Denver Water has drafted a $400 million conservation plan that aims to cut annual water use 22 percent – or 16.7 billion gallons – during the next 10 years.
The plan relies on ramping up existing programs – such as homeowner rebates on low-flow toilets and efficient clothes washers – and launching some new initiatives.
Among the new measures being proposed are:
Establishing a water-efficiency rating system for new construction. If builders don’t meet certain standards, the utility might refuse to hook up a new home to the water system.
Initiating water audits of existing homes before they are sold and requiring the replacement of leaky faucets, shower heads and toilets. The utility also might require home owners to replace inefficient fixtures.
Requiring the installation of low-flow urinals in new commercial buildings.
The three initiatives make up about a third of the reduction target. Other measures – such as adding irrigation water meters and removing park lawns – are aimed at Denver Water’s municipal and commercial customers.
“Our system is able to meet our current needs, but in the future, it’s going to take more supply, more conservation – or both – to be able to provide for a rapidly urbanizing Front Range,” said Denver Water Commissioner Tom Gougeon.
The plan – which may need Denver-area municipalities to pass ordinances – will be unveiled to the public this summer and then presented to the utility’s board in August.
Real estate agents and homebuilders say they need more information before they can judge the plan, which is still under development.
“We’re very encouraged by the fact that Denver Water brought us into the dialogue so early,” said Kim Calomino, a vice president of the Homebuilders Association of Metropolitan Denver.
“And we’re pleased that they’re looking at all water users – homeowners, businesses and industry – and not singling anyone out,” Calomino said.
As for the measure to inspect houses for leaky and inefficient fixtures before sales, Ed Jalowsky, a broker with Classic Advantage Realty in Denver, said it will depend on who does the inspection.
“The idea is only as good as the inspection itself,” he said, “and unfortunately in Colorado, if you’ve got a ladder and a flashlight, you can call yourself an inspector.”
Denver Water has discussed using home inspectors or Denver Water staff to do the audits, said Liz Gardener, the utility’s conservation program manager.
Since drought gripped the region in 2002, Denver Water customers have cut their annual consumption by about 20 percent, to 64 billion gallons last year.
“We recognize that some of our customers have already cut down their use, and that’s why we’re trying to build up on that momentum,” Gougeon said. “We’re trying to establish a conservation ethic that isn’t rule- driven or dictated by drought.”
The utility’s 1.1 million customers could end up paying for half of the $400 million plan.
Denver Water officials say those investments would be paid back to home owners and business in water savings within six years.
Some of the new measures may be controversial, utility officials say, including the plan to establish a rating system for new homes.
Under the proposal, builders would earn points by installing water-efficient fixtures and reducing irrigated landscapes.
Points would be deducted for using water-sucking features such as Kentucky bluegrass or the popular “shower towers” that have six or more shower heads.
If a developer didn’t get a passing grade, Denver Water might refuse to connect the home to its system, Gardener said.
“We’re not trying change the look of Denver so that it becomes like one of the towns in the Southwest,” Gardener said. “We want to keep the look of Denver, except the water running down the gutters. Except for the underground leaks. Except for the leaky faucets.”
The plan came out of Denver Water’s long-term planning process that set a conservation goal to cut 16 billion gallons of water annually by 2050.
The utility’s board decided last year it wanted to achieve that goal by 2016.
Denver Water may need legal backing from the municipalities it serves to require home sellers to replace inefficient fixtures, board members say.
The utility may ask metro- area governments to consider adopting ordinances tailored to the conservation plan, Gardener said.
The utility is arranging to make a formal presentation to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and the City Council, according to Andrew Wallach, an assistant to the mayor.
While Hickenlooper has said publicly that he supports increasing the city’s water conservation, local leaders need to understand the plan’s details before taking action, Wallach said.
“It seems at some point the city may be required to take some kind of action, and we want to be supportive, but first we need to hear from the stakeholders,” Wallach said.
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or kmcguire@denverpost.com.
