Colorado WaterWise - Spring 2016

waterwise The official publication of Colorado WaterWise

The Voice of the Colorado Water Conservation Community

www.coloradowaterwise.org

In this issue...

High Efficiency Toilet Legislative Update Water Education page 5

Pg. 3 Colorado Water Water Conservation Live Like You Love It! & Beer - page 7

Saving Water @ with the Pg. 9 Interview Car Wash Ray Tschillard - page 8

Content Marketing for

Pg. 13 Water Efficiency Conservation - page 17 Workshop Pg. 14 Interview with ColoradoWaterWise.org Gary Klein

Spring 2016

s r o t i d e e h t From Spring is in the air and with it the change from barren landscapes to blooms and new greenery. With good snowfalls throughout much of the state, this spring gives conservation professionals some breathing room. That being said there is still much to be done. Although members of Colorado WaterWise relish years of hearty snowfall we know that we cannot be complacent, which is why, in this spring issue, readers will see a theme of reflection and change. We reflect on the progress of programs but also how we must change our thinking and efforts to meet our future needs. In addition, with spring comes new members and new ideas.

At Colorado WaterWise we are driven by our members and their diversity of skills, experiences, and outlooks. This year the board is adding individuals with a rich mix of backgrounds. New board members have worked in engineering and research; positions that ensure sustainability is embodied in city beautification; xeriscape and efficient land use planning; and another who specializes in data for conservation programming and policies.

Along with new faces at WaterWise there are new methods for the same goal of water conservation. Included in this issue will be innovative research from Western Resource Advocates on the use of tap fees to encourage water efficiency. WaterWise also lays out its plans for this year’s Lunch n’ Learn series, which will focus on technology and how it can maximize the work utilities already perform.

In addition, we present a survey on rebate programs around the state and what changes many utilities are bringing to their programs to meet future needs.

Kim Frick Ruth Quade Leslie Martien Michael Thomas

Colorado WaterWise Ongoing Meetings

Colorado WaterWise Board Meetings: Second Thursday of each month, 10 a.m.-noon

April 14

May 12

June 9

WaterWise is the official publication of Colorado WaterWise and is published four times a year (Mar, Jun, Sep, and Dec). Articles are due one month before the newsletter comes out.

Officers: Co-chairs: Alyssa Quinn-Platte Canyon & Ruth Quade-Greeley Co-secretaries: Nona Shipman-One World One Water & Lindsey BashlineLoveland Utilities Co-treasurers: Amelia Nuding-Western Resource Advocates & Lyndsey LuciaNorthern Water Board Members: The officers above and Laura WingCity of Thornton; Becky Fedak-Brendle Group, Leslie Martien-Aquacraft; Kate Larson- Center for ReSource Conservation; Rose Marie Clouse-City of Fountain; Diana Denwood-Aurora Water; Renee Davis-Fort Collins; Michael Thomas-Denver Water; Frank KinderColorado Springs Utilities Newsletter Committee: Editors, Kim Frick, Leslie Martien, Ruth Quade & Michael Thomas Design: Natalie Stevens Advertising Sales: Ruth Quade, 970-3509874, ruth.quade@greeleygov.com To submit a story topic, email Kim Frick at kim@scwtp.org WaterWise articles may be reproduced in other publications with credit given to the author and ColordoWaterWise.

Any advertisement of or reference to a product or service is not intended as an endorsement.

This newsletter is intended to spark dialogue about various issues concerning water conservation in Colorado. The viewpoints of the authors are not necessarily those of the Colorado WaterWise.

On the cover: A photo of the Greeley Garden Tour. Photo by Natalie Stevens.

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2016 Lunch n’ Learns return focusing on conservation and technology

By Frank Kinder, Colorado Springs Utilities Colorado WaterWise will continue its successful Lunch n’ Learns launched in 2015. Look for three more sessions this year discussing different technologies that are progressing water conservation.

Last year Colorado WaterWise (CWW) conducted three successful Lunch n’ Learns. It was open to members and the general public. These informative sessions were designed to introduce different aspects of urban conservation to industry professionals, commercial practitioners, and people just interested in conservation.

The first was from Pacific Northwest National Lab’s Kate-McMordie Stoughton on the Federal Energy Management Program, or FEMP, which includes BMPs for federal entities to implement to meet their Executive Order goals. Many of these practices coincide with municipal conservation plans, programs and incentives, and have been implemented in many parts of Colorado. The second topic explained how to get involved with CWW’s Smart Phone App for Colorado Outdoor Water Ordinances. If you’d like to become a user of this tool, email Brenda O’Brien. Finally, the audience heard from Rick Schultz from Town of Castle Rock on their innovative Municipal Landscape Program. Each of these sessions were well-attended and provided valuable discussion on how we’re achieving conservation in different ways. Colorado WaterWise looks to partner with other water organizations to share these in-person learning opportunities; let us know if you’d like to help spread the word.

This year’s first presentation was from software vendor Oracle Corporation. The topic was Delivering Conservation Improvements through Digital Communication and how the utilities customer experience has undergone radical transformation in the last five years with the maturation of social, mobile, analytics and the cloud.

Future sessions will include updates to High Efficiency Plumbing fixtures from Toto Corporation. Opportunities remain to manage water in restroom use, and Colorado has adopted legislation facilitating these products in the state contributes to planned savings in the Colorado Water Plan. Toto will explain how the industry is addressing aged performance perceptions, incorporation of the latest technology to meet needs and water savings, and insights into how manufacturers are working with green building organizations, large customer segments, suppliers and utilities to make indoor water conservation successful for all parties.

Also planned, are presentations on the evolution and conservation potential of Smart Meters and how utilities are developing Colorado-friendly Plant Databases to help their customers and industry adopt successful xeric and native landscapes. Look for more information on these sessions later this year.

Save The Date

Friday, December 2, 2016 St. Cajetans, Auraria Campus Details at: ColoradoWaterWise.org

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Spring 2016

Meet Colorado WaterWise New Board Directors Diana Denwood Diana is a Senior Water Conservation Specialist at Aurora Water specializing in adult education, xeriscape design and horticulture. She joined the City of Aurora Planning Department in 2009 as an energy grants specialist and moved to the Water Department in 2011 to continue her efforts in sustainable living. Diana’s career theme is resource conservation, efficiency and ecological preservation. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Illinois and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado Denver, with an emphasis in Environmental Planning. Growing up near Chicago, Diana did not realize the importance of water conservation in particular until moving to Arizona in 2005. Seeing the juxtaposition of green turf lawns in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, she became dedicated to environmental conservation and water quality protection.

Diana lives in Denver with husband Adam Engelsgjerd. They enjoy Colorado life to the fullest and visit with family and friends across the country often.

Michael Thomas Michael is a Conservation Specialist at Denver Water. He works within the Conservation Department’s data team, which oversees program assessments, research, and efficiency benchmarking. In addition, Michael works with specialty customers such as breweries and government entities. He has worked at Denver Water for three years. Prior to working at Denver Water he completed his Masters in Public Policy at the University of Denver. As a native Coloradan, avid fisherman, and white water enthusiast, water has always been a topic of interest for Michael. Before moving back to Colorado for graduate school Michael completed his undergraduate degree at Franklin University Switzerland where he focused on freshwater law and conflict in the Western US and Middle East.

Renee Davis Renee is a Water Conservation Specialist working for Fort Collins Utilities. Her days are filled with everything from program development to helping water customers save water and she wouldn’t have it any other way. When she gets spare time, she contemplates innovative uses for AMI data. Prior to joining Fort Collins Utilities in December 2014, she worked at Aquacraft Water Engineering and Management in Boulder, CO. There she helped research and write the forth-coming Residential End Uses of Water Study (Update). She also participated in numerous other end-use analysis studies. Renee is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines and is a registered Professional Engineer. Growing up in the Upper Arkansas River Basin has given Renee a state-wide perspective on water issues. She lives in Longmont, where she is a member of the Longmont Water Board. When she gets spare time, she can be found riding her road bike or reading in coffee shops. She can be found online on LinkedIn. Rose-Marie Clouse Rose-Marie Clouse has been with the City of Fountain since 2008 and works in the capacity of the Conservation and Sustainability Manager for both the Water and Electric Utilities. She is responsible for water conservation planning and reporting, as well as measurements of program influence. She has been actively enhancing and developing the City’s conservation programs, beautifying the City with low water use demonstration gardens and offering workshops on conservation to Fountain customers. Rose-Marie has been a Fountain resident for over 39 years and is honored to be a part of the City’s water and electric sustainability efforts. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Technical Management and Project Management from DeVry University and is currently working on her LEED Green Associate and Project Management Certification.

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Spring 2016

Senate Bill 103 Update

By Chris Piper, Senior Government Relations Specialist, Denver Water In 2014, Governor Hickenlooper signed into law Senate Bill 103 (SB103). This act will save water by phasing out the sale of less efficient lavatory faucets, showerheads, toilets and urinals, and offers WaterSense-certified fixtures in their place. A WaterSense label certifies that a fixture is independently tested through a public/ private partnership to meet high standards for water savings and performance.

As outlined in Colorado’s Water Plan, Colorado is facing a water supply gap that could exceed 500,000 acrefeet by the year 2050. An all-in approach to meeting these demands is critical and a collaborative conservation approach is one part of meeting our goals. It is expected that SB103 will provide a savings of up to 40,000 acre-feet (13 billion gallons) of water per year by the year 2050. This will provide uniform water conservation standards throughout the state, and a no-cost, water conservation savings, for medium and small water providers. However, having an informational partnership between utilities, the manufactures, and sellers of these products would be beneficial.

Key Dates to Remember: September 1, 2016: Manufacturers are required to sell only WaterSense labelled fixtures in Colorado.

March 1, 2017: Manufacturers are required to file a one-time report with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB).

It is the goal of this reporting requirement to see significant increases in sales of WaterSense fixtures in 2016.

The CWCB is preparing a streamlined online reporting tool to make this process simple for manufacturers.

Conservation professionals will likely get questions about SB103 from stores and manufacturers and will need to know where to send people for answers. It will take education and partnerships with retailers, wholesalers, homebuilders and others on what products to order. The CWCB and the Plumbing Manufacturers International are working to inform manufacturers about and help them comply with this new legislation and will be a valuable resource for more specific information. Denver Water has proactively reached out to manufacturers and big box stores so the transition to these products is smooth. We will also promote and provide incentives for products that exceed WaterSense standards. With a little preparation and through collaboration it is our goal to ensure the intent of SB 103 is met.

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Spring 2016

Setting Tap Fees in Communities along the Front Range

By Kim Frick, City of Loveland Amelia Nuding from Western Resource Advocates gathered Front Range professionals - ranging from water utility planners, financial experts to developers - for a one day tap fee workshop to create a forum for different communities to share their experiences and ideas about tap fees. Tap fees, also known as plant investment fees, system development charges and/or system improvement fees, are one-time fees.

They are charged to new developments to cover the cost of providing water to that development, and often include the infrastructure and water rights acquisition costs. The name for these fees can vary as much as how each providers implements it in their community.

Westminster and Aurora gave presentations on how their tap fees relate to water demand management. Aurora has a new z-zone program that essentially eliminates the tap fee for developments with landscapes that will use no irrigation water to maintain, after an initial establishment period. They are given a three year window for plant establishment, and then the tap is pulled. This program is in its infancy, but after the first few months of the program being adopted, Aurora projects that 21 acre-feet of water, per year, will be saved. And the city plans to track the progress of this program over the coming years, so stay tuned for more results.

Westminster discussed how individual calculations for commercial taps can allow them to more accurately assess the amount of water that will be used by the customer, and therefore more fairly charge fees to new customers. For example, two water users might both need a 2-inch water tap but one might require significantly more water over the course of the year, or place a greater demand during peak season that puts a greater strain on the utility. Westminster’s refined fee structure is designed to achieve greater equitability for the customers and full cost recovery for the utility.

Many other themes emerged during this workshop. Financial experts talked about the impacts to revenue. Developers discussed how the size and timing of the tap fees impacts their cash flow and ability to do business. There was much discussion about how to deal with changes in water demand after a tap fee had been paid, or how to enforce original development conditions. Changes to landscape ordinances and municipal code were discussed as a tool for successful enforcement. Overall there is no one answer that will work for every community, but the open discussion helped reveal which issues were of priority concern, and established an exchange of ideas that will be useful as communities consider their tap fee structures in the coming year.

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Spring 2016

Brewery Conservation

By Lucas Mouttet, Fort Collins Utilities It’s been said that the Eskimo cultures have 100 different words for snow. That’s because it’s so prevalent in their lives that they needed to have a way to distinguish the different types and sizes. In the same way, Coloradans use many words today to describe what, years-ago, would have been just described as a brewery. Now the types of breweries are macro, micro, nano, brewpub, distilleries, cideries, and so on. The explosion of brewing establishments has led to a sort of crowd-sourcing of information to perfect the efficiency of water and energy use to brew that perfect batch.

Brewing facilities have been steadily advancing in brewing efficiency, with many of the large breweries leading the charge toward reductions in utility usage. Most of the medium to large breweries have tackled the low-hanging fruit and are looking for more. Many of those breweries are capturing energy from cooling processes and re-using rinsate water for additional tasks. Taking cues from other types of manufacturing, breweries are starting to truly analyze water use for each type of beer they are making. By installing submeters for water and electric usage they can understand how much it takes to brew each type of beer. Although it doesn’t seem to be stopping breweries from brewing certain types of beer, knowing the increased materials cost does inform the retail price and quantity that they produce.

Currently, a standard operation uses about 6 gallons of water to produce every gallon of beer (water ratio of 6:1).

Those following best practices for efficiency are getting closer to a water ratio of 4.5 gallons of water to 1 gallons of beer. The elite breweries reach 3 gallons of water or less per gallon of beer packaged.

The scale of operation plays a very important role in the efficiency that a brewery can reach, but it’s not the only factor. At a large brewery a running hose or ruined batch of beer has a smaller relative impact, but if the smaller breweries have a price tag on the lost energy or water from process inefficiencies they are much more likely to change those processes.

Utilities are also realizing that brewery “waste” is a very effective tool for processing wastewater to the newer, higher state and federal standards. The brewery effluent, if brought directly to the wastewater plant, is helping reclamation of nitrogen as well as some phosphorus before the water goes back into the environment. Who knew that microbes loved beer so much! This is a great chance for utilities to partner with breweries for a winwin, giving a new paradigm for how we work with the community to reach common goals.

Partnering with these breweries will become more important as they become larger and larger; we should be catching them early before large expansions to make sure they are taking efficiency into account and creating win-win situations for all.

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Spring 2016

Saving Water at the Car Wash

By Claire Moore, International Carwash Association Water efficiency may not be the first words that come to mind when thinking of a car wash. It seems to take a lot of water to remove all the dirt and grime from your car and produce a dry, sparkly, clean car. However, this is a common misconception. Professional car washes are more environmentally friendly than you think and the industry’s association, International Carwash Association®, is working to educate the consumer on how water is used when you wash your car.

International Carwash Association® is the nonprofit trade group representing the retail and supply segments of the professional car wash industry in North America and around the globe. The Association’s member companies represent more than 15,000 car washes in nearly two dozen countries. The Association produces The Car Wash Show™; The Car Wash Show Europe®, the world’s largest car wash trade show and convention; administers WaterSavers®, the industry’s leading environmental recognition program; and publishes CAR WASH Magazine™, the preferred source of information for the car wash business leader. The Association is the voice of the professional car wash industry, serving as its spokesperson to business and consumer media, investors, governmental agencies, allied associations and related industries. As part of this role, the Association produces the industry’s leading research in the areas of consumer habits and preferences, the environmental attributes of professional car washing and industry equipment sales.

As part of the Association’s advocacy effort, the WaterSavers program was launched in 2009. In order to participate in WaterSavers, the car wash operator must meet criteria around water use and effluent treatment and be validated by a local plumber or member distributor. After operators qualify they are able to use the WaterSavers mark as a way to educate and communicate to their customers and community the benefits of utilizing a professional wash, rather than washing a car on pavement or in the driveway.

Studies have shown that washing a car on pavement or in the driveway can use up to 100 gallons of fresh water and typically all of the oil, grime, soap and dirt from the washed car is discharged in to the storm sewers, headed directly to your rivers, lakes and streams. By washing a car at a WaterSavers wash, you know that wash is using less than 40 gallons of fresh water per car (oftentimes significantly less) and is discharging the effluent to the sanitary sewer, ensuring that it is being treated properly.

There are currently 45 WaterSavers locations in the state of Colorado. The easiest way to find a WaterSavers location is to use the location finder on WashWithWaterSavers.com.

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Spring 2016

Colorado Envirothon Puts Environment in the Forefront of High School Students’ Interests

By Frank Kinder, Colorado Springs Utilities In many ways, as a society, especially in urban environments, we have become divorced from the systems that sustain our lives. Modern cities are adept at providing 24 hour services and American lifestyles haven’t traditionally addressed the natural resources that are included in creating our goods and services, nor the impacts on nature from modern lifestyles. The Envirothon seeks to reconnect today’s students with these systems and spark an interest in professional careers that understand, manage, protect, and improve these resources that keep us alive. This occurs through science, participation, competition, and experiential learning.

The competition complements the water education, efficiency, and management plans and policies underway among utilities, districts, and entities across CO large and small.

A Brief History In 1979, the Pennsylvania Soil and Water Conservation Districts created an “Environmental Olympics” competition as an approach aimed to encourage high school students to become interested in natural resource conservation and environmental issues. The Environmental Olympics, later shortened to Enviro-Olympics, quickly gained popularity as a hands-on outdoor competition designed to challenge and test each student’s knowledge of soils, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and current environmental issues.

For nearly a decade, the Pennsylvania Enviro-Olympics program demonstrated its ability to promote environmental literacy and supplement education in grades 9-12. The program quickly grew in size to include participation by 40 conservation district teams at the 1987 Pennsylvania State Enviro-Olympics, providing greater visibility for the program and stimulating the interest of neighboring states.

In 1988, the program became known as the Envirothon. That year, teams from Ohio, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania competed at the first National Envirothon hosted and sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts.

Four Areas of Focus Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soils and Land Use, and Wildlife. Each has Key Points that explain the major components of each area and how they are interconnected. Suggested activities demonstrate learning opportunities which can produce products for the competition. Ties to water help establish its value and practices to protect it. For example, four Key Points in Aquatic Ecology are: Abiotic Factors, Biotic Factors, Aquatic Environments, and Water Protection and Conservation, the last of which has the following Learning WaterWise

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Objectives • Understand how education programs and enforcement agencies are working together to protect aquatic habitats and preventing those who use our waterways from inadvertently transporting Aquatic Nuisance Species ANS from one river to another.

• Interpret major provincial and/or federal laws and methods used to protect water quality (i.e. surface and ground water). Utilize this information to propose management decisions that would improve the quality of water in a given situation.

• Be familiar with the Federal, Provincial and state agencies that provide oversight of water resources, and understand that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a useful and important tool in the management of water resources.

• Identify global and local sources of point and non-point source pollution and be able to discuss methods to reduce point and non-point source pollution.

• Understand the interaction of competing uses of water for water supply, hydropower, navigation, wildlife, recreation, waste assimilation, irrigation, and industry.

• Know the meaning of water conservation, and understand why it is important every time you turn on a faucet.

Suggested Activities • List at least three Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) and describe their effects on an aquatic ecosystem.

Consider what can happen when predator ANS are imported, and develop a plan for the eradication of a target ANS. • Site water protection laws at a mock hearing to decide whether a permit should be given to build a new shopping mall along a river.

• Explain how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are being used to help communities assess water quality and watershed health information.

• Compare water usage in different regions of Canada and the United States and propose actions to help countries strike a balance between supply and demand in order to realize maximum benefit from our water resources.

• Design a comprehensive water conservation plan for your home and the watershed below your home. This should include groundwater replenishment, securing sediment on your property, managing non-point source pollution and following the path of good quality water as it leaves your property on its way to the sea.

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Value to Colorado Citizens and Organizations These descriptions encourage involvement in water source, supply and use creating connections which reinforce many of the conservation plans, outreach activities, and communications Colorado utilities, watershed organizations, advocacy groups, and others implement to educate citizens about their impact on water. Students learn critical thinking, information literacy, collaboration, self-direction, and invention. Programs like Envirothon augment the very real objectives of Colorado WaterWise and other groups working to raise the public’s awareness of water, and should be seen as complementary to existing educational organizations. We need the next generation interested in these topics, competent in their value to our state and quality of life, and involved in their management.

Colorado Joins the Envirothon Colorado Envirothon was established in 2012 by representatives of several agencies and organizations throughout Colorado, including the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts, West Greeley Conservation District, Future Farmers of America, and Colorado State Conservation Board. May 5, 2013, Colorado held its first state competition.

The 2016 Colorado Envirothon Competition will be held on April 26-27, 2016. The competition will be held in Douglas County, at the Douglas County Fairgrounds and Events Center, 500 Fairgrounds Drive, Castle Rock, Colorado. There are many extensive resources to support participation and become involved, including Rules and Regulations, Entry and Registration Forms, Study Guides, research links, a Teacher Student Newsletter, Colorado Content Sources, and the 2016 Resource Topic, which is Invasive Species.

For more information or to enter please contact Brenda Anderson at Brenda.anderson@co.nacdnet.net The entry deadline for the event is April 4, 2016. See coloenvirothon.com for all details.

New & Renewing CWW Members Show your support for Colorado WaterWise projects! Click here to Join Now. If you are already a member, please renew your membership. Also partner with the Live Like You Love it Campaign.

Major Sponsor Northern Water

Water Utility- Medium City of Englewood

Water Utility- Large Colorado Springs Fort Collins City of Loveland

Water Utility –Small Platte Canyon W&S Willows W&S Roxbourough W&S Town of Fredrick Town of Breckenridge ET Irrigation

Industry & Manufacturer TOTO Oracle WaterWise

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Basic Membership (Non-Utility) WaterSmart Software Adams County Live Like You Love It Partner City of Greeley Colorado Ski Country

Spring 2016

The Future of Rebate Programs Michael Thomas, Denver Water For many utilities rebates have served as a central program to move their customers toward greater wateruse efficiency. The main purpose of a rebate program is to incentivize the purchase of high efficiency products over less efficient models. Fixture changes have a greater guarantee of water savings because, unlike behavior changing programs, once installed properly, they deliver a fixed lower amount of water per use compared to old fixtures. A parallel goal is to create a shift in the marketplace so these water efficient products are not only available, but become the norm. Recent legislative efforts (see article on Senate Bill 103) have moved Colorado into a group of states like Texas, California, and Oregon that will only allow approved, water efficient fixtures to be available for sale. With this success utilities are increasingly questioning the future of their rebate programs.

This winter Colorado WaterWise distributed a survey to utilities across the state to see what different communities plan on doing with their rebate programs (or if they have one at all). While not scientific, the responses from the 14 utilities, who service close to 2 million people in the state, illustrate current trends in rebate programs. Additionally, the results signaled how rebate programs differ significantly from one utility to the next. Of the 14 respondents 10 stated they will have some sort of rebate program in 2016. Four stated they will not, although some did indicate a shift of resources toward other types of programs with similar ambitions.

Trends in Rebate Programs One of the main objectives of the survey was to tally the frequency of different types of rebates and how much each utility rebated to their customers. Overall, our results showed higher frequency of rebates on the Front Range as opposed to Mountain and West Slope. Also there was a greater variety of rebate types in larger municipalities. This is not surprising given larger municipalities have a larger service area and more resources but also a greater diversity of customer types to move toward efficiency. ET irrigation controllers were the most common rebate for both residential and commercial customers followed by high efficiency toilets (HETs) and ultra-high efficiency toilets (UHETs) (see charts). However, no rebate or fixture giveaway had more than 50% adoption among the surveyed utilities.

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Generally, the dollar amount rebated to customers was consistent between utilities with the exception of ET controllers, which had a range between $100-400, largely due to many utilities rebating a percent of the cost and washing machines, which ranged from $50-125. UHETs and dual flush toilets mostly received $150 per rebate. Rotary nozzles were typically rebated around $3-4 apiece. For commercial customers, most utilities indicated they pay a certain percent of landscape change, irrigation system upgrades, or professional services.

Future Actions A major takeaway from the comments section was that many utilities are beginning to shift or are considering shifting resources away from their rebate programs towards direct install or programs where the utility works more one-on-one with customers. With the passing of Senate Bill 103 many utilities are quickly phasing out the rebate for HET toilets. Denver Water and Aurora Water stopped approving rebates for purchases at the beginning of the year. Colorado Springs Utilities also began to scale back rebates once the bill passed. The City of Greeley will stop approving rebates after June 30th. In addition, cities such as Brighton, Thornton, and Fort Collins indicated they will make a formal decision for these rebates in the upcoming year. HETs appear to be just one of many changes. The City of Boulder decided in 2012 that the rebate program was not meeting their desired results and instead moved resources to test direct install pilots in targeted locations. In all, 57% of utilities indicated some form of direct install program.

In addition to direct install programs, some utilities are creating and expanding programs that are more focused on outdoor water use and landscape change. Outdoor rebates and incentives were common on both the Western Slope and Front Range. Some of this is through partnerships like Garden in a Box -through the Center for ReSource Conservation- or through direct install or rebates after an irrigation audit or efficiency contract.

It is likely that rebates will continue to change as retailers carry new water efficient products. It also presents an opportunity for utilities to diversify rebates for different types of customers. The challenge for utilities will be how to move from relatively straight forward programs like rebates to more customized and targeted approaches.

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Spring 2016

Turkestan Tulip-Spring Beauty from the Slopes of Central Asia

By Leslie Martien, Aquacraft, Inc. I first spotted the lovely star-shaped flowers on a hot, spring day at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The dry slope was covered in hundreds of creamy white blossoms with bright yellow centers. There were multiple flowers on each stem which stood less than a foot above graygreen, strap-like, foliage. Closer examination and a well-placed sign identified them as Turkestan Tulip also known as Tulipa turkestanica.

Unlike the more common hybrids, that tend to bolt as soon as the weather begins to get too warm, these drought tolerant tulips are unfazed by the drying winds and hot days that are the hallmark of our Colorado spring weather.

Because of the small size of the bulb and plant these botanical tulips are easily tucked in between xeric plants in an established garden but it means that enjoying their light fragrance requires a little effort. They are well-suited to rock gardens and the front of the border where they will naturalize and form small colonies over time. They also adapt well when planted at the base of large trees or shrubs as long as they receive adequate sunlight.

As with hybrid tulips, Turkestan Tulip should be planted in the fall, about 4 inches deep, in well-drained soil. Once the flowers have faded, the foliage should be left to die back on its own.

And, like other tulips, the flowers of Turkestan tulip may be browsed by deer. Interplanting with Artemisia, lavender, rabbit brush, and other woody, drought tolerant perennials will help to keep the deer at bay.

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Lessons Learned from Cooling Tower Efficiency Programs Rick Alvarado, Denver Water For utilities searching for large savings in the CII sector one of the best options is to establish a cooling tower efficiency program. For a utility it is an opportunity for large water savings at a fairly low cost. Also attractive, is once you spend the time training staff on cooling towers that skill set translates well across different users (from office buildings to manufacturing the technology is quite similar). When Denver Water first established its cooling tower program in 2004 an engineer was hired to get it established. There were a few contracts signed and while it was successful when that person left the program stalled. In 2013, Denver Water rebooted the program and made changes to better meet the needs and reach more of our customers.

Cooling Tower Basics and Customer Targeting The quickest and easiest way to save water in a cooling tower is to increase the cycles of concentration. This requires treating and cycling the water back through the tower multiple times before it needs to be flushed and replaced. Most towers in Colorado average four cycles. The key is increasing cycles without increasing scale and slime build up that can cause damage to the tower or worse cause legionella which can cause sickness or even death. Once a technician or conservation professional is educated on what to look for the ability to create a program isn’t as daunting as it may seem.

In terms of targeting, our original targets were large towers (1,000 ton and more) that could save a million gallons or more a year because it was a quick, large savings. When we rebooted the program we realized these customers were few and far between. It was also time intensive to find these very large towers. Denver Water realized that together many smaller towers combined can save just as much. So the performance rebate program was developed to target customers with savings potential of 50,000 gallons per year. We went from five (lengthy) contracts per year to about to about 35 performance rebates per year with no need for additional staff. We estimate 2016’s savings could reach up to 4 million gallons.

To begin a performance rebate, our cooling tower auditor (a field technician with specialized training) reaches out to a customer and offers an audit. Based on the result of the audit, recommendations are made and a performance rebate is proposed. The performance rebate is a onetime payment a year after treatment changes or efficiency technologies are installed and monitored for a year. We must be able to verify the savings from the tower separated from the rest of the location’s use. Our program pays $18.50 per 1,000 gal saved or 50% of project cost. The customer chooses what technologies they want to adopt and we will pay the lower of the two options previously mentioned.

While it is still a guess as to how many towers are actually in our system this flexibility brings more to the table. Many small towers may not even have a water treatment system installed and are likely on a one cycle system. It is like putting a water hose on over a fan to cool the air! Another successful change to our program was to reach out to the cooling tower equipment vendors. We got to know these professionals personally and offered presentations to their companies. We outlined our program, how they can get their customers signed up, get them a check, and to “stop leaving money on the table”.

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Lessons Learned and Program Establishment Some of the most important lessons Denver Water has learned in this reboot can be summarized in a single theme: don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. For the utility you free the time and expertise of your staff by avoiding multi-year contracts. When most customers realize the savings they aren’t likely to go back to using water less efficiently. Instead of a contract, develop a simple performance rebate application that simply outlines the target cycles of concentration with a beginning and end date to reach the target. Verify the results through a year of monitoring. Finally, sometimes you have to accept that not all customers will follow through with the verification (even if they achieve the savings). We realized often the facility engineer or building maintenance person was not informed enough to follow through with Denver Water. We decided to approach the person that is actually working on the tower.

Their inclusion with the building operators ensured better compliance and results.

For additional questions please feel free to contact Rick Alvarado

Legislative Watch

By Drew Beckwith, Western Resource Advocates The legislative session is in full swing and while water issues are not a big priority this year, there are several worth keeping your eyes on regarding water conservation and efficiency.

The rain barrel bill is back! HB 16-1005, sponsored by Representatives Esgar (D-Pueblo) and Danielson (D-Wheat Ridge), is a carbon copy of the bill from last year that sought to legalize the use of residential rain barrels. Efforts to find a compromise with Senator Sonnenberg (R- Wray), chair of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources committee, did not yield any fruit, but the sponsors are optimistic the bill will not meet the same fate as last year. There are two main reasons for this optimism: 1) the bill is close to adding Republican sponsors; and 2) recent research from Colorado State University indicates that rain barrels have no impact on stormwater runoff (i.e., no impact to downstream water users). This bill continues to be wildly popular with the general public, and has broad support from water providers across the state.

Taking a cue from the Colorado Water Plan, Representative KC Becker (D-Boulder) is exploring legislation that would require all “covered entities” (water providers that serve more than 2,000 AF of water per year) to follow the AWWA water loss methodology for completing water loss audits. Colorado’s Water Plan estimates that municipal providers lose 76,000 AF of water annually, representing about 8% of total production. Water loss auditing is a foundational best practice in Colorado, but most water providers do not complete loss audits using a standardized process. Sponsors of the bill estimate conservation savings potential of 20,000 AF through the implementation of this bill. Peter Mayer of Water Demand Management is playing a key supporting role for Representative Becker on this bill and would be happy to discuss the bill further with anyone. Read the next legislative watch to see how these bills fared!

Look to the next issue for actual bill titles and to see if any of these legislative concepts grow some legs!

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Content Marketing for Water Conservation Natalie Stevens, City of Greeley Content marketing is a tool that can be effectively used to sell products and ideas. According to the Content Marketing Institute, “content marketing’s purpose is to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and curating relevant and valuable content with the intention of changing or enhancing consumer behavior.”

This practice is used mostly in a business environment, but as those promoting water efficiency, changing the behavior of a target audience is something that can help us reach our goals.

You may be already using some aspects of content marketing and not even me aware that you are doing it.

Content builds relationships with your customers by telling stories and providing useful information. This can come in a form of blog posts, infographics, photographs, videos, and other items that get a message to an audience. It can be as easy as sharing a conservation tip with an interesting photo or as complex as making a series of videos.

It is often difficult to feed the content beast daily or even weekly, especially if you have a small staff. Here are a few tips that will help you incorporate more content marketing into your social media and marketing efforts.

1. Recycle content. You may have developed a PowerPoint presentation on one of your programs. Can you turn one of the slides into a social media item or blog post? Do you have something that is old, but is still relevant? Like verbiage from a printed brochure. Can you take a short clip of a long video and turn it into something more sharable online?

2. Upcycle content. Don’t just post the same information repeatedly, but change it up. Make it a variation on a theme. Say the same thing in a new way, add a different photo, or use a different channel (turn a blog post into a video).

3. Create an editorial calendar. Every year in the winter, you can share indoor water conservation topics, in the spring you can talk Xeriscape, and in the summer you can provide irrigation tips. Use established designations like Fix a Leak Week, Drinking Water Week, Earth Day to share relevant messages. Make a list of topics that you will share monthly or weekly.

4. Take it from the news. The Content Marketing Association defines newsjacking as “the process of injecting your brand into the day’s news, creating a twist that grabs eyes when they’re open widest.”

Is something trending on social media or in the news? Can you discuss what happened to the water in Flint and talk about your water system? Is there a movie in theaters with a conservation or water theme? Is there a big event like the Olympics or Super Bowl that you can tie your messages into?

Get going! Use your creativity and passion for conservation to connect with your audiences.

WaterWise

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Conservation News and Notes AWWA Sustainable Water Management Conference March 7-10, 2016 Providence Rhode Island AWWA Announces the 2016 Water Equation Campaign Learn more at: awwa.org EPA Fix a Leak Week March 14 - 20, 2016 WaterSense expects labeled flushometer-valve toilets to enter the market in early 2016. Learn more about the WaterSense Specification for FlushometerValve Water Closets. If you have questions about the specification or WaterSense in general, please contact the WaterSense Helpline at (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) or watersense@epa.gov

Alliance for Water Efficiency AWE Awarded Grand Prize in Imagine H2O Water Policy Challenge AWE Announces Two Outdoor Water Savings Studies AWE will undertake two new study topics on outdoor water use: Quantifying the Water Savings from Landscape Transformation Programs; and Quantifying the Water Savings from Drought Outdoor Watering Restrictions. RFPs have been drafted for each topic, and funding is now being solicited from study partners.

For more information on how to participate in these studies, click here.

American Planning Association APA 2016 National Conference April 2 - April 5, 2016 Phoenix, AZ

ACE16 Annual Conference & Exposition Uniting the World of Water June 19-22, 2016 Chicago IL 2016 Summer AWRA Conference GIS and Water Resources IX Sacramento CA July 11-13, 2016

WaterWise

Center for ReSource Conservation Garden in a Box Sales Begin March 1, 2016

WaterSmart Innovations Conference & Expo October 5 - October 7, 2016 South Point Hotel, Las Vegas, NV American Water Resources Association 2016 Spring AWRA Conference April 25, 2016 Water - Energy – Environment Anchorage AK Wyland Foundation National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation mywaterpledge.com 18

Plant Select Annual Meeting June 1, 2016 at the Denver Botanic Gardens for more information director@ plantselect.org Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Spring Water Users Meeting April 13 Fifth Annual Conservation Gardens Fair Saturday, May 21 Northern Water System Tours TBD northernwater.org RMLIU Linking Land Use and Water March 9-12, 2016 Denver CO law.du.edu/rmlui Spring 2016