Landscaping and water usage/conservation (Denver, Fort Collins: camp, live, garden)

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by xeric

I think you're missing the point of this thread. It's about water conservation, which implies alternatives to Kentucky bluegrass. I have buffalo grass in my back yard in Fort Collins (my front yard is all xeric perennials, shrubs, and ground covers) and it is a great alternative to bluegrass provided it is in an area with full sun.

The thread is also to discuss the need for water conversation and if we have to give up Kentucky Blue grass or not. I go with not, especially if you live in a city that has more then enough water for its population....

[reginhild]

Originally Posted by xeric

I think you're missing the point of this thread. It's about water conservation, which implies alternatives to Kentucky bluegrass. I have buffalo grass in my back yard in Fort Collins (my front yard is all xeric perennials, shrubs, and ground covers) and it is a great alternative to bluegrass provided it is in an area with full sun.

You can conserve water with Kentucky Bluegrass by preparing the ground correctly, limiting the amount of grass, and letting it go dormant during the hottest times of summer instead of increasing watering.

I have a 80% Xeriscaped yard including some native grass area but, I also have just a little over 1000 sq.ft. of Kentucky Bluegrass with properly prepared soil. 1000 sq.ft. is actually a fairly small area considering a small lot that is 80' x 150' has a total area of 12,000 sq.ft..

[xeric]

Originally Posted by reginhild

You can conserve water with Kentucky Bluegrass by preparing the ground correctly, limiting the amount of grass, and letting it go dormant during the hottest times of summer instead of increasing watering.

I have a 80% Xeriscaped yard including some native grass area but, I also have just a little over 1000 sq.ft. of Kentucky Bluegrass with properly prepared soil. 1000 sq.ft. is actually a fairly small area considering a small lot that is 80' x 150' has a total area of 12,000 sq.ft..

I didn't mean to come across as an absolutist. What you've done with your yard sounds great. Zoning to allow for plants grouped by water needs is an established principal of xeriscaping. In Fort Collins, unfortunately, there are very few yards with only 1000 square feet of bluegrass and it's uncommon to see lawns that are allowed to go dormant in the summer.

[Josseppie]

If a city has plenty of water then there is no issue with having a big lawn with Kentucky blue grass that is only for cities that do not and need to conserve what they have. That is my point....

[xeric]

Originally Posted by Josseppie

If a city has plenty of water then there is no issue with having a big lawn with Kentucky blue grass that is only for cities that do not and need to conserve what they have. That is my point....

If you are sure your city will not grow and the water rights it has will always be enough then you may have a point. Even so, most cities are treating their water to a very high standard only to see half of it dumped on lawns. Remember that water is a public resource, so I would argue that a city has the right to ask whether excessive non-consumptive use of drinking water is acceptable.

Regarding water rights, consider the proposed Glade reservoir north of Fort Collins. This supposedly needs to be built because cities north of Denver don't have enough water for their growth. But how do you define "enough water"? I'll give you my interpretation of what the Glade proponents are really saying: If you let us build this we will be able to provide water so that Coloradoans don't have to conserve. In contrast, I believe new reservoirs can only be justified if the cities that get the water are held to a minimum per capita usage requirement (on penalty of losing some or all of their allocation until they can bring their consumption down to reasonable levels).

By the way, I like Pueblo although (like Fort Collins) it has too much bluegrass!

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by xeric

If you are sure your city will not grow and the water rights it has will always be enough then you may have a point. Even so, most cities are treating their water to a very high standard only to see half of it dumped on lawns. Remember that water is a public resource, so I would argue that a city has the right to ask whether excessive non-consumptive use of drinking water is acceptable.

Regarding water rights, consider the proposed Glade reservoir north of Fort Collins. This supposedly needs to be built because cities north of Denver don't have enough water for their growth. But how do you define "enough water"? I'll give you my interpretation of what the Glade proponents are really saying: If you let us build this we will be able to provide water so that Coloradoans don't have to conserve. In contrast, I believe new reservoirs can only be justified if the cities that get the water are held to a minimum per capita usage requirement (on penalty of losing some or all of their allocation until they can bring their consumption down to reasonable levels).

By the way, I like Pueblo although (like Fort Collins) it has too much bluegrass!

Unlike Fort Collins Pueblo has enough senior water rights for a city close to 500,000 people. To be honest, and this is selfish, but Pueblo has our reservoir, paid by the federal government, so I don't care if the state builds anymore or not lol

[bproven]

Originally Posted by Josseppie

If a city has plenty of water then there is no issue with having a big lawn with Kentucky blue grass that is only for cities that do not and need to conserve what they have. That is my point....

uh, has plenty of water now - what about in 25 years or whatever. This logic is stupid IMO. You do not live in a tropical region. Unless you start piping water from the coasts and running desalination you WILL run out. If you want lush landscaping you decided to live in the wrong place for it my friend.

HOWEVER, I will agree KB or other turf is fine as long as it is used sparingly and does not consume your entire lot. You have to be realistic about the climate you live in and think further down the road then just "now".

Flame away...

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by bproven

uh, has plenty of water now - what about in 25 years or whatever. This logic is stupid IMO. You do not live in a tropical region. Unless you start piping water from the coasts and running desalination you WILL run out. If you want lush landscaping you decided to live in the wrong place for it my friend.

HOWEVER, I will agree KB or other turf is fine as long as it is used sparingly and does not consume your entire lot. You have to be realistic about the climate you live in and think further down the road then just "now".

Flame away...

Actually with the water Pueblo has now, enough for a city close to 500,000 people, along with the water rights we are in the process of buying in the Bessemer Ditch, that will give us enough water for a city close to 750,000 people I think, Pueblo will be more then set for the rest of this century. In fact Pueblo is doing long term water leases, 40 years, that allow them to keep my rates even lower....

[McGowdog]

Joss, you've posted 7 er... 8 times already about how Pueblo has enough water. That's not even true. Pueblo had water restrictions just like Colorado Springs and Denver did a couple or few years ago and they/we will again.

In fact, it's about time we started getting pounded with snow, both out on the plains and up in the mountains. Remember a couple/few years ago when they thought we had this huge snowpack, only to find that it was shot through with holes...like swiss cheese? Not good.

Having a $200.00/month water bill is just nothing to ... brag aboutlol. But that's what you're doing, so don't be surprised that you're gonna get some responses from people in here that don't agree with you.

Well actually, let's let the thread title speak for itself; Landscaping and water usage/conservation.

[Josseppie]

This is proof that Pueblo will have plenty of water this summer and yes we did have some restrictions but that was the only time in my life and it was for only like a month. If we get another major drought I am sure Pueblo will have restrictions then as well but overall Pueblo has plenty of water.



"Lake Pueblo should fill up again this spring, but with a dwindling snow pack, there is not as much concern of spilling water as last year at this time."

The link: http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/02/22/news/local/doc49a0fcba94495824161403.txt