May rain is keeping sprinklers off and outdoor water use down, which Denver Water says could mean lower bills when tiered drought pricing begins June 1.
DENVER, Colo. — A soggy stretch of weather across Colorado could mean some financial relief for Denver Water customers when drought pricing takes effect next month.
Denver Water's tiered drought pricing begins June 1. Indoor water use rates will not change, which means customers should be able to continue showering, cooking and flushing toilets as usual without seeing any rate increases. But outdoor watering will come at an extra cost. After that initial indoor water allotment, which the company refers to as tier 1 usage, customers will see a drought charge of $1.10 per 1,000 gallons added to their usual water charge.
Up to 15,000 gallons is included in this second tier and is"considered to be an efficient use of water outdoors," according to the utility. After those 15,000 gallons, customers move into the third tier of pricing at $2.20 per 1,000 gallons on top of their usual rate. Jimmy Luthye, a Denver Water spokesperson, said the recent rain is helping stretch water supplies by keeping residents from outdoor watering.
"We are still in a drought, but seeing this rain does help folks keep their sprinklers off and prevent people from watering too much outside right now, and that is huge for stretching our water supplies,” said Luthye. ► Watch Adria Iraheta's report in the player below: Denver Water drought pricing starts June 1, but May rain could lower your bill Luthye said that could translate directly to lower bills for customers.
"The beauty of the rain falling in May has been fantastic, and it really is going to lead to folks' bills hopefully being lower than they otherwise would have been in June. " Denver resident Grace Joyner said she was not expecting this much moisture after a disappointing winter. "We were expecting like a pretty, a pretty snow-packed winter, so it was interesting to see," she said.
Joyner is using the wet conditions to her advantage, clearing out a garden bed and planting drought-tolerant wildflower seeds.
"We're going to go ahead and do it now and take advantage of that water," she said. "It'll definitely allow us to run our irrigation less. " Joyner said she is also looking at other ways to conserve. "We'll probably look into a rain barrel or some other water conservation soon," she added.
Luthye said the goal right now is simple.
"The important thing right now is that we can continue to let Mother Nature do the work for us. " This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Adria Iraheta Denver7’s Adria Iraheta shares stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on education and stories in Arapahoe County. If you’d like to get in touch with Adria, fill out the form below to send her an email.
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