<br />Efficient W<1ter Use 111 Commerce <1nd Industry
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<br />Den."ff showcases onE' of rheIr xenc desIgns_
<br />Homebuilders Offer Water-Efficient Landscapes
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<br />Recoglllzing thaI the construction industry can pro,ide
<br />significant llpptlnunitil's La share mfonnauon and implement
<br />walcr-efficienl practices, the HomebUllders Association (HBA)
<br />of Metro Denver recently 1I11tialed the BUIlt Grecn~ Colorado
<br />program and the Quain}' Constnllllon Cenificalion Pmgram.
<br />Buih Gret'n Colorado. introduced in 1995, encourdgt.s
<br />homebuilders to use technologies.. products. and practices
<br />that pre~ryc natural resources. reduce waleT use. and prlwldc
<br />greater energy efficu:ncy EffiCient water use practices Identified
<br />10 the program mclude amending: soHs before installing land~
<br />scapmg, selecting dmughHo1crant pLm15, installing dficicnl)'~
<br />oriented irrigation systems, and implementing addItional
<br />Xcriscapt' practices.
<br />The Quality Coll5lruction C("nificaticm Prog.am offers
<br />construction site supervisors a manual and training cour:o.e
<br />on a variety of lOpKS, including landscaping and water U~
<br />EmphaSIZing the imponance of builders workmg closely with
<br />landscapi' COfllractors, the manual gIves hUllders a landscap-
<br />ing checklist covenng topics such as alternative IUrf gr~..ses,
<br />efTiclt'nt irrigation. soillmprowmems, and grouping plants in
<br />zones according to thelr water needs.
<br />In 2004, HBA also began a cooperallve project Wlth
<br />GreenCD and the Colorado Governors omce of Energy
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<br />Indoor Plumbing IRestmams)
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<br />T0 Impro\"t' wat("r tL.;,(' c1Ttuen~)'. rc:-;\-
<br />r(>coms u:;cd by empl,'yCl's llr thi.' Plll:1hc c,m
<br />hi: equippo:d \~lth Illw-v"ltlffie plumblllg
<br />fi.'(lUres and retr,lftt de\"ln's, lli~h-lrJ,j-
<br />fK faCllltll'S such J,S pas~'n~er lermma\<..
<br />entcnalllment H'nllCS. ,md "fhn' hutldm~s
<br />em Install <<n....'r-.lul\.J,led n'ntro] de\lCt'S
<br />that auwmallcally flush ((lllt-t:'o J.nd unnal"
<br />or rc1cM.e W,ller fwm la\';lwry "plg"tS k1r
<br />pre:o.c! times The:..:.' dt'\1(t's lmrr,we dfi-
<br />Clcnc)" hy prt'\enllng wala fwm runnin~ III
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<br />~tanagemcm and Conservau,m to collect and share informa-
<br />tion from builde~ who have implemented innovatlve walcr-
<br />efficiency praclices. Two caS(' studies-Engle H,)mes .md
<br />~kSlain Neighborhoods-are representat1\'f?,
<br />Engle I {ames gives ItS homt'buyers a \Vater \VIse 1x1okle!
<br />that pro\'idt':S infonnation on warer-....'ise landsc.aping and
<br />irngal1on, plus flYC alternal1\'c Xcnscape dcsigns from whteh
<br />buyers can choose. Buyers can have En,e:le':; sulx:ontractors
<br />inslall the landscape, hire their \lwn subcontractor. or mSlall
<br />the la....n theItL-.clvcs. As pan of tIS slandaro frOnt-yard land.
<br />sniping package, Engle limits turf to 50-60 percent of the total
<br />landscaped area, provides drought-tolerant beddmg areas and
<br />mukhcs III the rest of the >.ml. Installs drip Irrigation in shrub
<br />bt-ds, and prll\ides rain sensors for the Irngatlon system.
<br />As pan of designing its ITsidential developments. ~h:Stam
<br />NClghborhoods developed a guidam"c document called
<br />"McS!am Neighborhoods Wa.\t'r Consen'atwn Standards ror
<br />Common Area and Open Space Landscapes_~ The stand,mis
<br />include waler budgets (maJ(Jmum water allowalK("S for land-
<br />scaping) incorporated into homeov.ners' as..-..ocIJ.lion fees,
<br />irrigation design criteria. and landscape mamtenance entena
<br />(which mdude comparing actual water uSt.' wi.th the water
<br />budget to guard agamst o\'erwatering).
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<br />fLxlures th,lt arc not m use A, tn reslJentu!
<br />;.ettmgs. smk faun'ls-and I')llel;; may al54.) bt'
<br />retnlfltlcd \\llh m,lrt: \\..ncr-cA"iClt:nl pans to
<br />help redun' water dcm,lIld
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<br />Landscape Irrigation
<br />Golf COllr:sl'~ and (llh,'r lar~t' land"
<br />~apt'J ,1rE';J~ "urr(lundlO~ suhurban ll!TIL'"
<br />p;uks llr rcslJ~'l1llal C\llllmUIllth::s em
<br />be rcsp,m"lhlc Ill! nlllslder:lhle \\.11,'r
<br />d\'mand LH~(, l:mdxapes J.!e prime
<br />ellldlJJtes 1m (on\a"ll'n III wata-\\'\sc
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<br />14 COLORADO F"OUNOAfION '-0" W"'TER EOU(;"'TION
<br />
<br />deslg:n~ ,mJ watt'r-dflul'n\ lm~atllln sys.
<br />k'm~ 'lIld m"nJ!,:cmenl
<br />In addJtwn. LmJscap.: nmtrJdur;;.
<br />anJ h,)n\cnullJcrs Gill pl.iy J. slgniftcant
<br />rule In lmpwnn.o: W.ltt'T UX' dhuency An
<br />und.:rstJndmg of \\al,'r"WI5e lanJ~;lpll1g
<br />altcffiall\'l':" "nJ the late:"t Jd\"anc.:~ III
<br />w.lteH'lfid.:nt imf;ali1ll1 5y~tems. as well
<br />:b rcgubr Imrk'ment,Ull'n ,1f an:eplcJ b:sl
<br />manageml'n\ praLl!(".... (,\11 sh,:nlfi(antl~
<br />dl'l.:rcJ:'t: W<lll'r tlcm,llld ,It new dn...k,p-
<br />menls ,IIlJ "'\:Islln~ resldcnllal and (\)01-
<br />mt'rCl;J] prup,-nll':::'
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