News and Facts
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Colorado
Springs sets July water-use record, As Colorado Springs residents attempted to cope with a record heat wave in July, the community also set another record — the most water consumed for any month on record. Colorado Springs Utilities produced an estimated 4.33 billion gallons of water for its customers in July. The next highest July on record was 2001, when Colorado Springs residents consumed 4.29 billion gallons. Although there are more users today than seven years ago, usage per household has decreased significantly since 2001, in part because of good conservation practices. For the year 2007, residential water use was 93 gallons per capita per day – among the lowest on the Front Range – down from 122 gallons per capita per day in 2001. Months like July place a strain on Colorado Springs’ water system, especially as it continues to age. During peak demand months, it is more imperative than ever to be working toward building the Southern Delivery System (SDS), a proposed new pipeline that will provide the water we need for a growing community and to increase system reliability in the event other parts of the system need maintenance or repair. SDS will ensure this backup, especially during the hot, dry conditions we have experienced this summer. Homestake, the main pipeline that currently delivers water to Colorado Springs, was completed in 1967. In an average year, Colorado Springs relies on this pipeline, along with two others, for up to 70 percent of the city's water supply. In drier years, such as this one, we're relying on these pipelines for continuous, near full-capacity operation. If Colorado Springs were to lose a major component on the Homestake pipeline while demands were as high as last month, it could have significant consequences on water delivery to our community. The City has experienced significant outages of various lengths in the past for repairs and maintenance. Having SDS online will provide our community with an alternate delivery route to keep water flowing reliably to all existing customers in the event of an outage, as well as giving us the ability to conduct much needed maintenance and repairs on the existing system. July Demands - top 5 years: |
