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<br />2.3 RESEARCH and RESOURCES: <br />Our research indicates this project will be innovative for a <br />mountain resort community located on the Western Slope of Colorado. <br />Comparable, comprehensive water conservation projects have been <br />implemented in Colorado, primarily in the metropolitan communities <br />of 'the Front Range. This project is tailored to the special needs <br />and microclimate characteristic of destination resort communities <br />and is replicable throughout the Western Slope. One area of <br />, particular interest to us is to measure the water retention <br />) capacities of locally produced compost material (wood chips, yard <br />wastes, and sewage) and to identify the optimum planting mix. Our <br />research indicates little work has been done on this variable. <br />Resources for this project include: <br /> <br />- Office of Water conservation, Denver Water Department <br />- Colorado State University Cooperative Extension <br />- John Fetcher, Mount Werner Water and sanitation District <br />- Northwest Colorado council of -Governments <br />- Rocky Mountain Institute <br />- WaterPlan <br />- Yampa Valley Economic Development Council Compost Project <br />- City of Steamboat springs staff and Planning Commission <br /> <br />2.4 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT <br />Through 1991 the city of Steamboat Springs charged a flat rate for <br />water and sewer service. The city of Steamboat Springs has recently <br />installed water meters on all residential and commercial <br />establishments. In order to establish and implement a new, metered <br />rate-schedule which will encourage conservation, the City Finance <br />Department has monitored 12 months of usage and relayed to each <br />user information on their level of consumption and a projected rate <br />based on current consumption. The Department projects that under <br />the new rate structure, with continued current level of <br />consumption, residential and commercial fees for many customers <br />will increase substantially. <br /> <br />High-water use residential bills could triple and see bills in <br />excess of $100 per month. High-water use commercial accounts could <br />also see a tripling of their bills and face increases as high as <br />$2,000 per month. We anticipate residential and commercial users to <br />be highly motivated to implement water conservation measures in <br />order to reduce their water consumption. <br /> <br />The project is timely for Steamboat Springs. Local government is <br />eager to model a commitment to prudent water use by implementing <br />and publicizing water saving programs in public buildings and open <br />space; the community has a high level of awareness due to the <br />recent city monitoring of water usage under a flat rate structure; <br />and the community is highly motivated to participate in, learn <br />from, and implement water conservation measures identified in the <br />project due to: <br /> <br />- immediacy of implementation of metered water rate structure; <br /> <br />.5.=-_-_- <br />