A water-saving landscape code can fail at the sprinkler head.
Aspen requires qualifying new and renovated landscapes to meet a water budget, but the city also checks whether the irrigation system installed in the field can perform as designed.
That matters in a headwaters community where 60% to 70% of treated water is sold for outdoor use. Aspen’s Water Efficient Landscaping Standards—or WELS—currently limit applicable landscapes to 7.5 gallons per square foot each irrigation season.
Megan Killer, Aspen’s WELS Plans Review Technician, says projects must undergo a third-party irrigation audit before final approval. The audit helps identify installation problems, inefficient water distribution and scheduling that could undermine the code.
The requirement created an immediate challenge: Aspen needed enough qualified local professionals to perform the audits and maintain the systems properly.
WaterNow helped the city close that workforce gap by bringing the Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper—or QWEL—program to Aspen. Since 2018, WaterNow has helped organize the annual course, recruit instructors, develop and update the curriculum, and provide the additional capacity needed to keep the training available.
The EPA WaterSense-labeled program provides more than 20 hours of instruction in plant selection, irrigation design, system maintenance, controllers, scheduling and field auditing. Killer says more than 100 landscape and irrigation technicians have earned certification, with about 70 keeping it current.
Aspen’s experience shows why outside assistance can determine whether ambitious policy works: WaterNow helped build the workforce needed to turn a landscaping code into verified water savings.
Episode at https://youtu.be/lUNjeFsgsQM?si=y05h-s6lUe7ptVve
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.
waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability. Visit https://www.waterloop.org/
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