The Basics of Your Water Budget

A water budget is the amount of water you are expected to need for a specific month. Since everyone's needs are different, each customer's water budget will be different. Also, water budgets may vary monthly based on seasonal outdoor watering needs.  
No matter what your budget is, you will only be billed for the water you use.

• How we came up with your water budget
• How we came up with your irrigable area
• How we calculate your bill
• How your budget and bill work together

How we came up with your water budget:

How budgets are established vary by customer type: single-family residential, multi-family residential, irrigation only and commercial/industrial accounts. For most customers, your budget will be the sum of your indoor and outdoor water allocations for a particular month.

• Single-Family Residential Accounts
  Monthly water budget = indoor allotment (7,000 gallons for a family of four) + outdoor allotment (based on customer-specific irrigable area and seasonal watering needs).  Since the city is estimating a family of four for each single-family residence, residences with fewer family members may have a larger budget than needed. Since you only pay for the water you use, having a large budget is actually beneficial. This gives you more flexibility for watering without worrying about going over your budget.
• Multifamily Residential Accounts
  Monthly water budget = indoor allotment (4,000 gallons per dwelling unit with 1-2 bedrooms) + outdoor allotment (based on customer-specific irrigable area and seasonal watering needs).  Dwelling units that have more than two bedrooms may receive an additional 1,000 gallons per month, but the total indoor allocation per dwelling unit may not exceed 7,000 gallons per month, which is the equivalent of five bedrooms.
• Irrigation-Only Accounts
  Monthly water budget = outdoor allotment (based on customer-specific irrigable area and seasonal water needs).
• Commercial/Industrial/Institutional (CII) Accounts
  CII customers may now choose from the following options:
  • Average Monthly Use (AMU) - This is the default option. The AMU budget is calculated using the historical average of 12 consecutive months of water use for that account, so that every month's water budget is the same. Customers can now apply to change the timeframe used for the 12-month average. (The default timeframe is January through December 2005.)
  • Historical Monthly Use (HMU) - The HMU budget is calculated using a rolling three-month average for each individual month. For example, the average of the past three January's use would be next year's January budget.
  • Indoor/Outdoor - The Indoor/Outdoor budget is similar to the single-family budget in that it is comprised of both an indoor water allocation and an outdoor water allocation. The indoor allocation is based on the most recent Average Winter Consumption (AWC), which is the average water use for that account for December through March. The outdoor allocation is calculated based on irrigable area, including right of way, and seasonal watering needs.
  • Efficiency-Standard - This option allows for a specific customized water budget. The customer must hire a professional engineer to evaluate and recommend a personalized indoor budget, which then must be reviewed and approved by the city. The customer will be charged a fee for the city review.
    
    *Each CII account will only be able to change budget options once per year.

How we came up with your irrigable area

The amount of water in your budget is based on aerial photos taken in 2003. (View the city's map and aerial photos.) Each lot is allotted a certain amount of water for each square foot of property that needs to be irrigated (referred to as the lot’s “irrigable area”), such as grass, trees and shrubs.

Some have asked if gravel areas are part of their irrigable area. In general, unless it is a driveway to the home or areas with very white rock that appears as concrete on the aerial photos, areas that have gravel are included in calculating your irrigable area. In such cases, your budget will likely include more water than you will need to water your remaining lawn.

The maximum amount of water allocated to each customer for outdoor use is 15 gallons per square foot of landscaped area.  This figure is based on horticultural research done by the Colorado State University that determined the amount of water needed for healthy bluegrass lawns in this climate is 18 gallons per square foot.  That amount was reduced to 15 gallons per square foot per year by City Council in order to provide sufficient water for some high-water areas, but not enough to support an entire landscape of only high-water plantings.  The reason for this was to encourage water conservation and xeriscape improvements.

How We Calculate Your Bill

How Your Bill and Your Water Budget Work Together

Example: If your budget is 8,000 gallons of water for the month of March 2013 and your actual usage is 10,000 gallons of water, your bill will be calculated as follows:

• In Block 1, 0 - 60% of your budget (or in this example 5,000 gallons) is charged at $2.32 per 1,000 gallon (which equals a charge of $11.60).
• In Block 2, 61 - 100% of your budget (or 3,000 gallons) is charged at $3.09 per 1,000 gallons (which equals $9.27).
• In Block 3, 101 - 150% of your budget (or the remaining 2,000 gallons used over your budgeted amount) is charged at $6.18 per 1,000 gallons (which equals $12.36).

Add the charges together from each block ($33.23) and that is your cost for the month of March 2013 for water.

Please note: The water budget only applies to your water use charges and does not include other costs such as wastewater, stormwater, other fees, etc.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 February 2013 11:49