• Improve the quality of your soil through proper fertilization and aeration practices.
• Mulch when you mow and leave the clippings on your lawn.
• Upgrade your sprinkler clock.
• Reschedule your sprinkler timer at least monthly and when weather changes.
• Use hose timers for manual irrigation.
• Install a rain shutoff device on your automatic sprinkler system.
• Harvest rainwater.

• Don't throw away your kitchen scraps - add them to the compost pile. Kitchen scraps are typically high in nitrogen, which helps heat up the compost pile and speed up the composting process. Egg shells, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peels and scraps are all outstanding materials to add.
• If you're composting with a compost pile, bigger is often better. Heat builds up with a big pile. You don't want to get much bigger than about 3 feet by 3 feet though.
• Keep your compost aerated! If you are composting with a tumbling composter, make sure you turn it whenever you add new materials. If you are composting with a pile, or in astatic (non-tumbling) compost bin, be sure to mix up the contents so that the pile gets oxygen and can break down effectively.
• Don't let the compost completely dry out. A compost pile needs moisture to keep the composting process active.
• Don't keep your compost too wet so that it gets soggy and starts to stink. Just as too dry is bad, too wet is also something that you should avoid.
• Too much of any one material will slow down the composting process. If you have all leaves, all grass clippings or an overload of any other single type of material, it can throw off the balance of the pile. In general, it's good to keep a mix of green and brown material.

• Watch for runoff and avoid watering streets and sidewalks.
• Your irrigation clock should separate drip stations from sprinker stations because plants have different watering needs than grass.
• Drip systems should run longer than sprinkler systems because they deliver water more slowly. Determine the amount of time to water base on the rate of flow of your drip emitters.
• Wilted or dead leaves are a sign that your plants are stressed. If you see these signs, check the soil moisture. If soil stays wet long after watering, you might be over watering. Water less often or for less time. Overly wet soil could also suggest poor drainage. Try aerating to allow more water to get to the plants' roots.
• If the soil is dry, check that all emitters are working. If they are, increase the watering time or add emitters only near the stressed plants.
• Flush the drip irrigation lines and filters every time you change your irrigation schedule.

• Proper soil preparation and maintenance will help to build healthy soil and vigorous, deep-rooted plants. These plants are more resistant to disease, tolerate some insect and drought damage, and will choke out many weeds.
• Plant more drought resistant species.
• Use gray water irrigation water sources.
• Ration water to your high value plants and trees first. If there is sufficient water, move on to the moderate and low value plants. Some plants can survive on a small amount of water delivered once per week.

• Repair leaks. An inch-a-day leak in a 15-by-30-foot pool can waste approximately 102,000 gallons per year!
• Reduce pool and spa water temperature. Warmer water evaporates more quickly.
• Manually clean your filter. You'll do a more thorough job and use less water. The average backwash uses between 250 to 1,000 gallons of water - without completely cleaning your filter!
• Limit diving, splashing and water fights to reduce splash-out.
• Maintain proper chemical levels and adequate circulation time. Not oly will your pool water be safer and cleaner, but you'll avoid the need to drain your pool or use excessive water to correct conditions of neglect.
• When you are filling your pool, be sure to keep an eye on your water level. Forgetting to shut off fill water can make for a costly waste of water.
• Plug the overflow line when the pool is in use. Keep the pool water in the pool.
• Turn off the tile-spray device on your automatic pool cleaner. Its splashing invites evaporation losses, and over spraying can send water right out of the pool! A good deal of that spray evaporates before it hits the tile.
• Reevaluate the frequency of backwashing if your pool has no separation tank. Most people backwash more frequently than necessary. This wastes water. Some pool filters do not have to be backwashed at all; they can be taken apart and cleaned, even though this process is less convenient.

• Install a rain shutoff device
• Harvest rainwater
• Check for and repair leaks.
• Maintain your sprinkler heads and valves.
• Avoid oscillating sprinklers and sprinkler heads that produce mists or fine sprays. These devices result in evaporation losses.
• Use buckets rather than a hose or automatic system to water small gardens, flowers, plants, and shrubs. You have much more control over how much water goes on the plant and where it goes.
• Install a rain shutoff device, soil moisture sensor, or humidity sensor to help stop irrigation when it is not required.
• Replace misters with drip emitters.
• Order an irrigation system audit. It’s agreat way to learn how you can more efficiently operate your sprinkler system.
• Program your controller for multiple start times. More frequent, shorter irrigation cycles can reduce runoff and unnecessary deep percolation.
• Only water your landscape after the sun has gone down to reduce evaporation losses.
• Check the sprinkler system’s required operating pressure against the actual water pressue. Differences in pressure can affect operation and efficiency.
• Alternate watering days
• Tap into gray water irrigation sources.
• Ration water according to high, moderate and low value plants.

A family of four could save more than 8,000 gallons of water per year by installing a high efficiency clothes washer. Many of these machines will also reduce energy consumption by using less hot water and because they feature higher spin speeds, clothes come out of the washer with lower moisture content and require less drying time.

• Try to run the dishwasher only when it is full of dishes. In most cases running your dishwasher with a full load of dishes will use less water than washing the same number of dishes by hand.
• A typical dishwasher uses between 8 and 15 gallons per load of dishes with an average of about 9.3 gallons per load. A high-efficiency dishwasher can wash a load of dishes using 5 to 7 gallons of water. Replacing a 12-gallon per load machine with a 6-gallon per load machine can save about 1,250 gallons of water per year.
• The washing time involved with a dishwasher is minimal in cost. The drying time can be expensive at 1500 watts per cycle. Air dry the dishes or dry them by hand.

• Use a two-speed blow motor. Operating at low-speed uses less water and is more energy efficient.
• Inspect your cooler monthly and perform maintenance as necessary to be sure that your cooler is operating efficiently.
• Use alternative methods of cooling, including fans, an air conditioner or attic fan if you have them. (However, be sure not to precool air using an evaporative cooler before turning on an air conditioner. This causes the air conditioner to use more energy).
• Install a bleed-off clamp on your bleed line to limit the amount of water drained. This could save 4 to 14 gallons per hour depending on your system!
• Re-use bleed water in your yard for irrigation. (But don’t forget to adjust your current sprinkling schedule appropriately!)
• Turn on the water pump a few minutes before turning on the fan. This saturates the pads first, making your cooler more efficient.
• On cool evenings, you can operate your cooler fan without the water pump. The fan will bring cool air into your house without using any water.
• Delay turning on your cooler until the outside temperature reaches 85 degrees rather than turning it on when it is 79 degrees. You will use 50% less water.
• Open a window a crack in the rooms you are cooling. This will draw the cooled air through these spaces.

In order for the monitor to be able to read your meter, your meter has to be upgraded. The $200 fee includes the labor and costs to upgrade your water meter as well as the cost of the monitor. You will be billed after your water monitor has been installed. Please note: it could take up to 60 days to receive your meter upgrade and water monitor. You will be billed after your water monitor has been installed.

Only property owners can order a water monitor. To order, call Utility Billing at 303-441-3260. Please note: it could take up to 60 days to receive your meter upgrade and water monitor. You will be billed after your water monitor has been installed.

A four person family could save more than 14,000 gallons of water per year by installing 1.6 gpf toilets and more than 17,000 gallons of water per year by installing dual flush toilets.

• Make sure that your bathtub drain plug doesn’t leak. Replace the plug or plug washer if necessary.
• Replace the tub diverter valve (that routes water to the shower) if it leaks.
• In a drought, don’t let the used bathtub water go down the drain! Reuse bath water outdoors on your landscape.

• Reduce the strength/flow of water.
• Place a bucket or plastic basin in the shower with you to collect excess water for watering outdoor plants.
• Use a timer to help gauge the length of your shower.

• The best way to clean outdoors is to use a broom and sweep.
• Use a commercial car wash that recycles water.
• If you must wash your car at home, you could also use some old rags and a bucket of water to do the job with much less water.
• Check to make sure that your hose is not leaking at the connection to the house or garage. A hose washer will usually take care of hose bib leaks.
• Use a spray nozzle with a cutoff handle on your hose so water doesn't flow continuously.

For a family of four, that’s a savings of 1,700 gallons of water per year. Hot water use can be reduced by 10.6% (1,300 gallons) which also helps save on the power utilities bill as well!

For a family of four, that’s a savings of 1,700 gallons of water per year. Hot water use can be reduced by 10.6% (1,300 gallons) which also helps save on the power utilities bill as well!

Another option is to make sure that the regeneration and cleaning processes (the water consuming elements of the treatment system) are programmed to occur overnight between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m. when there is very little other water use occurring inside the house.

Water softeners and reverse osmosis systems vary tremendously in their use of water for the treatment process. Both systems use water for flushing and regeneration. The amount of water used depends upon the system, the quality of the water being treated, and the amount of water used in the home. Be sure to request water consumption information from the dealer before purchasing any water treatment system or water softener.

• Group plants with similar water demands together. This makes it easier to apply the proper amount of water to a larger percentage of your landscape.
• Apply a thick layer of mulch around your plants to reduce evaporation.
• A drip system is often the best option for applying water to Xeriscape.