COLORADO SPRINGS — “I love the free water.” Colorado Springs homeowner Jeremy Beckman welcomes the recent rainy days in Southern Colorado. It helps his passion for a green lawn.
The rain also brings a break to his budget. “You don’t have to pay the water bill.”
Beckman gets help managing his water use with a smart sprinkler system. His yard is mapped out by the system, it knows what kind of sprinkler heads are in each location, it considers where there is shade in his yard, and it tracks day to day weather.
“It knows exactly how much to water in each zone on each day based on how much rain we received,” said Beckman.
He tracks the system with an app on his phone. It shows days when all the zones on his system ran for nearly two hours, and other days when the total is less than ten minutes.
Beyond yard health and budget savings, water mangers for Colorado Springs Utilities see a big picture benefit from community members maximizing water savings.
“To try to make sure we have enough water supply for the community,” said Colorado Springs Utilities, Water Conservation Specialist, Lisa Pace.
There are days when automatic sprinklers can be spotted running full force during summer downpours. Pace says that often happens because rain sensors on automatic systems have malfunctioned and need to be replaced.
“It’s really nice to get this rainfall and it’s also important to still think about conservation,” said Pace.
Water in Southern Colorado comes from mountain run-off stored in reservoirs. It is like a savings account for water. With money, people save for a rainy day. When it is water, a rainy day is a way to save water for dry days.
“Best practices can help save 25% of the water people use,” said Pace. It leaves more water in reservoirs and a lower charge on water bills.
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