WSPC02080

• File Number: 8040.950
• Description: Section D General Studies - General Water Studies
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 9/1/1981
• Author: Colorado DNR
• Title: Colorado Water Study - Background Volume - Preliminary Review Draft - Appendices
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

001083

Dr aft - 9/ 81

Outdoor Use and Consumption
The outdoor use of muntctpai treated water involves watertng

lawns, shrubs, parks, gardens, golf courses, etc. These uses

wtll collectively be called "lawn watering." Such uses as

ftlling swtmming pools and washing cars have minor cumulattve

impacts.

Exact figures on use and consumptton for lawn watertng are

difftcult to obtain.

Estimates can be made, however, by com-

puttng the average per capita lawn acreage in a municipal area

and then conducting laboratory tests on the amounts of water

required.

The best fIgures from Denver, Boulder, Arvada, Little-

ton, Northglenn and Aurora indicate that the average is approxi-

mately 1,800 square feet (.04-12 acre) per capita In irrigated

'm'!/'

"lawns" (e.g., lawns, parks, gardens, parkways, golf courses,

et c. ) .

When adjustments are made for average effective precipi-

tation and solI condltions, the range of consumption is between

1.9 acre-feet and 2.1 acre-feet per acre per year.

Picking a

htgh mid-value of 2.05 acre-feet/acre/year, the formula becomes:

2.05 x 325,850 x .04-12
365

= 75.4- gcd consumption for
lawn watertng

Assumlng that % indoor demand + percent tndustrial demand +

percent outdoor demand = 100 percent the appropriate values for

the other two categories can be substituted:

45% + 4% + y = 100%; where y = % of outdoor demand,

y = 51 %

In other words, lawn watering uses approximately 51 percent of

municipal supplies.

Uslng the rounded figure of 75 gcd con sump-

tton for lawn watering, the value for z, (percentage of total

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