Denver Water customers curtail use; storms help

Jim Erickson, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 12, 2006 at midnight

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Water use was 11 percent below pre-drought levels during the 2006 outdoor watering season, possibly indicating a permanent shift toward greater conservation among Denver Water's 1.2 million customers, utility officials said Wednesday.

Timely late-summer rainstorms also contributed to the water-use reductions, which were accomplished without mandatory watering restrictions, said Greg Fisher, the utility's chief planner.

"We think that some part of it is that people have made permanent, sustainable changes in their water use," Fisher said. But it will take several more summers to draw any firm conclusions, he said.

The outdoor watering season starts April 1 and ends Sept. 30. This year, Denver Water customers used 52.1 billion gallons of water during that period, 11 percent below the pre-drought average.

The reductions were achieved despite some of the hottest and driest weather in recent Denver-area history during April, May and June. Average daily high temperatures during that span were 7 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, while precipitation was 4.5 inches below normal, Fisher said.

As a result, water use exceeded the pre-drought average during those three months. But helpful rains arrived in July and continued through the end of the outdoor watering season, and beyond.

Water use plummeted during that three-month period: 23 percent, 18 percent and 21 percent below the pre-drought average in July, August and September, respectively.

"July, August and September temperatures and precipitation returned to near-normal, and our customers used water at 2002 to 2004 drought levels," said Ed Pokorney, director of planning for Denver Water.

Overall, the savings in July, August and September outweighed the heavy water use of spring, resulting in an 11 percent drop for the entire six-month watering season.

Currrently, Denver Water reservoirs are at 90 percent of capacity, Pokorney said Wednesday at a meeting of the Denver Board of Water Commissioners.

"The fall precipitation hit where we needed it most, and helped our reservoirs greatly," he said.

Also at Wednesday's meeting, the commissioners approved a 21.1 percent increase in the rate it charges the City and County of Denver for treated water. The increase is expected to generate $643,723 in additional revenue next year, said David LaFrance, the utility's director of finance.

Looking for ways to recover from a $12.2 million revenue shortfall, the board last month approved new residential rates that raised fees for heavy water users.

Also Wednesday, the board discussed a proposal to increase the one-time hookup fee developers pay to connect new homes to the Denver Water system. The typical new-home connection fee would rise by 9.8 percent, if approved by the board, LaFrance said.

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