Colorado communities adapting to the long-term strain on water supplies in the arid West are turning one of their largest demands—the irrigated landscape—into a source of new supply, with this year’s historically low snowpack adding urgency to the work.

The first episode of Resilience in the Rockies travels from the Front Range to the Western Slope to examine how local leaders, utility managers, landscape professionals, and residents are replacing thirsty turf with landscapes designed for Colorado’s climate.

In Westminster, where about half of the city’s drinking water is used outdoors, a prominent transformation at City Hall is expected to save at least 1.5 million gallons annually while adding native grasses, pollinator habitat, walking connections, and climate-appropriate plants grown at the city’s own greenhouse.

At the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, nearly 3.5 acres of lightly used lawn have been redesigned with gathering areas, shade, native vegetation, and more precise irrigation—a project expected to conserve nearly 2 million gallons each year.

Longmont is using GIS mapping to locate nonfunctional turf and rank potential projects according to water savings, heat vulnerability, air quality, irrigation source, community value, and opportunities to coordinate with other construction.

That data-driven approach helped shape Kensington Park, where residents selected plants and amenities and helped install a water-wise garden around a neighborhood memorial previously damaged by irrigation.

In Eagle County, the Beyond Lawn program pairs rebates with on-site evaluations, irrigation guidance, customized conservation plans, and contractor or do-it-yourself resources, helping replace 60,000 to 70,000 square feet of turf and save about four acre-feet of water annually.

Together, the projects show that outdoor conservation succeeds when communities move beyond simply removing grass and create landscapes that are useful, attractive, locally appropriate, and supported over the long term.

Resilience in the Rockies is produced in collaboration with WaterNow and made possible in part by a grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, with support from PCL Construction, Norris Design, Merrick, and the City of Greeley.

VIDEO CHAPTERS
00:00 Colorado’s Outdoor Water Challenge
02:00 Westminster Makes Conservation Visible
06:45 Transforming the City Hall Landscape
10:00 Growing Climate-Appropriate Plants
14:10 Rethinking the Landscape in Greeley
16:45 Reimagining UNC’s North Lawn
19:25 Maintaining a Water-Wise Campus
23:30 Longmont Treats Conservation as Supply
25:10 Mapping Nonfunctional Turf With GIS
29:10 Building a Community Garden at Kensington Park
32:25 Eagle County’s High-Altitude Water Challenge
35:10 Beyond Lawn Brings Experts to Homeowners
39:15 Expanding Conservation Across the Valley
41:40 Water Savings, Rebates, and Lessons Learned
43:00 Making Colorado Landscapes More Resilient

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability. Visit https://www.waterloop.org/

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