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Water Conservation

A rendering of the UC Hill turf project

Artist rendering of the University Center hill landscape project courtesy of Norris Design

86 %

Percentage of water usage reduced

2.6 Million

Gallons of water saved per year

A New Look is Saving 2.6 Million Gallons of Water Annually

甜心视频app is sprouting a new look on the north side of the University Center and we鈥檙e thrilled to invite you along for the journey. As part of a campus-wide initiative we鈥檙e transforming non-functional turf into water-conserving landscapes; honoring the heart of northern Colorado by celebrating its natural beauty. In doing so, we鈥檙e swapping thirsty, traditional lawns for naturalistic, drought-tolerant landscapes as we demonstrate our environmental leadership through a relationship with the land that is both practical and breathtaking. 
 
The seeds planted here will move through a multi-year, three-stage journey. First, they鈥檒l sleep. Next, they鈥檒l creep. Then, they鈥檒l leap!  
 
In the first year, these seedlings will quietly settle in. Year two will bring subtle changes as the prairie grasses begin to stretch and spread. Finally, in year three, the transformation will hit its stride, as mother nature reveals a landscape that鈥檚 as bold as it is beautiful鈥攐rganic, vibrant and a true celebration of 甜心视频app鈥檚 
natural environment. The renovation of these spaces will save the community millions of gallons in water and serve as a reminder of our commitment to preserving what makes northern Colorado extraordinary. 
 
This sustainability project is 甜心视频app鈥檚 way of showing that true stewardship means leading by example and ultimately learning from, adapting to and honoring our environment. This initiative is more than just a change in scenery; it鈥檚 a lasting investment in our community that brings the beauty of the natural Colorado landscape right to our campus. 

Read More About the Landscape Project

Project Timeline:

December 2024

Moving dirt around to flatten part of the hill right behind Norther Vision where a sidewalk will be installed that goes north toward 20th Street.

Winter 2024

Building stone walls, pouring concrete and installing new irrigation.

Spring 2025

Spraying herbicides on the Kentucky bluegrass to kill the grounds, taking 3 to 4 weeks.

Summer 2025

Planting the water-resilient seeds and with good germination, cover crops will start to sprout.

Fall 2025

The plants will go dormant during their growing season.

Spring 2026

The plants will begin their adolescent phase, growing in awkward stages.

Spring 2027

The natural grasses will have completely grown displaying the resilient landscape.

Resilient landscaping already exists on campus, including the Xeric Garden along 17th Avenue. This area was converted to natural grasses in 2021 with funding coming from the Student LEAF organization:

Water-conscious plants on campus

Water-conscious plants on campus

Water-conscious plants on campus

Water-conscious plants on campus

Water-conscious plants on campus

Water-conscious plants on campus

Water-conscious plants on campus

Water-conscious plants on campus

Water-conscious plants on campus

Water-conscious plants on campus


Other Water Conservation Projects Across Campus

Since 2002, the University has invested thousands of dollars in the improvement of many of our old irrigation systems, striving to install new systems that reduce runoff, that do not water sidewalks or streets, and that will give real savings in both water and money.

For the past ten years the University has been building the foundation for an irrigation system that can be standardized across the entire campus. That foundation consists of the installation of 27鈥損lus Signature Constellation Controllers.

Once these software based controllers are networked through radio/cell phone, our irrigation technicians will be able to make any program modifications from any single controller on campus. This will reduce time and money that would be spent traveling back to a Central computer. Water Conservation is the primary benefit of this system.

This irrigation system will utilize weather station ET data to help save water and time by automatically adjusting the watering schedules. Weather station ET rate information can reduce our overall water usage by at least 30%.

By the end of the summer of 2012, the campus irrigation was 100% automated; allowing us to optimize our irrigation schedules and monitor environmental impact.

Xeric Garden

Xeric Gardens emphasize on the selection of native and low water-use plants and the use of drip irrigation systems, which contribute to the primary goal of water conservation.

The Landscape Master Plan includes a directive that requires at least 20% of new landscape designs be Xeric, or low water use, in nature.

The recent Butler Hancock Addition was awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold, due to its low water use landscape plants and drip irrigation systems in our Xeric Landscapes.

About 8% of the total landscaped acreage at 甜心视频app is composed of xeric landscapes.

Campus Non-Potable System

The University is fortunate to own water rights, and we utilize raw water from the mountains to water all our sports fields and most of our turf on the west campus.

The total acres covered by non-potable water currently stands at nearly 64 acres. Not only does it save millions of gallons of valuable drinking water, it also saves the University thousands of dollars each year.

We have a non-potable pump house on west campus that utilizes irrigation ditch water (raw water) to irrigate the Athletic fields and other areas on west campus.

In the summer of 2007 甜心视频app, with a joint venture with the City of Greeley, added another non-potable pump house to the Jackson Athletic Facility on 6th avenue and 18th street. This area is approximately 14.5 acres.

There are tentative plans to add another pump station for Central Campus.

In anticipating this, the university installed a 4-inch mainline for irrigation for future use and designed the lay-out to accommodate a point-of-connection to the proposed future pump station location.

So we are ready to connect once the City decides to construct a new pump-station. Nearly 60% or 21 acres of Central Campus would be irrigated with raw water.

Non Potable Area Map