Water Awareness on Campus
Each year, CSU staff members identify and execute numerous water conservation projects throughout CSU buildings. Projects include replacing fixtures such as sinks and toilets with low-flow or ultra low-flow fixtures, converting once-through cooling systems to closed-loop systems, and replacing wash-down equipment with low-flow devices where possible. We work with City staff to evaluate usage and define conservation projects, often with the benefit of financial rebates to CSU from the City of Fort Collins.
Irrigation
CSU irrigates more than 230 acres of grass and landscaping on its campuses in Larimer County; almost all irrigation uses untreated raw water that is stored in a lake on CSU’s Foothills Campus. Our irrigation operations include College Lake, a pumping station, a passive mechanical filter system, a four-mile long 14-inch diameter transmission pipe, control systems, sensors, and a staff of system operators and technicians.
Why is it environmentally beneficial to irrigate with raw water?
Because raw water does not have to be treated to drinking water standards, which requires a large amount of energy and chemicals. Therefore, the carbon footprint of raw water — including emissions from energy consumption, chemical manufacture, and transportation — is a fraction of that of treated water.
What else is CSU doing to reduce irrigation needs?
CSU landscape architects and planners steer toward native plantings and xeric outdoor environments wherever possible and where it makes sense. For example, most of the landscaped areas on Foothills Campus incorporate native grasses and shrubs that require less irrigation than sod. You will see examples of this when you visit the atmospheric science buildings complex on Foothills Campus.
Stormwater
Stormwater Control Measures, SCMs, are practices that work to reduce water pollution. This is important because the stormwater system at CSU directly drains into the Poudre River and Spring Creek. During the last twenty years, CSU has constructed dozens of stormwater treatment features including rain gardens, bioswales, constructed wetlands, permeable pavement, and a green roof.
Learn More
More information on CSU’s goals, measures, and actions to minimize stormwater pollution can be found on the Facilities Management Stormwater page.