savings of 300 million gallons and $36,000 each year upon completion.
Waste
Goals
- Convert all wastewater sludge to beneficial use by 2022
- Eliminate single use plastic in the community by 2025
- Become a zero-waste community by 2050
Actions
- Researching the feasibility of converting wastewater sludge to beneficial use (the City already puts wastewater liquid to beneficial use).
- The City purchasing policy was updated to ban most single use plastic.
- The City event guidelines and Resolution 19-013 were updated to ban most single use plastic and Styrofoam at City-sponsored events. The ordinance also encourages the use of biodegradable serving items such as plates, beverage containers, utensils, straws, bags and food containers.
- New recycling bins are being purchased to encourage better recycling.
- A valley-wide collaborative has been formed to address waste reduction and recycling on a broader scale.
- A valley-wide collaborative has been formed to create a business recognition program for eliminating single use plastic. A survey was sent to local businesses for input.
Results
- Annual sustainability performance reports will be published.
