City Forces Water On Residents
Jan 11th, 2008 by sorbe
The city of Boulder is implementing a city wide new Green Points Program in “2008.” The plan is very similar in content to that of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED program. It requires people submitting projects for building to go through a much more rigorous and thought out process in order to build. To read more about these key changes, click on “Chapter 10 of the Boulder Revised Code.”
One of the other changes that are being adopted in the City Building Department includes the migration towards the 2006 International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code (IRC). This is a positive change in that it brings Boulder closer to the most current and relevant codes being used.
In the midst of introducing the 2006 Building Code, there is a slight lapse causing people applying for building permits to be overcharged for water tap fees. In essence, people that desire to use grey water recycling, “a process that reuses or reclaims water that would otherwise be wasted” aren’t given credit for choosing to not use all the water that is typically required to operate a building.
The city currently requires a larger than needed water tap to be installed at sites that have the Grey Water System in place or being installed. The City Sanitation Department receives money for its wastewater treatment, creating an overall issue between the people choosing to use less water and the department, because less water is being treated. This type of change is required to be voted upon by the City council. (Chapter 10-10 Plumbing Code)
Where does that leave us? From what is being said at the City, it is going to take over one year (at minimum) to make an adjustment to this water situation. Until then, people installing Grey Water Systems, will be overcharged for tap fees and will be required to have more water available than is necessary.
As a suggestion to this time frame with the City, how about issuing transferable wastewater recycling credits that could be applied towards water bills?
I hate to see people being penalyzed for doing what’s right. Hope the City of Boulder will issue the wastewater recycling credits!! Even President Bush recycles graywater at his Crawford, TX ranch. Our Senior Planner in the City of Leander, Texas, where I live is very GREEN. As a growing city, I hope Leander can institute many great things learned from other cities successes and mistakes. I want to emulate what other successful Green cities have done. We are located near Austin (Leander is 20 minutes from downtown Austin) which is #10 in Popular Science’s 2008 “America’s 50 Greenest Cities” list.