Overspray from Town-managed sprinklers coats every car parked along the sidewalks in downtown Superior. Colorado's intense sun then etches those mineral deposits into clear coat. It's a paint problem, a water problem, and a solvable problem.
Downtown Superior: sidewalk sprinklers dumping water straight onto the street where cars park.
Cars parked on-street get etched. Sprinkler water carries dissolved minerals. The droplets dry, and Colorado sun bakes those crystals into the clear coat. The damage is permanent without paint correction.
We're wasting water in a drought. Pop-up sprinklers spraying onto pavement is pure evaporation loss. The climate here demands a different approach to landscaping — and Denver Water has been saying so for decades.
The Town planned on-street parking along every downtown street. Residents have nowhere else to park. This isn't a problem individuals can solve on their own — it needs action from the Town.
Both claims — sprinkler water damaging paint, and sprinklers wasting a substantial share of outdoor water — are well documented by the auto detailing industry and the U.S. EPA.
Detailing industry sources consistently identify sprinklers as a top cause of severe, hard-to-remove water spots — because sprinkler water is often high in dissolved minerals and dries fast in direct sun, bonding calcium and silica into the clear coat.
The U.S. EPA's WaterSense program reports outdoor water accounts for ~30% of U.S. household use — and that as much as 50% of it is wasted due to evaporation, wind, and runoff from inefficient watering methods like overspray from pop-up sprinklers. Sub-surface drip is one of the fixes EPA recommends.
Ranked roughly from "protects cars only" to "solves everything." The xeriscape and drip options are the ones that address both the paint damage and the drought.
The Town could provide ceramic sealant services twice a year. It acts as a barrier between mineral deposits and paint. Helps cars — does nothing for water waste.
Add parking in alleyways, on garage bibs, or in areas well away from sprinklers. Convert 'guest parking' to homeowner parking where overspray is unavoidable.
Replace sod strips along sidewalks with xeriscaping. It needs no irrigation, is fire-resistant, and matches the Colorado climate. The term was coined by Denver Water for a reason.
Solves both problems at once — no cars getting sprayed, no water wasted, no ongoing maintenance cost. It's the fix Denver Water has recommended for decades.
Replace 3–6″ pop-up sprinklers with sub-surface drip lines — the same system many homeowners already use. Highly efficient, no evaporation, no overspray.
Numbers matter when petitioning the Town. Add your name, share what you've noticed, and we'll compile the response into a case to present to the Town Board and Public Works.
Background reading on xeriscaping, drought conditions, and how mineral-rich water damages paint — plus a direct line to Town of Superior staff.
Denver Water — Xeriscape principles
The seven principles, coined here in Colorado.
Colorado Drought Monitor
Weekly drought status for our county.
Resource Central — Garden In A Box
Discounted low-water plant kits for Front Range residents.
Town of Superior — Contact
Reach the Town Board, Public Works, and staff.
Why hard water etches clear coat
Detailer explainer — warns that even 5 minutes of sprinkler overspray can cause permanent etching.