Golden 1996 WCPlan

• Project Type: Water Conservation Plan
• Project Name: City of Golden Water Conservation Plan
• Title: Water Conservation Plan
• Date: 7/1/1996
• County: Jefferson
• Water Conservation - Doc Type: Complete Plan

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III. Water efficient industrial and commercial using processes;

Pollution prevention strategy adopted in the City's Pollution Prevention Program includes
industrial and commercial reuse and minimization. This measure is not a priority for the City of
Golden at this time, since industry and business water usage does not represent a majority of the
total water usage.

IV. Water reuse systems, both potable and non-potable;

By defInition, water reuse pertains to waste water only. Therefore, this consideration does not
directly apply to the City of Golden since it has no waste water treatment plant. Through a
fInancial agreement, the City's waste water is treated by Coors in exchange for water rights to
Clear Creek. This is a mutually benefIcial arrangement that is unlikely to change in the near
future. There has been some interest expressed by residents in developing a waste water reuse
system, especially if a proposed 18 hole golf course is built within the City's limits, but the
general consensus is that it is prohibitively expensive and unrealistic at this time.

Golden does, however, have a pilot project in the works that will use unfinished drinking water
(backwash and decant water that is currently being removed from its drinking water treatment
process) to water an adjacent park and ballfIelds. Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment has given the go ahead on this project. The City hopes to have the new system
operational sometime during the summer of 1996. At present these areas are watered by Parks
Division using potable water.

V. Distribution system leak repair

Water leaks within the potable water distribution system have the potential to be responsible for
tremendous amounts of wasted water. Because of this fact, it is a focus point in the City's efforts
to minimizing potential water loss.

A systematic time schedule is currently being devised by the Utilities Division for a City-wide
leak detection inspection of water lines, rotating completely through the system every so many
years. The detection schedule will be implemented by 1997 if not sooner and should help to
locate leaks early in their development. Currently, $300,000 is budgeted per year for water main
repair and replacement.

The Utilities Division recently purchased a Fuji Leak Detector for $2500 to assist in leak
detection. Purchase of a Fuji Leak COITelator for $35,000 will be requested for 1997. The leak
detector confirms the presence of a leak in a water line while the leak cOITelator pinpoints the
location of the leak. Purchase of the leak cOITelator will expedite the locating and repair of leaks
and save potentially large volumes of treated water from being wasted.

The City's Utilities Division is also working on a more efficient scheduling of system flushing
based on historic need. This preventative maintenance approach should improve water quality as
well as water use efficiency by attending to problematic areas in distribution before they require
extensive flushing. -5-