Buena Vista adopts 10-year water conservation plan, aims for 15% savings by 2037

The Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to adopt a water conservation and efficiency plan that outlines a staged approach to reduce municipal water demand and better manage system losses.

Town staff and consultants presented a multi-phase plan that included community engagement, a baseline analysis of water use, a set of best-practice actions and an implementation-and-monitoring framework. From 16 recommended practices the team prioritized six: conservation-oriented rate adjustments, a stronger program for system water-loss control, water budgets for large users, creation of a water-conservation coordinator role (or use of existing staff in the short term), code updates to support efficiency and design standards for new development.

Val, the presenter for the plan, said the town’s water-treatment upgrade cost more than $7 million and that the plan’s projected savings — if implemented alongside steady growth assumptions — could save roughly 650 million gallons over 20 years, “roughly three full years of water usage for the town.” The plan identified system water loss near 21% historically, and staff said reducing loss toward 15% would immediately yield significant conservation gains.

The plan has already received conditional approval from the Colorado Water Conservation Board; staff must complete a rate study and capital-improvement plan to align revenues, rates and conservation goals. Trustees approved the plan by motion and asked staff to bring related implementation steps (rate study, water-loss audits and capital planning) into next year’s work program.

What’s next: Staff will begin a rate study and meter-replacement and water-loss work identified in the plan, pursue grant and stakeholder engagement, and finalize the filed plan for CWCB approval where required.