The University of Colorado at Boulder has announced several immediate changes to its lawn irrigation program in an effort to support city of Boulder plans to reduce water consumption in light of recent drought conditions.
The Boulder campus is implementing an irrigation water conservation plan that will reduce historical spring and summer irrigation consumption by a minimum of 25 percent to 50 percent, according to Jeff Lipton, executive director of Facilities Management.Ìý
The campus uses a state-of-the-art computerized irrigation system to water more than 150 acres of land with non-potable water received from the Anderson and Smith and Goss Ditches. The irrigation system is programmed to irrigate at night, and has two weather stations that override and adjust the system when natural precipitation occurs.
Instead of watering each area every day, the system has been programmed to irrigate each area two to three times per week at reduced flows. Some hillsides and peripheral areas will see watering reduced by as much as 50 percent, Lipton said.
The new irrigation plan is expected to reduce consumption by 15 million gallons of water during the irrigation season.Ìý
Some areas of the campus, primarily around certain residence halls, still use potable water for irrigation and are not equipped with automatic sprinkler systems. These areas continue to be irrigated during the day due to the need to use daytime employees. However, the frequency of watering in these areas will be significantly reduced, Lipton said.
In addition, the campus is completing improvements to its central power plant, including the installation of a closed-loop system that will reuse cooling water. The improvements are expected to be complete by August and should result in water savings of 30 million gallons of water per year.
"The university has very high standards for water-conserving plumbing fixtures, showers and faucets," Lipton said.Ìý
"Water conservation within buildings has always been a high priority," he said. "We hope by taking these immediate measures in reducing our irrigation demand, we can help the community maintain adequate municipal water supplies and minimum stream flows."