GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The City of Grand Junction, in partnership with the Clifton Water District and Ute Water Conservancy District, created a water efficiency plan this year. The goal is to promote water conservation to secure future water needs in the Grand Valley and the city of Grand Junction is working on several water conservation programs right now.

During the summer, Randi Kim, the city’s Utilities Director, tells WesternSlopeNow the city sees significant increases in water usage. To reduce those numbers, the city received a $25,000 grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board to fund a turf replacement program that provides rebates to customers who replace portions of their turf. Kim said the city hopes to implement the turf replacement program by the end of this year or early next year.

CWCB also awarded the city a $139,000 grant to start a graywater control program. In September 2022, Grand Junction City Council passed an ordinance allowing residents to reuse water from things like showers and washing machines for outdoor landscaping and irrigation.

This year, the city of Grand Junction also hired a new Water Conservation Specialist. One effort the new specialist will monitor is the city’s advanced metering infrastructure or AMI. Using the newly implemented AMI, the city collects data on customer’s water usage habits and the new specialist will analyze those numbers to help save water.

Grand Junction needs to conserve water because the Kannah Creek watershed simply doesn’t hold enough water to meet growing needs. Kim estimated that the city will surpass our supply from the Kannah Creek watershed by 2039. So, reducing water usage now will help stretch Grand Junction’s water supply longer.