Colorado Freshwater Conservation Efforts May Have Stalled
A new analysis of residential Colorado water use by Fresh Water News indicates that, while some Colorado communities have achieved significant reductions in residential water use, statewide reductions remain flat and, in some communities, use is rising. The report comes on the heels of the 2018 drought.
The study analyzed indoor and outdoor, metered residential water-use data from 15 cities, collected from 2013 through 2018. Nine cities succeeded in cutting residential water use since 2013. Castle Rock leads the state with a 12 percent reduction and Denver achieved an 8 percent drop in use. Across all 15 cities, use averaged about 73 gallons per person per day, which users of our Water Footprint Calculator know is an average amount of use (while this use is good, they could do better!).
Cities in areas frequented by short-term vacationers struggled to make significant reductions, and some communities that lacked control over developer actions saw growth in use. Still, as a water-stressed state, Colorado has made strides to reduce their use. This is important because the state lies at the headwaters of the over-allocated and over-used Colorado River.
You can find over 100 ways to save water with our Water Saving Tips. See if you can get your indoor and outdoor use down below 73 gallons per person per day.