2008 Rate Increase Approved for Denver Water
On September 26, 2007, the Denver Board of Water Commissioners voted to increase water rates for 2008 to cover rising costs associated with maintaining, improving and expanding Denver's water system. Denver Water is the largest supplier of water in Colorado with over 1 million customers in Denver and surrounding suburbs. Denver Water has reported that the increased rates will vary "depending on the amount of water a customer uses and whether they are inside the city limits or served by a suburban utility with a Denver Water contract."
A new class of customers with dedicated outdoor irrigation taps called "Other Irrigation" has been established. This new class is reportedly made up primarily of commercial, industrial and governmental entities and "will pay seasonal rates up to 10% higher than what they are currently paying during the summer." However, Denver Water has reported that "Some irrigation-only customers, generally homeowner associations, were put into a "Single Family Residential Common Area Irrigation" class earlier in 2007." Presumably, this class of customers will not be impacted by the 10% increase for "Other Irrigation" customers. We recommend that representatives of associations that are "irrigation-only" customers with Denver Water check to ensure that your associations have been classified as "Single Family Residential Common Area Irrigation."