The Colorado landscape industry, through ALCC, helps support water efficiency efforts throughout the state. Most recently, landscape professionals are collaborating with the City of Aspen as the city moves forward to pilot new water efficient landscaping standards.

According to a representative from the city, the landscaping standards grew out of a regional effort to adopt the Roaring Fork Watershed water efficiency plan. Landscape efficiency was an area on which all stakeholders could agree and were able to act. Aspen had already tackled interior water efficiency with efforts that included aggressive plumbing codes, so focus shifted to outdoor water use.

City of Aspen began a one-year pilot enforcing new standards for outdoor water use beginning May 22, 2017. This affects landscape companies in several ways, including plant material selection and irrigation limits. It also requires a landscape design review by the city’s Plans Review Technician (Water Efficient Landscaping).

In November, the city hosted a discussion about the standards, inviting affected businesses to come learn more and speak with those who have dealt with the standards since they were instituted in the summer.

Keith Schweiger of Arrowhead Landscape Services, Inc. and Keith Williamson of Town of Castle Rock attended the November meeting on behalf of ALCC and GreenCO. Schweiger is a certified irrigation auditor and board member of Colorado Water Wise and Williamson is an instructor for GreenCO BMP Training. They discussed how the landscape industry can help the city develop educational programs to support the new standards and educate landscape companies in the area. Education programs would focus on practices to increase water efficiency without sacrificing valuable urban landscapes through use of the GreenCO Best Management Practices (BMPs) which have long been recognized and sanctioned by the State of Colorado.

The BMPs demonstrate water conservation and water quality protection practices that are customized to Colorado’s climate.

ALCC and GreenCO appreciate opportunities to collaborate with municipalities to incorporate GreenCO BMPs into local ordinances. Green industry professionals have already done research to develop these BMPs, which save work for cities and towns looking to make their community more water efficient.

Learn more about the landscape ordinance and download resources for compliance at www.cityofaspen.com/199/Landscape-Ordinance.