Inside Arvada

Inside Arvada's Water Saving Programs

• City of Arvada • Season 1 • Episode 48

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Learn how Arvada residents can save on outdoor water use and costs with three programs from Resource Central: Garden In A Box, Lawn Replacement, and free Slow the Flow sprinkler evaluations. Rachel Staats shares timelines, discounts, DIY tips, and why fall planting is a great option in Colorado.

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Visit us at arvadaco.gov/podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

Welcome And Studio Update

SPEAKER_03

Hello and welcome to Inside Arvada, the official podcast of the City of Arvada. I'm one of your hosts, Sean Starr. Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. Before we get started with our guests, wanted to uh mention if you're watching on YouTube, you might have noticed that our studio here looks a little bit different. Obviously, a little uh renovation going on here. Yeah, not the usual look, but uh we should have an updated look here soon, so stay tuned. And today's guest we have on Resource Central Marketing Director, Rachel Stotz. Resource Central is a conservation and sustainability-focused nonprofit organization that provides resources to communities across Colorado to help save water, conserve energy, and reduce waste. And as always, I'm joined by my co-host, Katie Patterson. Hi, Katie.

SPEAKER_02

Hi, Sean. Yeah, so the city's utility department has an annual contract with Resource Central that provides outdoor water conservation programs to our Arvada residents, water customers, so that they can participate in programs to help save money on their water bills and reduce their outdoor water usage. And so we'll link in the show notes, both with everything we're talking about today, to the Resource Central page directly as well as to the city's page about the programs that we offer discounts on.

SPEAKER_03

Hi, Rachel. Welcome to Inside Arvada. Thanks so much for joining us. Uh let's begin by telling us a little bit about yourself and what you do for Resource Central.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, thanks, Sean and Katie. Thanks for having me today. I'm Rachel Statz. I'm the marketing director for Resource Central. I have the opportunity to share the incredible conservation resources that we make available to our community of Coloradans. And I've been with the organization for about two years. But Resource Central itself is celebrating 50 years of conservation this year. So we're really proud of all that we've achieved, but we're just getting started.

SPEAKER_02

That's so exciting to hear. Um, and thanks for joining us. So tell us a little bit more about what all Resource Central does and what can people expect for this 50th.

How The City Partnership Works

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so um in 1976 we got started in the reuse space. So creating conservation of energy and materials. But where we really shine with the city of Arvada is through our water conservation programs. So we want to make sure that conservation is easy, making sustainability is a way of life. It's so easy you don't even realize you're doing it. It just becomes part of your way of life. So making sure that our programs are easy to sign up for, participate in, and all of that collective participation adds up to really big impact.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, so a lot of our listeners might be aware of Resource Central and the programs you offer, but not exactly sure how that partnership works between your organization and the city of Arvada. So help us understand a little bit more about that because folks know that if they live in the city, they can mark that and get the discount. But how does that relationship work?

SPEAKER_00

Aaron Powell Yeah, so we're going into our 14th year as partners with you all. And how that works is Resource Central has the experience of doing sprinkler evaluations to help find efficiencies in water savings. Our garden in a box program has been around since 2003. So through that program, your participants and customers can apply for a discount. So we really partner with you to make sure that your residents are getting to conserve energy, water, but they also get a discount for enrolling in the program.

SPEAKER_02

And um the city, we create kind of like a contract and decide what we can um kind of sponsor essentially of your programming um for our for our water customers to get those various discounts. Um and we'll and you do that with lots of the front range and really across Colorado at this point. You've expanded quite a bit.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we're in the western slope now and we have over 70 partners. So not just um in the city of Arvada, but you can, if you're listening to this, you're probably in our area where you qualify for um our free sprinkler evaluations, our garden in a box can be purchased by anyone. You just find a pickup location near you. And then our online seminars can be attended from wherever you're at. So we have those um going right now. They're at least once a week, and we cover different topics from Colorado scaping to lawn removal, um, making sure your sprinklers are running efficiently. So lots of different topics. Anyone can sign up, they're free to attend.

Garden In A Box Explained

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that's awesome. So, as you alluded to, lots of different programs you offer. The three that um our customers get discounts on are the garden in a box, um, which is a$25 discount, lawn replacement program, which we'll talk a little bit more about, and then the slow the flow free sprinkler evaluations. So let's walk through kind of each of those. What are the benefits of them? Kind of how do they work? What are the logistics? I think sometimes that's the most intimidating part for people. Um, so let's start with Garden in the Box. That's a really high demand program and tends to sell out, I think, especially in the spring offering. What is the Garden in the Box program?

SPEAKER_00

The Garden in a Box program is really incredible because it is so easy to pre-order your garden online and then you'll pick up your garden kit, which includes four-inch pots, a plant-by-number design, a care guide, and everything you need to get started. So the size of the garden kit depends on the size of the area you're looking to replace. So, what we want to encourage people to do is remove their thirsty turf grass with these really low water gardens. Um after a couple years, you won't need to intensively water them. We like to say, in the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap. And it's really approachable. You don't have to have a green thumb. You just, again, order online. They'll be available on March 11th on our website, resourcecentral.org forward slash gardens. You can go online now and look at the collection, start planning. You know, where do you want to plant it? Are you looking to replace maybe the strip between the sidewalk and the street alongside your driveway under a tree? We have a high elevations, we have shade, we have partial shade, we have um, you know, pollinator-friendly designs, lots of biodiversity this year. So it's a really great collection. Very cool. Aaron Powell Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And if you're like me and you have a hard time kind of picturing what this actually looks like, you have a ton of great examples that people have done on your website. And you can kind of look through and be like, oh, I can picture that at my house or my yard. And so I think that's super helpful. And I love that there's like, what did you call it, the uh plant by numbers? So you don't even have to think about where each plant goes. It's just like it's already decided for you.

SPEAKER_00

Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Yeah, and we have a couple different configurations for each garden depending on the shape. So, you know, rectangles, squares, depending on the square footage you want to cover. But who doesn't love a good before and after? Our websites full of those to really inspire people. But we make it as easy as possible. And that's um how I learned about Resource Central. I participated in Garden in a Box, and I cannot stop uh planting more gardens. And it's really fun to see the garden evolve year after year. And now that I'm in year five of my lawn replacement and garden in a box, it needs very little water. The plants are really well established. They just kind of do their thing, and I've got hummingbirds and bees, and it's just really fun to see how it changes throughout the season.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, and so let's talk about the lawn replacement program because that one might be a little bit more intimidating for folks who are and so this is for if you're considering taking out some of that thirsty turf grass and replacing it with some of this uh you know low water garden. How does that work? How do you qualify? What happens? How much does it cost? Help folks understand that process that might seem a little intimidating if you don't know a lot about it.

Real Results And Neighborhood Momentum

Lawn Replacement Made Simple

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so our garden um or sorry, our lawn replacement program makes it really easy to bite off a small amount of grass. Like maybe you're not ready to say goodbye to your backyard because you have children or dogs. Um, but let's say there's a small corner where nobody plays, there isn't a lot of foot traffic, it's a pain to mow, that's a great candidate for removing your thirsty turf. And as you said, like it adds up to a lot of time and water and energy just to maintain that, you know, that patch of grass for what reason. Um, so we really have a lot of resources on our website to help you identify like what's a good area to remove. We offer our resources from our team to help you either choose to remove it yourself, so a DIY option, and then we also have removal services. So again, through our partnership, we're able to give discounted lawn removal services for a dollar per square foot up to 425 square feet. And the minimum project size is about 200 square feet to participate in the program. Then if you are, and sorry, with our removal services, our team comes out, they chop up the turf, they roll it away, they compost it, it's all taken care of for you, and you're left with your blank slate. So you can decide then, you know, are you putting in a garden in a box? It's just that easy to pick up your garden in a box and plant by number right there. Um, or you know, maybe you have uh more long-term plans. So we're there to help you get your project started, start your water wise journey is what we like to say. The DIY option is great for people who are maybe a little bit more hands-on, it's a smaller space, or you know, they have other plans in mind. Um, we have a lot of resources on our site about how how can you remove your own grass yourself. We don't want you to use chemicals, but we have a lot of alternatives. Again, it's resourcecentral.org forward slash lawns. So that's where you can learn a little bit more about um the two options for the program. And as I said, like we are getting ready for spring, so now's a great time to go look up those resources before applications open on March 9th.

SPEAKER_02

And then if you do the DIY lawn removal part, then Resource Central helps give the plants. Is that correct? The low water kind of landscaping.

SPEAKER_00

Exactly. So if you're doing the DIY option, you then qualify for up to four garden in-a box kits to help you then convert your thirsty turf to that waterwise landscape. So through this program, we do require that your grass be in good condition. Um, when you apply, we want to see a photo of the space that you're considering. And we ask that you not get started on your project until you've been approved. And then at least 50% of that grass that's being removed needs to be replaced with waterwise or low water landscape material. So not concrete, not a pool. Um, you know, our goal is, of course, to conserve water, but also to create a diverse habitat for pollinators, birds, critters you find in your neighborhood.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, um, I love that. And I I can picture like so many yards that have become like almost inherent, just like entirely these um low water landscapes and the bees and the butterflies. It's just such a fun um, like when you're out walking the dog tail to go by some of those yards that are just beautiful.

SPEAKER_00

And once one person gets started on your block, that's when you see kind of this chain reaction of the transformation. And that's what happened again. Like how I heard about Resource Central. I was gonna go the DIY route. Um, and it it's what worked really well for me as I was out there chipping away at, you know, clumps of sod and uh tree roots and like trying to get my yard ready for my garden in a box kit. It was a really good opportunity to talk to my neighbors about, you know, why I'm removing my grass. Like, what is the plan here? And so since then it's been cool to see more garden in a box signs pop up throughout the neighborhood and other people also making the the leap. I think it's it's it'll take a little bit of time for people to change their mindset about what a landscape can look like. But in Colorado, we need to be really smart about conserving our water. Um, and it's just it's so much prettier to me than just a plain green lawn. I love seeing the you know purple and orange and yellow, and it's a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_02

It totally is. Um, and so then the other program is the slow the flow sprinkler evaluation, which is maybe one of the easier entry points for someone. Um, what's that program offer?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so slow the flow is great because it's completely free. Um we partner with you all to offer this free service, and we have found that residential sprinklers, at least 99% of the inspections that we do, we've found inefficiencies. So our amazing team will come to your home, we'll take a look at your sprinkler system, if you have a smart controller or a clock maybe in your garage. Um, we'll help you set that up so it's you know running more efficiently. We'll give you a report, we'll do an analysis, we'll look at your sprinkler heads. Um, but again, it's completely free. So you can sign up for the service right now on our website, resourcecentral.org forward slash sprinklers, get on the interest list now, and then um our team will come out when it's warmer and about June, we'll be out in the field having those appointments. But it really does add up to significant water savings.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I feel like every spring, early summer when people turn on their sprinklers for the first time, everybody's like, ah, why am I using so much water all of a sudden? And there's like a leak or a head that got messed up somehow. And um, what a good resource to just help people kind of get on the right track.

SPEAKER_00

Now's a great time to get on the list before everyone else gets that first water bill after they've turned on their sprinklers. Um, just so you're on, you know, at the top of the list. So um it's a good idea just to sign up and that you'll thank yourself later.

SPEAKER_03

I was gonna say, I think I did it a couple years ago, and it was a month or two after signing up that I finally got the visit. And so yeah, never a bad idea to get on there early so you're one of the first ones.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we'll send you an email when when we're ready to schedule in your neighborhood.

DIY Vs Service And Requirements

SPEAKER_03

And so you kind of mentioned the uh the early March date. When do all these programs start? Do you have separate lists for different programs if you're interested in that you can sign up for and be notified?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, great question. So on our website, again, you can navigate toward to the different programs you're interested in. Let's say you know, you you want to start with a sprinkler evaluation. So you'll go to resourcecentral.org forward slash sprinklers, you'll sign up for the interest list for that appointment, and then maybe you navigate over to the lawn replacement program and you look like, oh, is this something I'm ready to consider? Um, you know, it really does add up to significant water savings over time. Um we we really encourage people just to start small. It doesn't have to be a huge transformation, but then why not replace that thirsty turf with a garden in a box kit? It's really just a one-stop shop where you can come and, you know, find all these different ways to conserve water at home. And most households in Colorado, over 50% of their water use is outdoor water use. Um you think about, you know, showers, dishwashers, um, washing machines, that sort of thing, but it's really the outdoor water use where we can have the biggest impact.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. And it can be a great educational tool, right, too, if you're a parent and you have kids to like teach them about pollinators and the role of pollinators and how important they are. And so it's a lot easier to teach them if you have pollinators hanging out in your yard and say, look at that bee, and look what it's doing to these plants here. And they're not going to come pollinate your turf grass, right? But they will with some of these low water plants that are included in the uh garden in a box.

SPEAKER_02

And create a handy, passionate weed puller. Yes.

SPEAKER_03

There you go. Yeah. I mean, sounds like it's needed for the first year, too.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I mean, you'll never get away from weed pulling when yeah, even if you don't have um a traditional turf grass, you know, there's always the oak crab grass that pops up or something. Dandelions. Um unfortunately, you know, there's not a good way to get rid of weeds, but it's a really good way to like spend time in your yard and think of all that time you're saving by not being out there mowing under the hot sun. Instead, you can get out there a little early and pull your weeds and and see um butterflies and moths and wasps flying by. No.

SPEAKER_02

I love it. And we didn't, we forgot to mention, so there's spring garden in the box that starts in March. Lawn replacement also opens in March. Um, the sprinkler evaluation you can is just like a running list, is that right? And then um there's also a fall garden in the box, which is newer.

Free Sprinkler Evaluations

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So um what's really nice about the late summer gardens, it's usually mid-June that those are available, is that when you're planting, or sorry, you are you order online in the summer, but then you pick up um around Labor Day. So there's a lot of advantages to planting later in the year than in the spring because the soil is already warm. Your um your plants have a better shot at establishing their roots because the days aren't as long and as hot. You think about, you know, planting um in Colorado, they say to wait until after Mother's Day to plant because there might be snow this year, who knows? Um, but you know, that's when the these new baby plants are being baked in the sun in July and August. If you're planting, you know, closer to September and into the fall, it's more of like a gentle transformation for the garden in a box kits to get into the ground, establish their roots. They need less water. Um, and then they're going into fall and getting dormant, and then they really have a really strong chance in the spring to really grow because they've had that like dormant, quiet time over the winter. So it's kind of like a really good secret to plant later in the year. It's also a lot easier on you, the gardener, to not be out there, you know, in June planting. Um, yeah, so pro tip.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I love that. And um, you kind of alluded to this. We've had a particularly dry winter. Um, and so there's some things folks can know. We can kind of educate on winter watering now, but also how can folks be thinking about these resources as we go into a particularly dry, maybe hot, we'll see, but definitely um dry start to the year and summer.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's a great question. So, you know, we do encourage you to water when there's several consecutive days of temperatures over 40 degrees. Think about those newer plants that maybe don't have roots that are as established. Um, giving them a drink midday, just kind of a drip, is really helpful for them. But you don't have to do a deep water this time of year, just helping them get a head start. And so always remember don't don't activate your sprinkler system, your in-ground irrigation system, and to disconnect your hose at night. Um, but to plan for you know 2026 summer and knowing that our you know water reserves are low, snowpack is down, all of these concerns, um, we can really take steps now by conserving water, thinking about how you can change your landscaping to use less water so that in the long run, if we do, you know, have changes to how much water we can use, we don't need it because we've already made the change at home. We've already established our garden in a box. Um, you know, that year three, I rarely have to water now that I'm in, you know, year five at this point. So it's really nice to know that I'm doing all I can to conserve the outdoor water I do need and that I'm really, you know, it's a precious resource. So I'm using it really wisely. So now's the time to start planning. I think, you know, normally in February we're probably not thinking about spring, but it's been so warm that like it's never too early to start like planting your garden or or planting seeds of what that could look like.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, maybe more so than normal. We're feeling the like spring push a little bit more or earlier than normal, even though it might be a false spring. We'll see, who knows? Multiple false springs.

Signups, Seasons, And Fall Planting

SPEAKER_03

You're saying multiple days above 40. How about multiple days above 60? It's kind of like what we've experienced. That's just wild. Um But yeah, before we uh move on to some trivia, we wanted to just ask you if there's anything that you didn't touch on yet that you wanted to mention. One thing that I didn't realize is that you actually have like a brick and mortar location there in Boulder that folks can stop by. And so yeah, the floor is yours. What do you want to talk about?

SPEAKER_00

Thanks for for teeing that up for me. So um, as I mentioned, Resource Central is celebrating 50 years this year, which is really great. So um in Boulder at 6400 Arapaho Road is our nonprofit home improvement center. It's our materials reuse program. And what's really incredible about this program is that um materials are donated, like kitchen cabinet sets, tiles, appliances, and then they are repurposed and available to our community members for about a third of the retail price. So not only are we reducing, you know, the manufacturing output of brand new materials, but they're being diverted from landfills, which is really great. And then our community is able to, you know, improve their homes, do DIY projects. We've seen some really cool stuff, creative things made out of materials at our facility. It's open to the public. We have a drive-thru donation lane. Um, we have a store. There's lots of cool things you can find there. Um again, visit our website resourcecentral.org forward slash reuse to see what we have. Um, you can shop online and pick up in store. You can see what kind of donations we take. But to kick off our 50th Earth week on April 25th, we are going to have a rock and reuse concert series start for the summer. So at least once a month, we have a live band. We have food trucks, community reuse, vendors, artists, glass blowing, lots of cool stuff happening. It's free, it's family friendly, dog friendly. So yeah, we invite everybody to come by and check us out if you haven't before. It's a really great space.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, super cool. Great excuse to make the trip up to Boulder.

SPEAKER_02

What home project do I need to work on this trip? I know when I've stopped by, like there is like a whole, you know, cabinetry set and doors, windows, like it's, you know, all kinds of stuff that I just had no clue until we went and visited.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, there's a lot of things. If you're again doing a landscape transformation, we've got pavers, brick, um, pallets. If you wanted to try creating like a cool, you know, um palette, like rocking chair kind of thing, or raised garden beds. We've got tons of materials. And it's really great because you're choosing something, you know, that's that's not being mass-produced new and you're diverting it from landfills. So it's really affordable way to like take on that project or like finally finish, you know, something or clear out your your shed or your garage for the season ahead. So yeah, we're happy to help with that.

SPEAKER_03

Very cool.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, very trivia time?

Dry Winter Tips And Planning Ahead

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. All right. I'm our trivia host today. So if you know the answer, which would be amazing, um try and let the other person guess the answer. I did do some multiple choice for you this time. Um so one of the garden in the box gardens is called a butterfly haven, and it comes with 10 different plant types. Which of the following is included in this kit? The blaze little blue stem grass, rigid goldenrod, sulfur flower, or aromatic aromatico lavender. Which one of those? Only one of them is included in this garden.

SPEAKER_00

All my gardens are jumbling together.

SPEAKER_03

Lavender.

SPEAKER_00

I'm gonna say the little blue stem.

SPEAKER_02

It was the rigid goldenrod, which I'll give you some some tidbits about it. It grows to be one to three inches tall and 18 to 24 inches um in width or uh spread, I think is what we call it. Um it's a low water plant, of course, and then it has yellow flowers that attract bees, birds, and butterflies. Um how many square feet of lawn were replaced in 2025 through the lawn replacement program? Can I can I look in my notes? You can. I didn't multiple choices that.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, you didn't? No. Oh my gosh. That's really close.

SPEAKER_03

No.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, it's on the tip of my tongue. I'm 500,000? Four, wait. Four hundred five hundred thousand.

SPEAKER_02

It's actually over three times that it was 1.6 million square feet of lawn. Um not that was like the whole of resource centers. Yeah, not just like our bada or something. Um, we're going higher. I think maybe I got the wrong number. Maybe that's total, not just 2025. Yeah. Yeah. Now that I say that, I think I got the answer forever replaced. Yeah, that's forever. Yeah. Sorry guys. Oh no, good.

SPEAKER_03

But I would have changed my answer. No.

Boulder Reuse Center And Events

SPEAKER_02

Right. I would have gotten it exactly correct. So since that program started in it was I think 2018-2019. Um 2020. Okay. Um, relatively new program. So 1.6 million, almost 1.7 million square feet of lawn converted to waterwise landscape, which is approximately 340,000 gallons of water savings annually. So I think that's where I was going with that one. Sorry. Um So as we talked about, Resource Central also does the waste reduction with material reuse program. How many pounds of material have been diverted from the landfill through the program in total? Okay. All right, how many? I know. Go for it.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, go for it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

100,000 pounds, a million pounds, 75 million pounds, or 200 million pounds.

SPEAKER_03

75 million.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, that was right. Yeah. All that stuff probably weighs.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, a lot of that probably weighs a lot.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, some heavy stuff in there. Awesome. Well, Rachel, thank you so much for joining us today.

SPEAKER_01

Thanks for having me. This was so fun.

SPEAKER_03

Uh, as we wrap up, just wanted to provide a reminder that we love hearing from our listeners. You can stay in touch by texting us using the link at the top of the show notes or by emailing us at podcast.arvata.org. We really appreciate emails that we get about things that people enjoy hearing about, uh, maybe ideas for different episodes and more. And speaking of emails, we got one recently from listener Michael asking about the city's plans for the future of the indoor equestrian center. So the a little bit of background, the indoor equestrian center is a facility located off uh 72nd Avenue and Indiana in Arvada. And currently the city leases that property to Sundance School of Writing, and that's uh an equestrian instruction facility for youth. And that lease is up here at the end of this year, and so uh the city isn't currently in the process of exploring um putting together a request for proposals, an RFP, and so that would allow for any interested parties to apply for that lease to take over in 2020-27. So more to come on that if you're interested. Um next item we have is the Arvada Historical Society has been doing a series on the history of ditches in Arvada called tapping into Arvada's H2O Story and How They Influenced our Agricultural Roots. The next edition of that series is coming up here on Saturday, March 7th from 1030 to noon at Revived Church, and you can learn more at Arvada Historical Society.org.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and then the um city also maintains an Americans with Disabilities Act ADA transition plan to help identify physical barriers in our facilities and parks, sidewalks, and programs. And so the city's been working on an update to that transition plan that was initially created in 2020 and is seeking feedback on the final draft of the plan. And so we encourage folks to review the draft of the transition plan and share any feedback by this Sunday, March 8th, at arvataco.gov slash accessarvada. And I won't rehash everything about Resource Central, but um lots of their programming goes live this in the next week or so. So be sure to check that out at resourcecentral.org and of course link in our show notes. Thank you again to our guests today, Rachel Stotz. Be sure to listen to our next episode. We're excited to have another crossover episode with Apex Park and Recreation Districts, Apex Activated Podcast hosts, Katie Groke and Monica Bowser. Today's podcast was recorded and edited by Arvada Media Services.

SPEAKER_03

Today's fun fact is that roughly three million gallons of water will be saved based on the garden in boxes plants that were planted here in Arvada just last year.

SPEAKER_00

Whoa!