HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 10/13/2015 - WATER EFFICIENCY PLANDATE:
STAFF:
October 13, 2015
Liesel Hans, Water Conservation Manager
Lisa Rosintoski, Utility Customer Connections Manager
WORK SESSION ITEM
City Council
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
Water Efficiency Plan.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this work session item is to present the draft of the 2015 Water Efficiency Plan update for
feedback Council consideration of adoption. The Utilities Water Conservation Team, along with input from the
Water Board and various City staff, has developed the draft Water Efficiency Plan update for Council
consideration. The draft plan, if adopted, will replace the current 2010 Water Conservation Plan. The Plan
provides goals, objectives, and implementation principles that will guide activities undertaken by the Water
Conservation Team as part of the Budget for Outcomes (BFO) process. The proposed Plan aims to support and
promote the conservation ethic of Fort Collins and ensure the efficient and beneficial use of our water resources
in support of the Water Supply and Demand Management Policy.
The State of Colorado Water Conservation Act of 2004 (House Bill 04-1365) requires entities that provide retail
water and have total annual demands of 2,000 acre-feet or more to submit an updated Water Efficiency Plan at
least every seven years to the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB). An entity’s plan is required to
include sections on water supplies, historic water demands and demand management activities, the planning
process and goals, selection of activities, implementation and monitoring, and adoption and approval.
GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
1. Does Council have specific feedback with regards to the Water Efficiency Plan goals and objectives?
2. Is Council ready to consider adoption of the 2015 Water Efficiency Plan by resolution in early spring 2016?
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
The history of formal water conservation in the Utilities dates to 1977 with the creation of a part-time water
conservation officer. The first Water Supply Policy was developed in 1988 and dictated that “water conservation
education programs be continued and enhanced to as to encourage efficiency water use.” In 1992 a dedicated
Water Demand Policy was adopted by City Council; this Policy outlined 12 key measures to guide the expansion
of the water conservation program. The first combined Water Supply and Demand Management Policy (WSDMP)
was created in 2003 and most recently updated in 2012. In response to the 2004 Water Conservation Act, the first
formal Water Conservation Plan was developed and approved by the CWCB in 2010. This proposed Plan is an
update to the 2010 Plan, with a wording switch from “Conservation” to “Efficiency” to reflect changes at the state
level.
Currently, the 2012 Water Supply and Demand Management Policy (Policy) sets a planning demand level for
determining supply system needs. This Policy then defers to the Plan for the conservation goal. The current
planning demand level is 150 gallons per capita per day (gpcd), and the 2010 Water Conservation Plan set a
conservation goal of 140 gpcd by 2020. Note that the planning demand level is purposely set higher than the
conservation goal to account for inherent uncertainties in water supplies and to ensure a certain level of system
reliability. The City of Fort Collins Utilities does not provide water service to all customers within the city limits, nor
the growth management area. There are a number of water districts such as East Larimer County Water District
and Fort Collins-Loveland Water District that provide service to a portion of Fort Collins’ residents and
October 13, 2015 Page 2
businesses. Utilities currently provides some water conservation programs to residents in the water districts and
hope to expand these offerings and partnership in the future.
The Water Efficiency Plan includes the following chapters, with key features noted (Attachment 1):
1. Profile of Existing Water Supply System
2. Profile of Water Demand and Historical Demand Management
3. Integrated Water Supply and Demand Management Planning
4. Selection of Water Efficiency Activities
5. Implementation and Monitoring
Key elements of the Plan update include:
Goal: The overarching goal is proposed to change from 140 gallons per capita per day (gpcd) by the year
2020, to a goal of 130 gallons per capita per day by the year 2030. This reflects a reasonable and achievable
goal, given the current trend in gpcd supported by the City’s water conservation programs. As per CWCB
requirements, this Plan will be updated at least every 7 years and thus the 2030 goal serves as a guide post,
as did the previous Plans’ goals.
Areas of Opportunity: A new addition in the Plan is the identification of areas of opportunity for expansion of
Utilities’ water conservation program. These were selected for their significant water savings potential, the
potential scope of customer impact, and in alignment with the City’s Strategic Plan Outcomes and Strategic
Objectives. These areas will be used to guide the expansion and direction of current programs and will also
be used to develop new programs and activities. The objectives are to (1) leverage Advanced Meter Fort
Collins system capabilities and data, (2) promote and support greater outdoor water efficiency, (3) encourage
greater integration of water efficiency into land use planning and building codes, (4) expand commercial and
industrial sector strategies, and (5) increase community water literacy.
Implementation Principles: Another new feature of the Plan is a set of three implementation principles. We
believe that these principles will help to improve the effectiveness of our programs and keep our actions in
alignment with the City’s Strategic Plan. The three principles are: 1) employ sophisticated data-driven
processes and decision-making, 2) cultivate new and bolster existing community and statewide partnerships,
and 3) coordinate and support symbiotic efforts within Utilities and across the City.
Community Engagement Summary
Staff has been performing extensive community engagement. A Water Efficiency Plan Technical Advisory Group
was created to provide input on the conservation goals and activities. This group met seven times throughout the
summer of 2015 to discuss various aspects of the Plan. Members of this group included:
• Water Resources Engineer
• 5 Water Boardmembers
• Water Resources & Treatment Operations Manager
• Water Resources Manager
• Economic Health Director
• Environmental Planner
• Strategic Financial Planning Manager
• Water Conservation Manager (retired)
• Water Conservation Intern
• Utilities Customer Connections Manger
• Community Engagement Specialist
• Utility Rate Analyst
• Water Conservation Specialist
• Customer Accounts Manager
• City Forester
October 13, 2015 Page 3
Further stakeholder involvement was solicited during presentations to several City boards and commissions.
These included:
• Water Board work session, April 2, 2015
• Energy Board work session, June 4, 2015
• Planning and Zoning work session, June 5, 2015
• Parks and Recreation Board, June 24, 2015.
• Natural Resources Advisory Board, July 15, 2015
Community outreach has also begun ahead of the 60-day public comment period required by the state. So far,
staff has presented to
• CSU’s Center for Public Deliberation at a community issues forum, April 15, 2015
• Northern Colorado Home Builders Association’s newsletter, summer 2015
• Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, September 10, 2015
• Rocky Mountain Fly Casters, a local chapter of Trout Unlimited, September 16, 2015
• Save the Poudre, October 1, 2015
• Downtown Development Authority, December 10, 2015 (anticipated)
Public and board comments are summarized in the Water Efficiency Plan Community Outreach Summary
(Attachment 2).
The next steps include a 60-day public comment period (a CWCB requirement), an online survey to provide an
easy mechanism for the public to submit feedback and comments, and presentation to several City Boards and
Commission as well as interested community organizations prior to the Plan being finalized through a resolution.
Implementation
The goals and objectives of the Plan are supported through implementation of a wide range of existing programs
and activities, as well as the development of future programs. Existing programs, along with the first year of full
implementation are listed in Section 2.3.1 of the proposed Plan, with more detailed descriptions in Appendix B of
the proposed Plan.
Moving forward, staff will continue to support and align its work with other planning efforts involved, specifically
the Water Supply and Demand Management Policy, the Climate Action Plan, and the Water Supply Shortage
Response Plan, among others. A thorough monitoring and evaluation process, as well as the BFO process, will
ultimately determine which activities are supported in any given year. Staff will continually evaluate progress
toward the proposed goal and program effectiveness, especially with an eye toward customer preferences,
evolving technology, and changing regulations and standards.
Timeline for next steps
Staff will update the Plan to address direction from this work session, input from the public comment period, and
input from continued outreach efforts. Pending Council direction from this work session, staff will bring forward the
Water Efficiency Plan for adoption by resolution in early spring 2016. This timeline will allow staff to incorporate
this Plan into the 2017-18 BFO process. Concurrently, staff will complete supporting documentation for submittal
to the Colorado Water Conservation Board for approval in early 2017.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2014 Water Conservation Annual Report (PDF)
2. Community Engagement Summary (PDF)
3. 2010 Water Conservation Plan (PDF)
4. Water Efficiency Plan (PDF)
5. Powerpoint presentation (PDF)
Water Conservation
Annual Report
2014
ATTACHMENT 1
Introduction
This is the 23
rd
Water Conservation
Annual Report prepared for the Fort
Collins City Council, which provides
accomplishments, partnerships, water
use and an update on the provisions of
the City’s Water Conservation Plan.
The City’s water conservation program
is a proactive response to water supply
variability and climate change. Reducing
indoor demand can be achieved through
improved technology, leak reduction and
behavior change. Outdoor demands can
be reduced through improved watering
efficiency and landscape transformation.
Lowering water use improves system
reliability and resilience to supply
variability.
The water conservation program
supports the City’s Strategic Plan in the
Environmental Health outcome area
related to a sustainable water supply.
Fort Collins Utilities’ water conservation
programs provide our community with
the resources and education necessary to
decrease water use. These efforts help
reduce the long-term costs of water
supply while meeting the demands of
our customers now and into the future.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary.....................................1
Water Sources..............................................2
Water Conservation Planning......................2
Water Use Goals..........................................3
Weather and Water Conditions....................4
Accomplishments ........................................5
Education and Public Information.........5
Water Rates and Usage Information .....7
Indoor Fixtures and Appliances:
Residential.............................................8
Outdoor Efficiency: Landscapes and
Irrigation................................................8
Indoor Fixtures and Appliances:
Commercial.........................................10
Water Reuse Systems..........................10
Regulatory Measures...........................11
Operational Measures..........................11
Graywater Research and Legislation.........13
Collaboration & Regional Participation ....13
How Are We Doing? .................................14
Rebates and Audits: 5-Year Summary.......15
Charts and Graphs......................................19
Water Conservation Plan Measures...........23
2014 Water Conservation Staff
Laurie D’Audney, Water Conservation Manager
Michelle Finchum, Public Relations Coordinator
Lucas Mouttet, Water Conservation Coordinator
Eric Olson, Water Conservation Coordinator
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 1
Executive Summary
Fort Collins Utilities offers a comprehensive water conservation program based on public
education, incentives, assessments and regulation. Programs target residential and
commercial customers, and indoor and outdoor water use. The Water Conservation Plan,
which sets a goal of 140 gallons per capita per day (gpcd) by 2020, guides the program. For
2014, the incremental target to reach this goal was 147 gpcd. The average demand (adjusted
for weather) in 2014 was 143 gpcd.
In early 2014, the mountain snowpack was average, but spring snows resulted in a snowpack
in May that was 30 percent above average. Total water demand in 2014 was only 90 percent
of projected use due in part to above average rainfall in July.
2014 Highlights
x Provided 2,749 rebates to residential and commercial customers,
amounting to 3,471 items rebated for consumer appliances and
sprinkler equipment.
x Completed 413 sprinkler system audits, identifying system problems
and recommending an efficient schedule for homes and homeowner
associations.
x Provided retrofits of showerheads, faucet aerators, shower timers and
toilets to 482 households in collaboration with the Larimer County
Conservation Corps.
x Developed and implemented a Xeriscape Design Assistance Program
where homeowners are offered a one-on-one consultation with a
landscape design professional and a rebate for installation. The
program achieved 46 landscape designs prepared and nine installation
rebates.
x Distributed Home Water Reports to 10,000 single-family residential
customers as part of a pilot program. The reports provide households
with information about their water use and how they compare to
similar households.
x Developed a Continuous Consumption Program to alert customers
who have three days without zero water use in order to support
potential leaks, giving them a chance to perform repairs in a timely
manner.
x Provided three all-day Poudre Watershed Tours during the summer.
Approximately 150 community members learned what it takes to
deliver quality water from the source to the treatment facility.
x Presented three Water Catcher awards to recognize the water
conservation efforts of two residents and one business at the
Sustainable Living Fair in September.
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 2
Our Water Sources
The City receives its water supplies from the Cache la
Poudre, Michigan and Colorado River basins. The Poudre
River basin sources include senior direct-flow water rights,
shares in several local irrigation companies and storage
capacity in Joe Wright Reservoir, located high in the basin
near Cameron Pass. Water from the Michigan River basin is
conveyed into the Poudre basin where it can be stored in Joe
Wright Reservoir then released for delivery to the water
treatment plant, along with other Poudre sources.
The City also owns units of the Colorado-Big Thompson
(C-BT) Project, administered by Northern Water (formerly
the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District). C-BT
water is diverted from the upper Colorado River basin and stored in Lake Granby, Carter
Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir. The City takes delivery of its C-BT water out of Horsetooth
Reservoir.
On average, each source provides about half of the supplies used to meet Utilities’ customer
treated water demands. Including all sources, the City currently owns water rights that have
an average annual yield of approximately 75,000 acre-feet (AF) per year. Per City Council
policy, Utilities maintains sufficient water supply to meet an average annual treated water
demand of approximately 31,000 AF during a 1-in-50 year drought in the Poudre River basin.
During more severe droughts, restrictions may be implemented to reduce demand to match
available supplies.
Water Conservation Planning
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy
The original 1992 Water Demand Management Policy was updated and combined with the
Water Supply Policy in 2003. In November 2012, City Council adopted a revised Water
Supply and Demand Management Policy (WS&DMP).
The WS&DMP provides general criteria for decisions regarding water supply projects,
acquisition of water rights and demand management measures. The revised policy sets a
water supply planning demand level of 150 gpcd, which is used to determine water supply
and facility acquisitions. The policy refers to the Water Conservation Plan for a water use
efficiency goal. The planning level provides a value that is higher than the water use goal to
address uncertainties inherent in water supply planning.
Water Conservation Plan
In 2010, the City’s Water Conservation Plan was approved by the Colorado Water
Conservation Board (CWCB) to comply with the State’s Water Conservation Act of 2004.
The Water Conservation Plan (fcgov.com/waterconservationplan) reflects specific measures
related to the demand management criteria outlined in the WS&DMP and sets a demand goal
of 140 gpcd by 2020. City Council approved the recommended measures through the
Budgeting for Outcomes process.
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 3
Programs target all customer classes and indoor and outdoor water use. Attachment ‘A’
shows the programs and measures in the plan, including the customer class that is impacted,
whether a measure affects indoor or outdoor use and the date of implementation.
The Water Conservation Act of 2004 requires that a plan be submitted to the CWCB every
seven years. Since the City’s plan was accepted by the CWCB in 2010, a revised plan is due
to be submitted in 2017. CWCB has changed the terminology to a ‘Water Efficiency Plan’
for the next round of submittals. Water efficiency encompasses not only conservation, but
also alternative water supplies such as reuse. During 2014, a timeline for the update was
established with work to be completed in 2015 and 2016 to meet the deadline.
Starting in 2014, House Bill 10-1051 requires covered entities to annually report water use
and water conservation data to be used for statewide water supply planning. Utilities
complied with this reporting requirement by submitting 2013 data in June 2014.
Water Use Goals
The Water Conservation Plan sets a goal of 140 gpcd by 2020. The gpcd calculation is based
on the total treated water used by City customers (adjusted for large contractual customers
and other sales or exchange arrangements) divided by the estimated population of the City’s
water service area and 365 days. This calculation is adjusted for weather (normalized) to
provide a fair comparison with other years.
2014 Water Use Savings
In 2014, the normalized average demand was estimated to be 143 gpcd, lower than 147 gpcd
in 2013. The table below shows the incremental annual targets for achieving the Water
Conservation Plan goal, actual normalized use and a 5-year average.
Water Conservation Plan Annual GPCD Targets
Target Actual
Normalized
Previous
5-yr. Average
Baseline 155
2010 153 144 151
2011 152 144 149
2012 150 152 148
2013 149 147 147
2014 147 143 146
2015 146
2016 144
2017 143
2018 142
2019 140
2020 139
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 4
2014 Weather and Water Conditions
Mountain snowpack was excellent in 2014, running
about average early in the year but finishing with
abundant spring snows resulting in a snowpack about
30 percent above average on May 1. The native Poudre
River flows were well above average at over 450,000
AF, compared to an average of 277,000 AF.
Temperatures during 2014 were generally warmer than
average, with a mean daily temperature of 50.5 degrees
Fahrenheit, about 2.2 degrees above average, just
warmer than 2013. Total precipitation for the year was
slightly above average at 16.7 inches, with particularly
generous rainfall in May and July. The last four months
of the year were very close to average precipitation.
Total water demand was 22,822 AF, only 90 percent of projected use due in part to above
average rainfall in July. However, winter water use was also significantly lower than
projected. The City’s peak day use of 37.1 million gallons occurred on July 9, and was lower
than any year since 1980 with the exception of 2009.
2014 Snowpack on the Michigan Ditch
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 5
2014 Accomplishments
The Water Conservation Plan identifies eight categories of programs and measures. Below is
a review of the accomplishments in each category.
1. Education and Public Information
Education and outreach efforts are a strong component of the City’s water conservation
program to raise awareness about the need for conservation and ways to conserve. These
programs reach residents, businesses and youth.
Public Information Campaign
x Answered customer inquiries and distributed information through brochures, bill inserts
and Utilities’ website
x Wrote articles for the Fort Collins Coloradoan, City News and Colorado WaterWise
newsletter
x Promoted water conservation messages on bus benches, bus
shelters and in the local newspaper
x Staffed displays at events, including Poudre Runs Through It,
Earth Day, Poudre River Festival, CSU’s Lagoon Concert,
Gardens on Spring Creek’s Harvest Festival, Northern Water’s
Conservation Fair and Colorado WaterWise’s Conservation
Summit
x Provided staff and materials at spring and fall campaign
events at home improvement stores and farmers markets
x Gave away water and energy conservation kits with
showerheads, faucet aerators, toilet leak detection dye tablets,
compact fluorescent light bulb and other energy efficiency
items in addition to shower timers and hose nozzles.
x Promoted Fix-a-Leak Week in March with a mayoral
proclamation, news release and social media to encourage
customers to check for and repair leaks. Letters were sent to 80 customers who had
continuous use, indicative of a leak.
x Participated in the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation during the month
of April. Fort Collins took third place in the 100,000-299,000 population category. In
2014, 3,176 residents made a pledge to conserve water, up from 1,200 pledges in 2013.
Xeriscape Education
x Offered three 2-hour presentations, Understanding Permaculture, Unique and Functional
Xeriscape and Wildscaping 101 as part of the 27
th
annual Residential Environmental
Program Series. A total of 350 residents attended the programs.
x Co-coordinated the 11
th
annual full-day High Plains Landscape Workshop with a sold-out
crowd of nearly 300 people attending presentations on a variety of landscaping topics.
x Co-hosted two xeriscape classes, Composting and Native Plants, at the Gardens on
Spring Creek with 69 attendees.
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 6
x Hosted the 13
th
annual garden party in July at the City’s Xeriscape Demonstration
Garden. Master Gardeners provided guided tours, while nurseries, landscape designers
and a composter set up displays and answered questions. Refreshments and music also
were provided.
Irrigation Education
x Provided a daily Lawn Watering Guide on Utilities’ website at fcgov.com/lawnguide and
on the Coloradoan weather page. The guide shows how much water a lawn might need if
not watered for three, five or seven days.
x Co-hosted three irrigation classes at the Gardens on Spring Creek, two sessions of Just
Drip It (33 attendees) and Maximize Your Sprinklers (10 attendees); held sprinkler system
workshops at local retail stores, irrigation distributors and a nursery.
x Provided 149 customers with consultations regarding sprinkler equipment, performance
and maintenance.
Community Water Education
x Provided three all-day Poudre Watershed Tours. A
June tour was for educators, while the July and
August tours were open to the public.
Approximately 50 people attended each tour.
Participants learned about what it takes to provide
quality water from the source to the treatment
facility. Stops include a walk along the Michigan
Ditch, lunch at Cameron Pass and activities at
Gateway Park.
x Co-hosted the Big Splash Open House with the
Poudre Landmarks Foundation in June at the 1882
Water Works building. The event included tours, displays and activities.
Commercial Education
x Offered a program, Conserve in the Landscape, as part of the BizEd program series with
20 attendees aimed at commercial customers. Also offered Water Conservation for
Contractors, as part of the 2014 Contractor Training series with 18 attendees.
x As part of a regional collaboration, offered Water Efficiency Workshop for Colorado
Plumbing. The half-day workshop gave the 38 attendees the opportunity to learn about
the latest practices and regulations that promote water-efficient plumbing.
x Provided staff and materials about City programs at the ClimateWise EnvirOvation event
in May and other commercial customer events.
School Programs
x Co-sponsored the 23
rd
annual Children’s Water Festival. This fun event provided water
education to over 1,700 Poudre School District, private school and homeschooled third
graders. Students spent half a day at Front Range Community College learning all about
water through classroom presentations and hands-on exhibits.
Watershed Tour - August 2014
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 7
x Visited classrooms as Dr. WaterWISE, bringing a water conservation curriculum to
schools. Maps, activity books and teachers’ handbooks on a variety of water subjects
were distributed to teachers for use during their study of water.
x Presented classroom programs to elementary and junior high students about local water
history, watershed studies, microbiology and water chemistry.
Water Catchers
x Water Catcher awards recognize the efforts of residents
and businesses that conserve water. Two residents and a
business received awards in 2014. Doug and Lois
VanderWilt changed their conventional garden to a
wicking garden bed, a raised garden with a water reservoir
underneath. Using this method saved an estimated 654
gallons per month.
x Resident Katy Bigner took advantage of the City’s
Xeriscape Design Assistance Program and re-landscaped
part of her front yard. She’s saving an estimated 4,800
gallons per month.
x Colorado State University retrofitted the toilets and urinals at Rockwell Hall and replaced
several autoclaves at a Foothills campus building. In addition, the Colorado State Forest
Service switched from treated water to raw water for some irrigation. These projects have
an estimated water savings of 3.5 million gallons per year.
2. Water Rates and Usage Information
Increasing Block Rate: the three-tiered water rates for single-family and duplex customers
increased 4 percent in 2014.
Seasonal Rate: with higher rates from May through September, commercial and multi-
family customers experienced an increase of 4 percent in 2014. In addition, commercial
water rates also have a second tier based on higher water use.
Continuous Consumption Program: with installation of advanced, electronic water meters,
data from the meters is received on an hourly basis. A continuous consumption report is
generated daily and identifies customers whose water meters haven’t had a zero read in three
days, typically indicating a leak. Staff alert customers immediately and they are able to repair
leaks in a timely manner, not waiting for their monthly bill.
Home Water Reports: began a pilot program in 2014 to deliver Home Water Reports to
10,000 single-family residential customers, alternating months with delivery of the Home
Energy Reports. The reports provide households with information on their current water use
and compare it to their past use, the average of similar households and the use of the most
efficient households. A Budgeting for Outcomes offer was accepted and will expand
distribution of the reports to 15,000 customers in 2015 and 20,000 in 2016.
Online Water Use Calculator: an online tool for customers to help them evaluate their
water efficiency. A link to the Alliance for Water Efficiency’s Home Water Works site
includes the calculator, water saving tips, and information on water-using fixtures and
appliances.
Katy Bigner accepts a Water Catcher
award from Eric Olson
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 8
3. Indoor Fixtures and Appliances: Residential
Incentive programs provide rebates, loans, services or goods to customers to encourage the
purchase of efficient products.
Rebates: offered rebates for the purchase of water-efficient clothes washers, dishwashers,
toilets and showerheads.
2014 Residential Indoor Rebates
Rebates # Items # Rebates
ENERGY STAR® clothes washer - $50 1,058 1,056
ENERGY STAR dishwasher - $25 787 785
MaP Premium toilet (1.06 gpf) - $75 51 31
WaterSense toilet (1.28 gpf) - $50 953 687
WaterSense showerhead (2 gpm) - $10 73 54
Total 2,922 2,613
On-bill Financing: offered low-interest loans for energy and water conservation projects.
Water loans are available for service line repairs or replacement. In 2014, seven on-bill
financing water loans were given.
Low Income Retrofit Program: participated in Larimer County Conservation Corps’ retrofit
program by providing 446 showerheads, 639 bathroom faucet aerators, 288 kitchen faucet
aerators, 111 toilet tank bags and 181 shower timers for the 482 homes that received retrofits.
In addition, 96 WaterSense labeled toilets were installed to replace high water use models.
The retrofits are estimated to save about 2 million gallons of water annually.
Home Efficiency Audits: offered an assessment of a home’s energy and water use and
provided a list of recommended measures to improve efficiency. During 2014, 662 audits
were conducted.
4. Outdoor Efficiency: Landscapes and Irrigation
Xeriscape Demonstration Garden: oversaw
maintenance of the City’s Xeriscape Demonstration
Garden with over 160 species of trees, shrubs,
perennials and groundcovers. The garden is a Plant
Select
®
demonstration garden, a cooperative program
between Denver Botanic Gardens, CSU and local
horticulturists, and identifies and promotes
distribution of plants that are well-suited for our
region. In 2014, the 15 interpretive signs were re-
designed and replaced. The welcome sign is at the
right.
Xeriscape Design Assistance Program: new for 2014, the Xeriscape Design Clinics were
revised into an ongoing design assistance program at a customer’s home. During 2014, 46
customers had a one-on-one consultation with a landscape design professional to develop a
xeric landscape plan for an area of their yard.
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 9
Sprinkler System Audits: offered a sprinkler system
audit program for the sixteenth summer. Sprinkler
systems were evaluated for watering efficiency, and
homeowners received a watering schedule and
information about proper watering.
x Five seasonal auditors performed 395 home and
18 HOA audits in 2014. Of these audits, 232
home and 11 HOA audits were for Fort Collins
Utilities water customers. Since the program’s
inception in 1999, 4,218 homes, 128 HOAs
andfive businesses have received sprinkler audits.
x Fort Collins-Loveland Water District (95 home
and 2 HOA audits) and East Larimer County
Water District (68 home audits) contracted with Utilities to perform audits for their
customers.
x In 2014, audit software using iPad technology was introduced to gather data and
prepare professional reports for participants. Also, in 2014 customers were able to
schedule audits online.
x Homeowners may borrow a self-audit kit with the equipment needed to assess their
own sprinkler system.
Sprinkler Equipment Rebates: Along with a rebate, a Tech Check consultation was offered
to ensure new equipment is correctly installed and programmed. In 2014, seven Tech Checks
were completed.
2014 Residential Sprinkler Equipment Rebates
Rebates # Items # Rebates
Weather-based controllers - $100 26 19
Soil moisture sensor - $45 3 1
Rain sensor - wired, $15, or
wireless, $30 35 30
High efficiency nozzles - $25 (purchases
of $50-$99) or $50 (more than $100) 40 26
Pressure-reducing heads - $25 (purchases
of $40-$79) or $40 (more than $80) 16 8
Pressure regulator 6 4
Total 135 97
Using an iPad to perform an audit
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 10
2014 Commercial Sprinkler Equipment Rebates
Rebates # Items # Rebates
Weather-based controllers – 50% of purchase
price, up to $400 22
Soil sensor - $45 1 1
Rain sensor - $30 2 2
High efficiency nozzles - $3 per nozzle 123 3
Pressure-reducing heads - $3 per head 2 2
Pressure regulator - $35 per zone 35 2
Total 165 12
5. Indoor Fixtures and Appliances: Commercial
Commercial Facility Assessments: performed 281 facility water and energy assessments for
commercial customers, compared to 268 in 2013 and 77 in 2012. They were done in
conjunction with ClimateWise and the Business Efficiency Program. Free faucet aerators
were provided to businesses at the time of the assessment.
Hotel Conservation Materials: water conservation materials were distributed to hotels,
motels and other local lodging establishments, including a linen reuse card, towel reuse
hanger and table-top brochure with information about the Poudre River watershed and
importance of conserving water.
Commercial Indoor Rebates: offered a variety of rebates to commercial customers for
water-efficient appliances and fixtures.
2014 Commercial Indoor Rebates
Rebates # Items # Rebates
MaP Premium tank toilets (1.06 gpf) - $75 107 8
WaterSense tank toilets (1.28 gpf) - $50 17 5
Flushometer toilets (1.28 gpf) - $100 71 3
Urinals (.5 gpf or less) - $100 32 7
WaterSense Showerhead 22 4
Total 249 27
6. Water Reuse Systems
Water Treatment Facility: treats the backwash water with ultraviolet disinfection and
recycles it to the beginning of the treatment process, allowing this water to be captured and
reused.
Drake Water Reclamation Facility: treated wastewater is reused by being pumped to the
Rawhide Power Plant for landscaping and cooling water.
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 11
7. Regulatory Measures
The City of Fort Collins has various regulations to encourage efficient water use.
Landscape and Irrigation Standards for Water Conservation: promote efficient water use
through proper landscape and irrigation system design and installation.
x Reviewed 59 landscape plans for new developments for compliance with the Land
Use Code water conservation standards. The plan review is part of the process prior
to City approval of new developments.
x Reviewed 69 irrigation plans and completed 52 site inspections of new developments
for compliance with the Land Use Code water conservation standards. The review is
part of the construction permitting process before a final building permit is issued.
Wasting Water Code: investigated 36 complaints in accordance with the Municipal Code’s
wasting water regulations. The wasting water code was update in July 2014 with Ordinance
No. 089, 2014, providing a clearer definition of the “waste of water,” extending wasting
water beyond irrigation use to service line and indoor leaks. In addition, hoses are required to
have a hand-activated hose nozzle for spraying impervious surfaces.
Water Supply Shortage Response Plan: outlines a series of measures to be enacted,
including water restrictions for four water shortage response levels. No water restrictions
were necessary in 2014. An update of the plan, Ordinance No. 088, 2014, was adopted by
City Council in July. It added definitions and associated restrictions for food production,
splash parks, outdoor swimming pools and essential powerwashing. The Municipal Code
also was revised to align with the plan.
Public outreach occurred jointly for the Wasting Water and Water Supply Shortage Response
Plan updates. Citizen feedback was gathered through an online survey and at a Community
Issues Forum.
Restrictive Covenants Ordinance: prohibits homeowner association covenants from
banning the use of Xeriscape or requiring that a percentage of the landscape be planted with
turf. Although customers asked questions, no enforcement was needed in 2014.
Soil Amendment Ordinance: requires organic matter be added to the soil before planting
turf to encourage deep roots and water penetration. In 2014, 655 soil amendment
certifications were issued.
Green Building Code: the City’s building code mandates WaterSense 1.28 gpf toilets as well
as low-flow faucets, urinals and showerheads in residential and commercial facilities.
Estimated annual water savings is 20 percent for residential properties and 25 percent for
commercial properties.
Streetscape Standards: The City’s Streetscape Standards outline requirements for
landscaping medians and parkways.
8. Operational Measures
Water Loss Program: A leak detection program uses sound detection equipment to identify
small to moderate leaks so they can be repaired before they become large leaks. Over a four
year period, Utilities surveys the 540 miles of water main to detect leaks. Pinpointing the
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 12
exact location of the leaks before they surface saves water and reduces excavation and street
pavement repair costs.
Advanced Meter Fort Collins (AMFC): With the replacement of most mechanical water
meters to electronic (advanced) meters, completed in 2013, a web portal became available to
customers in 2014. With the web portal, customers have access to hourly water use data and
can track their water consumption and receive leak or usage alerts.
Municipal Government Sustainability Management Plan: The City of Fort Collins has a
long history of promoting sustainable practices through a variety of innovative programs and
policies. The 2014 Municipal Government Sustainability Management plan outlines goals,
objectives and strategies to guide the City organization on a long-term sustainable path. A
goal related to water use says, “Reduce municipal operations water irrigation use and
increase efficiency per acre. Reduce building water use by 20 percent by 2020.”
City Buildings
x Planting was completed for a
demonstration of the City’s
parkway standards along Elm
Street at the Utilities Service
Center. Six garden designs are
displayed, including the one at the
right.
x Construction of new City-owned
buildings must achieve Leadership
in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) “Gold” certification to raise the bar for energy efficiency and
environmental design, including water conservation credits.
Parks Department Water Use Efficiency
Water consumption data was collected and analyzed throughout the parks system. Using
evapotranspiration (ET) readings, rainfall and water use readings, Parks calculates the
landscape’s need for water and compares it to the amount of water that was actually applied.
The ET rate during the 2014 irrigation season was 22.4 inches; effective rainfall was
calculated at 4.4 inches. Water need was 18 inches or 487,686 gallons per acre. Parks has a
goal to water all park areas at or under 95 percent of ET. The average water use for all park
areas was 79 percent of the amount needed. In 2014, Parks found that:
x nine parks used over 95 percent of the water needed
x 35 parks used under 95 percent of the water needed
x of the 35 parks, 31 used under 90 percent of the water needed
Audits are performed at sites when more than 95 percent of the area’s water need is used for
two consecutive months. During 2014, eight sites were audited.
When designing new community and neighborhood parks, water-efficient practices are
incorporated, such as low water use turf in low traffic areas. For example, areas of a park that
are designated for stormwater flows are ideal for types of grasses that do not need a lot of
water, fertilizer or mowing. These areas also provide a different visual aspect to the park,
creating unstructured play areas and enhancing the environmental value of the park. High
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 13
traffic areas use durable, water-efficient varieties of turfgrass. Whenever possible, raw water
is used for irrigation. Irrigation system designers work closely with the park design team to
make sure the system is efficient and uses the latest technology.
Graywater Research and Legislation
Graywater consists of wastewater from indoor activities
such as laundry facilities, but excludes wastewater from
toilet flushing and other waste streams that may threaten
public health and the environment.
In May 2013, House Bill 13-1044 authorized the use of
graywater in Colorado. Before graywater use will be
allowed by municipalities, the Colorado Water Quality
Control Commission must adopt regulations to control its
use. Utilities staff participated in the Water Quality Control
Division’s stakeholder process to develop content for the
regulation. The rulemaking is expected to be complete in 2015.
Graywater Use in Fort Collins
HB 13-1044 does not require municipalities or counties to implement a graywater
program unless they choose to do so. Fort Collins is interested in pursuing graywater use.
The City’s Building Department will track and oversee installation of systems within the
city limits through issuing building permits and performing inspections at the time of
installation. Larimer County’s Department of Health and Environment will oversee
graywater systems outside the city limits.
Graywater Research
Utilities participated in the second year of a two-year contract with CSU’s College of
Engineering to continue their graywater research and perform other tasks to support
graywater use. Some outcomes included:
x Water use of several commercial customers was analyzed to see if graywater
reuse would be a viable option for them.
x A study was done analyzing various graywater adoption rates in Fort Collins and
their potential impacts on return flows.
x Fact sheets, to be distributed throughout the state, were developed addressing the
basics of graywater use, how to install a graywater system and best management
practices.
Collaboration and Regional Participation
The water conservation program is enhanced through partnerships with other City
departments, local businesses and regional and national organizations.
x Continued the free toilet recycling program in 2014, diverting tons of porcelain from the
landfill. The program is a partnership between the Utilities, Environmental Services and
Streets departments. Customers dropped off their high water-using toilets at the Habitat
ReStore or the City’s Hoffman Mill facility and the Streets Department crushed them into
road base.
Outdoor Graywater System
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 14
x Promoted the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense
program through rebates, articles and events. WaterSense promotes
and enhances water-efficient products and services. Utilities is a
WaterSense promotional partner and submitted WaterSense’s annual
reporting form and a nomination for an award.
Organization Participation
x Board member of Colorado WaterWise, a statewide organization with a mission to
promote the efficient use of Colorado’s water. Sponsored the WaterWise Summit in
October.
x Member of the Alliance for Water Efficiency’s Education and Outreach, and WaterSense
and Water Efficient Products committees.
x Made presentations to various organizations, including the Fort Collins Historical
Society, Poudre Runs Through It steering team, CityWorks and Irrigation Association.
How Are We Doing?
Total Program Water Savings
Total water savings is estimated for measurable water conservation programs, including
rebates, sprinkler audits, equipment distribution, retrofits and Building Code regulations. The
water savings are calculated based on savings estimates for each type of measure, called
“deemed savings.” The deemed savings is taken from various water use studies. In 2014, the
verifiable water savings from programs was 27.2 million gallons or 83.5 acre feet.
ClimateWise Water Savings
During 2014, ClimateWise grew by 43 businesses, for a total of more than 350 business
partners. Since 2000, ClimateWise partners have saved 10 billion gallons of water.
Evaluating Water Use
The water use trend continues to be significantly lower than pre-2002 drought (1993-2001)
demands. Tiered and seasonal water rates, and water conservation efforts, contribute to this
trend. How much of the lower usage can be attributed to the City’s water conservation
measures is difficult to analyze. For over 20 years, low-flow plumbing standards and metered
water taps have contributed to the reduction of per capita water use.
Per capita water use can vary for many reasons; population is not the sole determinant of
water use. Changes in weather, season, household size and income also can contribute.
Precipitation levels and daily temperatures during the watering season cause water use to
vary considerably from year to year.
The first graph on the next page shows the percentage of water used indoors versus outdoors
by year for all water use. Indoor water use remains fairly consistent while outdoor water use
fluctuates. In 2014, outdoor water use was 33 percent of total use, compared with 32 percent
in 2013. The second graph compares indoor and total water use for single family homes.
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 15
39% 39%
36% 36%
39%
32%
39%
36%
39%
35%
41%
38%
36%
32%
31%
34%
40%
36%
34%
28%
35%
34%
40%
32%
33%
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Millions of Gallons
Estimated Indoor and Outdoor Water Use
Indoor Use
Outdoor Use
100.2
95.2
112
90
81
56.3
52.3 53.8
51.1 46
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Single Family Homes - GPCD
Total gpcd Indoor gpcd
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 16
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
Clothes
Washer
Dishwasher Showerhead Toilet
Total per year
Residential Rebates - Indoor
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Controller Soil
Sensor
Rain
Sensor
Nozzles &
Heads
Pressure
Regulator
Total per year
Residential Rebates - Outdoor
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 17
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Total per year
Commercial Rebates - Indoor
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
Controller Soil Sensor Rain
Sensor
Pressure
Regulator
Nozzles &
Heads
Total per year
Commercial Rebates - Outdoor
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 18
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
HOA Sprinkler
Audit
Custom Rebate Facility
Assessments
Total per year
Commercial Audits
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Sprinkler Audit LCCC Audits Home Efficiency
Audits
Total per year
Residential Audits
2
2
2
2
2
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 19
Historic Water Use Per Person1
Year Actual Use
(gpcd)
Normalized
Average Use2
(gpcd)
Actual
Peak Day Use
(gpc)
1 in 50
Normalized
Peak Day Use3
(gpc)
2003 154 157 346 383
2004 146 150 307 327
2005 155 155 365 363
2006 172 156 353 350
2007 162 156 342 356
2008 153 153 321 333
2009 135 147 265 304
2010 146 144 295 323
2011 141 144 285 309
2012 165 152 342 337
2013 141 147 312 327
2014 139 143 269 309
Notes:
1. Values do not include large contractual water use.
2. Normalized values represent average expected use for 1930-1995 weather conditions.
3. 1 in 50 peak use is expected to occur once in 50 years.
Historic Annual Water Use
Year
Service Area
Population
Annual
Precipitation
(inches)
Annual Water
Use
(MG)
Average Day
Use
(MGD)
Peak Day Use
(MGD)
2003 125,500 18.2 8,280 22.6 46.9
2004 125,800 18.1 7,984 21.8 42.3
2005 126,900 16.2 8,497 23.3 50.1
2006 127,800 11.2 9,268 25.4 48.9
2007 128,400 13.7 8,860 24.2 47.5
2008 128,700 13.8 8,352 22.8 44.3
2009 128,900 21.9 7,391 20.2 37.1
2010 129,000 14.1 7,830 21.4 40.8
2011 129,100 17.8 7,621 20.8 39.7
2012 129,200 10.8 8,757 23.9 46.8
2013 129,300 18.8 7,560 20.7 43.0
2014 130,200 16.7 7,437 20.3 37.2
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 20
Number of Accounts by Customer Class
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Single-Family 26,627 26,588 26,605 26,654 26,930
Duplex 1,175 1,191 1,205 1,217 1,226
Multi-Family 2,154 2,165 2,180 2,204 2,240
Commercial 2,184 2,186 2,192 2,174 2,222
City Government 208 208 212 213 225
West Fort Collins WD 11111
Outside City Customers 1,414 1,415 1,419 1,427 1,454
Total 33,762 33,754 33,814 33,889 34,298
Water Use by Customer Class
(Million Gallons)
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Single-Family 2,619.1 2,475.3 2,915.8 2,347 2,142
Duplex 134.0 130.9 146.4 127.8 120
Multi-Family 1,000.2 980.2 1,048.2 1,096.6 970
Commercial 3,095.3 3,057.8 3,330.5 2,924.6 2972
City Government 122.8 108.0 148.1 100.4 107
West Fort Collins WD 168.3 146.9 169.9 154.1 140
Outside City Customers 263.8 259.5 303.4 274.7 280
System Losses 426.5 462.1 695.1 534.9 706
Total 7,830.1 7,620.7 8,757.4 7,560.1 7437
Water Use per Account by Customer Class
(Gallons per Year)
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Single-Family 98,363 93,097 109,594 88,056 79,536
Duplex 114,085 109,886 121,518 104,999 97,750
Multi-Family 464,338 452,038 480,866 497,632 432,934
Commercial 1,417,338 1,397,962 1,519,134 1,345,089 1,337,765
City Government 591,785 519,674 699,082 472,134 475,830
Outside City
Customers 186,599 183,365 213,772 192,547 192,751
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 21
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08 10 12 14
Acre-Feet
Year
Annual Treated Water Use
1960-2014
WTF#2
WTF#1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09 11 13
MGD
Year
Peak Day Use
1961-2014
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 22
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08 10 12 14
Inches
Year
Historic Annual Precipitation Fort Collins
1960-2014
1981-2010 Average
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Inches
Month
2014 Precipitation
2014 Precipitation (16.69")
81-'10 Average Precipitation
(16.08")
.
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 23
Attachment ‘A’
Fort Collins Utilities Water Conservation Plan: Recommended Measures
Measure
Customers Water Use Date
RSF RMF CII City Indoor Outdoor Started/
Ended
Education and Public Information
Conservation public information campaign XXXXX X 1977
Adult education programs XX X X 1977
Business programs XX X X 2004
School education programs XX X X 1977
Conservation giveaways XX X X 1990
Water conservation awards XXXXX X 2013-
2014
Water Rates and Usage Information
Increasing block rate – Res. X X X 2003
Seasonal rates – Comm. & multi-family XXXX X 2003
Continuous consumption program X X X 2014
Home Water Reports X X X 2014
Online access to water history XXX X X 2014
Online water use calculator X X X 2012
Indoor Fixtures and Appliances -
Residential
Clothes washer rebates XX X 2003
Dishwasher rebates XX X 2007
WaterSense toilet rebates XX X 2010
WaterSense showerhead rebates XX X 2013
Low income retrofit program XX X 2007
Zero-interest loans/On-bill financing X X 1994
Research: Water end use study X X X 2011
Outdoor Efficiency - Landscape and
Irrigation
Sprinkler system audits XX 1999
Xeriscape Demonstration Garden XXXX X 1986
Xeriscape design clinics XX X 2009-
2012
Xeriscape design assistance program XX X 2014
Xeriscape installation rebates XX X 2014
Sprinkler equipment rebates XXX X 2010
Raw water for irrigation at parks, cemeteries
and golf courses
X X 1900
Research: Determine irrigated area for lots XXXX X 2012
Research: Determine irrigated area for lots XXXX X 2012
2014 Water Conservation Annual Report 24
Measure
Customers Water Use Date
RSF RMF CII City Indoor Outdoor Started/
Ended
Indoor Fixtures and Appliances -
Commercial
Commercial facility audits X X X 2004
Financial incentives for commercial water-
saving upgrades
X X X 2011
Hotel and restaurant conservation materials X X 2003
Restaurant pre-rinse spray valve distribution X X 2011
Water Reuse Systems
Large customer reuse XXX X 1980
Backwash recycling at water treatment facility X 2003
Regulatory Measures
Wasting water ordinance X XXXX X 1964
Restrictive covenants ordinance X X 2003
Soil amendment ordinance X XXX X 2003
Water Shortage Response Plan X XXXX X 2003
Landscape & irrigation standards for new
development
XXX X 1994
Operational Measures
Water loss program X 1993
Water loss program enhancement X Future
Water conservation upgrades at City LEED
buildings
X X X 2006
Water conservation upgrades at City facilities X X X 2010
Key:
RSF – Residential Single Family
RMF – Residential Multi-family
CII – Commercial, Industrial, Institutional
City – City government
Indoor – affects indoor water use
Outdoor – affects outdoor water use
Future – future measure
2015 Water Efficiency Plan Community Engagement Summary
This plan was developed with input from a technical advisory group. This group included Utilities
and City staff as well as Water Board members. While the group was advisory, not
determinative in nature, significant time and energy was put into discussing conservation
measures and approaches to conservation. Team members included:
x Adam Jokerst, Water Resources Engineer
x Alexander Maas, Water Board Member
x Brett Bovee, Water Board Member
x Carol Webb, Water Resources and Treatment Operations Manager
x Donnie Dustin, Water Resources Manager
x Josh Birks, Economic Health Director
x Katy Bigner, Environmental Planner
x Lance Smith, Strategic Financial Planning Manager
x Laurie D'Audney, Water Conservation Manager (retired)
x Lea Pace, Water Conservation Intern
x Lisa Rosintoski, Utilities Customer Connections Manger
x Michelle Finchum, Community Engagement Specialist
x Peter Mayer, Water DM
x Randy Reuscher, Utility Rate Analyst
x Rebecca Hill, Water Board Member
x Renee Davis, Water Conservation Specialist
x Steve Malers, Water Board Chair
x Tiana Smith, Customer Accounts Manager
x Tim Buchanan, City Forester
This group met for seven meetings, with each meeting focusing on a specific topic. The topics
were:
Meeting 1: Water supply & storage; potential water efficiency goals
Meeting 2: Scenarios based on water efficiency goals
Meeting 3: Commercial impacts; current and potential conservation activities
Meeting 4: Revenue effects from lower demand
Meeting 5: Tree and landscape impacts; landscape survey results
Meeting 6: Scenarios based on water efficiency goals, identification of conservation
activities.
Meeting 7: Continued identification and discussion of conservation activities.
The Technical Advisory Group not only heard for expert City staff, but also provided input on
potential metrics and possible conservation activities. Several consistent themes came out of
this process:
x Help customers understand their water use patterns. Informed choices are the starting
point for choosing efficiency.
x Work with the brewers and other water-intensive large commercial customers. The
brewers in town are very environmentally forward thinking. Supporting them and
challenging them to do more is an important role for the conservation team.
x Outdoor water use, which is consumed water, is an area where we affect change.
ATTACHMENT 2
Local business groups and organizations were also targeted for outreach.
x Planners worked in collaboration with CSU’s Center for Public Deliberation at a
community issues forum in April 2015. This meeting had diverse topics on the agenda
and as such provided broad outreach. This was a good chance to engage beyond the
usual water-focused audiences.
x Northern Colorado Home Builders Association’s newsletter carried information and a link
to the online survey.
x Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, September 10, 2015
o Rocky Mountain Fly Casters, a local chapter of Trout Unlimited, September 16,
2015
o Are we doing anything to “police” large commercial users with sprinkler systems
running during rain?
Talked about how we address large commercial landscapes: Plan review
for new construction; rain sensor requirement; rain sensor rebate (for
residential); and anticipated growth of sprinkler audit program into
commercial sector.
o How do we compare to California cities on GPCD?
Responded with clarification about how GPCD includes LCU and as such
is hard to compare, but that our single-family numbers are pretty good for
nearby towns. Reiterated that this comparison is apples to oranges.
o How does my toilet running waste?
Responded with: lots! Toilets can have high flow rates and silent leaks
can run for longer periods. Discussed tank dye test and flapper
replacement.
x Save The Poudre, October 1, 2015
o Questions about state’s requirements for plans.
Staff explained state requirements and how we’re meeting those
requirements.
o Expressed a desire to have graywater included in the plan’s activities.
o Expressed support for how water conservation goal has decreased over the
years.
The public and City stakeholders were engaged through presentations to various city advisory
boards.. Boards visited include:
x Water Board work session, April 2, 2015
x Energy Board work session, June 4, 2015
x Planning and Zoning work session, June 5, 2015
x Parks and Recreation Board, June 24, 2015.
x Natural Resources Advisory Board, July 15, 2015
In addition, we reached out to Economic Advisory Commission and the Land Conservation
Stewardship Board. These boards felt our plan was outside their scope, but expressed that if
Council directed, they would welcome a presentation.
Energy Board Discussion Highlights (June 4, 2015)
x Board members commented on the amount of energy required for water, and Ms. Davis
replied that Fort Collins’ trans-basin water comes from a high elevation to a lower
elevation, in contrast with California, which uses a lot of energy to pump water over
mountains.
x A board member inquired about the ratio of residential to commercial customers. Ms.
Davis replied it’s about an even share of the volume of water delivered. Washing
machines have become more efficient, and toilet efficiency is taking another step:
starting in 2016, state regulations will require that common water-using products (such
as toilets and showers) sold in
x Colorado must meet WaterSense standards. Commercial water conservation is also
focused on efficient toilets.
x A board member inquired about untreated water. Ms. Davis replied that staff is also
reviewing outside water use, but untreated water is not included in the Water Efficiency
Plan. She mentioned the City’s Parks Department does a lot with untreated water.
x A board member inquired what the target should be in the next few years if the goal by
2020 is 140 GPCD. Ms. Davis replied it’s delineated by the Water Supply and Demand
Policy; 150
x GPCD for supply. Fort Collins’ usage was 143 GPCD last year, so we’re doing well and
are very close to achieving the 2020 goal.
x Ms. Rosintoski offered to have Water Resources Manager Donnie Dustin present the
Water
x Supply and Demand Policy in reply to a board member who mentioned reading the book
x Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Mark Reisner years
ago, and commented on his monthly water bill. The board member estimated paying $60
for infrastructure, and $5 for water, and speculated that even if he doubled his household
water use, he’d pay $10 for water. He commented that he doesn’t use a lot of water
because he doesn’t want to waste water, but his neighbor’s attitude is that if the City
wanted everyone to use less water, they’d charge more for it as an incentive to
conserve.
x A board member expressed interest in hearing a presentation by Mr. Dustin and learning
about what drives the cost of water here; the member mentioned Fort Collins is lucky to
get some of its water from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. Ms. Davis pointed out
that CBT shares have come very expensive.
x A board member commented on not wanting to see water use curtailed because of an
increased population but rather simply because we’re located in the arid west.
x Mr. Phelan commented on staff’s attempts to promote water conservation when already
engaged with customers on other issues. Ms. Davis mentioned rebates provide
incentives; the City offers rebates on clothes washers and dishwashers. Some clothes
washers used to require 40 gallons per load; they now use 12 gallons. Older toilets used
seven gallons to flush.
Parks and Recreation Discussion Highlights
x Board – Can the public get information on issues at our residences so we would know if
there was an issue like an underground leak?
o Staff – Yes, there are ways to flag information with a new tool called Monitor My
Use http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/sustainability-leadership/advanced-meter-fort-
collins/monitor-my-use and Utilities also calls if we see something unusual.
x Board – Are the City Pools on this system?
o Staff – They may be already on this through Operations Services, but if not we
would be able to get them setup and we can help with an assessment.
x Board – Is there a bonus for residents that really conserve?
o Staff – Probably not, because you pay for delivery of water, not volume, so rates
tend to go up with conservation. That’s why we want to focus on water
efficiencies.
x Board – What are some upcoming changes?
o Staff – Mostly there is a shift from the focus being indoor conserving to a focus
on outdoor efficiencies.
x Board – Will you come back when there’s a final draft of the Plan?
o Staff – Sure, there’s no need for the P&R Boards approval or recommendation,
this was just informational to get the word out, but I would be happy to come
back.
Natural Resources Advisory Board Discussion Highlights (July 15, 2015)
x What is lowest per capita use possible?
o Gallons per household per day for single family residential: with all Water Sense
fixtures for indoor use, could get down to 40 gallon/capita/day. Fort Collins is at
about 80 right now. There is also residential outdoor, commercial, etc. and need
efficiency throughout.
o City is not all covered by Water Sense fixtures. Fort Collins is good with high
efficiency washers. Many toilets still need to be changed out. This is why
conservation has focused on rebates. As of 2016 will not be able to buy products
not Water Sense labelled in Colorado.
x Good sense of how yard water is used? Vision for reducing that?
o Yes, and action in place. Series of conservation measures in place. Big tools
have been rebates. Outdoor use for commercial and residential, encouraging
smart watering, and reducing lawn, getting rid of leaks, etc. Have commercial
programs including custom rebates. Just finished project with CSU on laundry.
o Needed balance: Surveys, people love how Fort Collins looks now. Get nervous
about conservation. Balance of parks and trees with xeriscaping. Have free
sprinkler audit program (200 residential audits annually). Have xeriscape design
assistance program with rebate. Also do hardware replacement. New
construction requirements as well. Permitting process that inspects sprinkler
design plans. Have estimate models of use and working to improve them.
x Does vision include grey water?
o Yes. Has been approved by state, but need plumbers trained and ordinances in
the City. Not sure will ever do rebates on grey water. Residential, hard to make
retrofitting cost effective as creating second plumbing system. New construction
focused. Best for larger scale projects such as dorms.
o Separate system for non-treated water for outdoor use. • Health issue. State
health department regulations.
x Reuse of treated water?
o City has reuse in place already. Rawhide is reuse for City service area.
x Goal of 140 gallons/capita/day is not an aspirational future goal since already attained.
o Need to balance new goal with rates. In development.
x At certain level of conservation putting utility at financial risk.
o More you use, more you pay. But what Utility provides is pipes. Paying for the
service. Those are fixed costs. Rates have to be adjusted to cover fixed costs.
x Have someone to look at own system inefficiencies?
o Yes. Water Loss Specialist. Looking for leaks, etc. Want AMIs in various
locations to find leaks in system. Leakage is around 6-7% annually. Other
communities are up to 50%.
x Is water fairly valued? Too cheap, too expensive? If cost of rate is infrastructure, not so
much for water, isn’t is harder to make market function properly.
o New manger is an economist so will be determined. Many costs are fixed.
Inclining locked rate structure. Economic signal to user about use. Study of
inclining rate structures showed Fort Collins has shallow increase. Not a strong
price signal.
x Decline in per capita use, coming less from financial sense as from right thing to do.
Have environmentally conscious citizenry, but at what point does that drop off.
o Also cost effectiveness. Are people going to replace appliances if doesn’t make
financial sense with water bill.
o People do care, but don’t understand own use.
x Suppose had goal of 120 gallons per capita per day. Would we still need to build
Halligan?
o Water supply and demand management policy sets two goals: 140 for
conservation and 150 for supply goal. Try to get a supply that is more robust than
what you need. Already have enough water rights for projected growth, but with
climate change need storage. Water goes away. Having water when we need it
versus timing of when can get water. Don’t need to buy more water rights.
x Would you be able to identify ballpark number at which would not need more storage?
o Would need to change how use water seasonally. Conservation does not
eliminate need for this particular reservoir. It is about timing and ability to store,
not volume.
o Someone should know that number. Should not split conservation from water
storage planning.
x Hard to compare to other cities as what is included in numbers differs from place to
place. Also, Fort Collins is drive-in community. Number shows that our use is going
down, but hard to compare to other communities.
x Would like to change goals for breweries water use as well.
o Economies of scale. Industry that has made Fort Collins famous, but exporting
our water. Ex: California drought, can still buy Sierra Nevada beer. Hard balance
between encouraging industry that brings revenue and employment, but exports
water.
o Does it make sense environmentally? Breweries want our water as it is top of
water shed. Doing more targeted outreach to breweries.
o Want to develop better metrics and benchmarks for commercial and residential.
A webpage has been created for the Water Efficincy Plan. This page detailed the process and
included a survey. Public was directed to the webpage and survey at various engagement
meetings.
1660 S. Albion St., Ste. 831 Denver, CO 80222 ph: 303 757-5611 fx: 303 757-5636 www.alcc.com
_____________________________________________________________________________________
September 29, 2015
Renee Davis
Water Conservation Specialist
City of Fort Collins Utilities
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580
Dear Ms. Davis,
Thank you for the opportunity to provide stakeholder input on the city’s water conservation
plan. ALCC appreciates the chance to give industry perspective and insight on our state’s most
precious natural resource. This letter serves to summarize several key points that we would
like the city to consider during the update phase of the plan, as follows:
Holistic approach to Xeriscape. ALCC and the Green Industries of Colorado (GreenCO) support
a holistic approach to Xeriscape that in addition to emphasizing plant selection recognizes the
role that landscape management plays in water conservation. Any plant type can be
overwatered or watered inefficiently—our view is that all landscapes need to be managed
efficiently, according to the needs of the plants. Xeriscape addresses each step of the
landscape cycle from first design all the way through to how the site is maintained in
perpetuity. Opportunities for landscape water conservation include both landscape
characteristics with lower water requirements and efficient irrigation designs/installations and
water-efficient irrigation management. In essence, the design, installation and management
are the components incorporated into Xeriscape, which is also emphasized in GreenCO’s Best
Management Practices (BMPs). Demand reduction for urban landscapes will not be achieved by
simply “changing plants”, but also by changing behavior. We recommend that Xeriscape be a
key foundation in the city’s conservation plan as an important foundation for outdoor water
use and conservation.
Water budgeting. ALCC and GreenCO are long-time advocates water budgeting, which is a
primary practice included in the BMP manual and on-line tools (e.g., water budget calculator).
Water budgeting provides an equitable allocation of water for both indoor and outdoor use, a
strategy to allocate water based on the conditions in the landscape, and can be used by local
governments to design rate structures. Smart metering, which provides consumers real-time
consumption data, is another practice the industry fully supports; as technology improves with
metering, better informed, conservation-oriented water use decisions can be made in homes
and businesses. Additionally, improved data sets obtained through advanced metering
(separating indoor and outdoor) can be used to refine demand for both indoor and outdoor
water use.
Incentives for outdoor water conservation measures. We support incentivizing both
residential and commercial property owners to help offset the cost of renovating existing
landscapes and upgrading the irrigation systems and technology. Proper landscape design,
appropriate plant selection, efficient irrigation design and installation and proper ongoing
maintenance are crucial for the sustainability of Colorado’s built landscape. ALCC can help
identify which incentives will reap the most water savings and where the city can direct their
rebate programs to realize a better return on investment. We have several case studies on
incentive partnerships between water providers, property owners and landscape companies
that provided both significant financial and water savings.
Partnerships. ALCC’s established partnership with the city can continue as we work together
on conservation incentives, continuing technical education on water management for the
industry, outreach and education of the public, and on sound city water policy to help meet
water shortages. We envision further collaboration between the industry and the city, as well
as other water providers in the region. With regard to training and education within the Green
Industry, we encourage the city to first consider existing certification and training programs
developed from within the industry—leveraging these programs, rather than duplicating work
already done or embarking on independent efforts. We would like to review the various
training programs offered through ALCC, GreenCO the Irrigation Association, Colorado State
University Extension, and others with water conservation staff.
Expanded Water Reuse. We join other business groups in encouraging expanded water reuse
throughout the state for agricultural, industrial, and municipal use. State and local policies and
regulations should continue to reduce barriers to and encourage the use of reclaimed water
and gray water for landscape irrigation, as well as other uses. (This also includes rainwater
harvesting.)
To help convey the quantitative benefits of landscape BMPs, both within the industry and for
water providers, GreenCO and ALCC have recently undertaken a study to further quantify the
benefits of landscape water conservation practices that incorporated normalized water savings
from the literature, engineering calculations to quantify the relative benefits of specific
practices, and a demand model applied at the basin scale (using the South Platte Basin as an
example). An Executive Summary of this report is attached, summarizing key findings and
providing a series of recommendations for policy makers.
We look forward to working in collaboration on the city’s water conservation plans.
Sincerely,
Kristen S. Fefes, CAE
Executive Director
cc: Tammy DiFalco, ALCC Membership Manager
Nate Caldwell, Foothills Landscape Maintenance
Zak George, Zak George Landscaping
Water Conservation Plan
February 12, 2009
Prepared by:
Peter Mayer, Aquacraft, Inc.
Laurie D’Audney & Dennis Bode, Fort Collins Utilities
ATTACHMENT 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................. 1
KEY UTILITY INFORMATION ..................................................................................... 3
WATER SYSTEM PROFILE........................................................................................ 3
Physical Characteristics of the Existing Water Supply System............................................................................3
Sources of Water ..................................................................................................................................................6
SYSTEM LIMITATIONS ................................................................................................... 10
Water Costs and Pricing ....................................................................................................................................11
Current Policies and Planning Initiatives..........................................................................................................12
Historic Water Demand .....................................................................................................................................13
Current Water Conservation Program...............................................................................................................19
POPULATION AND WATER DEMAND PLANNING PROJECTIONS........................ 24
Forecasting Method ...........................................................................................................................................24
Previous Treated Water Demand Projections....................................................................................................25
PROPOSED WATER SUPPLY PROJECTS.............................................................. 27
Potential Facility Needs.....................................................................................................................................28
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAMS AND MEASURES ..................................... 28
Conservation Goals and Identified Programs and Measures ............................................................................28
CONSERVATION PROGRAMS AND DEMAND FORECASTS ................................. 31
Baseline: Demand Forecast Without Conservation Program............................................................................31
Level 1: Current Program..................................................................................................................................32
Level 2: Recommended New Program...............................................................................................................32
Demand Forecasts .............................................................................................................................................38
Summary of Forecast Demands .........................................................................................................................39
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR RECOMMENDED CONSERVATION PROGRAM .. 40
Ongoing Monitoring...........................................................................................................................................43
Plan Refinement .................................................................................................................................................43
COMPLIANCE WITH STATE PLANNING REQUIREMENTS .................................... 43
Fort Collins Compliance....................................................................................................................................43
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The city of Fort Collins is located 65 miles north of Denver in Larimer County, nestled against
the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The Poudre River winds its way through north Fort Collins
before reaching the South Platte River to the east. Fort Collins is home to over 131,000 residents
and 25,000 students enrolled at Colorado State University.
The City of Fort Collins Utilities provides water, wastewater, stormwater and electric services to
the Fort Collins community. In 2007, the Utilities served 8.8 billion gallons of water to
approximately 128,000 people. Because the service area boundary does not coincide with the
city limits, the Utilities serves water to some customers outside the city limits, and not all those
within the city.
Water sources are solely surface supply from a wide variety of water rights. The City’s water
comes from the Poudre River Basin and the Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) Project (which
includes Horsetooth Reservoir).
The City views the water conservation program as an important proactive response to supply
variability and climate change. Reducing indoor demand through improved technology, leak
reduction and behavior change (all elements of the City’s conservation program) will improve
system reliability and resilience to supply variability year round. Reducing outdoor demand
through improved irrigation efficiency and landscape transformation (key elements of the City’s
conservation program) improves reliability during summer months when demand peaks,
providing additional water availability for storage and environmental flows.
Faced with a drought in 1977, the Utilities created a part-time position dedicated to water
conservation. Following the position expanding to full-time in 1990, the 1992 Water Demand
Management Policy set out 12 measures and two water use goals. Plans to develop a new
document for the conservation program began with the adoption of the 2003 Water Supply and
Demand Management Policy.
The State of Colorado Water Conservation Act of 2004 (HB 1365) requires entities that supply
2,000 acre-feet or more annually to submit a water conservation plan to the Colorado Water
Conservation Board (CWCB) before receiving financial assistance from the CWCB or the
Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority. Although Fort Collins isn’t
seeking funds from either State agency, this plan was developed based on the CWCB’s guidance
documents.
Goals and Recommendations
Fort Collins Utilities has established a goal for the conservation program of reducing water use
to 140 gallons per capita per day (gpcd) by 2020 (normalized to account for weather conditions).
This goal represents realistic and achievable demand reductions in all customer sectors in Fort
Collins. Achieving this goal within the planning period will provide an additional measure of
reliability to the water supply system to ensure high quality service to customers in case of future
drought, climate change and unforeseen shortages.
The conservation program recommended in this plan includes all measures from Fort Collins
Utilities’ current program. The recommended program represents a significant expansion of the
current program and targets residential and commercial customers, and indoor and outdoor water
use. The program also includes an effort to reduce water loss from 6 percent down to 5 percent.
Water Conservation Plan 1 Fort Collins Utilities
Under current climate conditions, this program will save an estimated 2,300 acre-feet if
continued at the same level through the planning period to 2020. Table ES.1 presents a summary
of the forecast demands and water savings developed for this conservation plan.
Table ES.1: Summary of forecast demand and savings
Average Use
2020 Forecast
Demand
Savings vs.
Pre-2002 Use
Savings vs.
Baseline Use
Forecast (Ac-ft/year) (Ac-ft/year) (Ac-ft/year) (Ac-ft/year)
Pre-2002
(1998-2001) 34,000 39,700 N/A N/A
Baseline
(2003-2007) 27,500 31,800 7,900 N/A
Current Program 30,800 8,900 1,000
Recommended
Program 29,500 10,200 2,300
Benefits of Water Conservation
The City of Fort Collins is committed to expanding its conservation efforts. The City believes
water conservation is of vital importance for many reasons, including to:
x Foster a conservation ethic and eliminate waste.
x Demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.
x Provide water for multiple beneficial purposes.
x Reduce costs for the Utility and for customers.
x Prepare for forecasted climate change.
Implementation and Monitoring
The new measures introduced in this plan will be implemented over a three year period. Fort
Collins Utilities will monitor implementation and impacts of the conservation plan on a regular
basis. Regular demand monitoring will provide information on water use and progress toward the
stated conservation goals. Adjustments to the program will be made as warranted due to new
technology or programs becoming outdated, changes in climate and any other unforeseen
circumstances. A complete formal review and revision of the conservation plan will be
completed within five years.
Public Review and Adoption
A 60-day public review period of the conservation plan took place from October 8 to December
7, 2007. During the review period, 34 comments were received and the plan was updated in
response. The plan will be presented to the Fort Collins City Council for adoption.
Water Conservation Plan 2 Fort Collins Utilities
KEY UTILITY INFORMATION
The city of Fort Collins is located 65 miles north of Denver in Larimer County, nestled against
the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The Poudre River winds its way through north Fort Collins
before reaching the South Platte River to the east. With an average of 300 days of sunshine per
year and low humidity, Fort Collins averages 15 inches of precipitation annually.
Fort Collins is home to over 131,000 residents and 25,000 students enrolled at Colorado State
University. The city began as a hub for agricultural production, but has shifted its focus to a
high-tech economy. Between 1995 and 2005, the population grew an average of three percent
annually. As expected, the growth rate has become much slower; it was 1.6 percent for 2006.
WATER SYSTEM PROFILE
This section provides a summary of the physical characteristics of the existing water system,
including water sources, system limitations, costs and pricing, policies and planning initiatives
and conservation activities.
Physical Characteristics of the Existing Water Supply System
In 2007, Fort Collins Utilities served 8.8 billion gallons of water to approximately 128,000
people. One water treatment facility and 530 miles of water main deliver treated water to
customers. Two water reclamation facilities treat wastewater before it’s returned to the river.
The Utilities service area boundary does not coincide with the city limits. Some customers
outside the city limits are served, but not all those within the city. Fort Collins-Loveland Water
District (FCLWD) and East Larimer County Water District (ELCO) provide water to some areas
within the city limits and will most likely serve additional city residents in the future.
Fort Collins Utilities serves some areas outside the city limits, primarily to the northwest of Fort
Collins, including water provided to West Fort Collins Water District (WFCWD). Figure 1
shows the different service areas with respect to the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area (UGA).
Table 1 summarizes service area characteristics, water production and water demand by
customer sector.
Water Conservation Plan 3 Fort Collins Utilities
Figure 1: Treated water service area
Water Conservation Plan 4 Fort Collins Utilities
Table 1: Water system profile, 2007
Service Characteristics Number
Estimated service population 128,400
Estimated service area (sq. miles) 35
Miles of mains 530
Number of treatment plants 1
Number of separate water systems 0
Interconnection with other systems 6
Annual Water Supply Annual volume
(MG)
Number of intakes or
source points Percent metered
Groundwater 0 0 N/A
Surface water (treated & raw) 23,900 9 100%
Purchases: raw 0 0 N/A
Purchases: treated 0 0 N/A
Total annual water supply 23,900 9 100%
Service Connections Connections Water sales (MG) Percent metered
Residential, single-family 27,720 3,081 100%
Residential, multi-family 2,104 987 100%
Commercial & Industrial 2,103 3,557 100%
City government 199 137 100%
Wholesale 1 164 100%
Outside City customers 1,394 294 100%
Total 33,521 8,220 100%
Treated Water Demand Annual volume
(MG) Percent of total
Per connection
(MG)
Residential 4,232 37 0.14
Nonresidential 3,694 33 1.60
Wholesale 164 1 164
Outside City 294 3 0.21
City Raw water (Parks, etc.) 1,190 10 N/A
Raw water obligations 1,140 10 N/A
Nonaccount water: system losses 640 6 N/A
Total system demand (total use) 11,354 100 N/A
Treated Water
Average & Peak Demand Volume (MG) Total supply capacity
Percent of total
capacity
Average-day demand 24.2 87 28%
Maximum-day demand 47.5 87 55%
Maximum-hour demand N/A N/A N/A
Planning Prepared a plan Date Filed with state
Capital, facility or supply plan Yes 2003 No
Drought or emergency plan Yes 2003 No
Water conservation plan Yes 2008 Not yet
Water Conservation Plan 5 Fort Collins Utilities
Sources of Water
Water sources are solely surface supply from a wide variety of water rights. The City’s water
comes from the Poudre River Basin and the Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) Project (which
includes Horsetooth Reservoir). Figure 2 shows the location of some of the City’s key facilities
related to delivering water from these sources. These facilities include the diversion structure and
pipeline off the Poudre River, Joe Wright Reservoir, Michigan Ditch and the water treatment
facility. Also shown are Horsetooth Reservoir and Halligan Reservoir operated by the Northern
Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD) and North Poudre Irrigation Company (NPIC),
respectively.
Poudre River
The following sources are generally available for diversion from the Poudre River. The City
diverts its Poudre River flows to the water treatment plant through two pipelines located on the
main stem of the river.
Senior Direct Flow Decrees: The City has five very senior direct flow decrees on the
Poudre River that are available to the City most of the time. Only in very severe dry
periods are the diversions limited.
Junior Direct Flow Decrees: These junior rights are only in priority during the peak
runoff period when most of the other rights on the Poudre River have been satisfied. In
dry years, the City may not be able to divert anything under these rights.
Pleasant Valley and Lake Canal Shares: The City of Fort Collins owns about 70% of the
shares in this mutual irrigation company. The amount of water the City is entitled to
divert to meet treated water demands depends on the number of shares the City
designates for such use and which priorities owned by the irrigation company are in
priority during the season.
Southside Ditches: The City owns shares of stock in the Arthur, Larimer No. 2, New
Mercer and Warren Lake irrigation companies, referred to as the Southside Ditches. With
13 separate priorities, yields vary considerably from year to year. Much of the yield
comes from a couple of large junior rights and normally occurs during June.
Michigan Ditch and Joe Wright Reservoir System: This system consists of a ditch that
diverts water from the Michigan River drainage across the divide into the Poudre River
Basin, Joe Wright Reservoir and storage capacity in Meadow Creek Reservoir. Joe
Wright Reservoir includes about 6,500 acre-feet of active storage and is the only storage
facility owned by the City. There are usually periods during the peak runoff season in
which the reservoir is full and Michigan Ditch water is available if it can be taken directly
to meet demands. Joe Wright Reservoir is used primarily to regulate the annual Michigan
Ditch flows and has limited carryover capacity to provide drought protection for the City.
The City also has storage capacity in Meadow Creek Reservoir, which is used to release
water to downstream senior rights on the Michigan River.
Water Supply and Storage Company Shares: The City owns about 26 shares in this
irrigation company. Since the City-owned shares are not presently decreed for municipal
use, this water is usually rented back for agricultural use. During the last 40 years, the
City has obtained shares of several local irrigation company stocks by developers
satisfying the City’s raw water requirements.
Water Conservation Plan 6 Fort Collins Utilities
Horsetooth Reservoir
Water from Horsetooth Reservoir, a part of the C-BT Project, can be delivered to the City’s
water treatment facility or to the Poudre River. Although the C-BT project includes a large
amount of storage, including Horsetooth Reservoir, the City currently has a limited ability to
carry over water in C-BT reservoirs for drought protection. Currently, the NCWCD allows a 20
percent carryover allowance, which can only be C-BT project water (as opposed to the excess
Poudre River water). The following sources are available for use from Horsetooth Reservoir.
Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) Water: The City presently owns about 18,850 units of
C-BT water. Deliveries depend on the annual “quota” set by NCWCD each year. For the
most part, this water is the most flexible source that the City owns and can be used to fill
gaps from other sources.
Windy Gap Water: The City receives Windy Gap water from Platte River Power
Authority (PRPA) as payment for 4,200 acre-feet of reusable effluent made available to
PRPA by the City. The reusable effluent is the result of the Reuse Plan that involves the
City, PRPA, and the Water Supply and Storage Company (WSSC). The 4,200 acre-feet
of Windy Gap water is dedicated for large contractual use that requires reusable water.
As part of the Reuse Plan, the City is required to deliver 1,890 acre-feet of single use
water to the WSSC.
North Poudre Irrigation Company (NPIC) Shares: The City currently owns about 3,550
shares of NPIC. Each share consists of native water supply (which is primarily decreed
for agricultural use) and 4 units of C-BT water. Until the agricultural portion of each
share is changed for municipal purposes, the City can only use the C-BT portion of the
shares to meet treated water demands.
West Fort Collins Water District (WFCWD) Water: Through an agreement with the
WFCWD, the City provides treated water to their customers and in return, gets
reimbursed with an equivalent amount of C-BT water. In recent years, the amount
transferred to the City has been about 600 acre-feet each year.
Water Conservation Plan 7 Fort Collins Utilities
Figure 2: Water supply system
Water Conservation Plan 8 Fort Collins Utilities
The C-BT water and part of the NPIC water provide the most flexible water supplies since they
are available in Horsetooth Reservoir where they can be stored until needed to meet demands. If
the water from these sources is in excess of the current year City demands, they can usually be
leased for agricultural use in the area. Because of this, in most years it is desirable to use other
sources to meet City demands prior to using the C-BT and NPIC supplies.
An important part of the City’s water supplies are sources that are reusable. Typically, this is
water that is imported from another basin or comes from specific in-basin sources that may be
totally consumed through succession of identified uses. For Fort Collins, this includes much of
the Michigan Ditch and Joe Wright Reservoir water, Windy Gap water and Southside Ditches
water that has been converted from agricultural use to municipal use. Approximately 20 percent
of the City’s supplies are reusable. Much of this is used as part of a Reuse Plan which involves
the City, a local irrigation company and Platte River Power Authority (PRPA). Reusable sources
owned by the City and the irrigation company are used through the City and the reusable effluent
is used by PRPA. In turn, PRPA provides Windy Gap water to the City where much of it is used
by a customer that requires a source of reusable water. The plan results in the efficient use of a
good part of the City’s reusable supplies.
The City of Fort Collins has a policy of acquiring and maintaining a water supply that is
sufficient to meet or exceed the demands during a severe drought that has been defined as a 1-in-
50 year drought. The City owns water rights that average over 70,000 acre-feet per year if they
were fully usable; however, because of various legal and capacity constraints the present firm
yield available for municipal use is about 31,000 acre-feet.
Firm Yield Concept
The yield from the City’s supply sources varies considerably from year to year. Because of this,
demands cannot easily be compared to the average annual supply yields. Instead, it is necessary
to make an analysis of how the supplies and demands compare during a series of critically dry
(or drought) years. A concept often referred to as “firm yield” is used by many entities to
measure the ability of their water supply system to meet water demands through a series of
drought years.
Firm yield is commonly determined by calculating the maximum constant base demand that can
be met with the available supply during a representative hydrologic period. For this determina-
tion, it is assumed that both the demand contributors (population, irrigated acres, etc.) and the
supply owned (storage capacity, water rights, shares of stock, etc.) are held constant during each
trial run of the hydrologic study period. This procedure results in a firm yield or safe average
annual demand (SAAD) that can be met with the current supply system. Once this is determined,
one can compare the present average annual demand with the firm yield to determine the margin
of safety or reserve supply.
The issue that often comes up in discussions about firm yield is whether the representative
hydrologic study period contains the type of drought for which protection is desired. Many
entities simply take a recent 20 or 30 year historic period and assume that if they can make it
through any droughts contained in that period, their supply is adequate. Without knowing
something about the severity of the drought in a historical period, the use of such a period may
not be adequate. The Fort Collins Drought Study, completed in 1985, was done primarily to
study the effects of prolonged droughts and to define them in terms of the probability of their
occurrence. In this study, synthetic hydrologic traces were produced based on statistical
Water Conservation Plan 9 Fort Collins Utilities
parameters of the historic data available. This allowed analysis of numerous artificial drought
periods and a determination of representative droughts with calculated return frequencies. Once
this was determined, a computer model was used to determine the SAAD that could be met for
each drought type.
Raw Water Requirements
When new development occurs within the current Utility service area, developers are assessed a
raw water requirement (RWR). This practice originally began in the 1960s when two acre-feet
per acre of land developed was required. In the early 1970s this was changed to three acre-feet
per acre. Because water use varied considerably depending on the type of use for any given area,
a study was done in 1983-84 to develop another method of assessing the raw water requirements.
The resulting system, still in use, attempts to more closely assess the requirements based on
actual use.
For residential development, a formula was adopted that considers the density of residential
development. Water use is estimated by considering both indoor and outdoor use. The RWR is
calculated by multiplying the water use estimate by a “water supply factor” that is used to reflect
the variability in supply and demand from year to year as well as other unaccounted for water
use. The equation presently used to determine the residential RWR is as follows:
RWR = 1.92 x ((.18 x Number of Dwelling Units) + (1.2 x Net Acres))
The water supply factor was originally set at 1.6; however, following the adoption of the 1988
Water Supply Policy, the water supply factor was increased by 20% to 1.92.
Non-residential requirements are based on tap size. Water use was analyzed for all non-
residential customers for a given tap size and the requirements were based on those results. Since
there is a lot of variability within each tap size, a raw water surcharge is assessed for any annual
use exceeding an annual allotment. Requirements vary from .90 acre-feet for a 3/4 inch meter to
14.40 acre-feet for a 3 inch meter. If the water tap is above the 3 inch size, the RWR is based on
an estimate of water use.
Developers and builders may satisfy the raw water requirements by turning over water rights
acceptable to the City or paying cash in-lieu-of the water rights. Cash in-lieu-of payments can be
used to purchase additional water rights when appropriate or acquire other means of increasing
the City’s water supply, such as developing storage capacity. The cash fee has been periodically
adjusted over the years to reflect the price of water rights on the market.
System Limitations
The full use of the City’s water rights in a given year can be reduced by several physical and
legal constraints. A primary physical constraint is the lack of storage capacity to manage and
regulate the water rights owned by the City. Additional water storage capacity is needed to
increase the yield and reliability of its water supply system. Short-term storage is needed for
operational flexibility and to meet return flow obligations inherent with converted irrigation
shares.
Long-term carryover storage is needed to capture water during wetter years for use during drier
years. Both types of storage are needed to increase the reliability and redundancy desired to meet
the water needs of our customers. In November 2003, City Council approved a resolution to
exercise an option to acquire Halligan Reservoir and its enlargement potential. In 2004, the City
Water Conservation Plan 10 Fort Collins Utilities
signed a cooperative agreement with partners and submitted a letter of intent to pursue the
project to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE). If the project is approved by the COE after
an extensive environmental review and preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement, it is
expected that the City will have an additional storage capacity of up to 12,000 acre-feet to help
make more efficient use of its water supplies and provide a more reliable level of drought
protection.
The amount of additional reservoir capacity needed is somewhat dependent on the ultimate
demand level that results from water conservation efforts. In general, as demand goes down, the
amount of storage capacity needed also decreases. The relationship between water demand level
and storage capacity needed will be further developed and refined as part of the evaluation of the
proposed storage project. Variability in both water demands and water availability, particularly
in light of the uncertainty of climate changes, provides a challenge in projecting needed storage
capacity to help meet reliability criteria.
Table 2: Summary of system conditions
Planning Questions Yes No Comment
Is the system in a designated critical water supply
area? X
Does the system experience frequency shortages
or supply emergencies? X
Does the system have substantial unaccounted-
for and lost water? X
Is the system experiencing a high rate of
population and/or demand growth? X
Is the system planning substantial improvements
or additions? X
See discussion of water
storage and Halligan Reservoir
project.
Are increases to wastewater system capacity
anticipated within the planning horizon? X
Water Costs and Pricing
All Fort Collins Utilities water customers are metered. Historically, residential customers paid a
set rate per 1,000 gallons regardless of water use. Since January 2003, single-family and duplex
water rates are tiered. For many years, commercial customers have had a two-tier water rate.
Beginning in 2003, commercial and multi-family customers are billed seasonal rates–with higher
rates from May through September. Commercial rates still have a second tier for higher water
use. Table 3 presents the 2008 residential water rates and rate structure utilized by Fort Collins.
Water Conservation Plan 11 Fort Collins Utilities
Table 3: Residential water rates, 2008
Single-Family Duplex
Base Charge $12.72 $15.51
Tier Tier Size $/1,000 gal. $/1,000 gal.
0-7,000 gal $1.97
1
0-9,000 gal $1.97
7,001-13,000 gal $2.26
2
9,001-13,000 gal $2.26
3 Over 13,000 gal $2.60 $2.60
Current Policies and Planning Initiatives
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy
The City’s 1988 Water Supply Policy and 1992 Water Demand Management Policy were
combined and updated when City Council adopted the 2003 Water Supply and Demand
Management Policy. The 2003 Policy provides general criteria for decisions regarding water
supply projects, acquisition of water rights and demand management measures. One key
provision of the Policy is a goal of reducing water use from the previous target of 195 gallons per
capita per day (gpcd) to 185 gpcd (normalized to account for weather variations). The Policy
includes tools to meet this goal through educational programs, rate structures, incentive
programs, and regulatory and operational measures. Another key provision in the Policy provides
that the City will pursue the acquisition or development of additional storage capacity. Other
provisions include maintaining a water supply shortage response plan, use of surplus raw water,
fostering regional cooperation, protecting raw water quality and encouraging stream flow and
ecosystem protection and recreational/aesthetic flows.
Water Supply Shortage Response Plan
In response to the severe drought year 2002 and in anticipation of continuing drought conditions,
the City developed the Water Supply Shortage Response Plan, adopted by the City Council in
April 2003. The plan dictates the steps to be taken when there are water supply shortages and
contains four different response levels based on the severity of the shortage. Although the
Utility’s main objective is to provide customers with an adequate and reliable water supply, there
will be times when the City’s water supply is projected to be less than anticipated demands. A
response plan enables the City to quickly make the necessary adjustments in order to reduce
water demands to a level that matches supply. It is anticipated that this plan will be reviewed
periodically and may be changed in the future to match the City’s changing water supplies,
facilities and operations.
Improving System Reliability in Response to Climate Change and Supply Variability
The City acknowledges the best available scientific information on global climate change
predicts changes that could impact the Fort Collins water supply system. These changes could
include reduced snow pack, earlier runoff, hotter and drier summers, and an increased recurrence
of drought. The City views the water conservation program as an important proactive response to
these potential changes. Reducing indoor demand through improved technology, leak reduction,
Water Conservation Plan 12 Fort Collins Utilities
and behavior change (all elements of the City’s conservation program) will improve system
reliability and resilience to supply variability year round. Reducing outdoor demand through
improved irrigation efficiency and landscape transformation (key elements of the City’s
conservation program) improves reliability during summer months when demand peaks,
providing additional water availability for storage and environmental flows.
A key element to improving system reliability and resiliency in Fort Collins is storage. If
conserved water is to be used to help improve reliability, some portion of the conserved water
must be stored for use at a later date. Reducing demand by itself may offer some reliability
benefits, but during a water shortage such as a drought having water in storage is critical for
maintaining essential services. Future water supply planning efforts should carefully examine the
beneficial uses of conserved water for Fort Collins.
Historic Water Demand
Water use can vary for many reasons, including changes in weather, population, drought
awareness, rates and conservation efforts. Over the last 15 years, low-flow plumbing standards
have lowered water use through natural attrition and new construction.
Table 4 shows the history of water demand for the past 20 years. Figure 3 shows the population
and annual demand in a graphical format. Annual water use in 2004 was lower than the second
lowest use for this period in 1995. Per capita use has been below 185 gpcd since the 2002
drought when only 9.3 inches of precipitation fell and restrictions were in place. Table 5 shows
the number of accounts in each customer category from 2002–2007. Fewer than 1,000 new
accounts were added during this time indicating the relatively modest rate of growth in the
system. Table 6 provides the water use in each customer category from 2002–2007. Overall
demand in these recent years has been less than in the previous period even though the number
of accounts has increased. Table 7 presents the average per account water use by customer
category from 2002–2007.
Water Conservation Plan 13 Fort Collins Utilities
Table 4: Historic water demand
Year
Service
Area
Population
Annual
Precipitation
(inches)
Annual
Water
Use
(MG)
Average
Day Use
(MGD)
Peak
Day
Use
(MGD)
1989 93,600 12.9 9,548 26.2 60.6
1990 95,900 17.3 9,289 25.5 58.6
1991 97,200 14.1 9,020 24.7 55.9
1992 99,000 20.7 8,604 23.5 45.6
1993 101,400 17.3 8,384 23.0 52.5
1994 103,500 13.4 9,119 25.0 54.4
1995 106,200 20.2 8,069 22.1 55.5
1996 107,800 14.7 9,099 24.9 51.5
1997 111,500 24.8 8,768 24 58.9
1998 113,900 16.5 9,350 25.6 59.3
1999 115,900 20.7 9,000 24.7 53.7
2000 118,300 11.3 10,295 28.2 55.9
2001 121,300 12.3 9,978 27.3 55.8
2002 123,700 9.3 9,599 26.2 51.4
2003 125,500 18.2 8,280 22.6 46.9
2004 125,800 18.1 7,984 21.8 42.3
2005 126,900 16.2 8,497 23.3 50.1
2006 127,800 11.2 9,268 25.4 48.9
2007 128,400 13.7 8,860 24.2 47.5
Water Conservation Plan 14 Fort Collins Utilities
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Population
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
Annual Demand (MG)
Population Annual Water Use (MG)
Figure 3: Population and annual water use
Table 5: Number of accounts by customer category
Account Category 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Single-Family 26,160 26,091 26,168 26,272 26,413 26,555
Duplex 1,187 1,189 1,178 1,171 1,171 1,165
Multi-Family 1,962 2,013 2,049 2,072 2,094 2,104
Commercial 1,890 1,933 1,978 2,027 2,069 2,103
City Government 178 176 188 186 194 199
West Fort Collins WD 111111
Outside City Customers 1,408 1,323 1,327 1,351 1,370 1,394
Total 32,786 32,726 32,889 33,081 33,312 33,521
Water Conservation Plan 15 Fort Collins Utilities
Table 6: Water use by customer category
Customer Category
2002
Water
Use
(MG)
2003
Water
Use
(MG)
2004
Water
Use
(MG)
2005
Water
Use
(MG)
2006
Water
Use
(MG)
2007
Water
Use
(MG
Single-Family 3,433 2,886 2,555 2,802 3,204 2,938.
Duplex 167 144 131 137 151 143
Multi-Family 1,027 934 922 937 996 987
Commercial* 3,687 3,229 3,376 3,389 3,648 3,557
City Government 125 122 108 135 165 137
West Fort Collins WD 181 152 145 164 167 164
Outside City Customers 367 286 265 269 303 294
System Losses** 613 527 481 663 635 640
Total 9,599 8,280 7,984 8,497 9,268 8,860
Table 7: Average annual per account water use by customer category
Customer Category
2002 Avg.
per acct.
use (gal.)
2003 Avg.
per acct.
use (gal.)
2004 Avg.
per acct.
use (gal.)
2005 Avg.
per acct.
use (gal.)
2006 Avg.
per acct.
use (gal.)
2007 Avg.
per acct.
use (gal.)
Single-Family 131,223 110,626 97,630 106,660 121,285 110,644
Duplex 141,025 121,182 110,965 116,958 128,908 122,489
Multi-Family 523,265 463,779 449,999 451,987 475,682 469,229
Commercial 1,950,800 1,670,684 1,706,679 1,671,721 1,762,374 1,691,314
City Government 698,833 694,648 577,093 726,493 851,554 686,922
.
Estimated Indoor and Outdoor Water Use
36%
38%
41%
35%
39%
36%
39%
32%
39%
36%
36%
39% 36%
32%
31%
34%
40%
-
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007
Millions of Gallons
Estimated Indoor Use
Estimated Outdoor Use
Figure 4: Estimated indoor and outdoor demand, Fort Collins Utilities
Per Capita Water Use
Table 8 shows per capita water use for 1994-2007. Fort Collins has seen a significant decrease in
water use over the past 15 years. Per capita use has decreased from around 200 gpcd in the 1990s
to below 160 gpcd during the last 5 years, a decrease of about 20 percent. Analyzing how much
of that reduction can be attributed to the City's water conservation measures is difficult. Tiered
and seasonal water rates, continuing drought awareness, low-flow plumbing standards and
metered water taps have also contributed. Water use can vary for many reasons, including
changes in weather, seasons, household size and income.
Per capita water use estimates can misrepresent water use trends over time. Population is not the
sole determinant of water use. Precipitation levels and daily temperatures during the watering
season cause water use to vary considerably from year to year.
Water Conservation Plan 17 Fort Collins Utilities
Table 8: Per capita water use
Year
Actual Per
Capita Use
(gpcd)
Normalized Per
Capita Use*
(gpcd)
Actual Peak Day
Demand (gpcd)
1 in 50 Normalized Peak
Day Demand** (gpcd)
1994 211 208 491 511
1995 181 205 492 526
1996 203 206 443 527
1997 188 196 496 509
1998 196 201 487 501
1999 185 198 435 473
2000 211 204 440 477
2001 198 198 428 503
2002 183 189 378 411
2003 154 157 346 383
2004 146 150 307 327
2005 155 155 365 363
2006 172 156 353 350
2007 162 156 342 356
Notes:
* Normalized values are adjusted to estimate average expected use based on "normalized" 1930-1995
weather conditions.
** 1 in 50 peak use is expected to occur once in 50 years. Log-Pearson type III distribution applied.
Values include all water demands except large contractual use. Since the severe drought year 2002,
actual and normalized use values have been significantly lower due to changes in water conservation
programs and practices.
Comparison with Other Colorado Utilities
Comparing water use patterns between utilities is a challenging exercise as it is often impossible
to compare demands in an “apples to apples” manner. By examining the annualized average per
household winter consumption for single-family customers (a reasonable estimate of annual
indoor use) it is possible to make a fair comparison. Table 9 presents a comparison of single-
family residential per household indoor demands in five Front Range utilities.
Table 9: Comparison of single-family per household indoor demands, 2005-2006
City
Avg. SF Indoor Demand
(gal/day)
Annual Indoor
(gal)
Boulder 151.5 55,300
Northglenn 153.4 56,000
Fort Collins 157.5 57,500
Denver 174.0 63,500
Aurora 174.5 63,700
During this time period, water use in Fort Collins was toward the lower end of this group.
Northglenn and Boulder were approximately 4 gallons per day (gpd) lower and Denver and
Aurora approximately 17 gpd higher than Fort Collins. Assuming 2.7 people per household in
Fort Collins, this suggests that residents in Fort Collins use approximately 58 gpcd for indoor
purposes. The national average (measured in 1999 as part of the AWWA Residential End Uses of
Water study) was 69.3 gpcd. Subsequent water use studies conducted by Aquacraft have shown
Water Conservation Plan 18 Fort Collins Utilities
that homes equipped with high efficiency toilets and water conserving clothes washers can
reduce their demand to 40 gpcd (EPA Combined Retrofit Studies, 2004). This suggests that
while Fort Collins is below the national average for single-family indoor water use, significant
indoor conservation potential may exist (approximately 30%).
Current Water Conservation Program
Faced with a drought in 1977, the Utilities created a part-time position dedicated to water
conservation. In 1990, the position expanded to full-time and conservation projects and
educational efforts increased. The Fort Collins City Council adopted the Water Demand
Management Policy in 1992, setting two goals for lowering demand and 12 measures for
achieving those goals.
The effects of a more recent drought in 2002-2003 greatly impacted water use and the City’s
water conservation program. As awareness of the drought grew, the City’s outreach efforts
expanded, restrictions were put in place and regional media coverage affected how customers
used water. Water use began declining in 2002 and has remained at a lower level since then.
New programs introduced in 2003 included clothes washer rebates, a new water conservation
curriculum for youth, a Water Shortage Response Plan and various regulatory measures.
During 2003, the 1992 Water Demand Management Policy was updated and combined with the
1988 Water Supply Policy. Resolution 2003-104, a Water Supply and Demand Management
Policy, was adopted by City Council in September 2003. The resolution provides general criteria
for decisions regarding water supply projects, acquisition of water rights and demand
management measures. Demand management tools include educational programs, rate structures,
incentive programs, and regulatory and operational measures.
In 2007, Fort Collins became a partner in the U.S, EPA’s WaterSense program, a new national
water efficiency effort. WaterSense is a voluntary partnership program sponsored by the EPA
with the mission of protecting the future of our nation's water supply by promoting and
enhancing the market for water-efficient products and services. As the water counterpart to the
EnergyStar program, WaterSense has begun labeling products that offer a 20 percent efficiency
improvement to help consumers conserve water when they install new plumbing fixtures and
appliances.
Current Goals
As part of this plan, Fort Collins Utilities has established a goal for the conservation program of
reducing water use to 140 gallons per capita per day (gpcd) by 2020 (normalized to account for
weather conditions). This goal represents realistic and achievable demand reductions in all
customer sectors in Fort Collins under existing climate conditions. Achieving this goal within the
planning period will provide an additional measure of reliability to the water supply system to
ensure high quality service to customers in case of future drought, climate change and
unforeseen shortages.
Current Conservation Program
Fort Collins Utilities’ water conservation program offers a diverse range of activities targeted at
all water demand sectors in the service area. Fort Collins has implemented a conservation
oriented increasing tiered water rate structure designed to encourage efficient use. Following
descriptions of the current programs, Table 10 summarizes those conservation program
activities.
Water Conservation Plan 19 Fort Collins Utilities
Education and Public Information
Conservation public information campaign - Staff respond to residential and commercial
customers with water use or billing questions and requests for water conservation information.
Water conservation information is disseminated via a wide range of media; including bill inserts,
bus benches and brochures. Displays are set up at various community events; including the
Sustainable Living Fair, Thursday Night Music and More, and others. Topics include water-
saving tips, technology and techniques, Xeriscape and lawn watering.
Adult education programs - The Utilities provides programs about Xeriscape landscaping,
watering techniques and practices and general water conservation. A daily Lawn Watering Guide
is published in the Fort Collins Coloradoan during the watering season.
Business environmental programs - A series of programs is offered to commercial customers
on a variety of environmental topics, including water conservation. Staff provides newsletters,
mailings, meetings and seminars on topics of interest to specific businesses, such as restaurants,
hotels, car washes, landscapers and large accounts.
School education programs - Presentations and hands-on activities are provided to school
classes on water topics, including the history of water in Fort Collins, water use and
conservation, water chemistry and watersheds. Dr. WaterWise is a water conservation
curriculum introduced in 2003 to classrooms during the drought. Fort Collins Utilities is a co-
sponsor of the annual Children’s Water Festival.
Conservation giveaways - Water conservation kits with indoor or outdoor water-saving devices
are offered periodically free of charge through coupons in utility bills.
Water Rates and Usage Information
Increasing block rate structure – Tiered rates for single-family residential customers are
designed to charge an incrementally higher amount for higher water use.
Seasonal rate structure - Commercial and multi-family customers are billed with a seasonal
block rate structure with higher rates from May through September. Commercial rates have a
second tier for higher water use.
Indoor Fixtures and Appliances - Residential
Residential clothes washer rebates - The Utilities offers a $50 rebate for customers who
purchase high-efficiency clothes washers. Rebate costs are split between water and electric
utility funds. Some commercial rebates may also be given. Approximately 900 rebates are given
each year.
Dishwasher rebates – New in 2007, this program offers a $25 rebate when a qualifying
dishwasher is purchased. The cost of the rebates is shared with the electric utility fund.
Zero-interest Loan Program (ZILCH) - Loans are provided at no interest to residential
customers for water conservation improvements. Loans are available for water service line
replacements and high efficiency clothes washers.
Water Conservation Plan 20 Fort Collins Utilities
Outdoor Efficiency – Landscape and Irrigation
Sprinkler system audits – Available to homeowners and homeowner associations, Utilities
auditors perform a sprinkler system assessment and show sprinkler operators how to water more
efficiently. Approximately 250 audits are completed each year.
Xeriscape Demonstration Garden - Staff oversees maintenance of the City's Xeriscape
Demonstration Garden and provides tours at organized events and upon request.
Raw water for City irrigation - Raw water is used to irrigate 80% of the City’s parks,
cemeteries and golf courses.
Indoor Fixtures and Appliances – Commercial, Industrial, Institutional (CII)
CII facility audits - Staff performs facility water audits to assess water use and make
recommendations for improved efficiency. Many of these audits are done in conjunction with the
Climate Wise program.
Hotel and restaurant conservation material distribution – A three-card set is available for
hotels and other lodging establishments to inform guests about importance of water conservation
to our area, and encourage the reuse of towels and linens. Tent cards are available for restaurants
telling customers that “water is served upon request.”
Water Reuse Systems
Large customer reuse - Treated wastewater from the Drake Water Reclamation Facility is
pumped to Rawhide Power Plant for landscaping and cooling water.
Backwash water recycling - Backwash water recycling equipment at the water treatment
facility treats backwash water and recycles it to the beginning of the treatment process.
Regulatory Measures
Wasting water ordinance - Staff enforces the section of the City Code that prohibits wasting
water. Wasting water complaints are investigated. Complaints are used as an education tool, but
enforcement by ticketing is also an option.
Restrictive covenants ordinance - City Council adopted Ordinance No. 083, 2003 that prohibits
homeowner association's covenants from banning the use of Xeriscape or requiring a percentage
of landscape area to be planted with turf.
Soil amendment ordinance - City Council adopted Ordinance No. 084, 2003 that requires
builders to amend the soil for new properties.
Water Supply Shortage Response Plan – This plan has a series of measures to be enacted,
including water restrictions, for four levels of water shortage.
Landscape and irrigation standards - New development landscape and irrigation plans are
reviewed for compliance with the Land Use Code's water conservation standards. As part of
these standards, a rain shut-off device is required for commercial sprinkler systems.
Operational Measures
Utility water loss program – All utilities “lose” water to leaks in the distribution system, meter
inaccuracy, billing errors, and other normal conditions associated with the standard operation of
Water Conservation Plan 21 Fort Collins Utilities
a treated water delivery system. System water loss programs generally involve finding and
repairing leaks in the water distribution system—often the most easily addressed and
economically sensible manner to tackle system loss. The Fort Collins program entails listening
for leaks and pinpointing their locations using sonar equipment. It takes crews two years to
survey the 500 miles of water mains. The goal is to reduce water wasted from water main leaks.
Catching leaks before they have surfaced saves water and costs of excavation and repairs.
Water conservation upgrades at City LEED buildings - The City is committed to building
new City buildings to the LEED Gold standard (Silver standard in some cases). Water
conservation upgrades are part of this commitment.
Water Conservation Plan 22 Fort Collins Utilities
Table 10: Current water conservation program measures
Program/Measure
Date of
Implementation
Education and Public Information
Conservation public information campaign 1977
Adult education programs 1977
Business environmental programs 2004
School education programs 1977
Conservation giveaways 1990
Water Rates and Usage Information
Increasing block rate structure – Res. 2003
Seasonal rate structure – Comm. & MF 2003
Indoor Fixtures and Appliances - Residential
Residential clothes washer rebates 2003
Dishwasher rebates 2007
Zero-interest loan program 1994
Outdoor Efficiency - Landscapes and Irrigation
Sprinkler system audits 1999
Xeriscape Demonstration Garden 1986
Raw water for City irrigation 1900
Indoor Fixtures and Appliances - CII
CII facility audits 2004
Hotel and restaurant conservation materials 2003
Water Reuse Systems
Large customer reuse 1980
Backwash recycling at water treatment facility 2003
Regulatory Measures
Wasting water ordinance 1964
Restrictive covenants ordinance 2003
Soil amendment ordinance 2003
Water Shortage Response Plan 2003
Landscape & irrigation standards 1994
Operational Measures
Utility water loss program 1993
Water conservation upgrades at City LEED buildings 2006
Water Conservation Plan 23 Fort Collins Utilities
POPULATION AND WATER DEMAND PLANNING PROJECTIONS
Forecasting Method
During the development of the 2003 Water Supply and Demand Management Policy,
considerable effort was made to forecast future population and water demand. This data was
updated in 2006 when additional planning information became available. It is this updated data
that is reflected in this section of the conservation plan.
Estimating the future population to be served water by Fort Collins Utilities was quite
challenging since its service area boundary does not coincide with the city limits. This is further
complicated because the boundaries vary for other utility services (electric, wastewater and
stormwater). The Fort Collins-Loveland Water District (FCLWD) and the East Larimer County
Water District (ELCO) provide water to some areas within the city limits and will most likely
serve additional city residents in the future. The Utilities also serves some areas outside the city
limits, primarily to the northwest of Fort Collins, including water provided to the West Fort
Collins Water District (WFCWD). All of these factors were considered in estimating the
population for the Utilities water service area. Figure 1 shows the different service areas with
respect to the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area (UGA).
The projected population estimates for the Utilities water service area were based on the Traffic
Analysis Zone (TAZ) information developed for the City of Fort Collins and Larimer County.
The TAZ information is based on selected zones in and around the city that correlate with the
City and County zoning designations, which dictate the type of development and their densities.
The population within the Utilities water service area was obtained by cross-referencing the
service area with the TAZs. Future population projections were based on projected in-fill for
each of the TAZs and it was assumed that the rate of growth will be similar to past patterns.
Projections were made through the year 2035 to provide a long-term look at the effects of
growth. Fort Collins anticipates that more of its growth toward build out will occur in the next 15
years (2008–2023) compared with the following years (2024–2035).
Fort Collins planning boundaries are clearly defined and unlikely to change significantly. As
time goes on there will be less and less land available for development. The anticipated slowing
population growth over time (i.e. decay in the growth rate) is expected to translate into slowing
water demand growth at the end of the planning period as well. Demand projections developed
for this study reflect this anticipated change in growth rate over time. Although the projections
will be updated from time to time and will not match the actual growth precisely, it is believed
that these projections provide a reasonable basis for the planning needed to project future water
supplies and demands.
Although the Utilities water service area is limited by the surrounding water districts, the City
currently has some water sale and exchange agreements to supply water to these water districts.
With these agreements in place, and the potential for more in the future, additional population
was added for growth within the City but which is outside the current water service area. It is
estimated that by 2035 an additional 10,000 people will be served by the Utilities that is within
the service area of the water districts. Currently, it is estimated that the Utilities will serve water
to a total population of about 157,700 people by the year 2035.
Water Conservation Plan 24 Fort Collins Utilities
Population was used as the primary factor in determining projected water use. It is expected that
most growth in the community will be made up of a similar proportion of residential, commercial
and other uses as presently exists. Because of this, treated water demands were forecast based on
two main components. The first is what has been referred to as population-based demand, per
capita water use multiplied by the population. The second component is an estimated use for
large contractual users that the Utilities has an obligation to serve.
Since significant large contractual use can skew the per capita demand rates calculated for the
City’s water use, it was not used in the gpcd method of calculating future water needs. Instead,
large contractual demands were estimated on an individual basis and added to the population
related demand. During the treatment process, a small percentage of the water is lost. This is
added to the demands to reflect the amount of raw water supply that needs to be delivered to the
treatment facility. Based on these assumptions and criteria, treated water demands were
calculated as shown in the following section.
Previous Treated Water Demand Projections
Table 11 shows a summary of the Utilities water service area historic use from 1960 and the
projected demand through 2035 for the utility projected service area. Two different water
demand projections are shown. The first scenario, shown under the heading of 185 gpcd, reflects
the projections that were used in the development of the 2003 Water Supply and Demand
Management Policy. The second scenario, shown under the heading of 161 gpcd, reflects the
current number that is being considered for purposes of water supply planning. Because of the
significant reductions in use for the last several years, it seems prudent to adjust the numbers that
are used for planning purposes. Even though the water conservation goal of 140 gpcd is believed
to be obtainable, there are many uncertainties regarding the future reliability of the City’s water
supply. Future issues, such as climate change, make it important to continue to plan for a slightly
higher water demand for purposes of developing the City’s supply system. Figure 5 presents the
same data in graphical format.
Raw Water Demand Projections
In addition to treated water demands, the Utilities has various raw water demands that are met
with available supplies. These demands include raw water for irrigation of parks, golf courses, a
cemetery, school grounds and various other greenbelt areas. The current raw water demands
range from about 3,000 to 4,000 acre-feet per year and are in addition to the supplies needed to
meet treated water demands. There are also several raw water obligations totaling approximately
4,000 acre-feet per year that need to be met because of various exchanges and agreements.
Although it is anticipated that the demand for raw water will increase in the future, these
demands will probably be met with water rights provided to the City (in addition to the projected
water rights acquisitions through the raw water requirements that will meet treated water
demands).
Water Conservation Plan 25 Fort Collins Utilities
Table 11: Historic and projected population and treated water demand (1960–2035)
Historic Service Area1 Projected Service Area1
Demand3,4
Population
(1,000)
Demand2,4
(Ac-ft)
Population
(1,000) 185 GPCD
(Ac-ft)
161 GPCD
(Ac-ft)
1960 27.5 7,277
1965 38.2 10,109
1970 48.4 12,808
1975 60.4 15,984
1980 73.7 19,504
1985 85.0 22,494
1990 95.9 29,316
1995 106.2 30,168
2000 118.0 31,690
2005 130.3 32,694
2010 137.4 34,219 30,416
2015 144.4 36,497 32,498
2020 148.5 38,144 34,032
2025 152.4 39,749 35,529
2030 155.1 41,098 36,803
2035 157.7 42,425 38,059
Notes:
1. The Historic Service Area includes the City’s current utility service area plus the area served by
the West Fort Collins Water District. The 2005-2035 values also include water delivered to the
Fort Collins-Loveland Water District special agreement area.
2. Based on 225 gpcd for 1960-1990, 210 gpcd for 1995, 198 gpcd for 2000, and 161 gpcd for 2005;
plus large contractual demands ranging from 3,750 ac-ft in 1990 to 4,010 ac-ft in 2005.
3. Based on the stated amount of gpcd for the 2010-2035 planning period; plus large contractual
demands increasing from 4,760 ac-ft in 2010 to 8,510 ac-ft in 2035 during the projected period.
4. An additional 5% for 1960-2000 and 3% for 2005-2035 of treated water use is included to process
the water. The drop in amounts is due to backwash recycling implemented in 2003.
Water Conservation Plan 26 Fort Collins Utilities
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
2035
Population
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
Water Demand (AF)
Population (1,000s) Water Demand (AF)
Historic population
and demand
Projected population
and demand
Figure 5: Historic and projected population and treated water demand (from previous studies)
PROPOSED WATER SUPPLY PROJECTS
Integrated Resources Planning in Fort Collins – Water Supply and Demand Management
In planning for a safe, secure, and sustainable water future, the City of Fort Collins employs an
integrated resources planning strategy that carefully considers a range of supply and demand
management options. In confronting the future water supply uncertainties posed by climate
change and the potential for increased and extended droughts, the City has opted for a diversified
approach that increases storage capacity (and hence flexibility in system operations) and an
expanded water conservation program to reduce demand and improve system reliability and
resilience to drought.
The combination of increased storage and reduced demand through conservation offers the best
water management option for meeting future supply challenges. The proposed Halligan
Reservoir enlargement will provide increased water storage which is the primary physical
constraint the City faces in managing and regulating its water rights portfolio. When combined
with the anticipated demand reductions from the City’s expanded water conservation program,
this integrated strategy will help improve Fort Collins’ ability to weather the expected impacts of
climate changes during the next few decades and beyond. Emerging global climate models
suggest temperatures will rise causing higher water demands and more frequent and intense
Expanded water conservation offers cost-effective water supply that can be stored for drought,
leased for agriculture, or potentially used for beneficial environmental enhancement efforts such
as in-stream flow programs. However, water conservation savings must be quantified and proven
sustainable if they are to be relied upon for various beneficial uses. Increased storage provides a
physical location for conserved water and enables Fort Collins to take full advantage of savings
achieved by customers.
Potential Facility Needs
The City of Fort Collins is fortunate in that most of the infrastructure is in place to support the
projected level of water use as defined in the 2003 Water Supply and Demand Management
Policy. The peak day capacity of the Water Treatment Facility is 87 million gallons per day,
which is higher than the projected peak demand level for build-out in the Utility service area. In
addition, there is adequate capacity in the major transmission lines to support projected peak day
demands.
The primary water facility needs are related to additional water storage capacity that is required
to meet the policy drought criteria. Fort Collins requires both short-term and long-term carryover
storage to maximize operational flexibility and system reliability and to take advantage of
anticipated conservation savings. Short-term storage is needed for operational flexibility and to
meet return flow obligations inherent with converted irrigation company shares. Long-term
carryover storage is needed to capture excess water in wetter years and water conserved by Fort
Collins citizens. This provides a source of water in drought years to provide the desired level of
water system reliability.
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAMS AND MEASURES
Conservation Goals and Identified Programs and Measures
Water Conservation Goal
In 2007, Fort Collins Utilities set a goal of reducing water use to 140 gallons per capita per day
(gpcd) by 2020. This goal represents realistic and achievable demand reductions in all customer
sectors in Fort Collins, based on current water demand factors. Achieving this goal in the 12 year
planning period will provide an additional measure of reliability to the water supply system to
ensure high quality service to customers in case of future drought, climate change and
unforeseen shortages. It will be necessary, in particular, to monitor the effects of expected
climate change impacts on water use. This is particularly true for the outdoor component of use
and may require that some adjustments be made to the goal in the future. Adapting to changes in
the supply and demand conditions is a normal element of water conservation planning.
The City will implement the necessary water conservation practices and programs to reduce its
water use to reach the 140 gpcd goal by 2020. The gallons per capita calculation is made by
dividing total treated water produced for use by City customers (adjusted for large contractual
customers and other sales or exchange arrangements) by the estimated population of the City’s
water service area. It is also “normalized” by adjusting it for weather conditions so it is
representative of a year with average precipitation and temperatures.
Water Conservation Plan 28 Fort Collins Utilities
Benefits of Water Conservation
Water conservation is of vital importance to the City of Fort Collins. Although there are many
reasons to implement and expand water conservation efforts, a few key ones include:
To foster a conservation ethic and eliminate waste. The success of the City’s water conservation
program depends on the cooperation of its customers. Instilling a conservation ethic is an
important first step to changing habits and attitudes toward water use. The objective of the 140
gpcd level of use is to provide adequate water to customers, while reducing unnecessary use and
waste. Much of indoor water use is for fundamental and public health purposes, such as drinking,
flushing and cleaning, not only in homes but also in businesses, schools and industry. Adequate
quantities of water are necessary to meet these important functions. Outdoor water use is
primarily watering landscapes. Adequate supplies are needed to maintain trees, bushes and other
vegetation at a level desired by the community and which provides desirable benefits to the
urban environment. Even at 140 gpcd, outdoor water use will continue to constitute about one-
third of the total use by Fort Collins’ customers.
To demonstrate a commitment to sustainability. The City has an approved Action Plan for
Sustainability that states, “Being sustainable means considering the environmental, financial and
human impacts of all of our decisions. It means recognizing new challenges that result from
finite resources. It means considering the long term impacts of our actions.” In addition, the
Utilities is launching the 21st Century Utilities project with the purpose of "inspiring community
leadership by reducing environmental impact while benefiting customers, the economy and
society."
The City believes it’s important to conserve water because it’s good stewardship; it’s the
responsible way to manage a vital resource. Sustainability means not only conserving water, but
also efficiently managing our water supply portfolio in a manner that is environmentally
responsible and will best serve our community’s residents.
To provide water for multiple beneficial purposes. The City owns a portfolio of water rights that
produces a plentiful supply of water in most years. The yield of these water rights varies
considerably and in times of severe drought the supply system may be stressed resulting in the
need for extra conservation measures. In most years, however, the City has supplies that are
surplus to its normal municipal demands. One reason for an aggressive water conservation
program is to be able to provide more water for beneficial uses beyond normal municipal
purposes. For example, the area around Fort Collins continues to be a productive agricultural
area that produces many crops that provide a local food source and provides additional economic
activity to the area. These remaining agricultural areas also provide significant open space
outside of Fort Collins that is desired by many residents. Making some of the City’s surplus
water available for these purposes also provides supplemental revenue for the Utility and its
customers. The potential environmental benefits of conserved water are also important.
Providing additional flow for the local stream systems, in-stream flow programs, improvements
in water quality, improvements in aquatic and riparian ecosystems, enhanced recreational
opportunities, and aesthetics are all potential benefits of water conservation in Fort Collins.
To reduce costs. There are costs associated with varying levels of water use in Fort Collins.
These include costs for the Utility as a whole and for individual customers. Utility costs, which
are also passed on to customers, include any water system infrastructure costs dependent on the
level of water use or water flow. These costs may include water rights acquisition, enhanced or
Water Conservation Plan 29 Fort Collins Utilities
expanded treatment, distribution and storage facilities, environmental and agricultural impacts,
and legal issues. Ongoing variable charges related to the level of use are typically for items such
as energy for pumping and chemicals for treatment. These costs extend beyond the direct
financial impact to the Utility and include the anticipated costs and impacts associated with long-
term climate change and the hazards associated with the use of certain chemicals. From the
customer perspective, lowering Utility water bills through conservation can reduce other costs
indirectly. These savings may come from reductions in the energy required for heating water,
reduced use of fertilizer and landscape chemicals, and reduced landscape maintenance costs. Fort
Collins seeks to minimize both direct and indirect costs to citizens while providing all of the
benefits of the efficient use of water.
To prepare for forecasted climate change. Climate change may have significant impacts on both
water demands and water supplies in the time frame of this plan. Numerous studies on climate
change and the general impacts that are expected in the field of water supply and demand have
been produced by reputable scientific organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, National Center for Atmospheric Research, American Water Works
Association Research Foundation, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and the
American Society of Civil Engineers.
Although additional research is still needed to determine the extent of local impacts, there is
general consensus that climate change in the Mountain West will likely include the following
changes:
x Increased evapotranspiration rates, increasing the water required to maintain landscaping.
x More frequent dry spells and a longer growing season.
x Changes in seasonal snow pack.
x Earlier spring snowmelt and runoff.
x Changes in the distribution of precipitation over the year.
These changes are expected to accelerate over the decades ahead and impacts may depend
largely on factors such as population growth, economic growth and technological changes.
Utilities will likely face significant challenges in the years ahead managing both water demands
and water supplies.
In the area along the Front Range of northern Colorado, it is particularly difficult to project
future temperature and precipitation trends. One such attempt, averaging the results of several
Global Climate Models (GCM), results in some potential scenarios for this area. These models
suggest that temperatures could increase an average of about 2 degrees Celsius by 2040 and 3
degrees by 2070. The change in precipitation shows an average annual increase of about 1% by
2040 and 2% by 2070. The distribution over the year changes and it is expected to be wetter
during the winter months and drier during the spring and summer months.
From a water demand perspective, hotter and drier conditions during the growing season will
result in more evapotranspiration and water use for many trees, lawns and other vegetation. In
Fort Collins, outdoor water use is about one-third of total use on an annual basis. Based on
current use patterns and conditions, a 10% increase in outdoor water use could result in an
increase of about 7 gpcd. A 20% increase in outdoor water use translates to an increase of 14
gpcd. Without conservation and/or significant changes in landscaping choices, outdoor water use
will likely increase over the coming decades as customers strive to maintain their landscapes in a
hotter and longer growing season.
Water Conservation Plan 30 Fort Collins Utilities
It is currently difficult to predict how climate change will alter the quantity and timing of runoff.
Many models suggest that there will be less runoff in the spring and early summer from
snowmelt. Models also suggest that the variability and duration of wet periods and droughts will
be more severe. The yield of the City’s current water rights portfolio could vary more from year
to year, resulting in an increase of water “short” years. This in turn would make meeting
demands more challenging. There may also be some years that are wetter than what has been
experienced in the past.
With many uncertainties regarding both water supply and demand, it is prudent to prepare for a
wide range of conditions in the future. Additional reductions in water use through thoughtful
conservation measures are a prudent and sensible approach to begin confronting this uncertainty.
Planning for adequate reservoir capacity to help balance the swing in supplies available between
wet and dry periods is also a prudent and sensible approach. Fort Collins seeks to combine these
efforts to provide for a sustainable water future in the face of great challenges and uncertainty.
Document the Goal Development Process
In September 2003, the Fort Collins City Council adopted the Water Supply and Demand
Management Policy. The objective of the Policy was, “to provide a sustainable and integrated
approach to (1) providing an adequate and reliable supply of water for the beneficial use by
customers and the community and (2) managing the level of demand and the efficient use of a
scarce and valuable resource.” The Policy set a goal of 185 gpcd by 2010. This goal made sense
at the time; however per capita water use has been significantly lower since 2002. A new water
use goal of 140 gpcd by 2020 was established as part of the process of developing this plan
CONSERVATION PROGRAMS AND DEMAND FORECASTS
Demand forecasts were prepared for each of the scenarios described below including the
Baseline (no conservation) scenario. The forecasting methodology uses current per capita
demand as the basis and then forecasts future demand using Fort Collins population planning
projections. The impact of different conservation program measures reduces the per capita
demand incrementally by year depending upon the proposed implementation schedule. Care has
been taken to properly assign program impacts and to avoid double counting reductions.
Baseline: Demand Forecast Without Conservation Program
The baseline forecast represents a projection without any water conservation program. This
forecast provides a way to examine the impacts of the current conservation program and the
recommended expanded program against a hypothetical baseline without conservation. The
forecast includes anticipated changes in growth rates based on current planning projections.
Growth rates are expected to gradually decline over the next couple of decades as the City
approaches build-out. The baseline forecast includes the following assumptions (many of which
are included in the Level 1 and Level 2 forecasts as well):
x The Projected Service Area includes the City’s current utility service area plus some of
the new growth in the UGA that is not already served by the surrounding water districts
that the City plans to serve.
x The demand forecast is based on 153 gpcd at the beginning of the 13 year planning
period (2008-2020); plus large contractual demands increasing from 4,010 ac-ft in 2005
to 6,476 ac-ft in 2020 during the projected period.
Water Conservation Plan 31 Fort Collins Utilities
x The demand forecast includes the assumption of 6% losses in the treated water system.
x This forecast does not include the impacts of an ongoing water conservation program.
This baseline provides a way to show the impact and potential savings of the current
program.
Level 1: Current Program
Fort Collins Utilities’ current water conservation program is broad-based and designed to reduce
demand in most customer sectors. Key elements of the current program include: public education
and information, an increasing block rate billing structure and seasonal rates for commercial
customers, rebates for efficient residential clothes washers, an innovative zero-interest loan
program, irrigation audits, several ordinances, and a utility water loss detection program. A
detailed description of the current programs is provided earlier in this report.
The Level 1 current conservation program will save an estimated 1,000 acre-feet if continued at
the same level through the planning period to 2020.1
Level 2: Recommended New Program
The Level 2 program includes all elements from the current program and the following
additional program measures. The Level 2 conservation program will save an estimated 2,300
acre-feet if continued at the same level through the planning period to 2020. See Table 16 for an
overview of the recommended program, including current and new measures.
The following new conservation measures are included in the Level 2 program. Program costs
and savings estimates are presented in Table 12. These measures are planned to be phased in
over three years.
Education and Public Information
Public information campaign expansion – This measure would increase the amount of
outreach to customers through print and radio advertising, more bus benches and other venues
for increased visibility of water conservation messages. Efforts may include partnerships with
home builders, local nurseries, Colorado State University, regional water suppliers and/or others.
Water conservation recognition awards – Residential and commercial customers would be
recognized for their water conservation efforts.
Water Rates and Usage Information
Online access to water use history – Customers who have online access to their water bills can
track and compare their monthly and seasonal water use. This program will be implemented
along with online bill payments.
Online water use calculator – A water use calculator can provide feedback to customers about
how efficiently they are using water. Customers will be able to customize the calculator with
their household parameters and historic water consumption.
1 These savings estimates do not include the impact of the Fort Collins increasing block and seasonal water rate
structure. Rate structure impacts were not evaluated in the preparation of this plan.
Water Conservation Plan 32 Fort Collins Utilities
Fixtures and Appliances – Residential
High efficiency toilet rebates – High Efficiency Toilets (HETs) are typically dual flush or
pressure assisted models that use an average of 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf) or less. Some HETs
use only 1 gallon per flush and have passed tests for effective waste removal. Performance tests
for these products are now available and there are many HET models that perform as well or
better than standard 1.6 gpf fixtures. This program would offer a $50 rebate for the purchase and
installation of an HET toilet.
Low income retrofit program – This program will provide low income single- and multi-
family households with toilet, showerhead and faucet aerator retrofits. It is envisioned that all
equipment will be provided and installed free of charge to the customer. This program may be
administered as part of the City’s REACH and LEAP weatherization programs.
Zero-interest loan program expansion – Fort Collins currently offers zero interest loans to
customers for replacing aging water service lines and purchasing high-efficiency clothes
washers. This would expand the loan program to possibly include high efficiency toilets, smart
irrigation controls, Xeriscape and/or other technologies as appropriate.
Research: Water end use study for homes – This measure would include a survey of the City
to determine how water is being used in homes, including gallons per flush of toilets. It would
also track water usage for irrigating landscapes. This information would help to target programs
appropriately to have a greater impact on water use.
Outdoor Efficiency – Landscapes and Irrigation
Xeriscape design clinics – This program would offer homeowners an educational program and
one-on-one landscape design assistance from a professional. Customers would pay a fee to
participate.
Irrigation technology rebates – One of the most promising new technologies for water
conservation with automatic irrigation systems is “smart control”. These controllers use
prevailing weather conditions or soil moisture measurements to automatically adjust irrigation
applications to meet the real-time water needs of the plants. This equipment is more expensive
than conventional irrigation control and this program would offer rebates to customers ranging
from $50-150 (depending upon the product and number of irrigation zones impacted). The
average rebate amount is estimated to be $85.
Large HOA irrigation efficiency grants – This program would offer HOAs with large
landscapes a grant averaging $1,300 per customer for the purpose of improving irrigation
efficiency through improved distribution uniformity, leak repair, and weather-based scheduling.
This program would be tied directly to Fort Collins Utilities’ current irrigation audit program.
Five large HOA customers per year would be targeted.
Research: Determine irrigated area for lots – This measure would use GIS and other
technologies to determine the square feet of irrigated area for each City lot. This information
would help in providing water budgets and efficiency reports to customers.
Fixtures and Appliances – Commercial, Industrial, & Institutional
CII facility audit program expansion – This measure would hire contract labor to perform
more complex assessments than our current program at industrial facilities.
Water Conservation Plan 33 Fort Collins Utilities
Commercial clothes washer rebates – This program will offer rebates for the purchase of water
(and energy) efficient clothes washers for the commercial, industrial, and institutional (CII)
sector. Although commercial customers can currently apply for rebates for residential washers,
this program would include coin-operated and other commercial washers.
Commercial high-efficiency toilet and urinal rebates – Similar to the residential HET
incentive described earlier, this program expands the rebate offer to commercial customers and
also includes efficient urinals. Savings are estimated to be comparable to residential installations.
Financial incentives for commercial water-saving upgrades – This program aims to overcome
barriers to implementing water efficiency upgrades in the CII sector (e.g. cooling tower
conductivity control, leak detection and repair, fixture replacement, etc.). Customers would
submit a proposal for improvements and estimated water savings. Incentives would be based on
the amount of documented saved water.
Restaurant pre-rinse spray valve distribution – Restaurants and commercial food service
operators use pre-rinse spray valves to rinse trays of dishes prior to washing them in a large
commercial dishwasher. Historically these valves have flowed at anywhere from 3 to 10 gallons
per minute (gpm). New high-efficiency spray valves use 1.6 gpm or less and utilize venturi valve
technology to ensure a high-pressure spray with less water. Distribution programs of pre-rinse
spray valves have been a success in numerous water districts in California, Washington, and
Colorado. New spray valves cost less than $40 each. Most utilities have simply given these
devices away and many have installed them as well to ensure they are utilized. Satisfaction
surveys have shown that customers prefer the new valves.
Regulatory Measures
Landscape and irrigation standards update – In 1994, City Council adopted landscape and
irrigation standards for water conservation. With revisions to these standards, water efficiency
can be improved. An interdepartmental team, along with outside professionals, would review the
current documents and consider appropriate revisions. The new standards may include a
provision for dedicated irrigation taps for large landscapes, irrigation system efficiency
requirements and/or limiting turf in narrow strips, among other measures. These new standards
may result in the need to hire an additional FTE for compliance and outreach.
Operational Measures
Utility water loss program enhancement – This measure would change the methodology of the
City’s current water loss program by implementing the new industry standard, the IWA/AWWA
water loss methodology. This new methodology offers a new set of tools for quantifying water
loss in a utility. The IWA/AWWA Water Audit Method is effective because it features sound,
consistent definitions for the major forms of water consumption and water loss encountered in
drinking water utilities. It also has a set of rational performance indicators that evaluate utilities
on system-specific features such as the average pressure in the distribution system and miles of
water main. Once implemented, this method can be used to track and assess water loss over time
and to develop effective tools for reducing real and apparent losses. The goal of this effort will
be to reduce what is currently described as unaccounted for water from 6 percent per year to 5
percent per year by 2026. However it should be understood that the results of changing
methodologies are uncertain. The impacts for Fort Collins could be larger or smaller than
estimated here. Furthermore it is uncertain what budget is required to implement the new
Water Conservation Plan 34 Fort Collins Utilities
methodology. Fort Collins currently budgets $70,000 per year for leak detection and water loss
control. For the purposes of this plan, a one time cost of $200,000 has been allotted for
implementing the new IWA/AWWA methodology in the first year. It is anticipated that these
costs could go back down to $70,000 after the initial audit is complete, but initial outlay
requirements are not fully known.
Water conservation upgrades at City facilities – One of the goals of the City’s conservation
program is to demonstrate a water conservation effort. This measure would provide upgrades of
water-efficient indoor fixtures and sprinkler system equipment at City facilities.
Water Conservation Plan 35 Fort Collins Utilities
Table 12: Level 2 new measures - estimated costs and water savings
Note: Some staff labor will be absorbed within existing programs. All measures do not have quantified water savings.
Program/Measure New
FTE
Labor
Cost
$/
Customer
(i.e.
rebate)
# of
Customers
Impacted
(or rebates)
Annual
program/
measure
cost
Total annual
cost (labor &
program
costs)
Anticipated
annual water
savings in
gallons
Annual
Savings
(AF)
Cost of
Saved
Water
($/AF)
Implementation
Difficulty
(1 = easy,
5 = difficult)
Education and Public Information
Public information campaign expansion 0.1 $10,000 N/A N/A $10,000 $20,000 750,000 2.3 $8,689 2
Water conservation recognition awards 0.05 $5,000 N/A N/A $1,000 $6,000 Unknown 2
Water Rates and Usage Information
Online access to water history 0 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A Unknown 2
Online water use calculator 0 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A Unknown 1
Indoor Fixtures and Appliances -
Residential
High efficiency toilet rebates 0.1 $10,000 $50 1,000 $50,000 $60,000 9,000,000 27.6 $1,991 2
Low income retrofit program 0.05 $5,000 $400 25 $10,000 $15,000 1,250,000 3.8 $3,910 3
Zero-interest loan program expansion 0 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A 500,000 1.5 $0 2
Research: Water end use study for homes 0.05 $5,000 N/A N/A $50,000 $55,000 0 0 0 3
Outdoor Efficiency – Landscapes &
Irrigation
Xeriscape design clinics 0.05 $5,000 $50 75 $3,750 $8,750 750,000 2.3 $3,801 2
Irrigation technology rebates 0.1 $10,000 $85 175 $14,875 $24,875 3,500,000 10.7 $2,316 3
Large HOA irrigation efficiency grants 0.05 $5,000 $1,300 5 $6,500 $11,500 1,250,000 3.8 $2,998 2
Research: Determine irrigated area for lots 0.05 $5,000 $50,000 $55,000 0 0 3
Indoor Fixtures & Appliances – CII
CII facility audit program expansion 0.4 $40,000 N/A 40 $10,000 $50,000 1,000,000 3.1 $4,887 3
Commercial clothes washer rebates 0 0 $100 10 $1,000 $1,000 90,000 0.3 $3,620 3
Commercial toilet and urinal rebates 0.1 $10,000 $50 1,000 $50,000 $60,000 1,800,000 5.5 $2,715 2
Financial incentives for commercial water-
Program/Measure New
FTE
Labor
Cost
$/
Customer
(i.e.
rebate)
# of
Customers
Impacted
(or rebates)
Annual
program/
measure
cost
Total annual
cost (labor &
program
costs)
Anticipated
annual water
savings in
gallons
Annual
Savings
(AF)
Cost of
Saved
Water
($/AF)
Implementation
Difficulty
(1 = easy,
5 = difficult)
Restaurant pre-rinse spray valve distribution 0.1 $10,000 $100 50 $5,000 $15,000 650,000 2.0 $7,500 2
Regulatory Measures
Landscape and irrigation standards update 1 $100,000 N/A N/A $10,000 $110,000 5,000,000 15.3 $7,168 3
Operational Measures
Utility water loss program enhancement 0 0 N/A N/A $70,000 $70,000 4,890,000 15 $4,666 4
Water conservation upgrades at City
facilities (indoor & outdoor) 0.05 $5,000 N/A N/A $40,000 $45,000 1,500,000 4.6 $9,782 2
Water Conservation Plan 37 Fort Collins Utilities
Demand Forecasts
Demand forecasts were prepared for each of the scenarios described above including the
Baseline (no conservation) scenario. Results are shown in Figure 6. Three demand forecasts are
included in Figure 6 and the forecasting methodology is discussed below.
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Annual Demand (AF)
Historic Baseline Level 1 Current Level 2 Recommended
Historic Demand Forecast Future Demand
Figure 6: Demand forecasts under different conservation scenarios
Baseline – Without Conservation (blue line)
2020 demand = 31,800 Ac-ft
2020 per capita use = 153 gpcd (not including contractual demands)
Estimated change from 2003-2007 average per capita (155 gpcd) = 1.3% reduction
This forecast represents a baseline projection without any water conservation program. This
forecast provides a way to examine the impacts of the current conservation program. The
forecast includes anticipated changes in growth rates based on current planning projections.
More accelerated growth occurs in the next 10 years and it then slows approaching build out.
This approach assumes that all new customers will essentially have demands that are identical to
the existing customer base and it further assumes that no efficiency improvements will be made
by the current customer base. This methodology likely over-estimates future demand. The
Energy Policy Act of 1992 requires all toilets sold in the U.S. be 1.6 gallons per flush or less and
also sets maximum flow rate standards for showerheads and faucets. New U.S. Department of
Energy standards for clothes washers will provide for market transformation to more water
efficient machines over the next 10-20 years. These policies essentially assure that new
Water Conservation Plan 38 Fort Collins Utilities
customers will use less water indoors than existing customers and that existing customers will
likely become more water efficient over time through the natural replacement of old fixtures and
appliances. Barring the widespread adoption of a new water consuming technology that could
increase per capita demand or an unexpected population surge, the assumptions of this
forecasting methodology could slightly overestimate future demand in Fort Collins given the
current conservation program.
Given the recent changes in per capita demand in Fort Collins resulting from the drought of
2002, the assumptions used in this forecast are reasonable. Consequently, the estimated impacts
of the conservation programs will be more modest than they would have been had per capita use
not changed so dramatically already. It is assumed that sizeable portions of the easy conservation
savings have already been achieved. Historic demand is also shown in Figure 6 to illustrate this
point.
Level 1 - Current Conservation Program (green line)
Forecast 2020 demand = 30,800 Ac-ft
Forecast water savings in 2020 = 1,000 Ac-ft
Estimated 2020 per capita use = 147 gpcd (not including contractual demands)
Estimated reduction from 2003-2007 average per capita (155 gpcd) = 5.2%
This forecast projects demand in Fort Collins assuming the current conservation program
(described earlier in this document) continues at a similar funding level (adjusted for inflation).
Level 2 – Recommended New Program (red line)
Forecast 2020 demand = 29,500 Ac-ft
Forecast water savings in 2,300 = Ac-ft
2020 per capita use = 139 gpcd (not including contractual demands)
Estimated reduction from 2003-2007 average per capita (155 gpcd) = 10.3%
This forecast projects demand in Fort Collins assuming the Level 2 conservation program
(described earlier in this document) is fully implemented starting in 2008.
Summary of Forecast Demands
Summaries of the demand forecasts presented above are presented in Table 13 and Table 14.
Demand and savings in acre-feet are shown in Table 13. Forecast per capita demands and
savings percentages are shown in Table 14. The recommended program will save an estimated
2,300 Ac-ft/year by 2020. Under this scenario, per capita demand will be reduced to 139 gpcd.
Table 15 provides the percent of the estimated 2020 attributable to indoor measures, outdoor
measures, and utility water loss control.
Water Conservation Plan 39 Fort Collins Utilities
Table 13: Summary of forecast demand and savings (acre-feet per year)
Average Use
2020 Forecast
Demand
Savings vs.
Pre-2002 Use
Savings vs.
Baseline Use
Forecast (Ac-ft/year) (Ac-ft/year) (Ac-ft/year) (Ac-ft/year)
Pre-2002
(1998-2001) 34,000 39,700 N/A N/A
Baseline
(2003-2007) 27,500 31,800 7,900 N/A
Current Program 30,800 8,900 1,000
Recommended
Program 29,500 10,200 2,300
Table 14: Summary of forecast demand and savings (gallons per capita per day)
Average Use
2020 Forecast
Demand
Savings vs.
Pre-2002 Use
Savings vs.
Baseline Use
Forecast (gpcd) (gpcd) (%) (%)
Pre-2002
(1998-2001) 200 200 0% N/A
Baseline
(2003-2007) 155 153 -23.5% -1.3%
Current Program 147 -26.5% -5.2%
Recommended
Program 139 -30.5% -10.3%
Table 15: Breakdown of 2020 water savings by category
Indoor Outdoor
Water Loss
Control Total
Current Program 55.6% 35.4% 9.0% 100.0%
Recommended Program 50.5% 32.8% 16.7% 100.0%
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR RECOMMENDED CONSERVATION
PROGRAM
The recommended conservation program will be implemented over a three year period. Table 16
shows the recommended program, including current and new measures. The table also shows
which customer classes will be impacted, whether a measure affects indoor or outdoor use, the
type of measure, and if it’s an existing or new measure.
Water Conservation Plan 40 Fort Collins Utilities
Table 16: Conservation measures for recommended program
Customers Water Use Type of
Measure
Existing or
Measure New
RSF RMF CII City Indoor Outdoor Comm DSM Exist New
Education and Public Information
Conservation public information campaign XXXXX XX X
Public information campaign expansion XXXXX XX X
Adult education programs XX X XX X
Business environmental programs XX X XX X
School education programs XX X XX X
Conservation giveaways XX X XX X
Water conservation awards XXXXX XX X
Water Rates and Usage Information
Increasing block rate – Res. X X X X
Seasonal rates – Comm. & MF XXXX X X
Online access to water history XXX X XX X
Online water use calculator X X XX X
Indoor Fixtures and Appliances -
Residential
Residential clothes washer rebates XX X X X
High efficiency toilet rebates XX X X X
Dishwasher rebates XX X X X
Low income retrofit program X X X X
Zero-interest loans for conservation X X X X
Zero-interest loan program expansion X X XX X
Research: Water end use study X X XX X
Outdoor Efficiency - Landscapes and
Irrigation
Sprinkler system audits XX X X
Xeriscape Demonstration Garden XXXX XX X
Xeriscape design clinics XX XX X
Irrigation technology rebates XXX XXX
Large HOA irrigation efficiency grants X XXX
Raw water for irrigation at parks, cemeteries
and golf courses
X X X
Research: Determine irrigated area for lots XXXX XX X
Indoor Fixtures and Appliances - Comm.,
Indust., Institutional (CII)
CII facility audits X X XX X
Facility audit program expansion X X XX X
Commercial clothes washer rebates X X X X
Commercial toilet and urinal rebates X X X X
Water Conservation Plan 41 Fort Collins Utilities
Customers Water Use Type of
Measure
Existing or
Measure New
RSF RMF CII City Indoor Outdoor Comm DSM Exist New
Financial incentives for commercial water-
saving upgrades
X X XXX
Hotel and restaurant conservation materials X X X X
Restaurant pre-rinse spray valve distribution X X X X
Water Reuse Systems
Large customer reuse XXX X X
Backwash recycling at water treatment facility X X X
Regulatory Measures
Wasting water ordinance X XXXX X X
Restrictive covenants ordinance XX X X
Soil amendment ordinance X XXX X X
Water Shortage Response Plan X XXXX X X
Landscape & irrigation standards for new
development
XXX XX X
Landscape & irrigation standards update X XXX XX X
Operational Measures
Utility water loss program X X X
Water loss program enhancement X X X
Water conservation upgrades at City LEED
buildings
X X XX X
Water conservation upgrades at City facilities X X XXX
Key:
RSF – Residential Single Family
RMF – Residential Multi-family
CII – Commercial, Industrial, Institutional
City – City government
Indoor – effects indoor water use
Outdoor – effects outdoor water use
Comm – Community water conservation program
DSM – demand-side management measure
Exist – existing measure
New – new measure
Water Conservation Plan 42 Fort Collins Utilities
Ongoing Monitoring
Fort Collins Utilities will monitor implementation and impacts of the conservation plan on a
regular basis. Regular demand monitoring will provide information on water use and progress
toward to the stated conservation goals. Utilities staff will continue to produce an annual report
on the conservation program that includes a detailed description of plan implementation as well
as the measured impacts on usage.
Plan Refinement
Fort Collins Utilities understands that the conservation plan and program will need regular
review and refinement to ensure that the goals are met. As has been done since the program’s
inception in 1977, adjustments to the program will be made as warranted due to new technology
or programs becoming outdated. A complete formal review and revision of the conservation plan
will be completed five years after adoption.
COMPLIANCE WITH STATE PLANNING REQUIREMENTS
Colorado Statutes Title 37 Water and Irrigation – Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB)
and Compacts 37-60-126 requires a state approved water conservation plan for covered entities
as a condition of seeking financial assistance from the CWCB. Key planning requirements of the
statute include the following items:
1. Consideration of specific conservation measures and programs including – (I) fixtures
and appliances; (II) water-wise landscapes; (III) CII measures; (IV) water reuse systems;
(V) water loss and system leakage; (VI) information and education; (VII) conservation
oriented rate structure; (VIII) technical assistance; (IX) regulatory measures; (X)
incentives and rebates.
2. Role of conservation in the entity’s supply planning.
3. Plan implementation, monitoring, review and revision.
4. Future review of plan within 7 years.
5. Estimated savings from previous conservation efforts as well as estimates from
implementation of current plan.
6. A 60-day minimum public comment period.
This section of the plan details Fort Collins’ compliance with this statute.
Fort Collins Compliance
Fort Collins Utilities developed this conservation plan to achieve full compliance with the
Colorado statute. Each element of compliance is documented below.
1. Consideration of specific conservation measures -
x Fixture and appliances – Current program includes residential clothes washer rebates;
faucet aerator, and showerhead distribution. Level 2 program includes residential HET
toilet incentives, commercial toilet and urinal incentives, restaurant pre-rinse spray valve
distribution.
x Water wise landscape – Current program includes sprinkler system audits.
Recommended program includes expanded audits, Xeriscape design clinics, irrigation
Water Conservation Plan 43 Fort Collins Utilities
technology rebates. HOA irrigation efficiency grants, and research to measure irrigated
areas.
(III) CII measures – Current program includes a business program series and facility
water audits. Level 2 program includes distribution of pre-rinse rinse spray valves in
restaurants, incentives for CII efficiency upgrades, and commercial toilet and urinal
rebates.
(IV) Water reuse systems – Current program includes reuse water for cooling and
irrigation at the local power plant; backwash recycling at the water treatment facility.
Additional small scale reuse systems were found either not cost effective for Fort Collins
or were not compliant with the Utilities’ water rights holdings.
(V) Water loss and system leakage reduction – Current program includes a utility water
loss reduction program. Fort Collins has included implementation of the IWA/AWWA
water loss methodology in Level 2.
(VI) Information and public education – Current program includes a local conservation
public information campaign; school education program; business environmental series;
adult education programs. Level 2 program includes an expanded public information
campaign with new partnership efforts.
(VII) Water rate structure – Current program includes a three-tier increasing block rate
structure for residential; seasonal rates for commercial customers. Level 2 program
includes online access to water use history and an online water use calculator.
(VIII) Regulatory measures – Current program includes requirement for rain shutoff
devices for new commercial development; water waste ordinance; landscape and
irrigation standards for new development; restrictive covenants ordinance; soil
amendment ordinance for new development. Level 2 program includes required
dedication irrigation tap for new large landscapes and an update of the City’s landscape
and irrigation standards.
(IX) Incentives – A broad range of incentive and rebate programs are included in the
measures described above.
2. Role of conservation in Fort Collins supply planning. Fort Collins takes water conservation
seriously and has had a staff position for dedicated to water conservation since 1977.
Resolution 2003-104, a Water Supply and Demand Management Policy, was adopted by City
Council in September 2003. The resolution provides general criteria for decisions regarding
water supply projects, acquisition of water rights and demand management measures.
3. Plan implementation, monitoring, review and revision. Fort Collins has developed a
specific plan implementation program along with monitoring mechanisms and scheduled
review and revisions. Details of this effort are described in the preceding section of this
document.
4. Future review of plan within seven years. Fort Collins Utilities intends to review and update
the water conservation every five years. The next review is scheduled to occur in 2012.
5. Estimated savings from previous conservation efforts and current plan. The Fort Collins
water conservation program has been active since 1977. Since 1994 weather normalized per
capita demand has been reduced by 25 percent. Not all of this reduction can be fairly
Water Conservation Plan 44 Fort Collins Utilities
attributed to the conservation program (the 2002 drought had a measurable impact), but the
data show a distinct water savings trend. Savings from the conservation program
recommended in this plan are estimated to be an additional 10.3 percent by 2020.
6. Public comment period. A public review of the conservation plan took place from October 8
to December 7, 2007. Thirty-four comments were received and revisions were made to the
plan in response to the comments.
Water Conservation Plan 45 Fort Collins Utilities
Water
Efficiency
Plan
DRAFT
OCTOBER
2015
ATTACHMENT 4
i
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................... iv
List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................... v
Acronym List .......................................................................................................................................
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................1
1.0 Profile of Existing Water Supply System ...................................................................................2
1.1 Overview of Existing Water Supply System .................................................................................. 4
1.2 Water Supply Reliability ................................................................................................................ 8
1.3 Supply-side Limitations and Future Needs ................................................................................... 9
2.0 Profile of Water Demand and Historical Demand Management .............................................. 11
2.1 Demographics and Key Characteristics of the Service Area ....................................................... 11
2.2 Historical Water Demands .......................................................................................................... 11
2.3 Past and Current Demand Management Activities .................................................................... 18
2.4 Demand Forecasts....................................................................................................................... 20
3.0 Integrated Water Supply and Demand Management Planning ............................................... 23
3.1 Water Efficiency and Water Supply Planning ............................................................................. 23
3.2 Water Efficiency Goals ................................................................................................................ 26
4.0 Selection of Water Efficiency Activities .................................................................................. 29
4.1 Summary of Selection Process .................................................................................................... 29
5.0 Implementation and Monitoring ........................................................................................... 34
5.1 Implementation .......................................................................................................................... 34
5.2 Monitoring .................................................................................................................................. 35
Glossary........................................................................................................................................... 37
Appendix A: Materials related to Chapter 1 ..................................................................................... 40
Appendix B: Materials related to Chapter 2 ...................................................................................... 42
iii
Appendix C: Materials related to Chapter 3 ...................................................................................... 48
iv
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1.1 Raw Water Yield in 2014 ................................................................................................................................ 6
Table 1.2 Water Supply Limitations and Future Need ................................................................................................... 9
Table 2.1 Treated Water Use by Customer Category .................................................................................................. 14
Table 2.2 System Water Loss Estimates ...................................................................................................................... 18
Table 2.3 List of Current Water Conservation Activities .............................................................................................. 19
Table 4.1 Areas of Opportunity ................................................................................................................................... 31
v
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.1: Water Service Area and surrounding Water District boundaries ................................................................ 3
Figure 1.2 City of Fort Collins Utilities Water Supply System Map ................................................................................ 5
Figure 2.1 Treated water use and population ............................................................................................................. 12
Figure 2.2 Average daily treated water demand ......................................................................................................... 13
Figure 2.3 Water use by customer category, 2010-2014 average ............................................................................... 15
Figure 2.4 Water use in gallons per capita per day and weather data ........................................................................ 16
Figure 2.5 Estimated indoor and outdoor use, 2010-2014 average ............................................................................ 17
Figure 2.6 Treated water demand, historic planning levels, and population ................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 3.1 Water efficiency goals, demand and population ........................................................................................ 27
Figure 3.2 Historic GPCD and New Conservation Goal ................................................................................................ 28
ACRONYM LIST
AF Acre Foot (equals 325,851 gallons)
AMFC Advanced Meter Fort Collins
BFO Budgeting for Outcomes
BMP Best management practice(s)
C-BT Colorado-Big Thompson
CAP Climate Action Plan
CWCB Colorado Water Conservation Board
ELCO East Larimer County Water District
FCLWD Fort Collins - Loveland Water District
GMA Growth management area
GPCD gallons per capita per day
LCU Large commercial users
MG Million gallons
MGD Million gallons per day
NCWCD Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District
NEPA National Environmental Policy Act
NPIC North Poudre Irrigation Company
PRPA Platte River Power Authority
RWR Raw water requirement; requirement to provide water for any new development that
occurs within the Utilities water service area
SWSI Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Statewide Supply Initiative
TAZ Traffic analysis zone
WEP TAG Water efficiency plan technical advisory group
WSDMP Water Supply and Demand Management Policy, 2012
WSSC Water Supply and Storage Company
WTF Water Treatment facility
WFCWD West Fort Collins Water District
WQA Winter quarterly average (Dec, Jan and Feb use)
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fort Collins Utilities has a strong commitment to ensure the efficient use of its natural
resources. The Utilities’ Water Conservation Program is nearly 40 years in the making and has resulted in
lower per capita water use, even as population has grown significantly. These programs have benefited
the Utilities by delaying or avoiding significant capital costs and have benefited customers through
reduced water bills. The additional benefits to the City and the community include development of a
conservation ethic, demonstration of a commitment to sustainability, support of economic health,
enhanced resilience during drought periods, preparation for potential effects of climate change, and
provision of water for other beneficial purposes such as agriculture, ecosystem services, recreation, and
aesthetics.
This Water Efficiency Plan is an update to the Water Conservation Plan approved by the Colorado Water
Conservation Board in 2010. The 2010 Plan set a goal of 140 gallon per capita per day (gpcd) by the year
2020. This updated Plan proposes a new goal of 130 gpcd by 2030. The gpcd in 2014, normalized to
account for weather, was 143; for reference, the normalized gpcd in 2001 was 198.
Efficiency and Conservation activities
Fort Collins Utilities has a robust conservation program with activities that touch on many different uses
and affect the entire community. We will continue to build on existing programs and develop new
approaches to conservation. Programs will be evaluated for effectiveness in water efficiency, customer
service, and technical excellence. Our overall mission is to cultivate a water efficient, adaptive, and
knowledgeable customer base through education and cost-effective water efficiency programs while
supporting the City’s Strategic Plan and its social, environmental, and economic health.
We have identified five key areas of opportunity for greater water efficiency:
x Leverage Advanced Meter Fort Collins data and capabilities
x Promote and support greater outdoor water efficiency
x Encourage greater integration of water efficiency into land use planning and building codes
x Expand commercial and industrial strategies
x Increase community water literacy
Our actions will be guided by the following implementation principles:
x Employ sophisticated data-driven processes and decision-making
x Coordinate and support symbiotic efforts within Utilities and across the City
x Cultivate new and bolster existing community and statewide partnerships
Plan Development Process
The content and organization of this plan was developed using the Colorado Water Conservation
Board’s municipal water efficiency plan guidance document, as it is a state requirement to submit an
updated Plan every 7 years. This plan was developed with input from the community and a technical
advisory group: Water Efficiency Plan Technical Advisory Group (WEP TAG). The WEP TAG included
Utilities and City staff as well as Water Board members. The next steps include a 60-day public comment
period, a revision period, return to City Council for resolution, development of supplemental supporting
documentation to meet state requirements, and ultimately submittal to the CWCB in 2017.
2
1.0 PROFILE OF EXISTING WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM
The City of Fort Collins is located 65 miles north of Denver in Larimer County, nestled between the Rocky
Mountains foothills and the Eastern Plains of Colorado. Horsetooth Reservoir borders Fort Collins to the
west and the Cache la Poudre River winds its way through north Fort Collins before reaching the South
Platte River to the east of Greeley, CO.
The City of Fort Collins Utilities service area boundaries for water do not perfectly match the Fort Collins
city limits. Fort Collins-Loveland Water District (FCLWD) and East Larimer County Water District (ELCO)
provide water to some areas within the city limits and will most likely serve additional city residents in
the future. Furthermore, Fort Collins Utilities provide water service to some customers beyond the city
limits; this is primarily northwest of Fort Collins, including providing wholesale water to West Fort Collins
Water District (WFCWD). Figure 1.1 shows the Utilities service area and the neighboring water district
services areas with respect to the Fort Collins Growth Management Area (GMA) and the official city
limits.
Note that this Chapter contains an abbreviated set of information on the Water Supply System; for a
more detailed account, see the City of Fort Collins’ Water Supply and Demand Management (Policy)
Report (dated April 2014)1. The updated Policy, which was approved by City Council in late 2012, serves
as a guide for the Fort Collins Utilities to a sustainable and integrated approach to 1) ensuring an
adequate, safe, and reliable supply of water for the beneficial use by customers and the community, and
2) managing the level of demand and the efficient use of a scarce and valuable resource consistent with
the preferences of customers and in recognition of the region’s semi-arid climate.
1 http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/what-we-do/water/water-supply-demand/
3
Figure 1.1: Water Service Area and surrounding Water District boundaries
4
1.1 OVERVIEW OF EXISTING WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM
The Fort Collins Utilities’ water sources are surface supplies. The Utilities water supplies come from two
major systems: the Cache la Poudre River (Poudre River) Basin and the Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT)
Project, often referred to as “Horsetooth Water”.2 The City’s water supply and treatment system
consists of several key facilities, which are illustrated in Figure 1.2 and include the Poudre River
diversion structure and pipelines, Joe Wright Reservoir, Michigan Ditch, Horsetooth Reservoir, the
Water Treatment Facility, the Mulberry Reclamation Facility, and the Drake Reclamation Facility.3 Figure
1.2 includes Halligan Reservoir, which is currently owned by Fort Collins Utilities but operated by the
North Poudre Irrigation Company (NPIC). A discussion of the Halligan Water Supply Storage Project is
located in the “Storage” portion of the System Reliability section below. The City’s Water system
contains approximately 540 miles of pipeline and 34,298 connections. In addition to treated water, the
City diverts about 3,000 to 4,000 acre-feet of raw water to irrigate City parks, golf courses, a cemetery,
greenbelt areas, some school grounds, and for the purposes of meeting some contractual raw water
delivery obligations. In 2014, the City of Fort Collins Utilities supplied 7.4 billion gallons of water to
approximately 130,200 people.
2 Horsetooth Reservoir borders the City of Fort Collins and is an East Slope terminal reservoir in the C-BT system.
For more information on the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, which is operated and maintained by Northern
Water and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, please see: http://www.northernwater.org/WaterProjects/C-
BTProject.aspx
3 The Water Treatment Facility chemically treats up to 87 MGD (million gallons per day). The Mulberry Water
Reclamation Facility employs physical, biological, and chemical processes to treat up to 6 MGD. The Drake Water
Reclamation Facility employs similar processes and treats up to 23 MGD.
5
Figure 1.2 City of Fort Collins Utilities Water Supply System Map
6
From the beginning of the City of Fort Collins Water Utility in the 1880s up to the early 1960s, the City
depended primarily on direct flow rights to the Cache la Poudre River (Poudre River) to satisfy its water
demands. The first water right was obtained in 1889 and four other senior direct flow rights were
obtained in the early 1900s; these currently allow the Utilities to divert an average of 11,300 acre-feet of
raw water annually. In the late 1950s, the Utilities acquired its first 6,000 units of Colorado-Big
Thompson (C-BT) Project water. To date, the Utilities owns about 18,855 units of CB-T water. In addition
to these two major sources of water, the Utilities began to acquire shares of several local irrigation
company stocks starting in the 1960s, in part to expand the Utilities’ water supply portfolio and in part
as developers turned over the water rights from lands they were building over in order to satisfy the raw
water requirements for new development.
Table 1.1 shows the average annual yield of the Utilities’ various water sources. For more detailed
information on each supply source, see Appendix A. The Utilities’ average annual raw water yield as of
2014 is approximately 75,245 acre-feet, but the actual treatable average annual yield is closer to 55,000
acre-feet per year. The treatable water right yield is lower due to legal constraints, such as agricultural
rights that have not been converted for municipal use, ditch losses, water right volumetric limitations
and return flow obligations. The Utilities’ modeling has shown that the current firm yield of its system is
approximately 31,000 acre-feet per year.4 During the summer months, however, much of the Utilities’
water rights yield more water than the demands of the service area customers. Both the raw water yield
and treatable yield are reduced in dry years, requiring more storage water to meet demands.
Table 1.1 Raw Water Yield in 2014
Source acre-feet
Poudre River Direct Flow 11,300
Joe Wright-Michigan Ditch 5,500
Northern Water (CBT) 14,330
North Poudre Irrigation Company5 19,850
Pleasant Valley & Lake Canal Company 7,760
PRPA Reuse Plan 2,310
Southside Ditches6 10,760
Water Supply and Storage Company 2,240
Miscellaneous7 1,195
Average Raw Yield Total 75,245
Note: Yields are the approximate average annual yields
and do not reflect dry years and other constraints of the
system.
4 This assumes a 1-in-50 year drought; Firm yield is commonly determined by calculating the maximum constant
annual demand (quantity of water) that can be met with the available supply during a specified multi-year
hydrologic period.
5 These sources are only partially available for municipal use.
6 The Southside ditches refer to Arthur, Larimer No. 2, New Mercer, and Warren Lake irrigation companies.
7 These are relatively small contributors to the overall raw yield and include shares in Chaffee Ditch, Boxelder
Irrigation Ditch Company, Lake Canal Company, Louden Irrigating Canal and Reservoir Company.
7
Reusable Supplies:
An important part of the City’s water supplies are sources that are reusable. Typically, this is water that
is imported from another basin or comes from specific in-basin sources that may be totally consumed
through succession of identified uses. For Fort Collins, this includes much of the Michigan Ditch and Joe
Wright Reservoir water and portions of the Southside Ditches water that has been converted from
agricultural use to municipal use.
A sizeable portion of the Utilities treated water supplies are reusable.8 Much of this is used as part of a
Reuse Plan which involves the City, Water Supply and Storage Company (WSSC) and Platte River Power
Authority (PRPA) 9. Reusable sources owned by the City and WSSC are used Utilities’ customers and the
reusable effluent is used by PRPA at their Rawhide Power Plant facility. In turn, PRPA provides Windy
Gap water to the City.
Raw Water Requirements:
Developers are required to provide water for any new development that occurs within the Utilities
water service area. The amount is determined by the Utilities; the developer is assessed a raw water
requirement (RWR) for any new development that occurs within the service area. This practice originally
began in the 1960s when two acre-feet per acre of land developed was required. Because water use
varied considerably depending on the type of use for any given area, a study was done in 1983-84 to
develop the existing method of assessing the RWRs, which attempts to more closely assess the
requirements based on actual use.
The formula for residential development considers the density, and an estimate of indoor and outdoor
use. The RWR is calculated by multiplying the water use estimate by a “water supply factor” that is used
to reflect the variability in supply and demand from year to year as well as other unaccounted for water
use.10 Non-residential requirements are based on tap size. Water use is analyzed for all non-residential
customers for a given tap size and the requirements are based on those results. Since there is a lot of
variability within each tap size, a raw water surcharge is assessed for any annual use exceeding an
annual allotment.11
Developers and builders may satisfy the RWR by either turning over water rights acceptable to the City
or paying cash in-lieu-of the water rights. The City uses in-lieu payments to purchase additional water
rights or implement other means of increasing the firm yield of the Utilities’ water supply, such as
developing storage capacity. The in-lieu fee is evaluated and, if needed, revised to reflect the costs
associated with developing the required water supplies (e.g., market price of water rights).
8 This refers to the total amount of water used, not to the total amount of water feasibly available in a given year.
9 2012 Water Supply and Demand Management Policy (2014 Report).
10 The current water supply factor is 1.92. This equation is used to determine the residential RWR is as follows:
RWR = 1.92 x [(.18 x Number of Dwelling Units) + (1.2 x Net Acres)]
11 Requirements vary from .90 acre-feet for a 3/4 inch meter to 9.60 acre-feet for a 2-inch meter. For larger
meters, the RWR is based on an estimate of water use.
8
1.2 WATER SUPPLY RELIABILITY
Fort Collins Utilities is responsible for providing an adequate and reliable supply of water to its
customers. The planning criteria describe the water demand that can be reliably served under specified
drought conditions and the margin of safety the Utilities should have in place to address unforeseen
circumstances.12 The three main planning criteria used to develop the City’s water supply system are 1)
the drought criterion, 2) the storage reserve factor and, 3) the planning demand level. These criteria
determine the amount of water supplies and facilities the Utilities needs (e.g., the amount of storage
required) and should be somewhat conservative to account for inherent uncertainties in water supply
planning.
Drought Criterion
The drought criterion states that in a 1-in-50 year drought the Utilities should be able to meet the
planning demand level. This is an important criterion because not only will demands often be higher in
drought periods due to less precipitation, water supply systems generally will also yield less water. The
Utilities has used a 1-in-50 year drought criterion since the original 1988 Water Supply Policy.
Storage Reserve Factor
A storage reserve factor is a criterion to have a certain percent of annual demand in storage through the
drought criterion (1-in-50 year drought). This storage reserve provides a short-term supply to address
emergency situations, such as pipeline shutdowns (which can and have occurred during drought
conditions). The Policy calls for a 20 percent storage reserve factor, which equates to about 3.5 months
of winter supplies or about 1.5 months of summer supplies.
Planning Demand Level
The planning demand level is the amount of demand the water supply system should be developed to
meet. Since acquiring water supplies takes many years, projecting future demands is required to
determine which supplies and/or facilities need to be acquired. The planning demand level is measured
in gallons per capita per day (gpcd) and is used along with projected population and projected large
contractual use (LCU) needs to determine future demand levels; population projections will be discussed
in detail in Section 2.4. The planning demand level is set higher than current use and current water
conservation goals to account for uncertainties in water supply planning that might reduce the Utilities’
water supply yield. The current Water Supply and Demand Management Policy set 150 gpcd as the
planning demand level, which is the average of 2006-2011 water use.
Impacts of Climate Change
Climate change could significantly impact the reliability of the Utilities’ supplies and/or the amount of
water required to maintain existing landscapes. These changes may include reduced snow pack, earlier
runoff, hotter and drier summers, and an increased recurrence of drought. A great deal of uncertainty
exists related to current climate change projections along the Colorado Front Range and its impact on
municipal water supply and demands. Current research indicates that changes in precipitation in this
12 Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Report (dated April 2014; approved by City Council in later
2012).
9
area are uncertain but that temperatures will increase and therefore it is likely that runoff will come
earlier and in a shorter amount of time, precipitation may come more often as rain rather than snow,
and higher temperatures will increase outdoor demands and change growing seasons for existing
landscapes.
The Utilities’ water supply planning criteria and assumptions are conservative in part to account for
climate change based on the information to date. The City will continue to monitor climate change
information and, if necessary, will revise its water supply planning criteria and assumptions to ensure
future water supply reliability.
1.3 SUPPLY-SIDE LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE NEEDS
Table 1.2 lists the future water supply needs and challenges. The full use of the Utilities’ water rights in a
given year can be reduced by several physical and legal constraints. Legal challenges are related to
Colorado water laws and the administration of water rights. Some of the agricultural water rights owned
by the City are not available for use because the shares need to be changed in Water Court to municipal
use.
The Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Statewide Supply Initiative (SWSI) predicts a significant gap
between water supplies and water demands along Colorado’s Front Range, starting in 2040 for the
Northern region of the South Platter River Basin.13 Fort Collins is a forward-thinking community and the
Utilities has identified water supply needed through 2065. Two key solutions to ensuring a reliable
supply system moving forward include storage development and water efficiency programs.
Table 1.2 Water Supply Limitations and Future Need
Future Need/Challenge Yes No
System is in a designated critical water supply
shortage area X
System experiences frequent water supply
shortages and/or supply emergencies X
System has substantial real or apparent water
losses X
Experiencing high rates of population and
demand growth X
Planning substantial improvements or
additions X
Increases to wastewater system capacity
anticipated X
Need additional drought reserves X
Drinking water quality issues X
13 Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. 2011. Colorado’s Water Supply Future: Colorado Water Conservation Board 2010.
10
Storage Constraints
A primary physical constraint is the lack of storage capacity to manage and regulate the water rights
owned by the City. Additional water storage capacity is critically needed to increase the yield and
reliability of its water supply system. Operational storage is needed to meet return flow obligations
inherent with converted irrigation shares and provide other operational flexibility, which has recently
been met through the acquisition of Rigden Reservoir. Carryover storage is needed to capture water
during wetter years for use during drier years and also provide a storage reserve for unexpected
emergencies (e.g. a pipeline failure). Both types of storage are needed to increase the reliability and
redundancy desired to meet the water needs of our customers.
While the Utilities do have some year-to-year “carryover” storage capacity, much of this is already
allocated to meet return flow obligations and other contractual agreements. Northern Water does
include some carryover storage in the CB-T system; however, it is also almost entirely allocated to
meeting contractual obligations.14 While the City owns shares of several ditch companies that do have
storage, we do not have access to the storage systems. Acquiring storage in the Poudre Basin that meets
the storage reserve would help diversify the City’s water supply system, which is currently highly reliant
on C-BT storage.
Planned Storage Improvements
In 2003 the City acquired Halligan Reservoir, located on the North Fork of the Poudre River
approximately 25 miles northwest of Fort Collins, for carryover and vulnerability storage. With plans for
its expansion, the City is currently going through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
permitting process, including an analysis of potential environmental impacts, other storage options, and
costs and benefits. In 2013, the City acquired an existing gravel pit storage facility located below the
Drake Water Reclamation Facility. The gravel pit, now Rigden Reservoir, has been enlarged to 1,900
acre feet and is being used for operational storage. The reservoir began operation in 2015 and will
increase the system’s firm yield.
14 Note that CB-T water is particularly valuable to the water supply portfolio because it can be stored within the C-
BT reservoir system for use any time within a given water year.
11
2.0 PROFILE OF WATER DEMAND AND HISTORICAL DEMAND MANAGEMENT
The City of Fort Collins city limits do not perfectly coincide with the Utilities water service area. The
information in Section 2.1 below describes the City of Fort Collins, rather than the service area, as the
city limits are how this type of information is collected by the City Planning Department, the U.S. Census,
and the American Community Survey. Information in Sections 2.2-2.4, however, will pertain to the
Utilities’ water service area.
2.1 DEMOGRAPHICS AND KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SERVICE AREA
The City of Fort Collins is home to approximately 158,600 residents and 30,000 students as of 2015.15
The average household size is 2.37 people, the median age is about 29 years old, and about 27% of
households have at least one person under the age of 18. The average income is about $72,000. As of
the 2010 U.S. Census, about 55% of homes were owner-occupied, 57% of homes were single-family
detached residences, and the median home value was $247,800. About 11% of the housing stock is
estimated to be built prior to1960 and about 40% were built prior to 1980.16
The City of Fort Collins is home to two major public higher education institutions: Colorado State
University and Front Range Community College. Fort Collins was once home to a wide swath of
agricultural activity; however, much of this is now limited to the outskirts of the City or has moved
outside of the City entirely. Several high-tech industries call Fort Collins home, including Hewlett
Packard, Intel, Woodward Inc., and AMD, among others. In addition to the other major employers like
the City Government and the colleges, there has been an increase in the areas of clean energy,
bioscience, and agri-tech businesses. The City also enjoys a strong microbrewery industry alongside an
Anheuser-Busch Brewery.17
2.2 HISTORICAL WATER DEMANDS
Up until the early 2000s, the Utilities’ service area population growth was largely matched by an
increase in total water demands. Like many other Colorado communities, the 2002-03 drought spurred
the City of Fort Collins to rethink its water use. While the population continues to grow, water demands
have exhibited a downward trend, as illustrated in Figure 2.1. From 2001 to 2014, the service area
population increased by about 7% while the total treated water demand decreased by about 25%. Such
reductions are a combined result of Utilities’ customers being fully metered and adopting
tiered/seasonal rate structures by 2003, as well as the robust water conservation program and the
water conservation efforts by customers.
15 As of 2014, the Utilities’ service area provided treated water to about 130,200 residents.
16 This paragraph contains information about the City of Fort Collins from three sources: the City Planning
Department, the 2010 U.S. Census, and the 2013 American Community Survey.
17 The Fort Collins AB Brewery is home to the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales West Coast Team.
12
Figure 2.1 Treated water use and population
Daily water demand varies considerably throughout the year. Water use is fairly consistent throughout
the winter months, then more than doubles in the summer months as customers increase use for
landscapes and other seasonal purposes (e.g. pools). Figure 2.2 illustrates a five-year average of the
daily treated water delivered from 2010-2014 along with details on the peak day for each year, which
highlights how variable water demands can be in any given year.
13
Figure 2.2 Average daily treated water demand
Fort Collins Utilities monitors treated water use by eight categories, as shown in Table 2.1. This table
reports the annual use, number of accounts, average monthly use and water use by account, as of 2014.
The majority of accounts are single-family residential accounts, however on a per account basis
commercial customers use the most water. Recall that since the Utilities’ water service area is different
than the City limits; Outside City Customers refer to customers outside of the city limits but who are
Utilities’ customers. West Fort Collins Water District receives wholesale treated water from the Utilities,
which is why they appear as one singular customer.
14
Table 2.1 Treated Water Use by Customer Category
2014
Customer Category Annual Water
Use (MG)*
Number of
Accounts
Average Monthly
Use (MG)*
Average
Annual Use per
Account (gal)*
Single-Family 2,142 26,930 178.5 79,536
Duplex 120 1,226 10 97,750
Multi-Family 970 2,240 80.8 432,934
Commercial 2,972 2,222 247.7 1,337,765
City Government 107 225 8.9 475,830
West Fort Collins WD 140 1 11.7 140,000,000
Outside City Customers 280 1,454 23.3 192,751
Total 6,731 34,298 560.9 196,251
*Note: These numbers are rounded and are not exact.
As shown in Figure 2.3, residential categories collectively use the most water each year: about 47% on
average, with about 32% attributable to single-family homes. The City government buildings and
facilities only use about 1% of the treated water each year, outside City customer use about 4% and the
Utilities delivers about 2% of the treated water to West Fort Collins Water District. System loss is
discussed in greater detail below.
Commercial customers use about 39% of treated water, on average. Beyond the small, mid and large
commercial customers, the City has identified a number of Key Accounts, who are businesses that are
typically the largest water and energy users. The Utilities’ Customer Accounts representatives work
together with the Key Account customers to connect them to the appropriate experts, programs and
services they need from the City of Fort Collins. These partnerships help customers achieve their
sustainability goals as well as the goals set by the Energy Policy, Water Efficiency Plan and Climate
Action Plan. The Customer Accounts team offers a customized and targeted approach to assist in
accomplishing the goals set by these policies. Given the uniqueness of how each business utilizes water,
the largest users can also apply for a custom water conservation rebate, up to $5,000, in addition to
being encouraged to participate in our other rebate programs.
15
Figure 2.3 Water use by customer category, 2010-2014 average
2.2.1 GPCD: GALLONS CONSUMED PER PERSON PER DAY
Water consumption is often characterized by daily per person use, measured in gallons per capita per
day (gpcd). This is calculated as: total treated water use (including residential, commercial, etc.) divided
by service area population and 365 days (per year):
݃ܿ݀ =
( ݀݊ܽ݉݁݀ ݀݁ݐܽ݁ݎݐ ݈ܽݐݐെ (ܷܥܮ
365 כ ݊݅ݐ݈ܽݑ
These calculations exclude large contractual customers and other sales or exchange arrangements to
produce a value that is comparable to other municipalities.
Fort Collins Utilities also estimates a normalized gpcd metric in order to control for the fluctuations
associated with varying weather patterns. This normalized gpcd is approximately the gpcd that would
have occurred if the weather conditions had been the average weather conditions for the region. This
means that the actual gpcd is generally higher than the normalized gpcd when we have a relatively dry
year and lower in a relatively wet year.
Demand levels have declined significantly over the last few decades, from around 230 gpcd in the early
1990s to about 200 gpcd before the drought year of 2002. Figure 2.4 shows actual gpcd and normalized
gpcd from 2001 through 2014. To help illustrate the role that weather plays in our actual gpcd, the
16
graph also includes annual precipitation and evapotranspiration for grass, both in inches.18 In years
where our region received less precipitation and the evapotranspiration level was higher, actual per
capita water use was higher, too. The average normalized use over 2002 to 2009 is 158 gpcd,
approximately a 21% reduction in per capita water use from before 2002. The average normalized use
from 2010 to 2014 is 146 gpcd, which is about a 27% reduction in per capita use from pre-2002. Since
the 2002-03 drought, several factors have helped to reduce water use including, universal metering,
conservation-oriented rate structures, more efficient plumbing standards, and our robust water
efficiency and education programs.
Figure 2.4 Water use in gallons per capita per day and weather data
Weather patterns mostly affect outdoor use of water. In Figure 2.5, we illustrate an estimate of the
portion of water demand that is utilized outdoors. A common method for estimating indoor versus
outdoor use is to take the average of the demands in December through February and set this to be the
estimate of average indoor demands and assume that no outdoor use occurs in those months. Then for
18 Evapotranspiration is often defined as the combination of the water lost (evaporate) to the atmosphere from
the ground surface, evaporation from the capillary fringe of the groundwater table, along with the plant
transpiration, which is evaporation of water from plant leaves. Evapotranspiration is affected by temperature,
relative humidity, wind and air movement, soil moisture availability, and the type of plant. For more information
see: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleevapotranspiration.html
17
months March through October, attribute any use above and beyond this average indoor use to be the
estimated outdoor use portion. As shown in Figure 2.5, water use in the summer months can be up to
almost two-thirds of total water demands.
Figure 2.5 Estimated indoor and outdoor use, 2010-2014 average
Fort Collins Utilities participated in a single-family end use study in 2012.19 This study helped shed some
light on how families are using water, through a small 88-household survey and analysis. In terms of
outdoor use, many of the participating homes were estimated to be under-watering, relative to what
was water needs estimated based on landscape area and weather information. However a minority of
homes were over-watering and this excess was large enough to offset any under-watering by the other
participating households. This highlights our need to provide improved programs and education to help
our customers use the optimal amount of water for their landscape.
Since indoor use is less visible to the Utilities, how people allocate and use water indoors is more of a
mystery. This 2012 study illustrated that there are still a significant number of low efficiency toilets and
clothes washers in the housing stock, however the majority of participating homes had a high efficiency
shower heads. The study also estimated that a significant amount of water is lost to leaks, which often
go unnoticed by the residents. This highlights the need to utilize data available through the Advanced
Meter Fort Collins program to help identify leaks and let our customers know so that they can address
19 Study was conducted by Aquacraft Water Engineering and Management, Inc.
18
the problem and stop paying for lost water; we are piloting a Continuous Consumption program to meet
this need, discussed further in Section 2.3.
As noted in Section 1.1, in addition to treated water the Utilities diverts about 3,000 to 4,000 acre-feet
of raw water to irrigate City parks, golf courses, a cemetery, greenbelt areas, some school grounds, and
for the purposes of meeting some contractual raw water delivery obligations.
2.2.2 SYSTEM WATER LOSS
Water losses in the Fort Collins Utilities’ water system can occur in several locations:
x Between the points of diversion and the water treatment facility (e.g., from conveyance losses
within the pipelines carrying water to the treatment facility)
x Within the water treatment facility (e.g., during filter backwash processes)
x Within the water distribution system between the water treatment facility and the meters of
end users (e.g., from conveyance losses in the distribution pipe network)
Losses within the conveyance system that brings water to the treatment plant and within the water
treatment plant itself are not fully quantified, but estimated at 3% of the annual diverted volume, when
estimated from source to outlet of the treatment plant. Losses within the distribution system are
estimated based on the difference between the amount of water treated at the treatment plant and the
cumulative amount of water metered at end users. A summary of losses is provided in Table 2.2 below.
These numbers represent estimates only and may reflect a number of factors. Fort Collins Utilities is
currently exploring integration of the American Water Works Association’s M36 methodology into its
water loss management and tracking.
Table 2.2 System Water Loss Estimates
Loss Estimate (in Million Gallons) 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Treatment and Diversion to
Treatment Conveyance Losses 242.2 235.7 270.8 233.8 230.0
Distribution Losses 426.5 462.1 695.1 534.9 705.7
Total 668.7 697.8 965.9 768.8 935.7
Distribution loss as percentage of
total treated water 5.4% 6.1% 7.9% 7.1% 9.5%
2.3 PAST AND CURRENT DEMAND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Faced with a drought in 1977, the Utilities created a part-time water conservation position. In 1989 the
position expanded to a full-time position. The first Water Demand Management Policy in 1992 lead to
19
an expansion of conservation projects and increased educational and outreach efforts. This plan set a
conservation goal of 195 gpcd by the year 2020.
Prompted by the drought of 2002-03, the Utilities made several efforts in 2003 to increase
accountability and encourage the efficient use of water including fully metering every customer by,
implementing a conservation-oriented rate structure – a tiered rate structure – with a seasonal
component, initiating several new outreach and educational programs, and also developing the Utilities’
first Water Supply Shortage Response Plan as guidance during drought and other emergency
conditions.20 The first Water Supply and Demand Management Policy was developed in 2003 and set a
conservation goal of 185 gpcd by 2010.
The Utilities’ Water Conservation program expanded again in 2010 with the development of a formal
Water Conservation Plan. This plan set the current conservation goal of 140 normalized gpcd by 2020.
City Council approved the budget for additional programs and staff outlined in the plan starting with the
2010-2011 budgets. The plan was approved by the Colorado Water Conservation Board in early 2010.
Note that conservation goals are purposely set lower than the Planning Demand Level discussed in
Section 1.2, which is used for supply reliability planning.
2.3.1 CURRENT DEMAND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Table 2.3 is a list of the current demand management activities along with the initial year of
implementation, if known. Note that many of our activities, programs, and regulations have
substantially evolved over the years. For a description of each activity, see Appendix B, which also
contains a table with participation levels from 2010 to 2014 for most of our current activities. This table
does not contain participation counts for events.
Table 2.3 List of Current Water Conservation Activities
Foundational Activities Educational Activities
Metering (2003) Conservation public information efforts (1977)
Conservation-oriented rate structures (2003) Community education programs (1977)
20 The Water Supply Shortage Response Plan contains certain restrictions on the use of City-treated water and
other actions to be taken during a specified drought or water supply conditions.
20
Seasonal rate structures (2003) Business education programs (2004)
Monitor My Use (2014) K-12 education programs (1997)
Online water use calculator (2012) Watershed tours (2012)
Utility water loss program (1993) Home water reports (2014)
Continuous consumption program (2015) Xeriscape Demonstration Garden (1986)
Target Technical Assistance and Incentives Hotel and restaurant conservation materials (2003)
Clothes washer rebates (2003) Conservation kit giveaways (1990)
Dishwasher rebates (2007) Ordinances and Regulations
Toilet/Urinal rebates (2010) Wasting water ordinance (1917)
Showerhead rebates (2011) Plumbing standards (1978)
Irrigation equipment rebates Landscape and irrigation standards (1994)
Sprinkler system audits (1999) Restrictive covenants ordinance (2003)
Xeriscape design/incentive program (2010) Soil amendment ordinance (2003)
Home efficiency audits (2009) Water supply and shortage response plan (2003)
Commercial facility assessments (2004) Water efficiency upgrades at City buildings (2010)
Custom commercial rebates (2011) Green building codes (2011)
Restaurant pre-rinse spray valve distribution
(2011) Parkway landscaping regulations (2013)
Low income retrofit program (2007, w/ LCCC) Other Activities
Home efficiency loans/ZILCH/on-bill financing
(2010)
Raw water for City irrigation, large customer reuse
project (1985), backwash water recycling (2003)
2.4 DEMAND FORECASTS
Acquiring water supplies takes many years. In order to ensure a reliable water supply for customers in
the future, the Utilities plan for future growth and water needs. The City’s future municipal water
demands are largely dependent on population growth and the rate of commercial and industrial
development. The rate and pattern of population growth are also influenced by the future economy,
land use policies, and development incentives, among other factors. As such, the Water Supply and
Demand Management Policy Report (dated April 2014) takes the long view and identifies projected
demands through 2050.
2.4.1 PLANNING HORIZON
The current Water Conservation Plan, developed in 2009, identified a 10-year planning horizon with a
goal to update the plan in five years. This Water Efficiency Plan, to be submitted to the Colorado Water
Conservation Board in 2017, takes the middle road and uses a 2030 planning horizon, with incremental
21
goals leading up to the 2030 goal, as well as a goal to develop an updated plan no later than 2024 (seven
years after this Plan’s required submission year).
2.4.2 DEMAND PROJECTIONS
The Utilities estimates future water demands for a given year by first multiplying the projected
population by the planning demand level (150 gallons per capita per day) multiplied by the number of
calendar days, then projected large contractual use (LCU) is added to get the total projected water
demand, as shown in the equation below. The Demand Planning Level is currently set at 150 gallons per
capita per day, and is purposely set higher than conservation goals to provide a greater level of system
reliability21.
ܶ ܷܥܮ ݀݁ݐ݆ܿ݁ݎܲ + ݏݕܽ݀ ݎ݈ܽ݀݊݁ܽܿ × ݀ܿ݃ 150× ݊݅ݐ݈ܽܲ ݀݁ݐ݆ܿ݁ݎܲ = ݀݊ܽ݉݁ܦ ݈ܽݐ
2.4.3POPULATION PROJECTIONS
Given the differences between the Fort Collins Utilities water service area, the Fort Collins city limits,
and the Fort Collins Growth Management Area, population projections were estimated using
information from a Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) study developed for the City of Fort Collins and Larimer
County. The TAZ information is based on City and County zoning designations, which dictate the type of
development and thus population densities. The TAZ study makes population estimates based on
projected new development and redevelopment in each zone. The population projections for this Plan
were estimated by using the zones within the water service area. Note that, based on the TAZ study, it is
anticipated that the Fort Collins Utilities’ water service area will reach build-out near 2040, meaning that
all vacant buildable land will be developed. After build-out, it is assumed that the water service area
population will only grow via redevelopment, and therefore population growth in the service area is
expected to eventually slow down. However, the Utilities currently has agreements to supply water to
surrounding water districts. With these agreements in place and the potential for more in the future,
the Utilities considers these possibilities in estimating future demand projections. Thus, the population
projections used in this plan includes some of West Fort Collins Water District.22
2.4.4 LARGE CONTRACTUAL USE
In addition to population-based water demands, the Utilities also has contractual obligations to provide
water for the current and future demands of several large industrial water users. Large contractual use
(LCU) is estimated separately from population-based water demand projections and is not included in
21 For more information on the Planning Demand Level, see Section 1.2.
22 The estimates do not include some Fort Collins-Loveland Water District areas currently served by the Utility
because these areas are served only in the sense that a) FCLWD purchases some excess capacity in our Water
Treatment Facility, and b) there is an now terminated agreement whereby certain areas of development could
meet raw water requirements either through the Utilities or the districts. If any of these areas are annexed by the
City, then they would still have the option to make use of this option.
22
the gpcd metric. The LCU projections are added to the overall projected demands, which are based on
population projections and the water demand planning level set in the Water Supply and Demand
Management Policy Report (dated April 2014). LCU is currently about 3,900 acre-feet per year of treated
water. Additional raw water is provided to LCUs. Because of certain applications, a portion of the water
supplied to LCUs must be sourced from reusable water rights. The future LCU is estimated to be about
8,000 acre-feet per year by 2050. This will require a mix of single use and reusable water sources.
Figure 2.6 illustrates the projected population for the water service area. This figure also illustrates the
project water demands based on the historic Planning Demand Level and the current Planning Demand
Level.23 It is clear that conservation and efficiency activities, among other factors, have helped to reduce
total water use as well as per capita water use; these reductions have lowered the planning demand
level and helped to increase the reliability of the water supply system.
Figure 2.6 Treated water demand, historic planning levels, and population
23 These estimates also incorporates an estimated 8% system water loss level.
23
3.0 INTEGRATED WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING
There are four main documents that provide direction and/or complement the Utilities’ water efficiency
efforts, listed below. Along with the most recent Water Conservation Plan of 2010, these documents
helped to develop this updated Water Efficiency Plan and will also guide our ultimate implementation
moving forward.
The City of Fort Collins Strategic Plan (2015-16)24: this document is a result of a planning process
incorporating input from citizens, businesses, City Council, and City staff. It identifies the City’s seven
key outcome areas as well as several strategic objectives in each area; these are to guide the work in
all City service areas. Water efficiency aligns very strongly with Objectives 4.8, 4.7 and 4.6, it also
touches on several other objectives detailed in Appendix C.
The Water Supply and Demand Management Policy (2012)25: this is the guiding document for water
supply and demand management activities. The objective is to provide a sustainable and integrated
approach to 1) ensuring an adequate, safe, and reliable supply of water for the beneficial use by
customers and the community, and 2) managing the level of demand and the efficient use of a scare
and valuable resource consistent with the preference of Water Utility customers and in recognition
of the region’s semi-arid climate. The original plan was developed approved in 1988; it was updated
in 2003 and again in 2012, with the most up-to-date report published in 2014. This Policy defers to
the latest Water Efficiency Plan to set the efficiency goals.
2015 Climate Action Plan Framework: The CAP provides a high level framework to set Fort Collins on
the path to achieve carbon emissions reduction objectives as requested by Council, but will not
determine future implementation details. Implementation details will be developed as strategies
and tactics are considered on a case-by-case basis, and will be brought forward to Council for
approval prior to implementation. The two main strategic initiatives that involve water are: 1) Water
and Land Use, and 2) Preparation, Adaptation, and Resilience.
The Water Supply Shortage Response Plan (2014)26: this document identifies the restrictions and
requirements intended to achieve progressively higher levels of water savings under various
projected water shortage conditions. The original plan was approved by City Council in 2003 and an
update was approved in 2014.
3.1 WATER EFFICIENCY AND WATER SUPPLY PLANNING
In planning for a reliable, secure, and sustainable water future, the Utilities employs an integrated
resource planning strategy that utilizes a portfolio-based approach to meeting future demands and is
guided by the documents described in Section 3.0 above. In most years, the City of Fort Collins Utilities
has the benefit of having a plentiful level of water supplies that ensure sufficient supplies above the
24 The City’s Strategic Plan can be found at: http://www.fcgov.com/citymanager/pdf/strategic-plan-2015.pdf
25 Though a more extensive report was developed and dated April 2014. See the City’s Water Supply and Demand
page: http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/what-we-do/water/water-supply-demand
26
http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/img/site_specific/uploads/ORDINANCE_NUMBER_088_July_2014_Water_Supply_
Shortage_Response_Plan.pdf
24
reliability criteria discussed in Section 1.2. The Utilities’ water supplies are expected to support
projected changes to demand under a combined strategy of a) increased long-term storage and, b)
continued water efficiency efforts. This diversified approach will reduce water demand, improve system
reliability, and enhance community resilience to drought and climate change. These two strategies need
to be undertaken collectively; either on their own will be significantly less effective without the other.
Expanded water efficiency measures are cost-effective means to water supplies that can be utilized for
several beneficial purposes. Conserved water can be stored for periods of drought, leased for
agriculture, or even used for beneficial environmental enhancement efforts such as in-stream flow
programs. Increased storage provides a physical location for conserved water and enables Fort Collins to
take full advantage of savings achieved by customers. See Section 1.3 for more information on the role
of storage in our supply and demand management planning.
3.1.1 BENEFITS OF WATER EFFICIENCY
In addition to being a key part of the integrated resource management process, water efficiency
programs also:
Foster a conservation ethic and reduce waste: the success of this Plan depends on the cooperation and
support of the Water Utility customers and the City of Fort Collins community. Instilling a conservation
ethic is an important foundation to changing habits and attitudes toward water use. The power of the
individual in conservation makes a big difference in protecting quality of life, including our environment
today and for generations to come. Our average use, calculated as gallons per capita per day (gpcd), has
declined significantly. For example, in 2001 the gpcd was 198, whereas in 2014 it was 143. Several
conservation-based efforts took place on the heels of the 2002-03 drought which have helped to
support a sustained reduction in use; these include full metering, conservation-oriented rate structures,
seasonal rate structures, expanded targeted industry outreach, the restrictive covenants ordinance,
conservation kit giveaways, clothes washer rebates, and more.
Demonstrate a commitment to sustainability: The City aims to be leaders in this effort. The City
approved the Climate Action Plan Framework in 2015 and previously approved an Action Plan for
Sustainability in 2004, and an Environmental Policy in 2009 that outline the ways the City itself will
reduce its environmental impact (this includes a commitment to identifying and implementing effective
ways to conserve natural resources). To bring the global concept of sustainability to action at the local
level, sustainability advocates use the triple bottom line in decision-making. Essentially, that means
projects are evaluated based on their social, economic and environmental impacts. Rather than make
decisions on the basis of profit or the economic bottom line, three bottom lines (social, economic, and
environmental) are considered. For the City, it means creating an optimal mix of resource efficiency,
cost effectiveness and employee well-being in daily City operations. One example of a goal is to reduce
municipal operations water irrigation and increase efficiency per acre, as well as to reduce indoor use by
20% by 2020.27 City buildings are required to achieve LEED “Gold” certification. Also, several areas of
City grounds have been renovated with low water using landscape materials and some weather sensors
have been added to the irrigation systems. The City Parks system is regularly audited; the majority of the
Parks irrigation systems uses 95% or less of the water needed, based on the turf and plant
requirements.
27 http://www.fcgov.com/sustainability/goals.php
25
Provide water for multiple beneficial purposes: Conservation efforts can help to provide more water for
beneficial uses beyond normal municipal purposes. For example, the area around Fort Collins continues
to be a productive agricultural area, which in addition to representing economic activity, also provide
significant open space outside of Fort Collins that is desired by many residents. When possible, making
some of the City’s surplus water available for these purposes provides supplemental revenue for the
Utility and its customers. The potential environmental benefits of conserved water are also important.
These include providing additional flow for the local stream systems, in-stream flow programs,
improvements in water quality, improvements in aquatic and riparian ecosystems, enhanced
recreational opportunities, and aesthetics, among other benefits.
Enhance resilience during drought periods: Conservation and efficiency efforts can help to develop a
community and landscape that is more resilient to drought conditions. Through support of drought
planning and implementation of proactive mitigation efforts, the actions proposed in this Plan can help
to reduce vulnerability, protect economic health, and ease the effect of drought on individuals,
businesses, and landscapes.
Prepare for climate change: Climate change may have significant impacts on both water demands and
water supplies in the time frame of this plan. It is anticipated that climate change in the Mountain West
will likely include the following changes: Increased evapotranspiration rates, increasing the water
required to maintain the landscaping; more frequent dry spells and a longer growing season; increased
variability in seasonal snow pack; earlier spring snowmelt and runoff; changes in the distribution of
precipitation throughout a given year. These changes are expected to accelerate over the decades
ahead and impacts may depend largely on factors such as population growth, economic growth and
technological changes. Utilities will likely face significant challenges in the years ahead managing both
water demands and water supplies. With many uncertainties regarding both water supply and demand,
it is prudent to prepare for a wide range of conditions in the future. One example of the importance of
efficiency efforts is that without conservation and/or significant changes in landscaping choices, outdoor
water use will likely increase over the coming decades as customers strive to maintain their landscapes
in a hotter and longer growing season. Furthermore, an approach that also includes planning for
adequate reservoir capacity to help balance the swing in supplies available between wet and dry periods
Reduce costs:
Direct utility costs: Efficiency programs decrease water and wastewater treatment costs as it
reduces the amount of chemicals and energy used to produce, deliver, and heat water.
Customer costs: water bill, but also the cost of energy to heat water, and landscape related
costs including the cost to maintain, like labor costs, fertilizer and other landscape-related
product costs.28
Long-term costs: decisions about water supplies, treatment/distribution capacity needs, storage
facilities are all made in consideration of projected water demand and peak capacity.
In addition to these savings, Fort Collins Utilities has benefited financially from conservation in two
notable ways:
28 These costs may also represent larger environmental costs as run-off from landscapes can affect water quality
and ecosystem health.
26
Halligan Water Supply Storage project size: The original Halligan Reservoir enlargement planned
allotment for Fort Collins was 12,000 acre-feet, which was in part based on the 2003 planning
demand level of 185 gpcd. Among other factors considered in the permitting process, the role of
conservation and the downward trend in gpcd (current planning demand level = 150 gpcd)
resulted in revising the enlargement downward to only 8,125 acre-feet, which is approximately
a 68% reduction and represents a $6.1M savings in project costs.
Extra Water Treatment Facility capacity: A Water Treatment Facility (WTF) is designed for peak
demand. The Fort Collins WTF was last expanded in 1999, prior to the significant increase in
conservation efforts prompted by the 2002-03 drought. The total WTF treatment capacity of 87
MGD is estimated to be at least 23% larger than the expected build out in 2035 peak demand (~
20 MGD). In 2013, the City of Fort Collins Utilities entered into an agreement with Fort Collins-
Loveland Water District to sell FCLWD up to 5 million gallons per day (MGD) in excess water
treatment capacity. The financial benefits of this agreement include the associated plant
investment fee of $12.6M and a treatment charge of about $2 per thousand gallons.29
Delay of capital expansion projects: Decreased wastewater flows have delayed the expansions
of the Drake Water Reclamation Facility treatment capacity from 2010 to 2028.
3.2 WATER EFFICIENCY GOALS
This plan’s overarching goal is to reduce water demand to 130 gpcd by 2030. Our progress toward this
goal will be consistently monitored; an updated Water Efficiency Plan will be developed no later than
2024 (7 years from the anticipated CWCB 2017 submission date). Figure 3.1 illustrates the projected
water demand level if this water efficiency goal is met, the current 140 gpcd by 2020 goal in the 2010
Water Conservation Plan, and the current 150 gpcd Planning Demand Level used in water supply
reliability planning, along with historic and projected population. Figure 3.2 is a graph of gpcd levels,
rather than total volume. This figure shows the historic gpcd levels along with our goal level and the
projected trend in use that will achieve that goal. Chapter 4 describes the strategies for achieving this
goal.
29 In addition to the benefits to the City of Fort Collins Utilities, Fort Collins-Loveland Water District will be able to
defer expansion of their current treatment facility and/or construction of a new water treatment facility.
Additional information on this agreement can be found in the City of Fort Collins City Council agenda and materials
from the October 1st, 2013 regular City Council meeting.
27
Figure 3.1 Water efficiency goals, demand and population
28
Figure 3.2 Historic GPCD and New Conservation Goal
29
4.0 SELECTION OF WATER EFFICIENCY ACTIVITIES
The Utilities Water Conservation Team uses its mission and three overarching objectives to select the
programs, projects, and approaches used in our daily efforts. These will ultimately guide our path to
achieving our water efficiency goal of 130 gpcd by 2030 and align our work and efforts with those of the
Utilities, the City and the State.
Water Conservation Team Mission: Cultivate a water efficient, adaptive, and knowledgeable customer
base through education and cost-effective water efficiency programs while supporting the City’s
strategic plan and its social, environmental, and economic health.
Water Conservation Team Objectives:
Water Efficiency and Conservation – provide water for beneficial purposes while reducing
unnecessary use and waste.
Customer Service – provide exceptional service for an exceptional community
Technical Support – provide technical expertise to customers and City staff
4.1 SUMMARY OF SELECTION PROCESS
4.1.1 SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA
Fort Collins has a robust water conservation approach with a number of conservation activities that
have been implemented for years. We intend to continue the water efficiency activities, in some form,
within our current portfolio of programs. These programs are likely to evolve over the years and the
exact specifics of each are subject to change as a result of changing legislation, regulations, technology,
customer preferences, appliance/fixture saturation rate, and Utilities/City plans. For example, the state
of Colorado has passed legislation (Senate Bill 14-103) that mandates that any plumbing figure sold in
the state must meet WaterSense standards by September 2016; this includes lavatory faucets, toilets,
urinals, and showerheads. This change will likely affect our current approach to incentivizing customers
to swap out old efficient fixtures for new, efficient ones.
In addition to a review of our existing activities, new and innovative activities were researched. Potential
activities were identified from a number of sources including the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s
technical resources, the Colorado WaterWise Guidebook of Best Practices for Municipal Water
Conservation in Colorado30, a broad literature review, exploration of other utility case studies, and input
from Utility staff, the City of Fort Collins Water Board, the community, the Water Conservation staff, and
a Water Efficiency Plan Technical Advisory Group, consisting of several City departments as well as
community members. This process not only identified activities, but also processes and tools that have
the potential to help improve all activities.
The activities identified in this plan represent the best choices at the time. Technology, regulations,
efficiency standards, market saturation, customer preferences and other factors are likely to change
before this plan is updated and are sure to change during the course of the planning horizon (2030). We
will continue to monitor the effectiveness and appropriateness of current activities while also exploring
30 http://cwcb.state.co.us/technical-resources/best-management-practices/Pages/main.aspx
30
new programs. The City of Fort Collins utilizes a two-year budgeting cycle called Budgeting for
Outcomes, which determines funding for Water Efficiency activities by, in part, evaluating the proposed
activities against the City’s strategic outcomes. We are therefore potentially constrained in terms of the
activities we can undertake; the funding must be available and approved by City Council.
4.1.2 PRIORITIZATION PROCESS
Each of the potential activities will be prioritized using the following qualitative screening criteria.
Program Effectiveness: This combines the estimated water savings with the estimated program
costs: How effective is the activities in terms of gallons of water saved per program dollar spent?
Staff Resources: How labor- and time-intensive is the program? Do we have the staff resources
to properly support the program?
Customer Preferences: Does this activity meet the needs and wants of the Utility water service
area customers? Does this activity support the social and economic health of our customers?
Participation Level and Reach: How many customers could be impacted by this program? What
types of customers does it reach? Is it engaging previously unengaged customers?
Alignment with other Utility and City objectives: Does this program support activities in other
areas of the Utility and the City? Does it help achieve Utility and City strategic objectives?
4.1.3 POTENTIAL NEW DEMAND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
In addition to continuing the existing set of water conservation and efficiency activities listed in Section
2.3 and described in greater detail in Appendix B, we identified five areas of opportunity for developing
new programs and approaches. Each highlights an area with great potential to expand and increase
water efficiency and great potential to better meet the needs of our customers. Each of these areas also
supports specific strategic outcomes and objectives in the City’s Strategic Plan; these are listed in
Appendix C. In this process we also identified three implementation principles that will guide the
development of any new programs and strategies; these are detailed in Section 5.1.
Areas of Opportunity
x Leverage Advanced Meter Fort Collins data and capabilities
x Promote and support greater outdoor water efficiency
x Encourage greater integration of water efficiency into land use planning and building codes
x Expand commercial and industrial sector strategies
x Increase community water literacy
Table 4.1 highlights a few benefits of each identified area, a few potential activities that fall into each
area, as well as a brief description of an existing practice within the area.
31
Table 4.1 Areas of Opportunity
Leverage Advanced Meter Fort Collins data and capabilities
Aligns with City Plan Strategic Objectives: 3.9, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 7.9, 7.10
Benefits
• Increased customer
understanding of water use
• Greater connectivity to
customers
• Increased customer
benefits through web portal
information and tools
• Less confusion and fewer
bill surprises
Potential Activities
• Monitor My Use & High
Bill/Use Alerts
• Improved leak detection
• Near real-time identification
of savings and inefficiencies
• Craft easy-to-understand,
targeted water-savings
actions based on data and use
patterns
Example: The
continuous consumption
uses AMI data to detect
likely leaks; we alert
homeowners so that
they can fix the leak and
avoid damage and high
bills. In 2015 we reached
out to 980 customers.
Promote and support greater outdoor water efficiency
Aligns with City Plan Strategic Objectives: 1.11, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 7.5
Benefits
• Reduced peak season and
peak day demands, which
impact system capacity
needs and long-term
planning
• Customer benefits through
lower bills, increased
aesthetics and home value
• Fewer wasting water
issues/complaints
Potential Activities
• Residential and Commercial
sprinkler audit programs
• Xeriscape Incentive Program
• Customer and Contractor
training series
• Interactive demonstrations
• Educational Water budget
tool
Example: In 2014 we
provided over 400
sprinkler system audits,
with an estimated
potential savings of
32
Expand commercial and industrial sector strategies
Aligns with City Plan Strategic Objectives: 3.5, 3.6, 4.7, 4.8, 5.10
Benefits
• Increased water savings
due to scale of projects
• Enhanced business
partnerships
• Support ClimateWise
program
• Enable greater economic
health
Example Activities
• Custom commercial rebate
program
• Benchmarking
• Targeted industry-specific
campaigns and outreach
• Address tenant/owner
incentive misalignment
Example: In 2013 the
custom commercial
program helped replace
two pools filters, which
are estimated to have
nearly 800,000 gallons
per year.
Increase community water literacy
Aligns with City Plan Strategic Objectives: 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 7.4
Benefits
• Customer has greater
understanding of role in the
water system
• Increased customer
understanding and support
of Utilities’ actions and
decisions
• Increased cooperation
during difficult conditions
Example Activities
• Improved and expanded
messaging strategies
• Identify new approaches to
education and outreach
• Develop innovative methods
to strengthen K-12 water
literacy curriculum
Example: In 2014 we
began providing Home
Water Report to select
customers; these display
usage information,
comparisions to similar
homes, and provide
efficiency tips.
Households receiving
the reports reduced
their use by 2%.
We also highlight a few other promising areas, in addition to our current program and the types of
activities identified in the Strategic Objectives sections, that we plan to explore in the coming years.
33
M36 Audit & Other Leak Monitoring Initiatives: A significant way to reduce water loss, reduce
bills and repair expenses, is a robust portfolio of leak detection, monitoring, and notification
initiatives, including those that address leaks within our distribution system, private property
leaks that occur prior to the meter and result in non-revenue waste, and continue to expand and
enhance our beyond-the-meter Continuous Consumption Program. The Utilities is also in the
process of incorporating the American Water Works Association’s M36 Audit process to ensure
“the accountable and efficient management of water supplies” by the Utilities.32
Rebate and Incentive Programs: We aim to ensure that the rebate level is based upon data-
driven estimates of the water savings that results from the appliance, fixture, or technology
change. This process will also include an approach to phase out or adjust program specifications
once Colorado becomes a WaterSense state in September 2016. We also want to expand the
reach of our programs to help more customers, either through community partnerships or new
approaches to outreach and marketing. We will explore how to reach more low-income or
otherwise disadvantaged households, rental units, and multi-family units.
32 The M36 represents a National standardized approach to water supply system audits that accounts for all water.
http://www.awwa.org/portals/0/files/publications/documents/toc/m36ed3.pdf
http://oawwa.org/SDWA%20Presentations/2013/Water%20Audit%20Presentation,%20November%204,%202013.
pdf
34
5.0 IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING
5.1 IMPLEMENTATION
The following principles serve as guidance to implementing existing and new activities. We believe these
principles will help to improve effectiveness of our programs, help to achieve our water efficiency goals,
and keep our actions in alignment with our overall mission. These principles are also in alignment with
several Strategic Objectives in the City Plan, including 3.9, 7.4, 7.5, 7.10, and 7.11. These are further
described in Appendix C.
Employ sophisticated data-driven processes and decision-making
Cultivate new and bolster existing community and statewide partnerships
Benefits
• Greater trust in the Utilities
• Expanded capacity and reach
through project partners
• Support economic health
• Stronger network of conservation
partners
Example Actions
• Expand conservation support for nearby water
districts
• Expand work with higher education institutions
• Increase public-private projects, like an
industry-specific water efficiency conference
• Participate in and contribute to statewide
conservation efforts, (e.g. Colorado
WaterWise, Colorado Foundation for Water
Education)
Coordinate and support symbiotic efforts within Utilities and across the City
Benefits
• Decisions supported by data
• Improved accuracy of water savings
estimates
• Increased overall portfolio
effectiveness
• Increased program savings and reach
through use of behavioral science
principles
h
Example Actions
• Targeted and tailored programs
• Marketing and Communications
• Streamlined, consistent program
tracking and reporting
• Develop and monitor targeted
metrics to support targeted goals
Benefits
• Improved consistency and
reduced redundancy across City
efforts
• Simplified processes for
customers
• Greater synergies in the water-
energy nexus space
Example Actions
• Resource Conservation unification in Utilities
• Collaborate with efforts of Environmental
Services, Planning, Natural Areas, Community
Engagement, Nature in the City, Housing and
Development, Parks, among others
35
5.1.1 EVALUATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Each year existing activities will be evaluated and adjusted to ensure that they are performing well –
both internally and externally – and that they are meeting our goals and objectives. Any new programs
will be subject to a holistic vetting process, by bringing in internal stakeholders from other areas of the
Utilities and the City to ensure consideration of multiple viewpoints and create organization-wide
awareness and support for the new program.
Part of the support for existing new program development will stem from the Utilities’ new Program
Management Office, which is tasked with launching Utilities activities in a way that is well planned, well-
resourced and sustainable. New programs will be developed through a process that includes several key
stages. New programs will need clearly stated goals and objectives. Models will be developed to test the
viability of the proposed program in meeting water savings and other goals. These models will likely lay
the groundwork for metrics that will measure the effectiveness of the programs. Once a proposed
process starts to become clear, risk assessment and a business case will be developed to strengthen and
validate the proposed conservation program or activity. Proposed processes will be mapped and
documented and roles of staff will be assigned. Internal and external stakeholders will be engaged to
ensure consideration of multiple viewpoints, create organization-wise awareness and support for the
new program, and to make sure the program is supported by our customers.
The programs that ultimately are implemented will be a function of the budgeting process. The City of
Fort Collins uses a Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO) approach, which is based on the premise of prioritizing
funding for results, rather than focusing on funding inputs and costs. This method shifts the focus from
paying for costs to buying results, and emphasizes accountability, innovation, and partnerships. This is a
two-year cycle, with the next preparation phase starting in 2016 for the 2017-18 budget cycle. In order
to fund new water efficiency programs, we will need to show that the program can deliver results. These
results most importantly include improved water efficiency and sustained water savings.
5.2 MONITORING
We cannot monitor or improve what we do not measure. The benefits of monitoring include:
Feedback as to whether or not conservation activities are affecting change.
Identification of programs that might not be cost-effective relative to other programs or to
developing new supply.
Clarity of alignment with goals and if a given program warrants expansion, modification or
termination.
Improvement of modeling of supply needs.
Illustration of savings by various customer segments
Tracking of participation based on customer class and other factors to help verify programs are
accessible to all types of customers
Prioritization of program development funding and expansion
While the main goal of this plan is identified in terms of gpcd (a common metric used throughout the
water industry that captures community water use changes at a high level) we intend to also focus on
more specific and targeted metrics.
36
These tracking metrics may include but are not limited to:
Water savings estimates with breakdowns by seasonal vs. baseline, consumptive vs. non-
consumptive, treated vs. raw
Direct and indirect energy savings associated with water saved
Landscape changes, including the amount of irrigated landscape; annual amount of audited
landscape
Total participation in programs and events, number of new participants, types of participants –
including type of customer based on customer class, sociodemographic categories, geographic
location, etc.
Customer use of the Monitor My Use web portal, mobile, and other online tools and alerts
How effectively events, educational and informational strategies lead customers to participate
in a program; if participation in one program leads to participation in other programs
37
GLOSSARY
1-in-50 Year Drought Criterion - criterion adopted in the current Water Supply and Demand
Management Policy that defines the level of risk for the City’s water supply system; a drought is a period
of below average runoff that can last one or more years and is often measured by its duration, average
annual shortage and cumulative deficit below the average; a 1-in-50 drought corresponds to a dry
period that is likely to occur, on average, once every 50 years; although the Poudre River Basin has
several drought periods in its recorded history, it is difficult to assess whether any of these droughts
were equal in magnitude to a 1-in-50 drought; the 1985 Drought Study developed the 1-in-50 drought
used in assessing the Utilities water supply system; this drought period is six years long and has a
cumulative deficit of 550,000 acre-feet, which represents annual river volumes that are about 70% of
the long-term average for the Poudre River; see also “Statistically Based Drought Analysis”
Acre-Foot or Acre-Feet (AF) - volume of water equal to about 326,000 gallons; one acre-foot can supply
around three to four single family homes in Fort Collins per year; for storage comparison the maximum
volume of Horsetooth Reservoir is about 157,000 acre-feet
Active Capacity - the usable capacity of a reservoir for storage and regulation of inflows and releases
that does not include any capacity below the reservoir’s lowest outlet (which is known as dead capacity)
Carryover - used in reference to storage; it is the ability to save water in storage for use at a later time,
most notably in following years
Colorado-Big Thompson (CBT) Project - a Bureau of Reclamation project that brings water from the
Colorado River basin to the east side of the continental divide via a tunnel and the Big Thompson River
to several locations including Horsetooth Reservoir; operated by the Northern Colorado Water
Conservancy District (or Northern Water); Fort Collins Utilities currently owns 18,855 units of the
310,000 total units in the CBT project
Direct Flow Rights - water rights that can be taken for direct use, as opposed to storage rights that can
be taken for later use; see also “Senior Water Rights”
Drought Criterion - The drought criterion states that in a 1-in-50 year drought the Utilities should be able
to meet the planning demand level. This is an important criterion because not only will demands often
be higher in drought periods due to less precipitation, water supply systems generally will also yield less
water. The Utilities has used a 1-in-50 year drought criterion since the original 1988 Water Supply Policy.
ELCO - short for East Larimer County Water District
Evapotranspiration - the combination of the water lost (evaporate) to the atmosphere from the ground
surface, evaporation from the capillary fringe of the groundwater table, along with the plant
transpiration, which is evaporation of water from plant leaves. Evapotranspiration is affected by
temperature, relative humidity, wind and air movement, soil moisture availability, and the type of plant.
For more information see: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleevapotranspiration.html
38
FCLWD - short for Fort Collins-Loveland Water District
Firm Yield - a measure of the ability of a water supply system to meet water demands through a series
of drought years; for the Fort Collins Utilities, this means being able to meet the planning demand level
and storage reserve factor through the 1-in-50 year drought criterion; see also “1-in-50 Year Drought
Criterion”, “planning demand level” and “storage reserve factor”
GMA – short for Growth Management Area, which is the planned boundary of the City of Fort Collins’
future City limits
gpcd - short for gallons per capita per day; a measurement of municipal water use; for the Fort Collins
Utilities, gpcd is calculated based on the total annual treated water produced at the Water Treatment
Facility for use by all Water Utility customers (minus large contractual customers and other sales or
exchange agreements) divided by the estimated population of the Water Utility’s service area and 365
days
Legal Return Flows or Return Flow Obligations - refers to legal requirements when changing water rights
from agricultural to municipal use; this process requires obtaining a decree from Colorado Water Court
that involves detailed analysis of the historic agricultural water use, including the water diversions,
amount used by the crops, and the return flow patterns of the water not used by the crops; terms in the
decree to prevent municipalities from taking more water than was historically taken and replacing
return flows in the right amount, location and time to prevent injury to other water rights
LiDar: This is a remote sensing technology that can be used in large-scale landscape analysis.
Northern Water or NCWCD - short for Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD);
Northern Water operates the Colorado-Big Thompson (CBT) Project and is involved in several other
regional water projects on behalf of their participants; see also “Colorado-Big Thompson (CBT) Project”
NPIC - short for North Poudre Irrigation Company; an irrigation company that supplies water to farmers
north of Fort Collins and is the owner of all water currently stored in Halligan Reservoir
Planning Demand Level - level of water use (demand) in gpcd used for water supply planning purposes
that is a factor in determining the amount of water supplies and/or facilities needed; see also “gpcd”
RWR – short for Raw Water Requirements, which requires new development to turn in water rights or
cash-in-lieu of water rights to support the water needs of that development; cash is used to increase the
firm yield and long-term reliability of the City’s supply system (e.g., purchase additional storage
capacity)
Senior Water Rights - refers to Colorado water law’s use of the “prior appropriation” or priority system,
which dictates that in times of short supply, earlier water rights decrees (senior rights) will get their
water before others (junior rights) can begin to use water, often described as “first in time, first in right”
39
Storage Reserve Factor - refers to a commonly used engineering principle in designing water supply
systems to address short-term supply interruptions; as defined in the Water Supply and Demand
Management Policy, the storage reserve factor incorporates having 20 percent of annual demands in
storage through the 1-in-50 drought which equates to about 3.5 months of winter (indoor) demands or
1.5 month of summer demands
Water Rights Portfolio - the mix of water rights owned by a water supplier; typically includes water for
direct use, as well as for storage for later use; for the Fort Collins Utilities, includes City owned water
rights, owned and/or converted shares in agricultural rights, storage rights at Joe Wright Reservoir, and
ownership in the CBT project
WSDMP - short for Water Supply & Demand Management Policy, which provides Fort Collins Utilities
guidance in balancing water supplies and demands
Yield or Water Rights Yield - refers to the amount of water that is produced from a water right; the yield
of water rights vary from year to year depending on the amount of water available (i.e., low or high river
runoff) and the priority of the water right; see also “Firm Yield” and “Senior Water Rights”.
40
APPENDIX A: MATERIALS RELATED TO CHAPTER 1
The following are descriptions of the various water supplies currently in the Utilities water supply
portfolio:
Poudre River Basin Water Rights:
Senior Direct Flow Decrees: The City has five very senior direct flow decrees on the Poudre River
that are available to the City most of the time. Only in very severe dry periods are the diversions
limited.
Junior Direct Flow Decrees: These junior rights are only in priority during the peak runoff period
when most of the other rights on the Poudre River have been satisfied. In dry years, the City
may not be able to divert anything under these rights.
Pleasant Valley and Lake Canal Shares: The City owns a substantial portion of the shares in this
mutual irrigation company. The amount of water the City is entitled to divert to meet treated
water demands depends on the number of shares the City designates for such use and which
priorities owned by the irrigation company are in priority during the season.
Southside Ditches: The City owns shares of stock in the Arthur, Larimer No. 2, New Mercer and
Warren Lake irrigation companies, often referred to as the Southside Ditches. With 13 separate
priorities, yields vary considerably from year to year. Much of the yield comes from a couple of
large junior rights and normally only yields during the high runoff months of May and June.
Michigan Ditch and Joe Wright Reservoir System: This system consists of a ditch that diverts
water from the Michigan River drainage across the divide into the Poudre River Basin, Joe
Wright Reservoir and storage capacity in Meadow Creek Reservoir. Joe Wright Reservoir
includes about 6,500 acre-feet of active storage and is the only storage facility owned and
operated by the City. There are usually periods during the peak runoff season in which the
reservoir is full and Michigan Ditch water is available if it can be taken directly to meet demands.
Joe Wright Reservoir is used primarily to regulate the annual Michigan Ditch flows and has
limited carryover capacity to provide drought protection for the City. The City also has storage
capacity in Meadow Creek Reservoir, which is used to release water to downstream senior rights
on the Michigan River.
Water Supply and Storage Company Shares: The City owns about 27 shares in this irrigation
company. Since the City-owned shares are not presently decreed for municipal use, this water is
usually rented back for agricultural use.
Colorado-Big Thompson Water System:
41
Horsetooth Reservoir: Water from Horsetooth Reservoir, a part of the C-BT Project, can be
delivered to the City’s water treatment facility or to the Poudre River. The following sources are
available for use from Horsetooth Reservoir.
Windy Gap Water: The City receives Windy Gap water from Platte River Power Authority (PRPA)
as payment for 4,200 acre-feet of reusable effluent made available to PRPA by the City. The
reusable effluent is the result of a Reuse Plan that involves the City, PRPA, and the Water Supply
and Storage Company (WSSC). The 4,200 acre-feet of Windy Gap water is dedicated for large
contractual use that requires reusable water. As part of the Reuse Plan, the City is required to
deliver 1,890 acre-feet of single use water to the WSSC.
North Poudre Irrigation Company (NPIC) Shares: The City currently owns about 3,564 shares of
NPIC. Each share consists of native water supply (which is primarily decreed for agricultural use)
and 4 units of C-BT water. Unless the agricultural portion of each share is changed for municipal
purposes, the City can only use the C-BT portion of the shares to meet treated water demands.
West Fort Collins Water District (WFCWD) Water: Through an agreement with the WFCWD, the
City provides treated water to their customers and in return, gets reimbursed with an equivalent
amount of C-BT water. In recent years, the amount transferred to the City has been about 500
acre-feet each year.
42
APPENDIX B: MATERIALS RELATED TO CHAPTER 2
Table: Collected Service Area Trends, 2001-2014
Year
Service
Area
Population
Annual Water
Use (MG)
Average
Day Use
(MGD)
Actual Use
(gpcd)
Normalized
Average Use
(gpcd)
Peak Day
Use (MGD)
Actual Peak
Day Use
(gpcd)
1 in 50
Normalized
Peak Day Use
Annual
Precipitation
(inches)
ETos
Grass Tot
(in)
2001 121,300 9,978 27.3 198 198 55.8 428 503 12.3 45
2002 123,700 9,599 26.2 183 189 51.4 378 411 9.3 47
2003 125,500 8,280 22.6 154 157 46.9 346 383 18.2 49
2004 125,800 7,984 21.8 146 150 42.3 307 327 18.1 44
2005 126,900 8,497 23.3 155 155 50.1 365 363 16.2 49
2006 127,800 9,268 25.4 172 156 48.9 353 350 11.2 51
2007 128,400 8,860 24.2 162 156 47.5 342 356 13.7 44
2008 128,700 8,352 22.8 153 153 44.3 321 333 13.8 50
2009 128,900 7,391 20.2 135 147 37.1 265 304 21.9 46
2010 129,000 7,830 21.4 146 144 40.8 295 323 14.1 48
2011 129,100 7,621 20.8 141 144 39.7 285 289 17.8 49
2012 129,200 8,757 23.9 165 152 46.8 342 315 10.8 54
2013 129,300 7,560 20.7 141 147 43 312 303 18.8 47
2014 130,200 7,437 20.4 139 143 37.2 269 288 16.7 47
43
The following are descriptions of the Current Water Conservation Program Activities, along with the first
year of full implementation.
Foundational Activities
Metering (2003): Commercial and multi-family units have been metered for decades; the
Utilities fully metered residential customers by 2003. The Utilities transitioned to advanced
metering infrastructure (AMI) in 2014, known as Advanced Meter Fort Collins (AMFC) The data
resolution is hourly intervals for water and 15-minute intervals for electric.
Conservation-oriented rate structures (2003) – Tiered rates (increasing block rate structure).
There are currently three tiers for residential single-family and duplex customers, one tier for
multi-family units, and two tiers and commercial customers.33
Seasonal rate structures (2003): Multi-family and commercial customers face higher rates from
May through October.
Monitor My Use (2014): this web-based portal was developed to provide customers near-real
time access to their historical and current electric and water usage and costs. The portal also
provides comparisons to the previous bill period, and illustrates which tier you are currently in.
There are alert-based features that a customer can use to provide automatic notifications when
they reach a certain usage level or cost level.34 A mobile version was launched in December
2014.
Online water use calculator (2012): Customers can use an online calculator with their household
parameters and historic water consumption to identify ways to improve efficiency and reduce
use.35
Utility water loss program (1993): Sonar equipment is used to listen for leaks in the water mains
and pinpoint their locations. Crews monitor water leaks on an ongoing basis, with a two-year
cycle to survey all water mains. Catching leaks before they have surfaced saves water and costs
of excavation and repairs, and supports the wasting water ordinance.
Continuous Consumption program (2015): this program developed a data query that checks the
meter data for meter readings that have continuously remained above zero for 72 hours.
Customers with the highest continuous flow rates are contacted to make them aware of the
continuous consumption and the likely leak. Staff troubleshoots with the customer to try to find
the source of continuous use.
33 For the most current residential rates see: http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/residential/rates/water. Multi-family
units are often not sub-metered and instead have a base charge which varies by the number of dwelling units.
Commercial customers’ rates are based on the size of the meter; this includes the base charge, the volumetric
charge, and the volume above which customers face the second-tier rates. See
http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/business/manage-your-account/rates/water for the most current rates.
34 This tool is only available for residential customers. Commercial customers currently have access to a different
tool called MV Web and the Utilities is exploring new methods and systems to address commercial customers’
needs.
35 Currently, the Utilities’ website provides a link to the following website developed by the Alliance for Water
Efficiency: http://www.home-water-works.org/
44
Targeted Technical Assistance and Incentives
Indoor Appliance and Fixture Rebates (residential and commercial):
Clothes Washer (2003): Available for eligible EnergyStar labeled clothes washers.
Dishwasher (started 2007): Available for eligible EnergyStar labeled dishwashers.
Toilet (2010): Available for eligible WaterSense labeled toilets and urinals.36
Showerhead (2011): Available for eligible WaterSense labeled showerheads.
Outdoor Equipment Rebates (residential and commercial):
Sensors (rain, soil moisture), high-efficiency nozzles, pressure-reducing heads, pressure
regulators, and smart irrigation controllers
Sprinkler system audits (1999): audits are offered to homeowners and homeowner associations
to help them improve sprinkler system efficiency.
Xeriscape design/incentive program (2010): provides homeowners a one-on-one consultation
with a landscape design professional for a small fee.
Home efficiency audits (2009): residential customers are offered an energy and water audit of
their home to identify equipment and actions that can improve efficiency for a small fee. Faucet
aerators and showerheads are installed at the time of the audit.
Commercial facility assessments (2004): facility audits are performed to assess water and
energy use and make recommendations for improved efficiency. During these assessments, low-
flow aerators are installed at no cost to the business.
Commercial custom rebates (2011): offered for any technology (e.g. cooling tower conductivity
control, leak detection and repair, fixture replacement, etc.) that has a documented water
savings from the current equipment.
Restaurant pre-rinse spray valve distribution (started 2011): low flow pre-rinse spray valves (to
rinse trays of dishes prior to washing them) are installed at no charge for restaurants and other
food service operations.
Low income retrofit program (2007): provides low income single- and multi-family households
with toilet, showerhead and faucet aerator retrofits. This work is often done in partnership with
Larimer County Conservation Corps.
Home efficiency loans/on-bill financing (2010): this program offers a low cost, no-money-down
financing option for up to 20 years. Loans are conveniently repaid by the customer through their
monthly utility bill.
36 The toilet rebate program also includes a mandatory toilet recycling component. The porcelain from recycled
toilets is used by the Streets Department as a road base.
http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/residential/conserve/water-efficiency/toilet-rebates/toilet-recycling
45
Educational Activities
Conservation public information efforts (1977): Information is disseminated via bill inserts, bus
benches, billboards, events, newspaper articles, TV and radio announcements, Utilities website
information, social media, and more. The team also serves as technical experts to help
commercial customers with water use or billing questions. Displays are set up at several
community events including the Sustainable Living Fair, Harvest Festival, Business Innovation
Fair and many others.
Community education programs (1977)37: These programs include the Educators’ workshops,
contractor trainings, and partnerships to put on other events like the Residential Environmental
Program Series. The Utilities also conducts educational programs about Xeriscape landscaping,
watering techniques and practices and general water conservation. A daily Lawn Watering Guide
is published in the Fort Collins Coloradoan and on the City’s website during the watering season.
Business education programs (2004): Programs are offered to commercial customers on a
variety of environmental topics, including water conservation. Staff provides newsletters,
mailings, meetings and seminars on topics of interest to specific businesses, such as restaurants,
hotels, car washes, landscapers, and key accounts.
K-12 education programs (1977): Presentations and hands-on activities are provided to school
classes on water topics, including the history of water in Fort Collins, water use and
conservation, water chemistry and watersheds. Fort Collins Utilities is a co-sponsor of the
annual Children’s Water Festival.
Watershed tours (2012): Educational bus tours of the Utilities’ Cache la Poudre watershed;
involves information about drinking water, protection of water resources, water quality, and
managing urban watersheds.
Home Water Reports (2014): These reports are delivered to a portion of customers on a bi-
monthly basis. The reports provide households with information on their current water use and
comparisons to historical use as well as similar households’ use.38
Xeriscape Demonstration Garden (1986): Staff oversees maintenance of the City's Xeriscape
Demonstration Garden and provides tours at organized events and upon request. We are also
partnering to support various demonstration gardens and other events at the Gardens on Spring
Creek.39
Hotel and restaurant conservation material distribution (2003): A three-card set is available for
hotels and other lodging establishments to inform guests about importance of water
conservation to our area and to encourage the reuse of towels and linens. Tent cards are
available for restaurants telling customers that “water is served upon request.”
Conservation kit giveaways (1990): Free conservation kits with indoor and/or outdoor water-
saving devices and information are offered periodically to customers during events.
37 http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/community-education
38 The Utilities implements a similar program (Home Energy Reports) for electric customers.
39 http://www.fcgov.com/gardens/
46
Ordinances and Regulations
Wasting water ordinance (1917) – staff enforces the section of the City Code that prohibits
wasting water. Wasting water complaints are investigated. Complaints are used as an education
tool, but enforcement by ticketing is also an option.40
Plumbing standards (1978): All construction within the City of Fort Collins shall comply with the
most recent International Plumbing Code, among other codes and standards.41
Landscape and irrigation standards (1994) - New development landscape and irrigation plans are
reviewed for compliance with the Land Use Code's water conservation standards. As part of
these standards, a rain shut-off device and a post-installation audit are required for commercial
sprinkler systems.
Restrictive covenants ordinance (2003) – City Code prohibits homeowner association covenants
from banning the use of Xeriscape or requiring a percentage of landscape area to be planted
with turf, if the homeowner owns the property and pays for the water that irrigations the
landscape.
Soil amendment ordinance (2003): requires builders to amend the soil for new landscapes.
Water Supply Shortage Response Plan (2003): This plan has a series of measures to be enacted,
including water restrictions, for various levels of water shortage.42
Water efficiency upgrades at City buildings (2010): The City is committed to building new City
buildings to the LEED standards; including water efficiency upgrades. Audits are conducted at
existing City facilities and upgraded water-efficient indoor fixtures and sprinkler system
equipment are installed. The City has a sustainability goal to reduce municipal building water
use (normalized to account for weather conditions), by 20% by 2020.43
Green building codes (2011)44: Existing building codes include many elements that support
green building; the code green amendments represent the next steps along the path of
integrating green building practices into mainstream construction. These codes include a
requirement for bathroom and kitchen faucet aerators, showerheads and toilets to not exceed
the flow rates of WaterSense labeled fixtures.
Parkway landscaping regulations (2013)45 – The City updated the Streetscape Standards to
include more flexibility to xeriscape the parkway, the strip of land between a residential street
and the sidewalk.
40 City Ordinance No. 089, last updated in 2014.
41 http://www.fcgov.com/building/codes.php
42 City Ordinance No. 088, last updated in 2014.
43 http://www.fcgov.com/sustainability/goals.php
44 http://www.fcgov.com/enviro/green-building.php
45 http://www.fcgov.com/planning/streetscapedesign.php
47
Other Activities
Raw water for City irrigation: Raw water is used to irrigate the majority of the City’s parks,
cemeteries, and golf courses.46
Large customer reuse (1985) – Treated wastewater from the Drake Water Reclamation Facility is
pumped to Rawhide Power Plant for landscaping and cooling water.
Backwash water recycling (2003): Backwash water recycling equipment at the water treatment
facility treats backwash water and recycles it to the beginning of the treatment process.
Program Participation 2010-2014 (does not include event attendance)
Program 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Clothes Washers 1249 1366 993 971 1058
Dishwasher 780 880 635 648 787
Residential Toilet 479 573 912 651 1004
Commercial Restroom -- 1 4 rebates;
443 items
16 rebates; 79
items
27 rebates;
249 items
Commercial Clothes Washer -- -- 0 1 0
Commercial Dishwasher -- -- 0 1 0
Commercial Kitchen Info Program -- -- 32 nozzles, 72
aerators
16 rebates, 79
items --
Custom Commercial Rebate -- 2 1 3 rebate;
14 items 0
Showerhead -- 21 27 25 73
Residential Sprinkler Equipment 164 118 137 rebates;
170 items
108 rebates;
880 items
97 rebates;
135 items
Commercial Sprinkler Equipment -- 15 56 rebates;
964 items
35 rebates;
2266 items
12 rebates;
165 items
Home Water Reports -- -- -- -- 10,000
Home Efficiency Audits 466 519 592 683 662
Residential Sprinkler Audits 449 331 232 394 232
FCLWD Audits 112 82 67 94 97
ELCO Audits -- -- 42 48 68
HOA Sprinkler Audits 5 12 14 13 11
Commercial Sprinkler Audits 2 1 0 0 0
Commercial Facility Water
Assessments 81 77 93 268 281
Low Income Retrofit Program -- 250 homes 275 homes 275 homes 482 homes
Xeriscape Design Clinic/Assistance 55 50 37 -- 46
Garden-in-a-box -- 68 63 74 --
Landscape Plan Reviews 29 49 54 73 59
Irrigation Plan Review 11 42 44 49 69
Irrigation Site Inspection 21 24 28 34 52
Home efficiency loans/On-bill
Financing 13 6 5 0 7
46 Many of these properties have only ever been irrigated with raw water, thus the “start” date varies.
48
APPENDIX C: MATERIALS RELATED TO CHAPTER 3
Water Efficiency and Conservation Activities and related actions support the following Strategic
Objectives from the City’s 2015-16 Strategic Plan.47
City of Fort Collins Strategic Objectives most relevant to Water Conservation Activities
Key Strategic Outcome: Environmental Health
4.1: Improve and protect wildlife habitat and the ecosystems of the Poudre River and other
urban streams.
4.2: Achieve environmental goals using the Sustainability Assessment framework.
4.6 Engage citizens in ways to educate and change behavior toward more sustainable living
practices.
4.7: Increase the community’s resiliency and preparedness for changes in climate, weather and
resource availability.
4.8: Protect and monitor water quality, and implement appropriate conservation efforts and
long-term water storage capability.
Key Strategic Outcome: Economic Health
3.5: Sustain high water quality to support the community and water-dependent businesses.
3.6: Maintain utility systems and services; infrastructure integrity; and stable, competitive
rates.
3.7: Support sustainable infill and redevelopment to meet climate action strategies.
3.9: Provide transparent, predictable and efficient processes for citizens and businesses
interacting with the City.
Key Strategic Outcome: Community and Neighborhood Livability
1.3: Direct and guide growth in the community through appropriate planning, annexation, land
use and development review processes.
1.11: Maintain and enhance attractive neighborhoods through City services, innovative
enforcement techniques, and voluntary compliance with City codes and regulations.
Key Strategic Outcome: Safe Community
5.10: Provide a high-quality, sustainable water supply that meets or exceeds all public health
standards and supports a healthy and safe community.
Key Strategic Outcome: High Performing Government
7.4 Strengthen methods of public engagement and reach all segments of the community.
7.6: Enhance the use of performance metrics to assess results.
7.9: Improve productivity, efficiency, effectiveness, customer service and citizen satisfaction in
all areas of the municipal organization.
7.10: Implement leading-edge and innovative practices that drive performance excellence and
quality improvements across all Service Areas.
7.11: Proactively influence policy at other levels of government regulation.
47 http://www.fcgov.com/citymanager/pdf/strategic-plan-2015.pdf
1
Water Efficiency Plan
Liesel Hans, Water Conservation Program Manager
ATTACHMENT 5
Work Session Outcomes
Direction Sought:
1. Does Council have specific feedback with regards to the Water
Efficiency Plan goals and objectives?
2. Is Council ready to consider adoption of the Water Efficiency Plan
by resolution in early 2016?
2
Utilities Water Demand Planning
3
1988
Water
Supply
Policy
1992
Water
Demand
Policy
2003
Water
Supply and
Demand
Management
Policy
2010
Water
Conservation
Plan
2015
Water
Efficiency
Plan
City Strategic Plan
Climate Action Plan
Water Efficiency Plan
Outline:
1. Water supply overview
2. Water demand overview
3. Planning & Goals
4. Plan for activities
5. Implementation &
Monitoring
6. Adoption & Approval
4
What We Do
5
Customer
Service
Water
Efficiency
Technical
Support
Water Conservation Program
Benefits
6
§ Financial Benefits
§ Ex: $6.1 savings on Halligan storage project
§ Foster a conservation ethic and commitment to
sustainability
§ Community and supply system is more resilient
to drought
§ Reduction in supply planning demand level
Role of Conservation
Planning Demand Level
7
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2030
Treated Water Demand
(million gallons)
Population (1,000s)
Treated Water Demand and Historic Planning levels
2003 planning demand level 2012 planning demand level
Historic Demand Historic Population
Projected Population
185 gpcd
150 gpcd
Water Conservation Goals
8
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gpcd (gallons per capita per day)
Weather Normalized Water Demand (gpcd)
Historic Normalized Demand
Water Conservation Goals
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gpcd (gallons per capita per day)
Weather Normalized Water Demand (gpcd)
Historic Normalized Demand
1992 Goal: 195 gpcd by 2010
Water Conservation Goals
10
0
25
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75
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2024
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2030
gpcd (gallons per capita per day)
Weather Normalized Water Demand (gpcd)
Historic Normalized Demand
2003 Goal: 185 gpcd by 2010
Water Conservation Goals
11
0
25
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75
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1992
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2018
2020
2022
2024
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2028
2030
gpcd (gallons per capita per day)
Weather Normalized Water Demand (gpcd)
Historic Normalized Demand
2010 Goal: 140 gpcd by 2020
Water Conservation Goals
12
0
25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
225
1992
1994
1996
1998
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2002
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2006
2008
2010
2012
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2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
2028
2030
gpcd (gallons per capita per day)
Weather Normalized Water Demand (gpcd)
Historic Normalized Demand
2015 Goal: 130
gpcd by 2030
2015 Goal
13
0
25
50
75
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2030
gpcd (gallons per capita per day)
Weather Normalized Water Demand (gpcd)
Projected Demand to reach new goal
Historic Normalized Demand
2015 Goal: 130
gpcd by 2030
Areas of Opportunity
14
Leverage Advanced Meter Fort Collins system
capabilities and data
Promote and support greater outdoor water efficiency
Encourage greater integration of water efficiency into
land use planning and building codes
Expand Commercial and Industrial sector strategies
Increase Community Water Literacy
Implementation Principles
15
Make smart, data-driven decisions
Partner with community and statewide orgs
Partner within Utilities and across the City
THANK YOU!
Community Engagement
Technical Advisory Group & Presenters
Boards and Commissions
• Water Board
• Energy Board
• Planning and Zoning Board
• Parks and Recreation Board
• Natural Resources Advisory Board
Key Stakeholders
• Associated Landscape Contractors
of Colorado
• Rocky Mountain Fly Casters, a local
chapter of Trout Unlimited
• Save the Poudre
• Northern Colorado Home Builders
Association
NOTE: Utilities will continue presentations through January 2016
Next steps
Outreach
Finalize Plan
Draft Return for
Resolution
17
Oct 2015 – Jan 2016
Oct 2015 - Feb 2016
Feb 2016
Work Session Outcomes
Direction Sought:
1. Does Council have specific feedback with regards to the Water
Efficiency Plan goals and objectives?
2. Is Council ready to consider adoption of the Water Efficiency Plan
by resolution in early 2016?
18
Many of these overlap with several of the Areas of Opportunity or warranted some additional
explanation, and thus are discussed in greater detail below.
Rate Structures: Prices send a value signal to customers and help customers determine how
they value using water. Rate structures are also designed to cover the cost of providing
service.31 Therefore it is important to balance both sides. Along with the Finance team, we
intend to explore new means of incentivizing the efficient use of water while supporting
revenue requirements.
New and Re-Development Incentives & Requirements: There are a variety of decisions made
throughout the development and re-development process. We aim to further explore and
support ordinances or regulations like low water use landscape requirements, tap fees and
incentive programs that are more aligned to encouraged efficiency from the start, irrigation
taps/requirements, greywater ordinances and systems, and more.
31 This includes operational costs (like treatment costs), maintenance costs, and capital costs.
30MG. The cost-
effectiveness of this
program is about $1.20
per 1,000 gallons saved.
Encourage greater integration of water efficiency into land use planning and building codes
Aligns with City Plan Strategic Objectives: 1.3, 1.11, 3.7, 4.7, 4.8
Benefits
• Increased efficiency of
development
• New development will lead
by example
• Less waste from pursuing
retrofits of new
development
• Reduced impact of
population growth
Example Activities
• Landscape requirements and
incentives for new
development
• Contractor education and
trainings
• New and re-development
plan review requirements
• Require WaterSense
appliances and fixtures
Example: Beginning in
2012, the City’s Green
Building Code mandates
WaterSense toilets and
other fixtures in
residential and
commercial facilities;
this is estimated to save
between 20-25%
annually.
saving upgrades ($ based on savings) 0.15 $15,000 $1,000 25 $25,000 $40,000 2,500,000 7.7 $5,213 3
Water Conservation Plan 36 Fort Collins Utilities
drought periods. Either water conservation or storage by itself, while beneficial, would not
provide the same level of flexibility and drought resilience.
Water Conservation Plan 27 Fort Collins Utilities
Outside City Customers 260,401 216,004 199,958 199,470 221,041 211,186
Indoor vs. Outdoor Water Use
Precipitation levels and daily temperatures during the watering season cause water use to vary
considerably from year to year. For Fort Collins, the chart below shows the percentage of water
used indoors versus outdoors per year. Indoor water use remains fairly consistent while outdoor
water use fluctuates. Close to 40 percent of the annual water use is for outdoor watering between
April and October.
Water Conservation Plan 16 Fort Collins Utilities
Kelly Scholl Kellow, Horticulturist
Seasonal Staff
Wendy Anderson
Nadia Iranpour
Kyle Schroeder
Dylan Smith
Terra Smith
Andrew Vogel