Big Blizzard Didn't Mean End To Water Restrictions

DENVER -- If you're wondering if the blizzard has helped our water supply problem, the answer is yes, but not enough.

It's still officially a drought, and the Denver Water Board on Wednesday voted to raise water surcharge rates because of it.

Even so, the Big Blizzard of 2003 definitely made a big difference in the state's water supply, water officials said.

Denver Water said snowpack went from about 90 percent of normal before the blizzard to 111 percent of normal now.

Reservoirs are still only 43 percent full, which means continued watering restrictions this year.

"For all those people who had to shovel all that snow, it seems that would be enough to get us out of the drought but the drought was so intense and so bad that one blizzard isn't enough to get us out of the drought," said Marc Waage of Denver Water.

The Denver Water Board is considering allowing residents to water only two times per week, 15 minutes per zone.

The board has already voted to increase water surcharge rates.

Last fall, for single family Denver homes, the surcharge ranged from 25 cents to 75 cents per 1,000 gallons after the first 7,000 gallons.

This spring and summer, the surcharge ranges from 80 cents to $11.85 per 1,000 gallons after the first 18,000 gallons. (There will be no surcharges for the first 17,000 gallons.)

Denver Water said the surcharges would have been higher and the restrictions even worse without the blizzard.

Experts say it will take about three more years of average precipitation to pull out of the record drought.

The board will hammer out other details for water restrictions in the next few weeks, 7NEWS reported. It will also have to consider a proposal to give homeowners the flexibility of planting sod on their lawns in the spring or fall.

And on a related note, all Denver recreational fields are now open. They were closed because of the wet conditions from the snow, but since the fields are still vulnerable, the Park and Recreation Department asks that you not wear metal cleats while playing on them.

Boulder's Proposed Water Rate System Rewards Conservation

In Boulder, the City Council endorsed changes that may be the start of a long-term effort to encourage conservation through revised water-billing.

If finalized in a vote April 15, base water rates will increase between 5 percent and 10 percent for customers who use the most water. The city would also add surcharges of between $1 and $8 per 1,000 gallons used if a drought is declared. The exact amount would depend on the severity of the drought and how much water a customer uses.

Businesses will be spared rate hikes for indoor water use for now but the council might consider the issue next year.

Houses and condominiums, about 90 percent of customers, use less than 8,000 gallons per month and will pay the lowest rate under the plan.