Boulder’s next water-conservation tool is not another rebate or irrigation device. It is a new strategy for reaching the people existing programs have missed.
The city already offers programs to improve water efficiency, eliminate leaks, and reduce utility costs. But participation depends on whether residents receive the information, see its relevance, and have the authority to make changes where they live.
That is a particular challenge in Boulder. The University of Colorado enrolled nearly 39,000 students in fall 2025, while roughly half of the city’s households are renters. Many residents move frequently, may not receive a water bill directly, or cannot independently alter a rental property’s landscaping and fixtures.
With support from WaterNow’s Project Accelerator and River Network, Boulder is examining who participates in its conservation programs, who remains absent, and which communication channels different residents actually use.
The work is intended to replace one-size-fits-all outreach with messages shaped by community feedback and lived experience. That could mean reaching renters through property managers, working through organizations already trusted by underrepresented residents, or explaining conservation through immediate concerns such as monthly costs and drought.
Boulder’s experience identifies a frequently overlooked limit on water conservation: technically strong programs cannot produce savings if the people they are designed to serve never encounter—or cannot act on—the information.
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.
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