waterwise The The official official publication publication of of Colorado Colorado WaterWise WaterWise
The Voice of the Colorado Water Conservation Community
www.coloradowaterwise.org
In this issue... Colorado WaterWise Update - page 3
Water Education
Water Equals Jobs Pg. 3 Colorado Water pageLike 6 You Love It! Live
Hosting a Rain Barrel Event is Easy - page Pg. 9 Interview with14 Ray Tschillard
7 Tips for Successful Information Booths page 17
Pg. 13 Water Efficiency Workshop Pg. 14 Interview with Gary Klein ColoradoWaterWise.org
Winter 2017
s r o t i d e e h t From Another year has almost passed and the hustle of the summer has subsided. Now is the time when we reflect on the year and its projects and planning begins for 2018. Colorado WaterWise ended the year with a very successful annual conference. The best thing about conferences is getting ideas and take-aways to implement when you go back to your job. This year was no exception. This year’s symposium focused on many of the conundrums that water planners are facing into the future. How do we plan to supply food, provide livable housing with landscapes and provide for the explosive growth into the 21st century and do it with a shortfall of qualified employees in the next decade? This issue is dedicated to education. Inside you will find utilities and non-profits educating customers, teachers and students on their water use and the connection to the weather and environment. Included are a few advanced education certificates and degrees for staffing the water industry as baby boomers retire. Allison O’Connor, who spoke at the Annual Symposium about the important role of landscape in our lives, is spotlighted in this issue. Read more about the entire event in the Colorado WaterWise update. Check out our Live Like You Love It webpage lovecoloradowater.org and order some branded materials in our new shopping cart. Become a partner and have access to all of the materials that are available to rebrand with your logo and distribute to your customers and constituents! If you have ideas for articles or would like to write articles, please contact us. Also, if are you a shutterbug, we would love to use your high quality photos. Thank you for another great year of networking and support. Don’t forget to renew your memberships and use up 2017 funds that may be available.
Ruth Quade Leslie Martien Darren Nowels Colorado WaterWise Ongoing Meetings Second Thursday of each month - 10 a.m. to noon
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: Amelia Nuding-Western Resource Advocates & Frank KinderColorado Springs Utilities Cosecretaries: Diana Denwood-Aurora Water & Lindsey Bashline-Loveland Utilities Co-treasurers: Lyndsey Lucia-Northern Water & Renee Davis Board Members: The officers above and Laura WingCity of Thornton; Becky FedakBrendle Group; Alyssa Quinn-Platte Canyon; Ruth Quade-Greeley; Darren Knowles- Center for ReSource Conservation; Keith Schweiger-ALCC. Newsletter Committee: Editors - Leslie Martien, Ruth Quade, Natalie Stevens (designer) & Darren Knowels. Advertising sales, article submission or photos: Ruth Quade, 970-350-9874, ruth.quade@ greeleygov.com WaterWise articles may be reproduced in other publications with credit given to the author and Colorado WaterWise. The viewpoints of the authors are not necessarily those of the Colorado WaterWise. This newsletter is intended to spark dialogue about various issues concerning water resources and conservation in Colorado. Any advertisement of or reference to a product or service is not intended as an endorsement.
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WHAT’S NEW WITH COLORADO WATERWISE? By Frank Kinder, Colorado WaterWise Co-Chair As 2017 wraps up, we reflect on a year of transition. As my co-chair role concludes, I’m thankful for a year of collaborative projects, program expansion and excellence, and strengthened relationships among our water industry peers. Colorado WaterWise remains a highly valued non-profit organization that actively coalesces diverse water efficiency practitioners, providers, and professionals. This year we have initiated a closer relationship with GreenCo, an organization representing a broad array of landscape professionals. These include ALCC, CALCAP, ASLA, CNGA, ISA, and more entities supporting a vibrant quality of life, with Board representation from Keith Schweiger. Our Lunch’ n Learns continue to introduce new technology, companies, and contacts in the water industry. Colorado-based smart controller manufacturer Rachio shared their story and solutions, and DropCountr introduced attendees to engagement software that elevates customer connections to water use that was difficult to imagine just a short time ago. Webinars about RESNET’s WERS new construction rating system and Center for Resource Conservation’s innovative Turf Replacement program brought novel collaborative programs to learners across the state. Our Monthly Update Emails brings current jobs, events, news and notices to members and readers in a concise, accessible schedule. Our October 24th Symposium held in Lowry had superb attendance, interesting, diverse, expert speakers, valuable networking time, door prizes, and Halloween trivia, with an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5! We recognized City of Westminster’s Stu Feinglas with our Gardener Award for a career of conservation firsts, wins, and industry-leading projects. We are proud of the achievements underway in Colorado. Attendees enjoyed our new 5 speaker Petcha Kutcha session, panel session, and topic variety. Some even liked it more than WaterSmart Innovations. Next year we’ll have more networking time. Nationally, we continued to support the funding and retention of EPA’s WaterSense, and pursue the taxexempt status of water efficiency rebates. Locally, we are contributing to CWCB’s Water Loss Control Training initiative, and have valued connections to Water Education Colorado and others. Live Like You Love It continues to provide holistic water awareness to users, and participate in new ventures such as TapIn CO. Look for new announcement on these and other topics in 2018 via our Strategic Plan. WaterWise
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Of note, we have a new admin, Melissa Walford, whom has been a terrific addition to WaterWise. Connect with Melissa via admin@ waterwise.org for all your website, event, and access needs. Finally, WaterWise continues to be solvent and successful. Our organization is financially stable, and we are sought out to assist in a variety of water efficiency efforts. We take pride in our work efforts, especially this newsletter, and we invite you to participate, including as a board member. We are currently take Board nominations through December 13th. See full details here. Here’s to more great fun, professional development, and conservation in 2018.
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Winter 2017
TURF REMOVAL SUCCESSES by Kate Larson, Center For ReSource Conservation
THANK YOU TO THE CWW 2017 SYMPOSIUM SPONSORS
Turf Removal and Replacement programs are increasingly part of the long-term water conservation solution for many water providers in Colorado. As new programs continue to emerge, it is important to assess their desirability, effectiveness, and accessibility to residents. What is the optimal design for a Turf Removal and Replacement program? The Center for ReSource Conservation (CRC) with funding from the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Walton Family Foundation hopes to answer this question through an innovative study and implementation pilot that will work with communities and individuals to find the best combination of incentives and program design. The project will start by looking across the state and country at turf removal programs, evaluating which have seen the highest levels of success and water conservation impacts and which have been most cost effective. Based on these findings CRC will develop at least four different program designs that seek to remove a specific barrier for the homeowner. For example: the homeowner may not be physically able to do the labor, they may not have the funds, or they may lack design expertise or knowledge about what to replant. CRC will then implement programs with specific solutions to these barriers in communities across the Front Range. Homeowners who agree to take part in the project will each receive an incentive, with which they will work to complete a landscape transformation. CRC will monitor participants to gather data on the responses and actions of these individuals to learn about their process and evaluate key indicators of project success in turf removal and replacement, ease, associated costs, and effort. The end goal of the project is for CRC to share valuable data on turf removal from the prospective of what truly incentivizes homeowners to do landscape change projects, what barriers are most important to address, as well as information on program implementation. Stay tuned for more information coming fall of 2018! Questions or comments about this project? Contact Kate Larson with the Center for ReSource Conservation at 303-999-3820 ext. 214 or klarson@conservationcenter.org
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Winter 2017
WATER EQUALS JOBS By Ruth Quade, City of Greeley A fact sheet produced by Water Week, a joint organization for water, wastewater, planning and water policy, states that, "America’s quality of life depends on safe and clean water. Investments create jobs and support the economy." As you look around your water utility, you may notice a lot of grey hair. Maybe much of your staff has already retired. By 2020, an aging workforce will contribute to 30-50 percent turnover of qualified staff. With these employees also goes a lot of institutional knowledge and system history. The future of water supply and delivery is dependent on a succession plan. Whether it is an internship or apprentice program, mentoring, scholarships, recruitment, a procedural manual or job fairs, there are ways to strengthen the upcoming shortage of employees. There are some key messages to convey to prospective employees.
Red Rocks Community College offers Bachelor’s degrees, Associates Degrees and certificates in Water Quality Management (WQM). This program can qualify a student for a job or be a stepping stone to higher education. WQM certificates are a combination of courses that can be used to represent academic accomplishments to employers in lieu of, or while they are seeking an Associate degree. Certificates include: • Introduction to Water Treatment • Introduction to Wastewater Treatment • Laboratory analysis • Mathematics in Water Quality • Distribution and Collection Systems • Education and Experience • Advanced Wastewater Treatment Certification (D-A) • Advanced Water Treatment Certification (D-A) Red Rocks WQM program works closely with the state licensing system to prepare students for employment in water/wastewater quality management. For more info: • Metro State University • Red Rocks Community College • Water Week
Why water? • Water is a local, national and global business – you can live anywhere and find a job! • Jobs can be entry level with on-the-job learning where you can work your way up • Jobs that require certifications, degrees or advanced degrees are also an option • Give back to your community • Job satisfaction • Delivering safe water is important • Middle level jobs will be most in demand • Job security; water and wastewater are considered recession-proof, stable and not subject to market fluctuations like private industry WaterWise
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What skills are needed? • Communication: writing, reading, face to face, electronically and on the phone • Customer service • Computer skills: Word, Excel, GIS, ARC, SCADA, Adobe products, social/new media • Driving - a good driving record may be required • Math, science environmental science and analyzing data • Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, maintenance, instrumentation • Treatment and operations • Accounting and budgeting • Ethics, integrity, judgement and work ethic • Flexibility and adaptive thinking • Cultural literacy • Project management, problem solving, collaboration The future of water treatment and supply is changing as is data collection, so recognizing that the workforce needs to evolve with the changing needs and technology is important. Partnering a new employee with a seasoned employee may encourage them to learn from each other. Cross-training employees also makes good sense for long term planning. We all have people who started in the field as trainees with little to no experience and have worked their way into a management positions. As water conservation members of the staff, we are sometimes default communications officers and responsible for attending educational events and going into classrooms. Look for these opportunities to identify young people who might be good candidates for an internship or mentoring. At Greeley’s 8th Grade Career Fair we often end our spiel to students by saying, "Why not choose a career that provides a vital service to society? Similar to doctors and engineers, the water industry provides necessary services for the public. At the end of each day, you could know what it feels like to provide a service that everyone in the entire world needs to survive, and hold your head high and take pride in your career."
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Winter 2017
METRO STATE LAUNCHES NEW WATER STUDIES ONLINE CERTIFICATE By Frank Kinder, Colorado Springs Utilities Most water professionals are required to participate in continuous professional development. While this can occur in a variety of means, formal programs offer an additional venue to have coordinated learning in an academic format with organized lesson plans. Metro State University (MSU) Denver is launching a new Water Studies Online certificate. It is one of the only certificates, in the country, with a special focus on water in Colorado and the American West. The certificate will allow students to expand their knowledge about water stewardship under the direction of highly qualified instructors, in a self-paced format with an applied real-world project. The One World One Water Center is a collaboration between Metro State University of Denver and Denver Botanic Gardens. The OWOW Center strives to prepare an educated, empowered, solution-oriented Colorado citizenry to protect and preserve Colorado’s precious water resources. Registration is now open for these courses. Three reasons why you should participate: • This program will provide one-on-one networking with water experts face-to-face or via Skype. • The certificate is designed for busy professionals, students and individuals. They self-pace format will allow student to complete a course in as little as four weeks and up to 21 weeks. • Jobs are in demand in a growth industry and this certificate may allow you a leg up when looking for career opportunities or provide continuing education for seasoned professionals. What are the classes and who are the instructors? Water Law in Colorado is a complicated subject and Dr. Elizabeth R. McVicker will break down why we need laws to regulate water use, how ancient water law influenced U.S. water law, as well as the variations of surface and ground water. U.S. Water Concerns with Dr. Randi Bazeau will examine water as a natural and societal resource using local and national examples. Landforms and processes related to water such as the hydrologic cycle, watersheds, surface water, and groundwater are surveyed. Students learn about water use in early civilizations, water and culture, water quality and treatment, and water law. Dr. Brazeau will also supervise the students’ capstone project. Colorado Water and the American West, taught by Dr. Matthew S. Makley, invites students to study the rich history of water in Colorado and the American West. From the beginning, humans in the American West have had to contend with arid environments. This course begins with a look at how the Ancestral Pueblo and other Native communities used water. Learn more about MSU Denver’s Water Studies Online Certificate, msudenver.edu/water-studies-online
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Winter 2017
FREE ENERGY AND WATER RESOURCES FOR COLORADO’S RURAL SCHOOLS By Becky Fedak, Brendle Group Outdated fixtures, heating, and cooling can cost rural schools, on average, 30% more on their utility bills according to a recent study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To combat this problem, the Colorado Energy Office’s (CEO) Energy Savings for Schools (ESS) Program is enrolling schools for this year. "The ESS program builds off many years of the CEO’s programmatic work in the K-12 area. Schools across Colorado have been able to save energy, water, and money through a variety of offerings, and now they are part of this program to bring all available resources to bear on those schools with the greatest needs,"Michael Turner, Energy Efficiency Programs Manager for the Colorado Energy Office, explains."It’s a great opportunity for schools looking to improve their learning environment through more efficient operations." Through the program, schools receive: • Tangible water, energy, and cost savings • Improved learning environment with better lighting, heating, and cooling • On-site water and energy audits from an experienced engineer • Evaluation of renewable energy opportunities • Technical support and energy coaching • Implementation support and help identifying existing funding and financing options for completing projects • Recognition for a school’s efforts and opportunities to engage students • Connections with peer schools and a platform for sharing ideas and knowledge To date, 32 schools are participating across the state of Colorado. Combined estimated opportunities for these schools are shown below (column 1), with more projects being implemented each month (column 2).
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Winter 2017
URBAN FARMING, COMPOSTING AND WATER CONSERVATION By Pam Wright, City of Greeley We know building healthy soils is key for the production and longevity of our crops, but it also allows plants to use water more efficiently and saves water in the long run. Adding organic matter to the soil increases soil nutrition, which helps plants produce better yields without adding more water. Whether sandy or clayey soils, compost reduces the soil's need for water by 30 percent, on average. Organic waste comprises 30 percent of the household trash going into landfills, where it has no chance to decompose and offers no value. Homeowners who compost not only extend the life of our landfills and reduce the cost of collecting household garbage, but also recycle the nutrients in organic waste to create a valuable soil amendment for their gardens. Gardening in Colorado can be challenging. The average elevation is 6,800 feet above sea level. Due to the high elevation, sunlight is frequently of high intensity and the humidity is low. These features, along with rapid and extreme weather changes and frequently poor soil conditions, make for challenges in growing plants. When compost is added to soils, it is an effective barrier against evaporation of soil moisture. Compost also reduces plants' needs for water by increasing how much water can be held by the soil. Compost is the result of a process whereby organic matter is decomposed and then used to amend the soil. Organisms break down organic matter releasing substances that bind soil particles into crumbly aggregates. Amending the soil with compost improves its structure, which affects how well it holds water. These aggregates have air spaces between them and can be penetrated and occupied by water, nutrients, and plants' roots. Soils rich in organic material hold water and plants growing in them have lower water needs. Compost improves the soil's water holding capacity by improving soil structure. This time of year, biodegradable organic matter such as tree and shrub leaves is often in big supply. Whether allowed to decompose on its own or speed up the composting process, we often turn to our backyard or community compost system as a repository for these materials. We may not realize how the compost produced from organic materials such as tree leaves, prunings and food scraps help soil hold water yearround. Ultimately, regularly amending with compost lightens clay soils, thus, reducing run-off and increases the water holding capacity of sandy soils, hence reducing the need for water. Adding compost as a thin mulch layer over bare soils reduces water evaporation, while also reducing the need for water by garden and farm raised plants. Fall aeration is the perfect time to add compost to your lawn to introduce organics to an existing lawn. WaterWise
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interview
A Spotlight on
ALISON O’CONNOR Horticulture Extension Educator, Colorado State University
WW: Tell us a little about yourself. I was born and raised in Minnesota, where the mosquitoes really are the size of small birds! I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Iowa State University, completed a Master’s degree in horticulture from Ohio State University and started working for CSU Extension as the Larimer County horticulture educator in 2005. I completed my PhD at CSU (in yes, horticulture!) in 2014. I love my job as an Extension educator, since I have the opportunity to work with homeowners, industry professionals and coordinate a very active and passionate group of Master Gardener volunteers. WW: How did you get started in the landscape industry? My first job was at age 14, mowing lawns for my brother’s “company”. Being the little sister, he gave me the jobs he didn’t want. From there, I started working at Bailey Nurseries in St. Paul, Minnesota in high school and ended up loving the field of horticulture. I discovered my passion for teaching during a summer internship at Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain, GA). When I heard about Extension, I realized it combined all the things I loved—teaching, horticulture and helping people. Twelve years later, I still love my job with CSU Extension—no two days are ever alike. WW: Regarding water conservation and the nexus with landscape, what do you feel are the biggest challenges facing Colorado? I work a lot with homeowners in my position, especially those who have just moved to Colorado, often from areas with higher annual precipitation. In the Midwest, a “drought” was when we didn’t have rain for two weeks—drought has a very different meaning in Colorado. Education is paramount in helping people design and grow beautiful landscapes while conserving water. People think that plant selection is limited in a semi-arid state, but there’s amazing variety—it’s just a matter of learning what plants work best in Colorado. Colorado landscapes are beautiful, but it does require learning to garden in a different way, which can result in a lot of frustration and trial and error. On the positive side, people love that we have fewer disease and insect problems because of our limited moisture and low humidity. WW: What regulatory measures do you think will have the biggest impact on the Green Industry in Colorado? Though it may bore your friends at cocktail parties if you talk about it, when non-potable water becomes more commonplace for landscape irrigation, it’s going to be a game-changer; Not only for plant selection, but also management of landscapes on potentially salty soils. Golf courses are already facing some of these issues, but turfgrass is pretty salt tolerant. The trees on the courses are a different story. WaterWise
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Interview with Alison O'Connor “I love it when people follow up with their successes following a site visit, phone call, e-mail diagnosis, etc.... ” WW: What technologies do you think will have the biggest impact on water and/or conservation in Colorado? The best technology will be when irrigation systems run themselves without human operation (or tinkering)— such as smart controllers, rain and wind cut-offs, soil moisture sensors, etc. People are afraid and often confused when it comes to irrigation controllers; improved technology can eliminate the need for human intervention. I am looking forward to the day when sprinklers will stay off during rain storms—it really causes my blood pressure to rise when I see this happen. WW: What has given you the most satisfaction during your career? I love it when people follow up with their successes following a site visit, phone call, e-mail diagnosis, etc. CSU Extension has a program called “Lawncheck” where Extension educators make home lawn visits and offer recommendations on how the homeowner or HOA can make improvements to their turf quality and landscape. This generally means lessons in irrigation efficiency, using mulch, proper plant selection and changes to cultural practices (and often changing the resident’s philosophy of landscape). It’s so exciting when I receive photos and stories of how much their landscapes have improved and how they heeded my advice. The same goes for the person who had their best tomato crop in years. Or someone who falls in love with a water-friendly plant that acts as the perfect substitute from their east coast garden. It’s so satisfying to make a difference. WW: Beyond work, what other interests do you have? Passions, goals, missions? Family? Pets? Hobbies? I have a husband, six backyard chickens (named after women in Beatles songs) and two beagles named Hazel and Maple. I love to golf and read. I grow a few vegetables, but mostly give them to my chickens or co-workers to enjoy. My true gardening passion is mowing the lawn, which I have loved to do since I was a kid. There’s nothing better than having green sneakers after a good lawn mowing. I also have a collection of coral bells. I’m notorious for buying plants without the slightest idea of where they’ll go in my garden. WW: Any last thoughts you’d like to share with our readers? Plant a ginkgo tree! I have loved this tree since my days at Iowa State, though I could do without the fruit. But this tree has so much great promise for Colorado landscapes and should be planted more. Who wouldn’t want a living fossil in their front yard?
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Winter 2017
AURORA WATER FOREST TO FAUCETS 2: CONSERVATION CULTIVATION TEACHER WORKSHOP By Viviana Zavala, Aurora Water Where can a teacher play with Legos, take a bike ride with views of the plains and Aurora Reservoir and learn about water resources in Colorado? At Aurora Water’s newest teacher workshop, of course. In 2017, Aurora Water added an additional teacher workshop to meet the requests from teachers who had attended our first Forest to Faucets workshop. With Forest to Faucets 2: Conservation Cultivation in Aurora, we spent one day in July exploring four different topics within water conservation: history, action, innovation and art. Each topic discussed was coupled with activities from the Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide and Conserve Water Educator’s Guide. The day included active events like guiding our 20 teachers on an easy and short bike tour of Aurora Reservoir, which gave our attendees a visual of the semi-arid area we live in and a view of our 32 acre-foot Aurora Reservoir, one of our water storage areas. Guest speakers Jorge Figueroa of Western Resource Advocates, Dr. Scott Denning of Colorado State University and Mike Nelson of KMGH Channel 7 delivered informative and powerful information about current and future water availability. There were hands-on activities throughout the day for teachers to learn from and use in their classrooms to continue water conservation lessons, which included tutelage from the Project WET and Conserve Water Educator’s guides. Teachers walked away with copies of various curriculum guides, training and resources to conduct a school water assessment as well as 0.5 hours of graduate level recertification credit through the Colorado School of Mines – all FREE to Aurora teachers. Our dedication to education of water conservation is always evolving as much as it is growing. In the 201617 school year we saw 13,360 students through our classroom presentations, youth water festival, H2O Outdoors program and AWQUA Tween Camp and field trips. Our teacher workshops allow us to reach more students by giving teachers the resources and guidance they need to deliver our conservation message to a wider audience.
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Winter 2017
HOSTING A RECYCLED RAIN BARREL EVENT IS EASY By Birgit Landin, Colorado Springs Utilities Collecting rain is finally legal in Colorado! Of the many obvious benefits, such as reduced utility bills, less stormwater run-off and saving water, the legalization of rainwater collection gives water professionals a chance to promote water education and sustainability in the community. Colorado Springs Utilities provided 40 of our customers with the opportunity to build their own recycled rain barrel during our Efficiency Expo this past summer. Our recycled rain barrel event was possible through a grant provided by River Network and Project Rain Barrel. Project Rain Barrel is a collaboration between River Network, Coca-Cola North America, the Coca-Cola Foundation, and local host organizations across the U.S. and Canada. The program facilitates public rain barrel-making workshops by supplying host organizations with free materials, workshop planning support, and event promotion. Because Colorado Springs Utilities is a non-profit organization, we qualified for participating in the program. River Network supplied the rain barrel conversion kits (valued at about $40 each) and Coca-Cola provided used syrup barrels. Coca-Cola kindly transported their barrels from Denver down to the local Coca-Cola distributor in Colorado Springs, making it easy for us to pick up the barrels the day before our event. Store-bought rain barrels cost between $80 and $200, so you can imagine how popular making your own, free rain-barrel would be. With 40 barrels on hand, we had several hundred customers hoping to be a lucky lottery winner to build their own recycled rain barrel. The fortunate winners attended an information session and built their barrel on-site to take home with them the day of our event. In addition to the rain barrel conversion kits, River Network supplied participant guides and instructions so Utilities staff and volunteers could facilitate the one-hour, recycled rain barrel-making workshop. The event was a win-win for everyone. Project Rain Barrel workshops are a cost-effective way to engage individuals, families, and communities in water education and conservation. Find information on how to host a recycled rain barrel event in your community at or contact Zak Lance with River Network at zlance@rivernetwork.org.
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SAME GREAT PROGRAMS, SAME TRUSTED RESOURCES, NEW NAME By Jayla Poppleton, Water Education Colorado After a decade and a half as the Colorado Foundation for Water Education, CFWE has a new name: Water Education Colorado! The rebrand, which became official in late October 2017, began with a commitment from the organization’s staff and board members to grow the impact of existing programming by reaching a broader audience. Highly regarded programs such as Headwaters magazine, the Citizen’s Guide series, Water Leaders and Water Fluency programs, river basin tours, and the Water Educator Network have all played a role in moving the needle on water fluency in Colorado. But there is more work to do, and Water Education Colorado’s next chapter will equip more Coloradans to contribute to a sustainable future for Colorado’s water. Fundamentally, Water Education Colorado (WEco for short) will be the same trusted organization it has been for the past 15 years. WEco will continue to serve as the state’s leading hub for water education. We’ll keep building bridges among people with diverse perspectives and value sets. We’ll expand our reporting on Colorado’s most pressing water challenges and promising steps forward. And we’ll continue training water leaders and equipping decision makers—all while doing more to engage the general public. Important upcoming dates and offerings: • Applications for the 2018 Water Leaders class are being accepted now through late January • Registration for the 2018 Water Fluency course (for elected officials, board members, and community leaders with little to no professional water background) opens in January. Four full-day sessions will be held in the Pueblo and Colorado Springs area. • An updated Citizen’s Guide to Water Conservation was released in 2016 covering municipal, industrial and agricultural efficiency. Guides are available for sale and make great resources for local education programs. • The Your Water Colorado blog (blog.yourwatercolorado.org) has a fresh face and encourages guest blog submissions. Contact caitliin@yourwatercolorado.org. • And stay tuned for an all-new website in spring 2018, with more information to keep you informed and to help tell the story of water in Colorado. Visit yourwatercolorado.org for information on all of our programs. Join our email list for program updates, and find out how to become a member. We can’t wait to welcome more people into our community as Water Education Colorado! WaterWise
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LOW WATER-REQUIRING KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS—AN IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT IN WATER CONSERVATION Mary J. Hattendorf, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Can bluegrass conserve water? Some turfgrass groups say yes. Water is the turfgrass industry’s biggest problem. Regulators have been targeting turf as THE high water-using plant in the yard. We know that bluegrass varieties respond differently to drought. Water needs of these varieties may also be different. However, as turf irrigators, we treat all bluegrass as if its water requirements are the same. The Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) has developed protocols to test and qualify water-conserving bluegrass varieties. The protocols require testing at multiple sites over multiple years. To ensure objectivity and credibility, university turf scientists analyze the data and qualify turf varieties that meet the TWCA requirements. This credibility was a key factor in the acceptance of TWCA qualified turfgrasses by the California Department of Water Resources in response to the California drought. Why are these turfgrasses so important? The Irrigation Association (IA) recommendation for optimal irrigation of cool-season turfgrass—this includes bluegrass--is that it requires 80 percent of grass reference ET (evapotranspiration). This ratio is called a plant factor. The optimal plant factor for TWCA-qualified varieties is 0.56, which is 30 percent lower than the IA’s value of 0.8 for cool-season turf. As a comparison, the recommended plant factor for buffalograss is 0.6. The water savings are significant if proper irrigation practices are followed. How much water do TWCA-qualified turfgrasses really need? Computer simulations over 15 years of weather data for Loveland, Colorado showed that conventional bluegrass averaged 18.2 inches or 11.4 gal/sq. ft. of irrigation per year after rainfall is accounted for by the soil water-balance irrigation scheduling. The TWCA qualified grasses averaged 12.5 inches or 7.8 gal/sq. ft. for optimal irrigation rates. The low water requirements for TWCA-qualified turf mean that a lower water-requiring landscape can be achieved by replacing conventional turf with TWCA-qualified turf. As always, proper irrigation management of turf is key to conserving water. It may be much cheaper to update or repair an irrigation system for new turf, rather than install a new one to accommodate reduced turf area from a xeriscape replacement project. There is much to learn about managing these low water-requiring bluegrasses. At Northern Water, we are growing TWCA-qualified turf in several plots. One purpose is to monitor the turf quality compared to the known amounts of irrigation and precipitation. Another purpose is to manage TWCA turf with soil moisture sensors at different irrigation settings to learn more about soil water extraction patterns. The TWCA qualified turfgrasses are very promising developments in the water conservation business. Currently, sod availability is limited--check the TWCA website for Colorado industry and government members. TWCA-qualified grass seed is also mass-marketed at big box stores and is clearly labelled with the TWCA logo. Read more about TWCA and a similar organization, A-LIST (Alliance for Low-Input Sustainable Turf, here: tgwca. org and here: a-listturf.org. WaterWise
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7 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL INFORMATION BOOTHS By Natalie Stevens, City of Greeley This summer and fall, I spent a lot of time at events engaging with the local community in informational booths. Here are a few tips to make this a beneficial communication experience. These types of events can be a mixed bag, usually really good or really bad. Below are a few tips to make the most of your time and resources. 1. Avoid being shook. As with any event, things could happen to ruin your day. Plan ahead by coming prepared for the event. If the event is outdoors, have you planned for rain or snow? Will a gust of wind take your flyers and blow them all over the parking lot? Do you have a plan to avoid that? Come prepared with racks or you might just have to find rocks to make sure things don’t blow away. Determine your reasons for attending this event and create a goal. Create measures to determine if it was a successful event and if you would like to do it again. How many people did I meet? How much swag did we give away? How many signed up for the prize drawing? Did I interact with a new audience? This can help you plan for the next event. 2. Choose a rook (or two). In chess, the rooks can move in all directions. Think about this multifaceted-ness when choosing the staff for the booth. You need someone professional and knowledgeable about the organization, but he or she also needs to be friendly, outgoing and approachable. If you have interns or volunteers running the booth, have staff accompany them for the first time to model proper booth behavior. If this is not possible, check in on them to make sure they do a good job and are not turning people off. Make sure these representatives are engaged with booth visitors and not constantly looking down at their phones. 3. Cultivate a look. Make your booth stand out. Have colorful items at your booth. Create an inviting and exciting environment. Make sure your booth and materials are colorful, purchase a tablecloth that complements your materials. Set items at different heights for design interest. Don’t make it look like you just threw your materials on the table. It’s more professional and appealing to set it up neatly and strategically. 4. Have a hook. You’ll probably be at an event with dozens of other booths. Does yours stand out? What makes yours unique? Do you have something to draw people in? It can be something weird or intriguing. Think of something that will mesh with your organization and message. Will someone be in a costume? Or do you have a prize wheel, Plinko board, corn hole, or some other type of fun and simple game? Do you have a large or striking display? Are you giving out awesome swag? The type of thing you see someone else carrying around and you want to seek out the booth that has that item. If you are giving our something cool and different, people will seek you out and hopefully stay and retain some of your messages.
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4. Have a hook. You’ll probably be at an event with dozens of other booths. Does yours stand out? What makes yours unique? Do you have something to draw people in? It can be something weird or intriguing. Think of something that will mesh with your organization and message. Will someone be in a costume? Or do you have a prize wheel, Plinko board, corn hole, or some other type of fun and simple game? Do you have a large or striking display? Are you giving out awesome swag? The type of thing you see someone else carrying around and you want to seek out the booth that has that item. If you are giving our something cool and different, people will seek you out and hopefully stay and retain some of your messages. 5. Beware of the crook. The term “crook” is a bit harsh, but it rhymed, so…. Some people go to events just to get free stuff. We call them grubbers; they aren’t interested in you or your message, they just want free stuff, even if they will never use it. You say that they can take one lip balm or highlighter and they take a handful. Set boundaries. Have a sign that says, “take one” or when you see them grabbing, say “we’ve only planned for one per person, we want to make sure there is one for everyone.” They will say, “I’m taking one for my husband, one for each of my 14 kids, my father-in-law, and my aunt Shirley.” Try to nip that in the bud. We’ve had people come up to the booth multiple times to win prizes or take stuff, so watch out for that, too. We’ve given away little things for free, but make them do something like play a game or answer a question before we would give them a better prize. 6. Don’t add too many ingredients to what you cook. Bring resources and items that will benefit your audience and fit with the theme of the event. Don’t bring something just because you have it. If you have too much it will overwhelm booth visitors and it can be a pain for you to load and unload. It is smart to gauge the attendance to estimate the amount of staff and materials that you need. Hauling too much to your booth can be exhausting. 7. Remove the gobbledygook. Remember your audience. Don’t use terms and phrases that only people in the water utilities or governments understand. Get rid of the jargon in the materials and your displays. People have very short attention spans and will zone out or leave if it gets too complex. Booths can be a successful way to engage with your community. I hope that these tips can help you improve these essential face-to-face experiences.
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NEWS AND NOTES Colorado WaterWise Colorado Water: Live Like You Love It Campaign lovecoloradowater.org Join-network-participate with Colorado WaterWise coloradowaterwise.org Colorado Ag Water Alliance December 5, 2017: Colorado’s Ag Water summit coagwater.org/summit Colorado Foundation for Water Education is now Water Education Colorado New web address: yourwatercolorado.org Water Leaders 2018 registration now open Colorado Water Conservation Board cwcb.state.co.us Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado Sustainable Landscapes for Colorado alcc.com/sustainability Irrigation Boot Camp: alcc.com/ bootcamp. Volunteers are also needed to assist in the classroom. Contact Becky Garber at 720 3075093 for details and dates. Plans are underway for the 2018 ProGreen EXPO. February 12-16, 2018 Project Wet Outdoor educator and Americorps volunteer uses Project WET to teach thousands about water Join America’s Water Future Download the Clean and Conserve Activity Guide for Educators projectwet.org WaterWise
Audubon Rockies Get Audubon’s latest newsletter http://rockies.audubon.org American Water Works Association AWWA & Rocky Mountain Section of AWWA December 6: 2017 Regulatory Update Webinar March 25-28, 2018: Sustainable Water Management Conference June 11-14, 2018 ACE18 2017 Compensation Survey for small to large utilities now available awwa.org Little Thompson receives the award for 2017 RMSAWWA Drinking Water Taste Test Helping water heroes fundraising campaign for those affected by the recent hurricanes Check out upcoming events: rmsawwa.org American Water Resources Association (AWRA) Explore upcoming webinars Water Resources IMPACT released in September awra.org Alliance for Water Efficiency Register for an AWE webinars Reports released: Peak Day Water Demand Management Study Cooling Tower Research Study allianceforwaterefficiency.org Center for ReSource Conservation conservationcenter.org
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Plant Select New book Pretty Tough Plants is available order! 2017 Winners Announced 2016 Top performers Check out Downloadable Designs for your customers plantselect.org NCWCD Find out What’s New? www.northernwater.org National Rural Water Association Water University: http://www. wateruniversity.org/ NRWA Praises New EPA National Approach to Improve Drinking Water Safety and Compliance https://nrwa.org/2017/08/ nrwa-praises-new-epa-nationalapproach-to-improve-drinkingwater-safety-compliance/ WaterSmart Innovations https://www. watersmartinnovations.com/ Water Research Foundation Latest Project Updates http://www.waterrf.org Metro State University Documentary from CWCB and One World One Water Center Doing More with Less: The Challenge and Opportunity of Water Efficiency youtube.com/ watch?v=MyxxzugCFXs Take a Coffee Break with OWOW http://insider.msudenver.edu/ take-a-coffee-break-with-owow/
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