DENVER – As it considers a rate hike this month, Denver Water will have to navigate between competing interests – environmentalists who say the utility prices its commodity too cheaply, landscape contractors out to save lawns, and customers who don't like paying more.
The utility's board will discuss a rate hike at a meeting today, then vote on it Sept. 29.
Landscape contractors say utilities' budget-balancing act needs to provide some water-saving incentive for lawn-lovers.
Green Industries of Colorado, a coalition of landscape-related businesses, is backing "water budgets," an assigned amount of water to each household, with penalties for going over limits.
Water budgets reduce use but allow some outdoor watering at reasonable prices. Base rates should cover fixed costs, such as payroll and operations, however, according to the landscape contractors' proposal.
"Water budgets are the answer to get Denver Water off its revenue-versus-conservation roller-coaster," says Todd Williams, president-elect of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, a coalition member.
Denver Water Finance Director David LaFrance says the utility is trying to strike a balance between those who want water priced high to prompt conservation and those worried about affordability.
"Rather than try to price it so that it's not affordable to anybody, we need to price it at a level where people won't waste it," he says.
Wojcik said the conservation decision rests with customers, particularly as the state grows and continues to strain rivers and streams. "It's water – do we want it on our green lawns, or do we want it in our rivers?" Wojcik says. "We're making that choice every day."
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