Audit of Major Commercial & Irrigation Water Accounts

• Project Type: General OWC
• Applicant: Town of Castle Rock
• Project Name: Commercial & Irrigation Water Audit
• Title: Audit of Major Commerical and Irrigation Water Accounts
• Date: 6/29/2006
• County: Douglas
• Water Conservation - Doc Type: Final Report

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Audits of Major Commercial and Irrigation Water Accounts
Town of Castle Rock

In addition, all of the nearly one half acre landscape could be replaced by a combination
ofhardscape and xeriscape plantings. For a cost of $13,000 to 17,000, the payback for to
Chili's would occur in 4 to 10 years depending on the mixture of materials used and the
water budget pricing.

Safewav (account 16987)
The Safeway on Perry Street utilizes water for indoor uses only (see Attachment 3).
They were not forthcoming with any information or access regarding their water use
within their facility, so much of what is presented herein is based on anecdotal evidence.
The Safeway water use demonstrates a seasonal fluctuation in water use consistent with
what would appear to be outdoor irrigation practices (see Attachment 4). Since this
account does not include irrigation uses, based in part on the understanding that outdoor
irrigation at this and neighboring stores is provided by the owner of the strip mall, the
summertime increase in water use is likely associated chiefly with their "green center"
that stocks plants for Safeway's customers in the summer months. It may also be
associated with small increases in interior water use at the bakery, restrooms, and
produce areas, but these increases are expected to be small relative to the green center.

Based on the water use pattern, the green center utilizes water equivalent to
approximately Y2 acre of bluegrass. Since Safeway does not have outdoor water use tied
to irrigation of a specific area of bluegrass, a water budget evaluation of Safeway' s water
use was performed simply by using 2004 as the base case for total annual water use.
Using this model, Safeway used about 9 percent more water in 2005 than 2004.
Comparing Safeway's month-by-month usage, Safeway's cost of water, based on a water
budget model, would have increased by over 60%, caused chiefly on their increased
water use from October to December 2005, when they exceeded their "water budget" by
an average of about 90% per month. Using the water budget water pricing, Safeway's
increased water use from 2004 to 2005 translates into an increase cost of water of about
$9,000 per year (comparing 2004 to 2005).

Alternatives and Recommendations
Safeway's water savings appears to be related to their wintertime needs, as opposed to
their summertime usage. Given that Safeway did not choose to participate in the audit
program, it is difficult to determine the source of their increased water use. Common
sense would suggest that Safeway should first and foremost inspect their water fixtures,
including commodes, sinks, produce sprays, and lavatories to check for leaks, and repair
whatever leaks are found. Safeway should also evaluate installing automated shutoff
devices on their public use restroom facilities.

Jennv's Market (formerlv UP Products) (account 17505)
Jenny's Market, which until recently was the BP Gas Station on Plum Creek Parkway
(see Attachment 3), uses a substantial amount of water for a gas station with a car wash.
They have indoor water use consistent with most gas stations - they have public use
"

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