By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

An effort to conserve future water use in Hays had city staff bringing several proposals to the table at Thursday’s Hays City Commission work session.

City staff is recommending the adoption of the “Green Code” for plumbing and irrigation systems and landscape regulations for new construction and remodels in Hays.

Interim Assistant Director of Utilities Nick Willis told Hays Post the code calls for water-efficient plumbing for toilets and showers and landscape alternatives to turf known as xeriscaping.

Willis explained xeriscaping as a way to landscape utilizing combinations of drought tolerant turf, mulch and rock instead of grasses that require a significant amount of water, such as Kentucky bluegrass.

He said the landscaping and Green Code plumbing proposals work hand-in-hand.

“The landscaping and the green code don’t stand alone nearly as well as they stand together,” Willis said, “because you can have the right type of vegetation and a poorly installed and operated controlled irrigation system and still use excessive amounts of water. … Likewise, you can have the best irrigation system ever designed and installed and operated perfectly but if you are watering the wrong types of vegetation you are going to lose a lot of water.”

The moves toward increased conservation efforts would be one of several made by the city during the intense drought.

“There is no silver bullet when it comes to water. We are trying to be proactive, and the Green Code is proactive. We are talking about regulating water uses which have not even come to being yet … a house that is not even built and that is about as proactive as you can get,” Willis said. “And we are trying to make things that are already in place more efficient”

Wills said the proposals are intended for new commercial construction but also could include the construction of larger residential developments and remodels.

Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposals at next week’s city commission meeting.