Drumroll please... WaterNow is pleased to announce our Summer 2019 Project Accelerators: the City of Golden, Colorado, and New Braunfels Utilities in New Braunfels, Texas.
Graywater Ordinance & Demonstration Project - City of Golden, CO
The City of Golden, CO, recognizes the importance of utilizing alternate water sources to meet growing demands on Golden’s water supplies. They’re particularly excited about the opportunity to use graywater for residential landscaping to reduce peak potable water demands, as well as energy demands related to water and wastewater treatment. Following recent Colorado State legislation allowing communities to adopt and implement graywater programs, Golden applied to the WaterNow Project Accelerator for support in developing a laundry-to-landscape graywater ordinance and creating demonstration projects in the community.
WaterNow and our project partner, Western Resource Advocates, will work with City staff and Council to develop this ordinance, engage with local stakeholders and coordinate graywater demonstration projects. If approved, Golden’s graywater ordinance will be one of the first in Colorado and its demonstration projects could be the first state-approved graywater systems since Colorado’s graywater legislation passed in 2015.
Water Efficient New Development - New Braunfels
The City of New Braunfels, TX, is located in the fast growing I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio. The water utility’s service area has doubled in population since 2000 and is expected to double 
again in the next 15 years! Committed to ensuring responsible, sustainable and resilient regional growth, New Braunfels Utilities (NBU) applied to Project Accelerator requesting support to develop a water neutral development program.
Our project work will include research of similar programs and BMPs, stakeholder engagement and development of program guidelines and evaluation criteria. Driven in part by developers that are enthusiastic about incorporating efficiency and innovative water tech in their projects, NBU is interested in developing best management practices and guidelines to facilitate conversations with all developers. The new water neutral development program, when finalized, will standardize best management practices and processes. In addition, it will provide transparency for developers.
A big congratulations to our new Accelerators, and a big thank you to everyone who has applied in the past! To the many exciting applicants that we have received who weren't selected, we say to you: Stay Tuned! The Fall 2019 Application Round for Project Accelerator starts this October! If you have already applied, we highly encourage you to consider this application round as we continue to select cities, utilities and districts that have the capability to implement change locally! We are so excited to build a more sustainable, resilient water future with you!