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<br />I <br /> <br />l <br />, f <br /> <br />4.3 <br /> <br />Low Water-Use Landscape and Efficient Irrigation <br /> <br />J <br /> <br />4.3.1 Current Measures <br /> <br />ELCO is one of three water suppliers in the Fort Collins area participating in the <br />Colorado Front Range regional Xeriscape study. The Fort Collins area is one of <br />several sites along the Colorado Front Range selected to participate in a federal <br />study of Xeriscape. In conjunction with Metro Water Conservation Inc. and the U.S. <br />Bureau of Reclamation, ELCO will be cooperating in a three to five year project. <br />~; The pr~ject will co=ence in the fall of 1996. The goals of the project are as <br /> <br />, i_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ folluws_ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _' _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , _ _ _ <br /> <br />'j <br />~,l <br />{j <br />I <br />I <br />] <br />J <br />] <br /> <br />ELCO works in conjunction with the City of Fort Collins on reviewing landscape and <br />irrigation plans for new developments. Since October, 1994, all new developments <br />within the city limits are required to submit a landscape and irrigation plan to the <br />City as p;ut of the development review process. In general, this includes all <br />co=ercial, industrial and multi-family projects. Plans are also required for single <br />family planned unit developments with irrigated co=on areas, but not for single <br />family residential lots. ' <br /> <br />City standards for landscaping promote installation of turf and plants that require less <br />water. Standards for irrigation systems ensure that they are designed to efficiently <br />apply the appropriate amount of water for plants with similar water requirements. <br />Most future customers will be within the city limits of Fort Collins but receive water <br />service from ELCO. <br /> <br />'," ,','.- <br />.; .' , . . . <br /> <br />4.3.2 Future Measures <br /> <br />ELCO will continue to encourage low water-use landscaping and efficient irrigation <br />system design through the review and approval process required by the City of Fort <br />Collins development process. Water efficient landscaping and irrigation practices are <br />promoted in the District's newsletters and customer information packets described in <br />Section 4.7. <br /> <br />0,';',' <br />" <br />] <br />J <br />J <br />:1 <br />tiJi <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />1. Quantify the range of water savings on an annual and seasonal basis when <br />Xeriscape is property installed and maintained. <br />2. CalcUlate the cost of installing and maintaining Xeriscape landscapes, both for <br />new construction and as a retrofit to existing landscapes. <br />3. Determine the reliability of Xeriscape water savings to see if water use <br />patterns change with the age of the landscape or varying human factors. <br />4. Conduct a summary evaluation by combining results from participating sites. <br />5. Develop a computer model that estimates Xeriscape benefits at user-selected <br />sites in the seventeen western states. <br /> <br />As part of the study, ELCO will solicit new residential customers willing to install <br />Xeriscape in at least half of their landscape before October 31, 1997. Volunteers will <br />receive up to $1,000 in benefits. These benefits include up to $300 in cash rebates <br />plus design assistance and discounts on materials. <br /> <br />9 <br />