Water Conservation Grant Program Report

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1992 Grant Recipients Arvada County: Adams Funding: $9,700 Start: 9/5/92 Status: On-going The objective of this project was to help park departments throughout Colorado improve their methods of irrigation, IDlderstand ET requirements, conserve water througb more efficient irrigation practices, and prepare annual water usage reports. Products to be pro- duced included a computerized water audit training program for large twf areas and ins1ruction manual, with computer software, for participants. The City of Arvada Parks Department hosted a water audit training program that was attended by Front Range landscape managers. Each participant received the instruction manual and computer software. Panicipants are being surveyed at this time and a final report is in progress, BayfieldILa Plata County: La Plata Funding: $7,000 Start: 7120/92 Status: On-going The project objective is to develop a campus-wide outdoor lab at Bayfield Elementary School that incorporates low water use plants, dry land glaSseS, drip irrigation and trees and shrubs, The project also includes a handicap accessible trail. This project will provide students and the community with an outdoor environmental classroom which demonstrates the ecosystem concept The ecosystem shows the relationships among moisture regimes, plants, wildlife and, through interpretation, the inter-relationship with humans, The Bayfield Elementary School Xeric Education Project is still IDldefWay, The trail, the drip system, and the planting of 36 different plant species bas been completed. A pamphlet trail head sign and plant identification markers are being completed at this time. This project has offered an excellent opportunity to observe "real-life" applications of utilizing a raw water source through a traditional irri- gation system. Large paniculates in the water interfered with the meter on the main line, the filters and the drip system. It was found that a standard meter would not work in this particular application but that the othef devices could be modified to function in the sys- tem. Everything is now presently working, and the landscape is very inviting to both the students and the general public. Carbondale County: Garfield Funding: $15,235 Start: 7/1192 Status: Completed This project was a joint effort between the City of Glenwood Springs and the Town of Carbondale, A total of 98 homes - 50 in Carbondale and 48 in Glenwood Springs - were retrofitted with water conserving plumbing fIXtureS, The goal was to obtain infor- mation about customer preferences for a variety of water conservation devices and identify water savings produced by using these devices, Low-flow toilets topped the list of devices that residents who panicipated in the prqject would be most willing to purchase and install, Accurate meter readings proved difficult to obtain, because many households have pit meters that cannot be read during winter months. Others had "remote" meters that only register every 1,000 gallons of use. Nonetheless, project managers estimate retro- fitting resulted in savings of at least 17% and possibly as high as high as 35%.