New watering systems at Colorado Springs’ two oldest continuously operating cemeteries will enhance water efficiency and conservation while saving the city thousands of dollars a year in labor and water costs, officials said Monday.

Work is underway at Fairview Cemetery, located on South 26th Street on Colorado Springs’ west side, to install a state-of-the-art irrigation system that will run only when needed. It includes a “smart” controller, leak detection and a rain sensor to prevent water loss. The upgrades will also allow watering to occur overnight, said Jarod Clayton, the urban parks manager and project manager for Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services.

“It’s going to be a massive improvement. … We’re definitely going to see that in the water bill, turf grass quality, the quality of the trees,” he said.

To irrigate the 32-acre Fairview Cemetery currently, staff maneuver and relocate a complex set of hoses and portable sprinklers around the grounds.

It’s inefficient, as watering must be done during the day when the wind is at its strongest, to carry the water as far across the cemetery as it can, Clayton said. Irrigation isn’t completed in one single day, either; instead, crews water sections of the cemetery and move the portable system two to three times a day.

The new system will water the entire site in an eight-hour window, Clayton said, reducing labor costs and providing a more consistent watering schedule that will keep the grounds green for visiting families and guests.

“We will have good control over when the water is applied; how it’s applied, as far as run times; irrigation scheduling, all of that,” he said.

The projects, totaling $3.9 million, are paid for with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The city will split the project funds between both cemeteries, so whatever is not used for the first project at Fairview will be rolled over for the second project at Evergreen Cemetery.

City officials estimated, in a news release Monday, the new irrigation systems will save Colorado Springs $118,000 a year at both cemeteries.

Shortly after construction is completed this winter at Fairview, irrigation upgrades will start at Evergreen. Clayton said he hopes to have both projects completed by May, ahead of the Memorial Day holiday when the cemeteries hold special remembrance events.

Clayton said parks staff haven’t yet determined the exact plan for improvements to Evergreen Cemetery’s watering system. It was last replaced about 22 years ago and is due for a replacement, since irrigation systems usually need to be upgraded every 20 to 25 years. 

Evergreen Cemetery is located on Hancock Expressway near southeastern Colorado Springs and spans 220 acres.

Staff is “looking at doing the most we can with the funding available” at Evergreen, Clayton said. Work could include improving the irrigation system’s main line, improving the control system, and adding in filtration devices in conjunction with systems that would prevent contaminants from flowing backward through the sprinkler system.

The upgrades will ultimately help preserve both longstanding cemeteries, Clayton said.

“It’s important that we preserve these historic cemeteries for future generations to visit and connect with their loved ones,” he said in the release.

Tucked into a westside Colorado Springs neighborhood, several prominent people who played critical roles in establishing Colorado City in 1859 are buried in Fairview Cemetery.

Evergreen Cemetery was established shortly after Colorado Springs was founded in 1871. In 1875, city founder Gen. William Jackson Palmer deeded the grounds to the city. Palmer, who died March 13, 1909, is buried at Evergreen.

New efficient irrigation systems being installed at Fairview Cemetery and Evergreen Cemetery, pictured in this Gazette photo from December 2021, will better keep the cemetery grounds green through more consistent watering schedules, officials said. The new systems are estimated to save the city more than $110,000 a year. 

Christian Murdock, the Gazette file