Water Efficiency
Our community is growing while our water supplies are becoming less predictable due to climate change. Water efficiency measures can help provide for current and growing uses without putting additional stress on our stream ecosystems. While we’re always looking for ways to conserve and leave water in the stream, this part of our programming is about maximizing the use of our water resources that do get diverted.
In a time when we’re experiencing prolonged drought and trying to meet the water needs of a growing population, it’s imperative that we work together to grow as efficiently as possible.
One of the objectives of the Growing Water Smart group is to explore opportunities to do just that. For the past three years, HCCA has been working with the Gunnison Valley Growing Water Smart Group to explore opportunities to increase water efficiency and conservation in our valley. We’re now at the point where we have begun moving some of these suggestions forward. In March, the Town of Mt. Crested Butte held work sessions to gather input on a draft indoor water efficiency ordinance put together by HCCA, Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District, and Town of Mt. Crested Butte staff. It’s encouraging to see our local water providers and municipalities taking initiative to meet the demands of our community while minimizing impacts.
The Gunnison
WaterSmart Group
The Gunnison WaterSmart Group is a loose collaborative of water resource providers, local government, and watershed groups that meets several times a year to examine opportunities to water management in the Gunnison Valley. HCCA helps to coordinate and organize this group and to facilitate valley-wide discussions about how we can reduce our impact on our water resources with a growing population. Many of these activities focus on opportunities to increase municipal indoor and outdoor water efficiency. Other activities include sharing ideas about shared management concerns, educating folks about drought and water resource planning, and sharing ideas about local planning efforts.
Projects that have been developed from this effort include:
Code assessment and WaterSmart recommendations for local entities
Drought outreach
Recommendations for community planning processes
Helping providers identify grant opportunities to implement
Mt. Crested Butte
Water Efficiency Effort
HCCA has been collaborating with the Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District and Town of Mt. Crested Butte to pursue opportunities to increase water efficiency. HCCA began working with the District when they developed their first water efficiency plan. One of the recommendations in that plan was updating water efficiency standards in collaboration with the Town. This June the Town of Mt. Crested Butte adopted an indoor water efficiency ordinance that will better enable to municipality to grow with less of a water footprint.