Steamboat Tourism Project Applic

• Project Type: Ag/Muni Grant
• Contract/PO #: C153612
• Applicant: City of Steamboat Springs
• Project Name: Water Conservation Project for Tourism
• Title: Grant Application
• Date: 1/29/1992
• County: Routt
• Water Conservation - Doc Type: Application

2.3 RESEARCH and RESOURCES:
Our research indicates this project will be innovative for a
mountain resort community located on the Western Slope of Colorado.
Comparable, comprehensive water conservation proj ects have been
implemented in Colorado, primarily in the metropolitan communities
of~he Front Range. This project is tailored to the special needs
and microclimate characteristic of destination resort communities
and is replicable throughout the Western Slope. One area of
particular interest to us is to measure the water retention
capacities of locally produced compost material (wood chips, yard
wastes, and sewage) and to identify the optimum planting mix. Our
research indicates little work has been done on this variable.
Resources for this project include:

- Office of Water Conservation, Denver Water Department
- Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
- John Fetcher, Mount Werner Water and Sanitation District
- Northwest Colorado Council of 'Governments
- Rocky Mountain Institute
- WaterPlan
- Yampa Valley Economic Development Council Compost Project
- City of Steamboat Springs staff and Planning Commission

2.4 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Through 1991 the City of Steamboat Springs charged a flat rate for
water and sewer service. The City of Steamboat Springs has recently
installed water meters on all residential and commercial
establishments. In order to establish and implement a new, metered
rate-schedule which will encourage conservation, the City Finance
Department has monitored 12 months of usage and relayed to each
user information on their level of consumption and a projected rate
based on current consumption. The Department projects that under
the new rate structure, with continued current level of
consumption, residential and commercial fees for many customers
will increase substantially.

High-water use residential bills could triple and see bills in
excess of $100 per month. High-water use commercial accounts could
also see a tripling of their bills and face increases as high as
$2,000 per month. We anticipate residential and commercial users to
be highly motivated to implement water conservation measures in
order to reduce their water consumption.

The project is timely for Steamboat Springs. Local government is
eager to model a commitment to prudent water use by implementing
and publicizing water saving programs in public buildings and open
space; the community has a high level of awareness due to the
recent city monitoring of water usage under a flat rate structure;
and the community is highly motivated to participate in, learn
from, and implement water conservation measures identified in the
project due to:

- immediacy of implementation of metered water rate structure;

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