Garden In A Box

Fort Collins-Loveland Water District (FCLWD) will offer customers a new water-saving option this spring. Garden In A Box, provided through a partnership with Boulder-based Resource Central, enables customers to reduce irrigated turf by replacing it with a water-wise garden specially designed for Colorado’s climate.

Each Garden In A Box conserves around 1,000 gallons of water when compared to a traditional grass lawn. Boxes contain a professionally designed garden that blooms year after year with plants native to the Colorado environment that will thrive better under variable conditions.

A variety of boxes are available beginning March 6, 2019, starting at $110. In partnership with Resource Central, FCLWD will offer a limited number of $25 discounts to their customers to subsidize the cost of the garden and encourage water conservation. With irrigated turf being the most expensive demand that FCLWD serves, this switch to more low-water plants can cut down on summer peaks in water demand, which in turn delays water plant and pipeline expansions helping to keep customer rates low.

During two open houses in the Spring of 2018, FCLWD had overwhelming customer input pointing to a clear preference for conservation and efficiency. They responded to this feedback by offering to customers free sprinkler audits through the City of Fort Collins Utilities.

FCLWD has provided water services to businesses and citizens since 1961. The District serves approximately 45,000 people in an area that encompasses approximately 60 square miles in parts of Fort Collins, Loveland, Timnath, Windsor and Larimer County. Governed by separately elected Boards of Directors, the Districts provide the full spectrum of high-quality and dependable water treatment and delivery as well as water reclamation services. For additional information about Fort Collins-Loveland Water District, its services and project visit www.fclwd.com or follow us on Facebook.

In 2018, 70 sprinkler systems within FCLWD were audited for a total savings of 1,341,200 gallons of water. Garden In A Box is another step toward conservation and efficiency as FCLWD builds on their efforts and works to plan and maintain its long-range water supply in order to meet future demands.

“Conservation is a topic that’s top of mind for many of our customers,” said Chris Matkins, general manager of Fort Collins-Loveland Water District. “We are continually looking for creative ways to help our customers save water and are fortunate to have local organizations who share the same vision for us to partner with. We look forward to this new initiative with Garden In A Box and can’t wait to see it take root.”

In addition to the $25 discount offered by FCLWD, customers can also enter a contest for their chance to win additional discounts or a free Garden In A Box. For details, visit Facebook.com/FCLWD. For those outside of FCLWD that are interested in their own Garden In A Box, more information can be found at ResourceCentral.org/Gardens.