In 2020, the City of Greeley was chosen for two opportunities that will strengthen and enhance water efficiency efforts. Receiving the WaterNow Summer 2020 Project Accelerator provides resources in developing metrics and performance analysis strategies. The US Bureau of Reclamation: WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant provide funding to install advanced metering infrastructure in our community.
WaterNow Project AcceleratorWaterNow Alliance (WNA) has selected Greeley as one of three recipients of the Summer 2020 Colorado Basin Accelerator Projects. This project optimizes conservation efforts through cost-benefit analysis and review of other important metrics such as socioeconomic status of participants, age and geographic distribution, and the value of each program to the City’s residents. This analysis will drive the City’s next Water Efficiency Plan.
WaterNow and Western Resource Advocates (WRA) will work with City staff on the development of program performance analysis strategy and tool in various ways including interviews with cities and utilities that have employed excellent tools for cost-benefit analysis, develop the analysis tool, conduct a qualitative survey to gather relevant data from customers, and develop a set of recommendations for programmatic updates based on this analysis. WNA and WRA will also compile the aggregate summary data into a report to be shared widely with other Colorado cities and utilities to inform their water efficiency program development. Optimizing water efficiency programs is an essential step in identifying Greeley’s most effective water savings opportunities.
US Bureau of Reclamation: WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency GrantEarlier this year, the City of Greeley was recently awarded a $1,486,538 WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant by the US Bureau of Reclamation.
This project converts 14,500 standard water meters in Greeley to advanced metering infrastructure. New devices will integrate smart meter software to assist the City and customers more effectively monitor water use. That is approximately half the water meters in Greeley. All new development will get a smart meter. A plan to replace the remaining water meters is currently in development.
The updated meters benefit residential, commercial, and wholesale water purchaser accounts. This new system makes leak detection easier since meters will be read electronically in 15-minute intervals, instead of the current process with monthly reads and a meter reading van driving by each of the meters.
The project is expected to result in annual water savings of 1,129 acre-feet (367 million gallons) currently lost to seepage, leaks, and customer overuse. The water conserved will remain available in storage, supporting the City through multi-year droughts. Surface flow rights may also be sent downstream to meet return flow obligations or be made available for other uses.
Greeley is among the 54 projects selected by the Bureau of Reclamation to share $40.99 million in WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants. This program helps local governments and water districts use water more efficiently and effectively in the western United States. Learn more about all of the selected projects and the program at usbr.gov/watersmart/weeg.