A relatively mild summer, monsoon-like conditions, and lots of good water conservation by Denver-area residents means that reservoirs are at 85% normal. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that, once again, all that good conservation means that Denver Water revenues have dropped. Which means that rates will likely be going up again …
With water sales off by 19 percent from budget projections for the first seven months of this year, the utility faces a $27.7 million deficit this year, said finance director David LaFrance. Despite the three increases, 56 percent of Denver Water’s customers are paying lower bills than they did three years ago because they are using less water, he said.
Denver Water is owned by the city and county of Denver, and the city charter restricts its prices to the cost of delivering the vital service. That means that when revenue flirts with dipping below costs, customers must help pick up the slack.
The board is also going to be looking at ending watering restrictions and surcharges by the end of the month.