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

that Jenny's Market does not currently over water its landscape plant material. If the
plant material is over watered, then the payback period for the hardscape would be less.

Tareet (account 21126)
The Target retail store on Founders Parkway (see Attachment 3), which is served by a
single tap, has implement fairly aggressive water savings measures and programs over
the last few years. To begin with, they have eliminated all indoor watering of plants and
they have decommissioned all unnecessary bathrooms. They have not replaced manually
operated fixtures with automated ones, however, they maintain only two bathrooms with
5 toilets and one urinal under current operations, which are relatively easy to inspect and
maintain in conjunction with normal housekeeping programs.

There is also a small kitchen under roof, which contains a sink for food processing and
washing. Most of the food is served on disposable plates and bowls, such that very little
dishwashing is needed. Attachment 4 presents the total water use at Target during 2004
and 2005.

The outdoor water use at this facility has changed significantly over the past two years
(see Attachment 5). The vast majority of the bluegrass that had been installed and
irrigated in 2004 and 2005 was removed and placed early this year in favor of native
grasses at a cost of approximately $70,000. The removal and replacement activities
included removing the bluegrass and underlying soils and replacing the soils with a
loamy sandy mixture that will allow for better irrigation infiltration, and provide for
better plant substrate. Some attempt was made to terrace steep soil slopes as well.

This area is served with a mixture of pop-up and SDI to both establish and maintain the
native plant materials. The facility is also looking to experiment with various soil
wetting agents to help the soil retain water better.

Note that before Target implemented this turf replacement program they had paid over
$11,500 for irrigation water for the combined years of 2004 and 2005. Water budget
pricing for Target would have added another $3,000 to this two-year water bill.

Alternatives and Recommendations
Target continues to irrigate nearly 2 acres of its property that was not replaced with
native grasses including islands and treed areas around the property perimeter. These
areas could be replaced with hardscape to eliminate water use and reduce overall
maintenance of the facility. The cost of the hardscape would range from $50,000 to
70,000, with an expected payback off about 6 to 10 years based on the water budget
pncmg.

Outlets at Castle Rock (account 24985)
The Outlets at Castle Rock is the largest retail shopping center in the Town (see
Attachment 3). The facility houses over 120 different retail shops contained within a

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