TWIN FALLS - It may be the first 'Green' building in Twin Falls.

The Twin Falls School District is investing into water and energy conservation for the new high school. Although the district will not request 'Green' building certification for Canyon Ridge High School, officials say the building will likely meet the certification requirements.

"We are more concerned about energy savings than we are about the certificate," said Dale Thornsberry, plant and facilities director. "To get the certificate, we would have to pay to have somebody inspect the school, and the only thing we would get was an award."

Nevertheless, the district asked the architects to include energy and water saving measures in the building design. Thornsberry said the community expressed an interest in seeing that the building operated efficiently - out of concern for the environment, as well as their tax dollars.

Hummel Architects, the firm that designed the school building, worked with research programs at some of Idaho's universities to identify ways of utilizing natural lighting, heat and ventilation in order to reduce energy usage.

The school district also began working with a local landscape and irrigation business to install a sophisticated sprinkler system that will water 40 acres surrounding the new high school. The system will include above ground and in ground sensors that will monitor moisture, wind and temperature in order to determine when water is needed.

"It's really quite amazing because it will turn the water off in specific areas where it detects too much water," Thornsberry said. "Most of the time people are over watering the grass, but this should prevent that from happening."

The school district, which owns water rights for the site of the new high school, will use water from the canal to irrigate the property.

Although district officials are not certain, they believe that Canyon Ridge High School will be the first 'Green' building in Twin Falls.