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<br />Efficient W<1ter Use 111 Commerce <1nd Industry <br /> <br /> <br />o ~ <br />Den."ff showcases onE' of rheIr xenc desIgns_ <br />Homebuilders Offer Water-Efficient Landscapes <br /> <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 <br /> <br />Indoor Plumbing IRestmams) <br /> <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 <br /> <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). <br /> <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 <br /> <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 <br /> <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':::' <br />