Butte College Cuts Water Usage

47 Percent Savings Over 2013

Butte College has cut its water usage through August 2015 by 47 percent over the same period in 2013. The water savings are significantly greater than Governor Jerry Brown's order for a 25 percent reduction.

From January through August 2015, the campus has used 28 million gallons of water for all purposes. In comparison, the school had used nearly 55 million gallons of water between January - August 2013.

In response to the Governor's drought order, the campus evaluated the areas where it used the most water and embarked on a number of water-saving measures. Much of the water was used to keep 33 acres of turf green. Many of the grassy areas were not actively used, and they provided a quick path to water savings. This year, the campus is watering 18 acres of turf, saving nearly 20 million gallons of water annually.
"Our change in irrigation practices over the last several years has led to a large water savings. However, if and when future funding becomes available, the college plans to replace turf areas with drought-tolerant landscaping which requires little or no water," said Ken Albright, Butte College Facilities Planning and Management Director.

In addition to reducing turf, groundskeepers replaced aging pipes and installed more efficient water control systems.

In 2013, the campus used 73 million gallons of water from its 3 wells. An estimated 8 million gallons were used inside buildings, another 40 million gallons watered turf, and the remaining 25 million gallons went to other outdoor uses, such as agriculture operations and law enforcement and fire academies.

The Agriculture Department reduced irrigation of its orchards and vineyards by 50 percent, the minimum required for plant survival. New drip irrigation systems in greenhouses reduced evaporation, and no annual or perennial field crops that required irrigation were planted this year.

In addition, the Fire Academy and Public Safety Education and Training Center determined ways to reduce water usage without impacting training.

With cooler temperatures on the way, reduced evapo-transpiration will help the school get through the remaining months of the year. This year's water-use target is 54.9 million gallons.