Colorado residents use rain gardens to save money

DENVER — More and more homeowners are doing away with a traditional turf lawn in order to conserve a lot of water.

“The average American uses 160 to 180 gallons of water per day and then here in Colorado, about half of that is used on our outdoor irrigation,” according to Jessica Thrasher with Colorado State University.

Over the last year she and a team of volunteers installed rain gardens across the Front Range as part of a pilot program. It’s a simple and attractive way to save not just a little but a…