waterwise The The official official publication publication of of Colorado Colorado WaterWise WaterWise
The Voice of the Colorado Water Conservation Community
www.coloradowaterwise.org
In this issue... Colorado WaterWise Update - page 3
Water Education
Green Schools Make Pg. 3 Colorado Watera Difference - page Live Like You Love7 It!
Bioswale Solves Drainage and with Pg. 9 Interview Overwatering Ray Tschillard Problem - page 10 Non-Revenue Water: Pg. 13 Water Efficiency All Flows are Cash Workshop Flows - page 13 ColoradoWaterWise.org
Pg. 14 Interview with Gary Klein
Fall 2017
s r o t i d e e h t From Fall is the time to wind down from the busy season and reassess projects, evaluate them and celebrate accomplishments where we can. This issue brings you some of the innovative things going on in Colorado and one from across the country. Innovation, collaboration and adaptation are the gold standard. While some areas are getting record rain, others are on fire and still others facing drought. This was Colorado’s story in 2012 and 2013, proving that those of us producing water and those using it must constantly adapt. Meet Will Jernigan, from Cavanaugh who lead Colorado WaterWise’s water loss workshops a couple of years ago. Cavanaugh is doing some great things in water loss in Ashville, NC. Colorado WaterWise is preparing a great program for annual symposium in October and early bird registration is open. See details and what else Colorado WaterWise is doing with Live Like You Love It!
Ruth Quade Leslie Martien Darren Nowels
WaterWise is the official publication of Colorado WaterWise and is published four times a year (Mar, Jun, Sep, and Dec). Articles are due one month before the newsletter comes out. Officers: Co-chairs: Amelia Nuding-Western Resource Advocates & Frank KinderColorado Springs Utilities Co-secretaries: Diana Denwood-Aurora Water & Lindsey Bashline-Loveland Utilities Co-treasurers: Lyndsey Lucia-Northern Water & Renee Davis-Denver Water Board Members: The officers above and Laura WingCity of Thornton; Becky Fedak-Brendle Group, Alyssa Quinn-Platte Canyon, Ruth Quade-Greeley; Darren NowlesCenter for ReSource Conservation; Rose Marie Clouse-City of Fountain; Kurt DeLucero-ALCC & Becky Hammond; ALCC. Newsletter Committee: Editors, Leslie Martien, Ruth Quade, Natalie Stevens (designer) & Darren Nowels. For advertising sales or to submit a story: Ruth Quade, 970-3509874, ruth.quade@greeleygov.com. WaterWise articles may be reproduced in other publications with credit given to the author and Colorado WaterWise. The viewpoints of the authors are not necessarily those of the Colorado WaterWise. This newsletter is intended to spark dialogue about various issues concerning water resources and conservation in Colorado. Any advertisement of or reference to a product or service is not intended as an endorsement.
On the cover, Monarch Butterflies flock to the Butterfly Bushes at Greeley's Xeriscape Garden. Photo by Janice Cancino.
Colorado WaterWise Ongoing Meetings Second Thursday of each month - 10 a.m. to noon
ColoradoWaterWise.org
LoveColoradoWater.org
WHAT’S NEW WITH COLORADO WATERWISE? By Amelia Nuding and Frank Kinder, Co-Chairs, Colorado WaterWise Colorado WaterWise continues to deliver the programs that our members have told us are valuable, and we’ve added new programs this year, all highlighted below. We’ll be looking for new board members in 2018, so please consider joining us! It’s a great opportunity to connect with colleagues in the water efficiency world, and a unique (and productive!) professional development opportunity. Keep your eyes open for the application period coming up near the end of the year. Members are always welcome to join our meetings, so please check us out. We look forward to connecting with you at one of our events soon! • NEW! Our award winning water education campaign Live Like You Love It now has an online shopping cart. Currently you can buy tee-shirts and stickers, and more products will be coming soon. Visit lovecoloradowater.org and click “SHOP” or visit companycasuals.com/cowaterwise/start.jsp • NEW! Webinars are a new offering this year. The August webinar is about Turf Replacement program in Lafayette CO in partnership with the Center for Resource Conservation. Catch it live August 30th at 2 PM by registering for it here; coloradowaterwise.org/event-2622804. If you’re a member, you have access to our previous webinar(s), such as the RESNET Water Efficiency Rating Webinar held in May. • UPCOMING! Annual Symposium – coming up October 24th in Denver, with a focus on landscaping, innovative partnerships, land use and water policy, and outreach and education. We dropped the prices this year as a reflection of the lowered costs we were able to secure, and we’re passing the saving on to you! Please join us this year. Early bird pricing continues through September 22nd. http://coloradowaterwise.org/ page-1839860 • We hope you are enjoying our Monthly Update emails to keep our community more informed about upcoming events, jobs and topics of importance. • Lunch N Learns – In July we hosted our second Lunch N’ Learn, featuring CWW member DropCountr and had a great discussion about using data to engage customers and achieve water savings. Stay tuned for more upcoming Lunch N Learn.
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Enter the #Hike4Water Contest 14,000 Feet
Explore where your water comes from and Live Like You Love It with #Hike4Water! Colorado 14ers collect the snow that melts and flows miles and miles to become your hometown’s water supply. The Colorado Rockies not only provide water to about 5 million Coloradans, but also to people living in 18 other states. Prizes include:
$100 Bass Pro Shops gift card and other great prizes 1. FOLLOW. You must first follow @lovecoloradowater and @watereducationCO on Instagram and Facebook. 2. POST. Using Instagram or Facebook, post one (1) photo of you hiking a 14er in Colorado, tagging @lovecoloradowater and @watereducationCO. Be sure to include #Hike4Water. Contest is open July 15 through Sept. 17, 2017. Visit our Facebook and Instagram accounts for full details.
Sponsored by:
Check out the Colorado Water 14er Tips at LoveColoradoWater.org and learn more about where your water comes from at YourWaterColorado.org. WaterWise
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Fall 2017
LIVE LIKE YOU LOVE IT CAMPAIGN UPDATE
By Laura Wing, City of Thornton
The Colorado Water – Live Like You Love It campaign continues to elevate Coloradans’ knowledge about the water in their beautiful State. Colorado WaterWise launched the campaign in 2014 and develops new outreach materials for our members each year. The Welcome Toolkit, which includes logos, factsheets, ads, a video and website, is available for Colorado WaterWise members to use in their water education and outreach efforts. The Partner Toolkit includes all Welcome Toolkit items plus 7 factsheets, 2 bus ads and additional graphics. Indoor and Outdoor Water Conservation fact sheets in Spanish and over 60 graphics were added to the Partner Toolkit in 2017. View the complete LLYLI Material list online. Colorado WaterWise also partnered with the Colorado Foundation for Water Education to launch a #Hike4Water contest on social media this year. Campaign partners like Colorado Ski Country USA, Northern Water, and the cities of Greeley, Colorado Springs, Loveland and Fountain provide the funding to keep this effort flowing. To become a Campaign Partner, please visit lovecoloradowater.org/join.
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GREELEY WINS AWWA NATIONAL WATER TASTE TEST The American Water Works Association has announced in June that the City of Greeley won the thirteenth annual “Best of the Best” Tap Water Taste Test. Thirty-four winners from regional taste tests across North America competed against one another at the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE17) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The People’s Choice award winner, as determined by the conference attendees, was also awarded to the City of Greeley. There were almost 1,000 entries for the People’s Choice competition with conference attendees sampling and casting a ballot for the best tasting water. This is the first time in history that a municipality has won both awards in the same year. Visit greeleygov.com/water for more information about Greeley’s water system.
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GREEN SCHOOLS MAKE A DIFFERENCE By Frank Kinder, Colorado Springs Utilities As part of its mission, Colorado WaterWise (CWW) partners in co-promotion with entities that address water efficiency. Schools are important urban water users, present great efficiency opportunities, and have the ability to engage children in learning about water. Many CWW members actively partner with school districts and universities to address water use, and many projects involve students and the community. To hear how some of that happens, don’t miss this year’s Green Schools Summit on November 2nd and 3rd! The Green Schools Summit is Colorado's only conference dedicated to convening green building industry professionals, school decision makers, educators and parents to advance healthy, safe and sustainable schools statewide. The annual education and networking event, hosted by USGBC Colorado and organized in partnership with volunteers from the Green Schools Initiative, provides a unique opportunity to discuss how we can create better learning environments for students. This year's Summit theme is "Making Green Schools Add Up" and programming will focus on resource efficiency in schools. Early bird pricing ends September 22nd. Register here: cogreenschools.org. Data analysis is a hot topic in water efficiency, with government and business working together to achieve new paradigms of water management. The Arc1 + School Districts: Data Driven Engagement session will focus on water, and will be presented by speaker and moderator, Gautami Palanki from USGBC and a panel of Colorado School Districts participating in Arc. This session will bring together a panel of sustainability leaders from the participating school districts to share case studies, lessons learned and next steps. Center for Green Schools In 2016, The Center for Green Schools at USGBC launched a program called Arc + Schools to collaborate with school districts, to track performance of their buildings, benchmark with their peers and share feedback with USGBC along the way on the Arc platform. The intent of the program is to understand how to best support school district sustainability efforts across all three pillars: building performance, health and wellness and sustainability literacy. Get more information about the program. The United States Green Building Council targets water efficiency among many other attributes for land use and building science. Look for future articles detailing these green building elements. To learn more, contact Kathryn Lovda, Project Manager, Communities, U.S. Green Building Council at klovda@usgbc.org or 847-894-0770. 1 Arc is a software tool that schools use to communicate their energy, water and natural gas use to the students, staff and administration.
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Fall 2017
LANDSCAPES OF PAST AND FOR THE FUTURE WITH PLANT SELECT®
By Ross Shrigley, Plant Select®
Plant Select® is celebrating 20 years of introducing, evaluating and promoting plants to Colorado and adjoining states in the steppe region of North America. Think back if you were here in Colorado and know this if you weren’t. In the 1980s, there were no listed gardeners in the Yellow Pages of the phone book. Annual beds were the prominent garden style in parks. Irrigation manufacturers had recently developed plastic pop up spray heads which would water gardens more gently than the impact rotors developed for agriculture. Drip irrigation was just beginning to be adopted, but not yet used on the mature, boring landscapes of junipers, roses, lilacs, trees and lawns. Back then, when a person looked at a landscape, they measured its beauty by the effort of maintenance and water put into that landscape. Beauty was not really measured by the plants’ natural beauty or the forethought of color coordination and deliberate placement of larger plant material. People recognized a great landscape by how green it was which is actually a measure of how much water was thrown at it. Other evaluations were that if it had at least one tree in the middle of the lawn; if the grass was trimmed level throughout the property including under fence lines and if the junipers were sheared nice and tight. Extra credit was offered if the flowering shrubs (roses and lilacs) were close to walk ways but not overgrown. That was the reality of the 1980s from which Plant Select® was born. Fast forward to 2017, and look at all the landscape possibilities! Most Coloradoans (including myself) would have never believed that the bright, vibrant colors of ice plants could even exist, much less thrive as a perennial in Colorado. They even outrank many annual flowers because they conserve water and bloom almost as long.Furthermore, Plant Select® promotions have educated the public about great Colorado native plants.Plants such as Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany offer beautiful texture, conserve water and are unique in urban landscapes. Their presence in our landscapes somehow anchor us to the nature we enjoy on mountain camping trips. Columbines used to be considered wild flowers, rarely seen in the urban landscapes. Now they are a staple garden perennial. Blonde Ambition blue grama is a selection of Colorado’s state grass. How great is that? We are promoting a couple of grasses that are true natives of the plains of North America!Twenty years ago people only liked big ornamental grasses, but by choosing to promote selections of our natives we are being environmentally responsible while brightening our lives. Of the 148 Plant Select® plants promoted over the past twenty years more than half of them are North American Native plants. Landscape designers, architects and city planners can achieve very pleasant plantings that conserve water, reduce maintenance and bring communities together through unified cityscapes appropriate for the steppe region. Plant Select® looks forward to growing the Colorado plant palette in years to come for everyone to creatively plant and enjoy. WaterWise
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Fall 2017
THE WATER EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT ACT Americans use large quantities of water inside their homes. The average person uses between 80 and 100 gallons of water a day, and approximately 70% of that water is used indoors – flushing toilets is the largest use of water, followed by showers and baths. To increase water efficiency in homes and improve water conservation efforts, the EPA launched the WaterSense program in 2006. This voluntary public-private partnership has transformed the market place for water-efficient products and services, and the WaterSense label has become a symbol for water efficiency and a trusted resource for consumers. Products that earn the WaterSense label perform as well as or better and use at least 20% less water than standard models. These products come in a variety of styles and price points so that WaterSense labels are available for the design and cost needs of all Americans. Since 2007, more than 21,000 product models of faucets and faucet accessories, showerheads, flushing toilets, urinals, irrigation controllers, and pre-rinse spray valves have been WaterSense labeled. These WaterSense approved products have helped to save 2.1 trillion gallons of water – more than the amount of water used by all U.S. households for 75 days! By using less water, less energy is needed to heat, pump, and treat water. WaterSense has helped to reduce energy consumption by 285 billion kilowatt hours, enough energy to power 26.3 million homes for an entire year. The combined savings of WaterSense products has saved consumers $46.3 billion dollars in water and energy bills! The Water Efficiency Improvement Act of 2017, led by Senator Udall [D-NM] and co-sponsored by Senator Portman [R-OH] authorizes the WaterSense program for the first time. With the support of conservation groups, clean water organizations, Plumbing Manufacturers International, and the Irrigation Association, this bill will ensure that this smart and popular program will permanently help Americans save water and reduce energy consumption for future generations. From the office of U.S. Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico, tomudall.senate.gov WaterWise
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Source: EPA Annual WaterSense Report, 2016 Fall 2017
BIOSWALE SOLVES DRAINAGE AND OVERWATERING PROBLEM By Ruth Quade, City of Greeley Collaboration is important in any endeavor. Several City of Greeley departments and a couple of HOA’s worked together to solve a multitude of issues. A situation between two homeowner’s associations (HOA) presented itself where a perfect storm of factors contributed to a shallow sinkhole. The factors were: • a storm drain installed decades ago entrenched in unsuitable bedding material (by today’s standards) • overwatering turf by HOA • Trees planted in the easement causing roots to further penetrate pipe In order to avoid a similar situation in the future, Greeley’s Stormwater division collaborated with Water Conservation to propose to the homeowners a total drain replacement and landscape restoration. The project began in 2016. Stormwater bid the pipeline replacement and requests for proposals from landscape architects. Several meetings with homeowners to discuss the issues and needs of the homeowners were scheduled. Although homeowners wanted a similar turf/tree landscape, the team made it clear, if the HOA wanted that, they would need to pay for it. Russel + Mills Studios won the bid and presented three conceptual designs ranging from pocketed areas of bioswales to a 30 to 40 foot bioswale the entire length of the easement. The homeowners settled on the middle option of a continuous bioswale ranging in width from 10 to 30 feet. Greeley’s Forestry staff were consulted and trees planted in the easement were either removed or relocated in February 2017. Replacement trees, for those that were removed, were selected and located. The existing pipe was removed and a 60 inch pipeline installed with a 6 inch perforated pipe located above the large pipe. The bioswale was contoured and the dry streambed, boulders and irrigation system was installed or repaired from demolition. The plantings along the streambed were submetered and controlled separately from the existing irrigation system. Plants came next along with the drip irrigation. Crusher fines walkways were installed on either side of the bioswale to accommodate homeowners walking and also to ease the lawn mowing. Although the planning began in 2016, start to finish the project was approximately six months with the concentration of disruption to the HOA being from the beginning of June to the end of July. Goals of the project were to: • • • • • •
Replace collapsed pipeline Remove trees from easement Reduce surface flooding Reduce turf and therefore water consumption Create habitat for birds and pollinators Be an attractive pilot project of Xeric and native plantings
The project is essentially completed. The irrigation system was repaired where it was torn up and grass that was being watered by the irrigation system reinstalled. A solar powered control clock was installed and interpretive signs are being designed using the Colorado Water –Live Like You Love It colors and graphics by Watermark Advertising. Monitoring of the water consumption after establishment is the next step. Approximately 16,500 square feet of bluegrass was replaced with xeric plantings. The projected water savings is 65 percent over five years. WaterWise
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Fall 2017
interview
A Spotlight on
WILL JERNIGAN Will Jernigan is a Director with Cavanaugh, and is Co-Chair for the North American Water Loss 2017 Conference. WW: Tell us a little about yourself. I am a husband, dad, musician and water loss expert, in that order. I also have a large number of 1980s movie quotes and references in my head, which is not very useful. WW: How did you get started in your business? I came to work with Cavanaugh after graduating from the Environmental Engineering program at NC State. Cavanaugh specializes in innovative work, so I have had the good fortune to get immersed in the water efficiency work for many years now. Cavanaugh’s path into this field traces back to the 1990s involving a USAID project to investigate leak detection technologies in Romania. It started many years ago for me with simply conducting water audits for small towns and cities in North Carolina. That grew to statewide programs in Georgia, then California, now I am working on nine state programs and with city-level water loss programs all across the country. WW: Regarding water conservation, what do you feel are the biggest challenges facing Colorado? Balancing the needs of the environment and the needs of population and demand growth. WW: What regulatory measures do you think will have the biggest impact on water and/ or conservation? I am seeing the biggest impacts in those states where mandates for auditing and efficiency improvements are put in place, but not without support – i.e. funding to provide the water systems with the resources they need to meet the mandate and prime the pump on their own internal programs.
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Interview with Will Jernigan The biggest challenges facing Colorado is "balancing the needs of the environment and the needs of population and demand growth. ”
WW: What technology(s) do you think will have the biggest impact on water and/or conservation? Trick question! I think it is a combination of technologies and business practices/behaviors. Great example: AMI metering systems that provide reams of data are not very powerful if they are only used to generate bills. Just like our brains, I think we don’t leverage the full power of the technologies that exist today, let alone those of tomorrow. For conservation, I think the biggest movement of the needle remains on practices and behaviors which are improved with awareness. WW: What has given you the most satisfaction during your career? Overall, I think the statewide work has been very fulfilling, as it has such a broad-reaching effect. Second to that, I would say heading up the inaugural North American Water Loss Conference in 2015 as the first dedicated water loss event in the US. It was a success by several measures, and will be followed by a second event in 2017 (December, San Diego). That event to me is an indicator of the industry’s readiness to propel forward with water-loss management programs. WW: Beyond work, what other interests do you have? Passions, goals, missions? Family? Pets? Hobbies? I have two children – seven and three which is a notable blend of fun and work. Family is where most of my time gets dedicated when I am home in Asheville from travelling across the country. WW: Any last thoughts you’d like to share with our readers? I am thankful every time I get a chance to be in Colorado, which feels kindred to Asheville. Also, hope to see you at NAWL! northamericanwaterloss.org
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Fall 2017
NON-REVENUE WATER: ALL FLOWS ARE CASH FLOWS
By Will Jernigan, P.E., Cavanaugh
Water Loss Control, Leak Detection, Non-Revenue Water. As a water industry professional, you’ve probably heard these terms pop up several times. Maybe you’ve been asked, “What are we doing to control water loss?” The focus is shifting from demand-side (customer) focused conservation, to supply-side (distribution system operational) water efficiency. When asked to quantify water loss, a general manager’s typical response may be something like, “We are less than 10 percent, which is the industry average” Or “Our losses have been holding steady for years, and we just put in a new work order tracking system which helps us respond to leaks faster.” If pushed hard enough, the question will make its way to staff responsible for water conservation activities, the distribution superintendent or maybe the water resources engineer or billing manager, who is asked to “verify” the stated water loss percentage. Wherever the task lands, a water loss tracking spreadsheet is typically pulled out, updated, and after the last data field is entered, predictably spits out a percentage similar to the last time. (Or maybe staff discovers, like one Southern California agency did earlier this year, that with the droughtdriven drop in water sales, it appeared to be selling more water than it was producing.) A quick check of the flow meter at the treatment plant and a call to the billing department to make sure they have the right time period matched up reveals nothing helpful. At a subsequent board meeting, our hypothetical GM reports that the staff has validated the previous estimate of less than 10 percent water loss, aware this is hardly the best answer. (It’s important to note that there is no industry standard percent water loss number. Percentages can be easily skewed by customer conservation or other changes in demand and can be highly variable across different sizes and utility profiles.) Apparent Versus Actual AWWA Manual M36-Water Audits and Loss Control Programs defines water loss as the difference between the volumes of water supplied to a system and authorized consumption within that system. Total water loss is defined as the sum of apparent and real losses. Apparent loss can result from inaccuracies associated with metering errors, systematic data handling errors, data gaps, misreported data, unauthorized consumption (theft), estimated volumes due to lack of metering, and similar nonphysical (paper) losses. Real losses are physical water losses that can result from leaking water mains and service connections, storage tank overflows, water flow from damaged pipelines and the like, reported or not. Although the terms water loss and non-revenue water are commonly misused interchangeably, they are not the same. Non-revenue water is the sum of apparent and real water losses combined with the volume of water used for fighting fires, water main flushing, fire flow testing and similar unbilled authorized consumption. Water loss control begins with accurately categorizing the nature and volume of a system’s apparent and actual losses. The Water Loss Audit Conducting an annual water audit using the AWWA Free Water Audit Software is the best way for a utility to identify and categorize volumes of water entering the system while simultaneously assessing the system’s efficiency and the utility’s water accounting practices. Built on the methodology detailed in Manual M36, the software makes it easy to identify, measure or estimate the volume, and assess the value of all water sources, consumption, and losses. The software includes a planning guide with suggestions to improve data validity, control apparent losses, and plan leakage control management activities based on audit results. WaterWise
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A water audit can be completed by the in-house water system staff, a consultant, or a combination of the two. The best way to prepare is to assemble a team from the departments that own the data and understand its origin/derivation such as engineering, billing, distribution system maintenance, and finance. The audit process gathers water supply data, meter inventory and testing data, billed and unbilled water consumption and metering data, and system operations data, including length of mains, number of service connections, pressure, and operating costs. As this data is compiled, the auditor assigns data “grades” which are reflective of the utility’s business and data management practices. A standardized grading matrix is used by the auditor to select the appropriate data grade for each input on a scale of 1 to 10. For systems just getting started—as a small system in California’s Central Valley discovered—the software provides several default values and allows for entering estimates. Systems just beginning to understand their data often find data grades of five or lower are common. Similarly, fully metered systems are learning that a proactive meter-testing program is required to get data grades above eight. Once all data grades have been assigned, the software calculates an overall data validity score between 1 and 100. This score represents the overall reliability of the entered data, as well as the extent of water loss control best practices employed by the utility. Validation Versus Auditing Validation can occur at graduated levels of effort and outcomes. As defined by Water Research Foundation project 4639 (2016), Level 1 validation is an examination for correct application of the audit methodology including errors evident in summary data and to confirm data grading applications. Level 2 investigates raw data and archived reports at a deeper level to ensure the best sources of data have been used. Level 3 focuses on bolstering data reliability through instrument accuracy tests, pilot leak detection studies and similar field tests. Currently in California, Georgia and Hawaii, Level 1 validation is required for annually submitted AWWA water audits. A Level 1 validated water audit provides the foundation for developing an economically sound water loss control program focused on the true nature and extent of a system’s losses and their financial impact on utility operations. To validate an audit, the water loss expert reviews the data entered and the associated data grades, and discusses business and operational practices with the audit preparation team. Validation does not make data inputs or grades “right” or “wrong” but merely aligns them with the actual conditions that occurred in the operation of the utility for the audit year. Any discrepancies noted during validation are discussed between the audit team and the validator, and documented in a validation report. The initial outcome of Level 1 validation is a better understanding of the data and business practices informing the water audit. The examples are numerous. One water system discovered a billing system error during its audit validation and was subsequently able to correct an inaccuracy that resulted in thousands of dollars of lost revenue. Another system identified a source metering configuration that was misrepresenting the volume of water entering the system. Yet another system used its water audit to communicate the need for, and value of, a targeted leakage detection and monitoring capital project, resulting in millions of gallons of water saved. Utilities that embrace the M36 methodology, and use their validated water loss audits to pursue an economically based water loss control program are true stewards of the resource, and are able to confidently answer the question, “What are we doing to control water loss?”
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NON-REVENUE WATER MANAGEMENT IS SMART BUSINESS FOR THE CITY OF ASHEVILLE By Will Jernigan, P.E., Cavanaugh and Brandon Buckner, Meter Services Manager City of Asheville Water Resources Nestled near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in western North Carolina, the City of Asheville has much to boast about – including quality of life, a vibrant arts culture, and more microbreweries per capita than any U.S. city (that’s roughly 100 local beers). In fact, the Asheville area recently became home to the second brewing sites for Sierra Nevada and New Belgium. Part of the draw for these breweries (apart from the population’s demand for beer) has been the area’s water – which comes in plentiful supply and of the highest quality. Which makes for an interesting case study when it comes to managing water loss (water extracted from the rivers or aquifers but lost largely due to aging infrastructure). Those headlines are usually dominated by the cities in the western arid states. Enter the City of Asheville, who has put themselves on the national water loss management map despite having no constraints on available supply and no mandating regulation forcing them to address it. The City of Asheville formally launched its Non-Revenue Water (NRW) program in 2012, instituting practices to identify, analyze and ultimately reduce NRW across the system. Cavanaugh provided initial support to the City in getting the program up and running and has assisted the City in moving the NRW program into advanced practices including leakage component analysis, economic analysis of losses for target setting, zonal metering analyses for leak detection prioritization, and large meter testing support. Visit the Colorado WaterWise website for the full case study.
ALL CALL FOR NAWL
The 2nd biennial North American Water Loss Conference (NAWL 2017) will be held December 3rd-5th in San Diego this year, marking another significant step forward in the water loss industry in North America. NAWL 2017 will be hosted by the California-Nevada Section, AWWA, in partnership with the Alliance for Water Efficiency, AWWA, and the US EPA. The inaugural NAWL, held in Atlanta in 2015, drew over 500 attendees from 37 US states, 3 Canadian provinces, and 15 countries around the world. The conference will be held at the Paradise Point Resort, a destination hotel on Mission Bay in the heart of San Diego. The conference schedule includes Sunday social activities to welcome attendees, followed by 2 days of densely packed industry leading speakers and sessions on developing water loss policies, water auditing & validation, economic target setting, reducing apparent losses, controlling leakage, optimizing network pressure, and tracking performance. Over 100 speakers will present on the latest North American water loss practices including utility, consultant and regulatory perspectives. The program will also include innovative Learning Modules designed for those seeking more of a classroom learning environment. The conference will also feature an Exhibit Hall with 55 leading technology and service providers for water loss management. Keynote speakers will include Peter Grevatt, Director of US EPA Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water, and Felicia Marcus, Chair of the California State Water Resources Board. Make your plans to join NAWL 2017 in San Diego at northamericanwaterloss.org. WaterWise
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AUGUST IS A GREAT TIME TO PRUNE TREES By Becky Garber, Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) We often take trees for granted. We forget they are the most expensive part of our landscapes. And if we're not caring for them properly, we're not protecting our long-term investment. • Many mature trees are worth thousands of dollars. As trees grow, they increase property value and add curb appeal. • If a large tree dies, you can't go out and replace it with one of the same size as it will take years to grow another one as large. • Plus, every tree helps keep us alive. The average tree removes 48 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year while creating enough oxygen for 2 people to live an entire year. To protect your investment in trees, make sure they are examined and pruned as needed. Many trees have put on substantial growth this summer, to the point of being overgrown. They have been affected by the past 3 years' worth of tough weather beginning with the November 2014 freeze followed by a super wet spring that may have created fungus problems. Plus, we've had Mother's Day storms two years in a row that broke branches. If your trees have not had much attention since these weather events, now is the time to make sure they receive the TLC they need to face another winter. They may also need thinning so they can handle heavy snows without breaking. Starting in August, it's a good time to prune so your trees are set for the winter months ahead. There are 4 main problems that should be addressed when pruning #1 - Dead branches. They are generally the easiest to see because they have no leaves. It's dangerous to leave them in the tree because they are more easily broken in wind and from the extra weight of heavy snows. #2 - Storm damage. After storms, there are often limbs that are completely detached, but still hanging in the tree. Falling limbs can injure people and create property damage and should be removed right away. Broken, but attached branches should also be removed. #3 - Branches hitting structures. Branches that touch and rub against the house, gutters, windows, fences or hang over the street and sidewalk or are near powerlines, can cause damage and should be removed. #4 - Where the tree is damaging itself. When branches are rubbing against one another, both will be damaged and the problem needs to be resolved via pruning. When there is too much interior growth within the tree blocking out the sun, the tree should also be thinned. On younger trees, pruning is often done to shape the tree as it grows Use these cooler days of summer to get your trees prepared for the snow and wind season. And remember, if you don't have proper safety gear to protect yourself or can't prune while standing with both feet on the ground, it's time to call in a pro. Tree pros have the equipment and the expertise to do the job properly. WaterWise
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TAP-IN COLORADO PROMOTES INNOVATION By Frank Kinder, Colorado Springs Utilities Two of Colorado WaterWise’s 5 C’s are Connecting Stakeholders and Collaborating with Partners. In that spirit, Tap-In Colorado offers unique entrepreneurial engagement platform for the CO water industry that includes various partners whom are joining together to help solve challenging issues. The goal is to harness business, government, and non-profits for invention, innovation, and solutions. If you eat, drink, live, work, or play in Colorado, you are part of the Colorado water community. Colorado’s faces some difficult water challenges, and the vitality of our state hinges on finding solutions. TAP-IN, a reverse pitch innovation challenge, puts the problem before the solution. It puts the end user before the entrepreneur (literally). It puts the partnership before the product. At TAP-IN, creative collaboration sits front and center. There is tremendous potential to innovate in the water sector. The Mission The mission of TAP-IN is to provide the platform for Coloradans to “tap in” to the creative current that flows throughout our state to solve our greatest water challenges. TAP-IN starts with the real-world problem and calls upon our diverse innovation community to collaborate and partner to solve it. What is TAP-IN? Entrepreneurs are used to pitching ideas to potential investors, businesses, and customers. With TAP-IN, the t ables are turned! End users from the water community pitch their specific challenges to entrepreneurs, equipping them with valuable insight into real needs, while revealing potential open markets prime for entrepreneurial solutions. TAP-IN is a reverse pitch innovation challenge that aims to identify the precise problems the water community faces and to engage the entrepreneurial community to come up with innovative solutions. The goal is to build connections across communities to unleash the power of Coloradans collaborating. TAP-IN focuses on shifting problems into potential solutions; creating space for new ways of thinking; connecting disconnected communities; and ultimately cultivating a vibrant, high-impact water innovation ecosystem. Goals and Tools TAP-IN aims to support a high-impact water and innovation ecosystem in Colorado that results in action and solutions. This is being accomplished through community dialogue events, reverse pitch innovation challenge events, and connecting people to resources. TAP-IN will hold a variety of community dialogue events to launch the discussion about the water innovation nexus and connect Coloradans to build networks across sectors. TAP-IN will hold a variety of community WaterWise
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"TAP-IN aims to support a high-impact water and innovation ecosystem in Colorado that results in action and solutions. " dialogue events to launch the discussion about the water innovation nexus and connect Coloradans to build networks across sectors. The reverse pitch events are where disconnected communities get connected and problems shift into potential solutions. It is where we do what we do best as Coloradans – we tackle challenges and lead the way. TAP-IN aims to create a community of passionate problem solvers and offer them support, resources, and connections to move solutions forward. TAP-IN is working on partnerships with established accelerator programs to offer tailored water innovation opportunities. An opportunities report will be created once ideas are collected. The report will synthesize the information from the pitches and dialogue at TAP-IN events in 2017 to use as a tool and next steps guide for potential solutions. Why Colorado? The water sector’s complex challenges hit the nexus of numerous sectors: agriculture, energy, transportation, manufacturing, public health, outdoor recreation and tourism, business, and education – all key pillars of a thriving economy. So, aligning the precise problems with the accurate solutions is essential. Innovation and “outside the box” creativity will be critical components, but the most innovative and creative solutions won’t make a difference if they aren’t harnessed in the right way for the right problem – if we haven’t asked the right questions of the right people. Colorado has an opportunity like no other state – we are the headwaters region, meaning that water originating in Colorado flows to 18 downstream states and is the supply for millions of people. This opportunity to be a leader with our water resources is also our greatest responsibility. And to fulfill these roles, we need to create a thriving water and innovation ecosystem in Colorado. Luckily, Colorado is the epicenter of today’s innovation conversation. In 2016, Colorado ranked 5th for Startup Activity and 7th for Growth Entrepreneurship in the U.S. We have the highest rate of young entrepreneurs in the country. Colorado is home to the first Startup Weekend and the largest free Startup Week in the world. And, U.S. News & World Report ranks Colorado’s economy as #1. Colorado’s Water Plan calls for connecting the entrepreneurial, innovation, and business community with the water community to tackle our state’s water challenges. TAP-IN aims to foster this connection as an initiative of Colorado’s Water Plan and to ensure that we protect what we know and love about our state into the future. Have Ideas? Contact Tap-In to get involved, visit Tapinco.org.
WaterWise
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ON THE RIVER WITH DAVID OWEN
By Diana Denwood, Aurora Water In his new book, “Where the Water Goes,” Owen uses his reporter’s lens to briefly explain the many challenges of the increasingly complex world of Colorado water. He discusses the infrastructure that makes transbasin diversions possible, agricultural irrigation systems, international contracts, and the history of Colorado River water law–“The Law of the River”–in digestible detail. The theme that shocked me as a water conservation specialist is just how insignificant the impacts of urban water conservation are on the Colorado River system as a whole. Agriculture, not lawns, are the true water guzzlers of the Colorado River Basin. Owen quotes Denver Water’s CEO, Jim Lochhead: “[Denver Water] serves a quarter of the state’s population and over a quarter of the state’s economic activity, yet we use only two percent of the state’s water.” I wrote up Aurora Water’s conservation annual report this year and was so proud of the millions of gallons that my team has saved over the past three years that I sent the report to my parents. But here was the fact in black and white: even significant conservation efforts by the urban Front Range has only a marginal impact on overall water use in Colorado. It was a small blow to my ego. As urban water utilities don’t have a significant agricultural customer base, we cannot assist with conservation of water resources in the industry that uses the most water. Conservancy districts, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, basin roundtables and other organizations are equipped to work with farmers to identify needs and conservation strategies. Great; let’s save some water! But of course it’s not that easy. Owen introduces us to the paradoxical relationship between water conservation and the environment. Fixing a leaky water system–as the Bureau of Reclamation did by lining 23 miles of its All-American Canal in California–can have unexpected adverse effects. By eliminating the leakage of about 70,000 acre-feet annually, Reclamation got more water to San Diego but also dried up a fragile Mexican wetland and ended the regular flushing of salty groundwater. Although he doesn’t presume to provide solutions, Owen provides a useful view of the many facets of this complex issue all in one place. Overwhelming, but useful. It’s a great read for those interested in Colorado water. WaterWise
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NEWS AND NOTES Colorado WaterWise Colorado Water: Live Like You Love It Campaign lovecoloradowater.org Join-network-participate with Colorado WaterWise coloradowaterwise.org Colorado Water Conservation Board - Drought Update Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado September 14: Southern Chapter Happy Hour September 28: Northern Chapter Happy Hour Irrigation Boot Camp Volunteers are also needed to assist in the classroom. Contact Becky Garber at 720 307-5093 for details and dates. Audubon Rockies Get Audubon’s latest newsletter Oppose rolling back protections, rafters begin River Champions & Habitat Heroes plant 3 demonstration gardens Center for Project Wet Download the Clean and Conserve Activity Guide for Educators North American Water Loss Conference December 3-5 San Diego CA northamericanwaterloss.org
AWWA & RMSAWWA Oct. 30–Nov. 2: Water Infrastructure Conference & Exposition Houston, Tex. Nov. 12–16: Water Quality Technology Conference® & Exposition; Portland, Ore. March 25-28, 2018: Sustainable Water Management Conference; Seattle, WA rmsawwa.org Colorado Foundation for Water Education Land and Water Tour, Data Webinar and Regionalization Workshop October 10: Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference yourwatercolorado.org American Water Resources Association (AWRA) September 10-11 International Conference September 13: Groundwater Droughts – A Tale from a Few Aquifers November 5-9: Annual AWRA Conference registration open awra.org Plant Select September 6, 2017 Plant Select Annual meeting. New book Pretty Tough Plant is available for order! plantselect.org
NCWCD 2017 Fall Field Day September 15 registration@northernwater.org Northern Water’s 2016 Annual Report is now available northernwater.org
WaterSmart Innovations October 4-6 watersmartinnovations.com Water Research Foundation Latest Project Updates waterrf.org Metro State University Documentary from CWCB and One World One Water Center Doing More With Less: The Challenge and Opportunity of Water Efficiency New and Renewing CWW Members Major Sponsor
RMSAWWA June 11, Annual Conference & Expo - rmsawwa.org WaterWise
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