Outdoor Water Budget

Snowmass Water and Sanitation District  (SWSD) is implementing a new program to help our customers understand their landscape’s water needs and potentially save a significant amount of water during irrigation season.

In 2025, SWSD measured all properties in the District to determine square footages of turf, bed and native areas. Using industry standards and local weather, the District created a customized water budget for each property. Look for the water budget information in the mail and emailed in January 2026.

Please be in touch with Water Resources Manager, Darrell Smith, if you can not locate your property specific information.


Why Does Your Outdoor Budget Matter?

Many customers do not realize they are watering much more than their landscape needs. SWSD wants you to know your own landscape’s water need, and utilize tools offered by the District to meet that target.

SWSD plans to update rate structures to include outdoor water use efficiency as a component of rates. The District encourages all customers to act now to upgrade their irrigation systems.


Program Schedule starting in 2026 and ending in 2029 when rate structures change.


Funding is Available (Limited Time)

  • Free Irrigation assessment
  • Rebates for irrigation system upgrades (More info).
  • Professional management for early program participants (up to $1500 available).


Get Started: Schedule Your Irrigation Assessment.

A zone-by-zone site assessment will tell you where irrigation improvements are most needed. Recommendations could include upgrading a controller to a Weather-based system, adding a rain sensor, adjusting scheduling, or changing nozzles to improve uniformity of coverage.


Upgrade Equipment:

  • The following controllers are eligible for rebates as of 2026. Your irrigation assessment will provide the best options for your property and number of zones.
    • Racchio
    • BHyve
    • Weather Trak
    • Baseline


Who Can Install:

  • SWSD is developing a list of recommended vendors who are experienced in installing efficient irrigation systems. Check back for more information in spring 2026.

Management is Key:

  • An efficient system requires the right scheduling and maintenance. Ideally your system has a "wet check" once or twice a month, which involves turning on each zone for a short period to check for leaks or problems.
  • The District will help early program participants to manage their upgraded systems for the first year (up to $1500 per property). Contact Darrell Smith for details.




Common Irrigation Issues that Waste Water

The image shows healthy grass and various flowers, with a red "X" marking something that should be avoided, likely weeds or unwanted plants.

Make sure a single zone does not irrigate two different plant types. If you have a mixed hydrozone like above, the low-water plants will be over-irrigated because they receive the same amount as the water-thirsty lawn.


The image shows a graphic of grass with a red "X" over a yellow area, suggesting not to place grass in that zone.

A tilted irrigation head will cause certain areas to be under watered and dry out. The solution is not to increase the run time but to straighten the head.


The image shows grass on the left with a red "X" over it and a yellow area on the right, suggesting grass is not allowed.

Plant obstructions or irrigation heads that are too low will block the spray and cause overwatering close to the head and brown spots further way . The solution is not to increase the run time but to cut back vegetation, move or raise the head.



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