Great Western Institute (GWI) has successfully initiated a demonstration SMART WATER audit program for hotels and restaurants in Pagosa Springs, working with the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) and Environmental Dimensions, a local consulting firm. The demostration program is part of the newly developed PAWSD Water Conservation Plan developed by GWI, Harris Water Consultants and Environmental Dimensions through a grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
GWI lead the audit team in characterizing water use in various local hotels and restaurants, looking at customer uses, facility heating and cooling, outdoor irrigation, and kitchen and food preparation operations. Opportunities for water and related energy savings were identified and discussed with the facility owners and/or managers, focusing on capital investment, rate of return and payback periods. In nearly every facility, owners and managers were extremely eager to learn about water and energy savings options - some with capital paybacks with timeframes as little as weeks to months.
Most water and energy savings identified by GWI involved retrofitting and/or replacing fixtures and/or appliances that would reduce cold and hot water use without changing customer or employee behavior. In some cases, GWI was able to install new fixtures utilizing materials donated by its various corporate sponsors during the audit, instantly saving the businesses money and the District water.
GWI and the rest of the audit team will be returning to Pagosa Springs in the first quarter of next year to provide the business owners with full reports regarding the costs and benefits of various business specific water conservation programs. GWI will also be working with PAWSD and Environmental Dimensions during that same period to plan for a larger role-out of the SMART WATER audits for commercial and residential customers in the area. Thank you to PAWSD, Environmental Dimensions, Home Depot and SSI, as well as the local businesses in Pagosa Springs for helping to make the SMART WATER audit program a success.
