In this issue
Moffat Project has several environmental benefits
Denver Water’s most important responsibility is to ensure customers always have the water they need. At the same time, we recognize our responsibility to the environment and neighbors who rely on the same watersheds. To address these joint, equally important missions, we are employing a three-pronged approach to planning for the future: conserve, recycle and enhance supply.
Customers are helping tremendously with our conservation goals by using 20 percent less water than they were before the 2002 drought. And our recycled water system continues to expand each year. An important supply project, the Moffat Collection System Project, is waiting for federal approvals.
The project will almost triple the capacity of Gross Reservoir, located west of Boulder, providing Denver Water with 18,000 acre-feet of additional water supply — enough water to serve about 45,000 households annually.
At the same time, the Moffat Project has several environmental benefits — in fact, it’ll make the Fraser and Colorado rivers better off than they are today. The benefits include:
- 1,000 acre-feet of additional flows each year sent down the Fraser River. That extra water will help improve fisheries and stream habitat.
- Up to 1,000 acre-feet of additional flows released from the Williams Fork Reservoir for environmental benefits.
- Millions of dollars to improve aquatic habitat and water quality in Grand County.
- Millions of dollars for Summit County projects to enhance the environment, such as making improvements to a wastewater treatment plant that will improve effluent water quality.
- Stream restoration work in the Colorado River below Windy Gap Reservoir to improve the existing Gold Medal fishery.
- 5,000 acre-feet of additional storage in Gross Reservoir to improve in-stream flows in South Boulder Creek.
Your rates at work: Denver Water ramps up storage tank projects
In the next decade, Denver Water plans to spend about $120 million on treated water storage tank projects. These projects are so massive — and so important — that it often requires an impressive amount of coordination and skill just to install the concrete floor.
The new Lone Tree Basin No. 2, for example, will be a 10-million-gallon concrete reservoir that stores treated water. The circular tank is next to another tank that was constructed in 1983. Treated water reservoirs provide emergency storage, equalize treatment plant production despite varying daily customer use patterns, provide water to fight fires, and reduce pressure surges through pipes.
Since the first Lone Tree basin was built in 1983, the population served by the facility has grown. Without the additional storage tanks, Denver Water would have to install larger pipes and build additional pump stations, among other projects, in the southern part of the service area to meet future water demand.
Building just the floor of the new tank required so much concrete that more than 120 trucks hauled concrete to the site in one day. Crews will continue working on the walls and roof of the tank to finish the entire project by the end of 2012.
Lone Tree’s Basin No. 2, which will cost about $10 million, will be followed by replacement projects in Wheat Ridge, Centennial and Denver, as well as new tanks for the recycled water system and the Marston and Moffat treatment plants.
Save money by fixing water leaks
Leaks aren’t always obvious and can often lead to higher water bills. Most leaks are easy to fix, while others may require a plumber.
Denver Water is responsible for repairing leaks on its water meters and water mains. If there’s a leak on the customer’s service line, it is the customer’s responsibility to repair it.
This includes all pipe between the water main and the building, the irrigation system or indoor plumbing. Toilets are the most common leak culprit, so check your toilets to ensure you’re not wasting water.
To report a leak on a water meter or water main, contact Denver Water at 303-628-6000.
Avoid frozen pipes this winter
Protect your pipes this winter by keeping your heat set at 65 degrees and running a slow drip of water through faucets during a deep freeze (-5 degrees and below).
If you do get stuck with a frozen pipe, it’s important to be prepared. Don’t wait for nature to take its course. Thaw the pipe as soon as possible or call a plumber for help.
If you thaw the pipe yourself, shut off the water or test the shutoff valve. You don’t want water suddenly gushing from the pipe when it thaws.
Remember: When thawing, slower is better. Pipes warmed too fast may break. A hair dryer aimed at the frozen area of the pipe is appropriate. A blow torch is not.
Don't mistake water flow problems for pressure issues
Denver Water receives many calls from customers living in older houses asking about low water pressure. But the problem is usually caused by low flow, not low pressure.
Many residences built before 1900 have half-inch taps and half-inch lead service lines. By the 1950s and 1960s, three-fourths-inch taps and three-fourths-inch copper service lines had become standard, allowing more water flow into a home. Because property owners own and maintain the service line from the street to the house, the owner is responsible for fixing low-flow problems caused by old, undersized pipes.
Over time, mineral deposits accumulate on the interior surface of lead and galvanized service line pipe. This interior accumulation of minerals and corrosion decreases the interior pipe diameter, creates a rough inner surface and also reduces the available area for water flow. All of these contribute to a reduction in flow. This internal buildup of minerals and corrosion does not pose a health threat. In the case of lead pipe, it serves as a protective barrier between the lead and water.
To solve the low-flow problem, you may need to replace your tap, service line, and possibly the meter, all the way from the main in the street to the residence. It’s also important to check the plumbing inside the house, which also may have buildup problems. A licensed, bonded plumber or contractor should work on the replacement job.
If you have questions about the size and installation date of an existing water tap or about the actual pressure at a specific location, call Denver Water Customer Care at 303-893-2444.