The Water Conservation Program supports city water customers to use water more efficiently, eliminate leaks, reduce water costs and support sustainability.
Water conservation is responsible water stewardship. It is defined as a beneficial reduction in water use, waste of water and water loss. This project will support all the policies, programs and practices designed to help people change their behaviors and become champions of water efficiency.
The City of Boulder Utilities Department provides potable drinking water to approximately 120,000 residents and numerous businesses. Our long-term community goals for water conservation include encouraging responsible water stewardship by using water efficiently, recognizing and preventing water waste, and increasing the general understanding of the value of water.
To support community action toward conserving water and building local climate resilience, we currently offer the following programs, tools and incentives:
Commercial installation of faucet aerators/pre-rinse spray valves
We partner with Resource Central to offer community members water conservation opportunities to help manage outdoor water use, programs include:
Need some guidance and inspiration on how to get started on creating a waterwise landscape transformation for your yard? Are you unsure if you want to convert your lawn to a waterwise landscape? Learn how to start a landscape transformation and get inspired by others waterwise landscape designs and stories:
Northern Water, a regional water supplier who provides Boulder with approximately 1/3 of our annual water supply, provides grant opportunities for large turf replacement projects. For more information on applying, visit Northern's Grant opportunities website.
In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens; that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water.
- Doug Tallamy
Newly planted water-wise plants at Emma Gomez Martinez Park.
Emma Gomez Demo Garden Year Two
Emma Gomez Demo Garden Year Two
Emma Gomez Demo Garden Year Three
Emma Gomez Demo Garden Year 3
Nearly one trillion gallons of water are wasted each year in U.S. homes in preventable ways. The average household leaks almost 10,000 gallons of water per year, or the amount of water it takes to wash 300 loads of laundry.
Many common household leaks are quick to find and easy to fix. In just 10 minutes, you can search your home for leaks that lead to water waste.
Listen for running water and conduct the food coloring test. Put a few drops of food coloring into the tank at the back of your toilet and let it sit for 10 minutes. If color shows up in the bowl, you have a leak.
Look and listen for drips from the faucets or in the pipes under the sink.
Check for pooling water under pipes and rust around joints and edges.
Look for a dripping showerhead and replace with a new one, if needed.
Turn on the tub, then divert the water to the shower and see if there’s still a lot of water coming from the tub; that could mean the tub spout diverter needs replacing.
Look for pooling of water under pipe connections, rust or other signs of leakage.
The City of Boulder provides free irrigation consultations through Resource Central that can help you identify obvious leaks in your irrigation system.
Ensure tight connections with the hose and see if the hose washer need replacing.
Check for broken sprinklers or nozzles spraying in the wrong direction.
There are many small ways to reduce your water use inside.
There are many ways to reduce outdoor water use such as converting existing landscapes with plants that don't require as much water. If you choose to have bluegrass incorporated into your landscape, follow these water conservation tips.
Don't turn on the sprinklers too early in the season. Leaving lawns dormant longer will save water, and will not compromise the longevity of your lawn. April is too early to go automatic, plan on programming your sprinkler system to start in May or June. Hand-water trees and plants as needed - trees offer many benefits such as shade and habitat, and are often greatly impacted by drought, so keep an eye on the health of your trees and water them when needed.
Check with your water supplier for water use rules. Watering twice a week will make grass roots grow deeper and allow the grass to last longer without water. Cycling sprinkler system run times can prevent excess water runoff; visual inspections after an initial watering cycle will make this apparent. An example of a better watering schedule is setting each zone to water for five minutes then wait an hour, water for five minutes again, wait one more hour, then water for a final five minutes. This breaks up the 15 minutes of watering into three cycles, allowing the water to have time to absorb into dense and compact soils.
Watering landscapes in the early morning or at night will help reduce water loss. During the daytime heat, less water will be available to plants due to loss from evaporation and wind. Please check your local water provider for current water restrictions, including watering hours.
Watch the weather and adjust watering days and times accordingly. Use soil moisture sensors or rain sensors to automatically adjust watering schedules when it rains. Consider installing a WaterSense Smart Irrigation Controller. Check with your water supplier for potential rebates on irrigation equipment and other opportunities.
Raise lawn mower blades and protect lawns from heat by letting grass grow longer (3 - 3.5 inches). A taller lawn provides shade to the roots and helps retain soil moisture, so your lawn requires less water.
Check to see if your irrigation heads are broken, tilted or not set-up properly by scheduling an irrigation assessment. Sweep driveways and sidewalks with a broom instead of spraying with a hose - but please not down the storm drain or into the street gutter. Use hand-watering, deep root water, or drip irrigation for trees, shrubs, bushes, perennial beds, annual flowers and vegetable gardens. Always use a shut-off nozzle on your hose when watering plants.
Check your sprinkler system monthly for broken sprinkler heads and damaged irrigation lines. Hire a professional to conduct a sprinkler assessment - check with your water supplier, many have low cost or no cost sprinkler assessment programs for their community. A well maintained system will save both money and water.
If possible, delay new lawn installations for a non-drought year and avoid planting during the mid-summer heat. If you've already purchased a water wise garden this year, plant early in the morning or evening in May. Incorporate water wise plants and turf when planning landscape renovations or installations.
Do you set your irrigation system at the beginning of each season and then 'forget' about it until it's time to turn it off in the fall? Don't Set It And Forget It!
The city uses water budgets for determining how much water each user account is allotted per year for irrigation.
In June 2022, the Colorado General Assembly passed House Bill 1151 to encourage landscapes that use plants with lower water needs, and to create a program to incentivize the voluntary replacement of irrigated turf.
The Water Conservation Program partners with the county's Partners for a Clean Environment (PACE) Program to provide commercial customers with free water and energy services. At PACE, a business sustainability consultant can:
Visit the PACE website or call 303-786-7223 to learn more.
Want to perform a self-evaluation at your property?
EnergySmart helps you:
Get started saving today:
Restaurants should only serve water when asked, not as a default practice.
Have your system checked regularly (at least 2x per month) and repair any identified leaks.
Take the time to bring awareness to your employees. Don't just assume everyone knows the best practices when it comes to water conservation and efficiency measures.
Use one glass per employee per day to reduce the number of dishes needing to be washed. Or better yet, offer your new employees a reusable water bottle to keep at work for their use.
Install toilet dams or a displacement device to cut down on the amount of water needed for each flush. Place an inch or two of sand or pebbles into a quart-sized container and fill the rest of the container with water. Put the cap on the container and place it in the toilet's tank, safely away from the operating mechanism. The container will save on each flush without impairing the efficiency of the toilet.
Make sure your toilets are leak-free. Put a few drops of food coloring in the toilet's tank. Wait 10-15 mins. If the coloring appears in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak and it should be repaired immediately. Even a small leak can waste thousands of gallons of water per year. Remember, you don't necessarily need to hear running water to have a leak.
Replace old fixtures with current, water-wise fixtures. The EPA defines a water sense fixture as one that uses two gallons or less of water per minute. Older fixtures can use as much as 10 gallons per minute.
Don't use or install ornamental water features unless they recycle water. If you do have one, place it in a shady spot (if possible) to reduce the rate of evaporation.
Start a conservation program at your place of business with clear goals that can be measured. Revisit your goals on an annual basis.
It is important to know how much water is being used for your industrial processes and/or domestic needs. Monitor your water bills to see how you're doing. Understand what your water allotment is and how well you are staying within your water budget each month.
Get your business certified! Partners for a Clean Environment (PACE) recognizes businesses that implement conservation best practices.
The city's Water Efficiency Plan (WEP) guides the city’s Water Conservation Program in a way that is compatible with:
