Warning that “hopes for a Miracle May snowstorm are dimming,” Denver Water on Wednesday locked in lawn watering surcharges for the 2026 season that will cost the average “non-conserver” city resident $45 extra this year.
The average customer in the “non-conserver” category living in one of the suburbs Denver Water also serves will pay about $52 more over the 2026 summer season, according to charts provided by the agency. A non-conserver in Denver’s eyes is someone who has used an average amount in the past, 104,000 gallons in a year, but fails to cut use by 20% in 2026.
Denver Water serves 1.5 million people in the city and in portions of Lakewood, Centennial, Littleton and other communities.
Snowpack at historic lows throughout Denver Water’s Colorado River and South Platte River basin collection areas has pushed the agency and its peers to implement at least Stage 1 drought restrictions for the outdoor watering season. All the agencies are also urging customers to leave their irrigation systems off until at least mid to late May, when lawns wake up from winter dormancy and can actually use the moisture.
Denver’s surcharges are meant to hold 2025 costs the same for indoor water use such as showers, laundry and cooking. The customer’s Tier 1 benchmark for indoor use is set individually based on how much they used in January, February and March when there is almost no outdoor water use.
Tier 2 starts above that average indoor use, and up to 15,000 gallons a month. A customer will pay $1.10 per thousands gallons between their average indoor use and the 15,000-gallon mark. “Water use in this tier is considered to be an efficient use of water outdoors,” Denver Water said after the unanimous board vote approving the tiers.
Use in the third tier, above 15,000 gallons a month, will cost an extra $2.20 per 1,000 gallons of water above previously set 2026 rates. “It is priced at the highest level to signal potentially excessive water use and encourage conservation efforts by large-lot customers,” the agency said.
Denver Water had previously voted to enter Stage 1 day-of-week restrictions, meaning customers are limited to two days a week of irrigation system watering, with the assigned days tied to their house number. Customers can still hand-water trees, shrubs and vegetable gardens, but all watering is supposed to occur outside of daytime heat, which is between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Denver’s goal is to cut water use by 20%. One fear is that if reservoirs are drawn down too far and more normal snowfall doesn’t arrive in the 2026-27 season, more draconian restrictions will be required across Colorado next spring.
Denver Water’s 2026 bill examples show a “super conserver,” with little lawn use and only hand watering of trees, paying only $7 more for the season, at a total annual bill of $435. A high user inside the city of Denver boundaries might pay $76 more for the year, at $879.
In the suburban areas Denver Water serves, a super conserver would see $8 in extra charges, at $515 for the year. A suburban high user would pay $1,126 for the season, up $76 in surcharges.
While the drought surcharges will help Denver Water make up some of the operating revenue it needs after a potential 20% cut in delivery volume, it won’t fully close the gap. The agency says it will draw some on reserves to make up the difference.