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Water sources, water needs
Potable water
Fort Collins drinking water comes from two sources: the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, and the Cache la Poudre River Basin. Although water is abundant on earth, the vast majority is sea water or otherwise undrinkable. The percent of water on earth that is clean, obtainable, and drinkable is vanishingly small, less than 1%. The population of Northern Colorado is expected to double in the coming decades while simultaneously desertifying. And given that turning river water into drinking water typically emits a lot of carbon, it's a moral imperative to conserve water.
Rain
The Northern Colorado Front Range averages 16" of rain per year. This rainfall is sufficient IF there's an effort to build healthy soil, to plant locally-appropriate plants and trees, and to do proper mulching and water management.
Healthy Soil
Sand holds 2% of its weight in water.
Clay holds 20% of its weight in water.
Compost holds 900% of its weight in water.
Soil Organic Matter significantly changes the moisture content of the soil. Good healthy soil with lots of organic matter will survive flood and drought alike. Instead of using a well (which depletes groundwater and is therefore immoral), or irrigation, build healthy soil.
Locally appropriate plants
You don't wear a bikini to the office and you don't wear a winter coat to the beach.
Gardening should be no different: we should grow plants and trees that are appropriate to local conditions. If you live in a relatively dry place with hot summers, check out Colorado Hardy Plants for plants and trees adapted to such conditions — I like everything I've bought from them. For annuals, take a look at Native Seeds in Tucson, Arizona. I've had good luck in the Northern Colorado Front Range with their tepary beans, muskmelons, sunflowers, and Vadito Quelites Grandes "mountain spinach."
Calculate roof rainwater volume
Given the 16" of rain per year in Northern Colorado, a home with about 1225 square feet of roof will collect around 11,000 gallons of rainwater per year. Does your home drop all that water next to the foundation, wasting it (and possibly harming your foundation)? Instead you can buy downspout extenders from Home Depot or Lowes and run that water out to your shade or fruit trees, massively reducing if not eliminating your outdoor watering needs.
The equation:
R = annual rainfall in inches (e.g. 16)
C = catchment surface (roof size) in square feet (e.g. 1225)
G = gallons per 1 inch of rainfall per sq ft of catchment (0.56)
R * C * G = gallons of water per year hitting the roof
The equation for my home is 16 * 1225 * 0.56 = 10976 gallons.
Rainwater + snow meltwater
Adding the 51 inches of average yearly snowfall and calling the resulting snowmelt equivalent to 5 inches of rain, the more accurate equation for my home is:
21 * 1225 * 0.56 = 14406 gallons.
That's a lot of water that can be put to good use!
Irrigation and watering tools
Watering dozens of fruit trees and bushes with a single hose is not fun and can take all day. Instead I'd like to get a bunch of 2-way or even 4-way Y-valve hose splitters with multiple hoses, turn the water on for half an hour once in a while, and be done.
The problem: almost all Y-valve hose splitters are made in China, break quickly, possibly breaking your hoses and thus being an enormous expense, and as icing on the cake, are contaminated with lead. In short, you pay money to break your hoses and fill your soil with lead.
The solution: The best product I've found so far is the Camco Garden Hose Y-Style Shut-Off Valve - Brass. I've bought several. It is NSF 61 certified meaning it meets strict requirements on lead. This is the only Y-valve hose splitter I've found so far that is NSF 61 certified.
Downspout extensions
As mentioned above, you can use downspout extensions to distribute water to the yard right where you want it. I'm now doing this with some new fruit trees that I think will now never need to be watered, saving time, money, and water. Once the trees have grown mature root systems, the downspout extensions can be moved elsewhere.