Protecting the Environment


Xeriscape garden

Conservation has been an integral part of what we do for more than 60 years. We began using meters to conserve water in the 1940s, long before it was standard practice. We pioneered the use of treated wastewater for irrigation in the 1960s. We opened our award-winning Xeriscape™ Demonstration Garden in the 1990s. And our 1996 Water Resource Plan identifies conservation as one of four components for providing safe, reliable water.

We’re proud of our conservation efforts and what they’ve accomplished. Our per capita residential water use is the lowest along Colorado’s Front Range. Our community used 5 billion gallons less water in 2007 than in 2001, despite a 10 percent increase in population. Our customers’ conservation efforts in recent years have already allowed us to delay the cost of building a new water delivery system by several years.

A summary of some of the conservation measures we’ve implemented and plan to implement:

• Conservation Education. We distribute educational materials through customer newsletters, community events and our Web site and partner with educators to provide curriculum-based materials in schools.
• Special Events. We participate in a number of special events including annual an Earth Day celebrations and an annual symposium on water-wise landscaping.
• Pricing. Residential customers pay a 3-tiered price for the water they use. The first tier is the least expensive and covers essential indoor use. The second tier is higher in price and covers typical outdoor use. The third tier is the highest price for water used over and above typical indoor and outdoor water usage. Commercial customers are on a seasonal pricing structure where they pay a lower price for winter use and a higher price for summer use when the demand is greater.
• Residential Rebates. We provide Energy Star clothes washer rebates, irrigation equipment rebates and high-efficiency toilet rebates.
• Commercial Landscape Code. The city requires water-efficient landscaping for newly developed commercial, industrial and multi-family properties.
• Voluntary Restrictions. We have voluntary water restrictions, to encourage wise water use by asking our customers to voluntarily cut back on water use. The voluntary restrictions replaced more stringent mandatory drought-related restrictions in place from 2002-2005.
• Partnerships. We collaborate with a number of groups such as the Colorado WaterWise Council, Colorado Water Conservation Board and others to spread the water conservation message.