The town of Basalt and the Ruedi Water and Power Authority received a grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board to install 300 rain sensors.
Any mid-valley residence with an automatic irrigation system is eligible for one.
A rain sensor is a little device you’d install on the eave of your roof or on the side of your house. The sensor turns off your sprinkler system when it starts raining and turns it back on when it stops.
The Colorado Water Conservation Board has given Basalt and the Ruedi Water and Power Authority around $20,000 for sensors and installation costs; Basalt contributed about $5,000.
On average, 37 percent of Basalt’s household water goes to irrigation. Some studies show that irrigation shut-off devices reduce irrigation demand by a quarter.