In 2022, Anglers All of Littleton, CO, built a new retail space, the Boathouse, to sell fishing watercraft, rafts, and paddle boards. The Boathouse was designed to be 100% solar-powered, equipped with heat pumps and mini-splits for both AC and heat. Chris Heeley, owner of Anglers All, wanted the building’s water use to be close to zero. For the front of the Boathouse, Chris had a small strip of turf mixed with xeric low-water-use shrubs installed. No irrigation needed.
Chris also wanted to eliminate the grass in front of the existing building on the South Santa Fe frontage road to reduce water use, but the alternative was too hot and abrasive for casting fly fishing rods. In the front lawn, Tahoma 31 sod was installed, and shrubs were replaced with low-water varieties. Chris says the Tahoma 31 keeps the lawn and building cool, provides a soft, green place for customers to cast and demo fly rods, and uses much less water than the existing bluegrass lawn. A perfect solution.
According to Chris, an analysis of water bills from April through September 2022 vs. 2025 shows that total site usage is down 44% and bills are down 50%. Not only has it reduced water use and costs, but it has also saved on lawn care costs. Chris says that because we don’t need to mow every week, we have been able to keep maintenance in-house. The turf quality and appearance of the Tahoma 31 lawn is also superior to the old bluegrass lawn, with less weed pressure and less irrigation in high traffic area. Anglers All, keeping more water in the river.
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