Area of Opportunity 2#
Promote and support greater outdoor water efficiency#
For Fort Collins Utilities’ customers, outdoor water use can be nearly 60 percent of total use during the peak summer months. Landscape choices that are appropriate for our semi-arid climate will help to reduce our use and increase our resiliency. Without proper maintenance and attention, watering and irrigation systems can waste up to 50 percent of that water due to evaporation, wind, runoff and broken/ineffective irrigation hardware. By improving our efficiency outdoors, we stand to save a lot of water.
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- Reduce peak season and peak day demands, which impact system capacity needs and long-term planning
- Customer benefits through lower bills, reduced indirect effects of improper irrigation, increased home and property value
- Fewer wasting water issues
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- Residential and commercial irrigation programs
- Xeriscape Incentive Program
- Customer and contractor training series
- Interactive demonstrations and workshops
- Educational water budget tool
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Over 6000 sprinkler audits have been conducted over the past 20 years, with an estimated potential savings of more than 5,000,000 gallons each year. Many of these savings are simply from improving controller adjustments.
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This Area of Opportunity aligns with City Plan Strategic Objectives (PDF 6.2MB) 1.11, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8 and 7.5.
Did You Know?
The watersheds where our water comes from drain snowmelt and rainfall to the Cache la Poudre and Big Thompson rivers and Horsetooth Reservoir.
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Stormwater Master Planning helps protect people, property and the environment against flooding, erosion and water quality problems caused by runoff.