Colorado city changing landscape irrigation regulations

City of Aspen staffers may recommend some changes to the water-efficient landscaping regulations adopted by the city last May before the most stringent aspects of the new rules kick in after a yearlong pilot phase, The Aspen Times newspaper reported.

The new regulations, which city staffers say have been well-received, require new or substantially remodeled residential projects in the city’s water-service area to include a landscape plan, an irrigation plan and a water budget for the site. According to Aspen Times, the city now requires that an irrigation audit be completed after a new landscaping system has been installed, and that audit has to be done by a third-party certified landscape irrigation auditor.

Trouble is, such certified auditors are rare in Colorado, Aspen Times reported. The city is also exploring setting up a local training program to increase the number of certified auditors to make it easier for people to comply.

To read the full story from the Aspen Times, click here.