Denver Faces Water Restrictions For the Third Year in a Row

DENVER, Colo. - For the third straight year, residents of Denver are facing landscape watering restrictions, according to the Irrigation Association (IA)'s May 2004 E-Times.

Denver Water voted in April to implement restrictions, just two days after neighboring city Aurora, Colo., did the same. Since May 1, Denver Water residential customers have been allowed to water twice per week, a maximum of 15 minutes per zone, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The utility has also increased fees for new connections and raised surcharges for high water users. Violate the restrictions once, and residents receive a warning. A second violation will cost residents $250, and repeat offenders face up to $1,000 per violation, flow restrictors and service interruption.

The Denver Water board of directors was considering rebates for landscape water audits, soil amendments and high-efficiency washing machines, but “smart” controllers weren’t under consideration.

The author is managing editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at nwisniewski@gie.net.