2022 Water Wise Guide

Centennial Water & Sanitation District’s

2022 Water Wise Guide

Inside:

n Water budgets n Water rates n Outdoor watering rules n Water quality n Watering times n Incentive programs Serving the communities of Highlands Ranch and Solstice.

Photo courtesy of Resource Central.

Keep an eye on your water budget

Every customer has a unique water budget designed to encourage water conservation. A water budget provides an allocation for indoor and outdoor use. The water budget for outdoor irrigation, based on individual lot size, provides enough water for healthy landscapes, but not so much that our resource is wasted. Water budgets do not change for weather conditions. Your water budget can be found on your bill. Read your water meter regularly to monitor your water usage and to check for leaks.

Progressively higher tiered rates over the allotted water budget serve to encourage conservation. However, customers will only be billed for water consumed, regardless of their water budget amount.

The image below depicts how your water budget progressively increases for the irrigation season, peaks in July, then decreases, ending in October.

RULES & REGULATIONS

Summertime Residential Water Rates Per 1,000 gallons

The residential water rate per 1,000 gallons is $4.31.

The graph to the right depicts the rates customers will pay when they exceed their allocated water budget during each billing period.

Up to 100% $4.31 101% - 120% 121% - 140%

$5.80 $8.81

141% +

$13.33

To report an incident of water waste, call 303-791-0430.

To report an irrigation leak in parks or landscape along roads, call 303-634-8042.

Outdoor watering rules n n n

Outdoor irrigation is not allowed from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., May 1 through Sept. 30.

Hand watering trees and shrubs is allowed anytime if a hose is held and equipped with a shut off device.

Wasteful water practices are prohibited and may result in a fine. This includes allowing excess water to flow into street gutters or neglecting to repair leaks. Issues must be addressed within 10 days of identification.

RULES & REGULATIONS

Get familiar with your water Knowing where your water comes from means knowing more about your water quality and what impacts it.

Most of the water in the Centennial Water system comes from snowmelt that runs downstream into storage reservoirs. Dry mountain soils absorb much of the runoff before water can reach reservoirs. On sunny days, more moisture is lost to sublimation and evaporation, compared to runoff that occurs on cloudy days.

The runoff that flows from the mountains is then diverted to storage reservoirs for a number of different water providers. Water rights dictate who gets how much water and when.

A combination of dry mountain soils, sublimation and water rights impact the amount of water in our storage reservoirs and the amount of water available to support the Centennial Water service area.

Then what? How does that relate to water quality?

The water quality of the water that ends up in our reservoirs is directly impacted by you. Do you pick up after your pooch? Have you ever tossed trash into a stream on a hike? That beautiful stream flows into our reservoirs and now we have to treat it.

Simple choices you make every day, can impact our water quality for better or for worse.

WATER QUALITY

Tips for Water Quality: Choose Phosphorous-free fertilizer When it comes time to fertilize your lawn this year, choose a fertilizer that is safe for our water supply. Choose phosphorous-free fertilizer. Phosphorous is harmful to the water supply and should only be used when necessary.

When it rains or snows, the phosphorous runs off the lawn and pollutes nearby rivers, lakes and streams and can impact drinking water. Phosphorous is like junk food for algae and weeds. It feeds them until they grow out of control, turning ponds green and possibly killing fish.

For more tips on keeping our water quality clean, visit lovecoloradowater.org/care.

WATER QUALITY

Watering times should be adjusted as frequently as the weather changes Don’t set your sprinkler system and forget it all summer. Water requirements change throughout the season and so should irrigation run times. Water no more than three times per week.

Water only as needed in April and October, and remember to turn off irrigation systems for the year the second week of October.

Read your water meter regularly to monitor water use. Doing so will identify possible leaks or indicate if you are using too much water.

Use the cycle and soak method, water in multiple, short cycles allowing water to soak into the soil before running off.

Sample run time for May, based on the chart above: 12 minutes fixed spray ÷ 3 cycles = 4-minute cycles run at a minimum of 30 minutes apart

WATER WISE

Centennial Water incentive programs Garden In A Box

Purchase a low water Garden In A Box kit to help you cut back on water usage. A limited number of discounts are available to Centennial Water customers on a first-come, first-served basis.

Slow the Flow - free irrigation inspections A free Slow the Flow irrigation inspection will reveal the efficiency of your irrigation system and you will be provided suggestions to improve it.

High-efficiency nozzle

The high-efficiency nozzle retrofit program targets the replacement of less efficient, traditional fixed spray nozzles with more efficient rotary nozzles. A rebate of $1 per nozzle is available.

Turf replacement

A rebate is available for the removal of any existing grass and replacement with Xeric or drought tolerant vegetation. Convert water-thirsty plant materials, such as Kentucky Bluegrass, into a water wise landscape.

Scan the QR code to learn more

For More Information:

centennialwater.org | info@centennialwater.org | 720-240-4918

WATER WISE

Irrigation start up: check for leaks 1 Check the control valve box for dripping or pooling water.

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

62 Plaza Drive Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

2 Run all zones of your irrigation system and check for loss of pressure.

3 After running your irrigation system for the first time, walk your yard and look for soggy areas.

4 For efficient irrigation, program your controller to adjust run times based on sprinkler head type. Suggested run times can be found on the chart in this brochure.

Remember to adjust your controller as water supply and weather conditions change.

Sign-up for Centennial Water’s eNewsletter.

Text 22828 to CWSD to sign-up.

Residential Customer

PAID

Highlands Ranch, CO Permit Number 433 CRRT WSS