When Dagny Bruus’ dog, Blue, doesn’t finish her water, the Denver hairstylist pours what’s left in the bowl into the dozens of potted plants growing in her Baker neighborhood home.
It’s one of the many water-saving practices adopted by Bruus, whose bimonthly water bill totals about $20 in the summer.
While Bruus may not be your typical Denver Water customer, she is one of thousands who appear to be reducing their water use on the Front Range.
From a band of retired volunteer water cops in Lakewood to a young couple in northwest Denver who have taken advantage of the utility’s conservation programs, Denver Water customers have cut their use by 20 percent this year.
While utility officials expected water use to decline during the years after the drought began in Denver in 2002, they were caught off guard by the scale of declining water sales, which have helped create a $12 million budget shortfall.
Today, the utility’s board will consider raising rates by about 8 percent and tweaking the rate structure so large water users pay more.
The move could lead to an average annual increase of $20 for Denver residents and $30 for suburban customers.
Utility officials say that’s the best strategy to make up for the dwindling water sales and escalating operating costs.
“The solution is not to use more water,” said utility manager Chips Barry.
The utility has several theories behind the dramatic drop in water consumption, some tied to weather, others related to water-efficient appliances.
A recent phone survey, however, revealed 33 percent of those polled said water conservation is simply the “right thing to do.”
That’s the motivation for Armine von Stein, Dave Fleming and Dave Hendricks, who have patrolled their Lakewood neighborhood in search of leaky lawn sprinklers.
Because their homeowners association pays their outdoor water bills, saving money isn’t the volunteer water cops’ motive.
“I think everyone wants to have a nice lawn,” said von Stein, a retired groundskeeper. “And nobody wants to waste water.”
Stretching resources as far as they can go is something Bruus, 73, says she learned growing up in Denmark during World War II.
When Bruus bought her Baker home in 1986, she decided she wanted to build “an outside living room” of plants that could shroud her small lot.
Over the years, she has learned that her trees only needed about 10 minutes of watering in the morning and evening.
But watering every day got Bruus in trouble during the drought, when Denver Water restricted outdoor use.
“I got turned in by a neighbor,” she said. “So I marched over to Denver Water the next day and showed them my water bill. And that was the end of that.”
Bruus’ $20 summertime bills are far less than the average residential customer, who pays about $50 for 24,000 gallons every two months.
Kate Hammond and her boyfriend, Geoff Brown, who live in Denver’s Highlands neighborhood, paid water bills of $100 this summer and $30 during the winter months.
Over the summer, the couple participated in a program subsidized by Denver Water that gave them a three-hour consultation with a landscape architect for $75.
The architect suggested planting Russian sage, lavender and other drought-tolerant species.
“I really wanted a yard that didn’t have to mow much, one that required less water and less maintenance but was still pet friendly,” Hammond said.
The couple also took advantage of a Denver Water $150 rebate when they bought a front-loading clothes washer, which uses half the water of a top-loading machine.
There are many other water- conserving appliances being used today, such as dual-flush toilets and energy-efficient dishwashers, said Kim Calomino, vice president of technical and regulatory affairs for the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver.
“We also see high-density development taking place in the metro area, which means that we see smaller lot sizes,” she said. “That’s usually going to translate into an outdoor savings.”
Still, Denver Water customers won’t remain water stingy forever, said Bill Maddaus, an Alamo, Calif., water-utility consultant.
“Most cities that go through a drought eventually rebound in water use,” Maddaus said. “How much will Denver rebound? I don’t think anyone knows.”
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or kmcguire@denverpost.com.
