coated the Front Range last week to ring in April. Before that reminder of the season, spring 2017 had been an exceptionally dry, warm one for the region.
Conditions were such that the Centennial Water and Sanitation District reminding customers that its — which grant customers an allotment of water for outdoor irrigation beyond what is budgeted for indoor use year round — do not take effect until the third week of April.
“Customers who use a large volume of water for landscape irrigation before the start of the water budget period will likely incur a correspondingly higher water bill,” according to the release.
But , which serves roughly 100,000 residents in the Highlands Ranch area, has other methods to encourage and support water conservation aside from steeper bills.
The district was among several Front Range water utilities that offered discounts this year on low-water garden planting kits being sold through the . The program, run through the center’s website, , has been popular. The 100 $25-per-box discounts Centennial Water purchased to reimburse its customers who ordered a box sold out in weeks, officials say.
“Itap been a hugely successful year,” said Natalie Antonucci, who runs the garden in a box program for the Center for ReSource Conservation. “We’ve sold just about 3,800 gardens. In Highlands Ranch, we’ve completely sold out of discounts. It really shows that people are really interested in changing their landscapes and making them more water efficient than they are right now.”
Antonucci said Centennial Water first signed up for the program in 2015. It purchased 80 discounts last year and eventually sold out a little before the May pick-up day. As of last week, the center had a few hundred gardens remaining for the spring sale, but its website was already suggesting potential planters sign up for the fall or even spring 2018 wait lists. The pick-up day for Highlands Ranch residents is May 13 at Greenwood Village City Hall, 6060 S. Quebec St.
Jon Klassen spent 10 years as Centennial Water’s water conservation coordinator before recently moving into a new role with the utility. He said the garden-box program appealed to the district because of its simplicity. Each box — there were 10 varieties this year ranging from $74 to $149 — comes with as many as 29 starter plants and instructions on how and where to plant them and care for them. The district notes planting xeric gardens where turf used to be can increase annual per-customer savings by up 60 percent.
“For us, it gives our residential customers a chance to dip their toes into the world of xeriscaping in a simple, accessible manner,” Klassen said. “Itap really easy for people to say ‘I’m interested in xeriscape but I don’t know what plants to use or where to plant them.’ And with these, it gives you the plants and a nice garden design and itap really easy.”
That was certainly the experience of Hill Crest subdivision resident Yvonne Faulkner. She and her family purchased two gardens in a box in 2015, receiving $50 in discounts from Centennial Water in the process. One of those boxes, “Xeric Greatest Hits,” helped adorn her recently reshaped front lawn/patio area with Missouri evening primrose, Mexican feather grass and blue queen salvia.
“Itap really like painting by numbers but with gardening. And you can still be creative too,” Faulkner said, noting she placed some colorful perennials on the side of her driveway as well. “I think itap such a great program. Itap just so convenient. You order online. They make it super easy. It was a no-brainer. I think everyone should do it.”
The Faulker family also took advantage of other . The family installed a rain sensor in its irrigation system. The device interrupts normally scheduled watering when it detects recent rainfall. Centennial Water provided a $25 rebate on that purchase. The Faulkers had an auditor from the Center for ReSource Conservation out to their home to assess their irrigation system a few years ago. As a result, they installed low-flow sprinkler heads.
, is funded through participating water districts and Centennial Water advertises it to its customers each year, Klassen said. Qualifying residents can sign up for an inspection online or by calling 303-999-3824. Inspections are generally performed between June and September.
For those who are desperate to infuse their landscapes with a little moisture before Centennial Water’s summer budgets begins in a few weeks, Klassen recommends doing it judiciously. The district recommends only watering obvious dry spots in a yard and hand-watering trees and shrubs.
“If you do need to do some seasonal watering, make sure you do it in a way that is appropriate. Itap not time to set it and forget it,” Klassen said about sprinkler systems. “Even though it was dry in March, the plants don’t need the type of water they need in the summer months, so a little bit of hand-watering goes a long way.”