Denver Water looks at rates
Residential and Commercial Customer Perceptions of Future Rates
In late summer and fall of 2008, Denver Water worked with three Denver-based consulting/research firms to conduct an online survey, telephone surveys and interviews, and focus groups to seek customer feedback on possible alternative rate options for 2010 and beyond.
Questions centered around three possible water rate structures. (These are not the only possible alternatives; rather they are a starting point to gather customer input.)
- Denver Water’s existing rate structure;
- A seasonal rate structure with winter and summer rates for each customer;
- A water budget rate structure that sets a monthly individualized allotment for water consumption based on factors such as lot size, irrigable areas and estimated indoor water needs.
Findings were combined into one report. The executive summary (PDF) and the results (PDF) of the online survey are available. If you would like a copy of the entire report, a 125-page PDF, which also includes results from a phone survey of residential customers and focus groups with commercial customers, please contact us.
Note: Denver Water’s Board of Water Commissioners decided not to make any major changes to the rate structure for 2010; they will consider annual rates for 2010 beginning in August 2009.
Denver Water has consistently worked to tailor its water rate structure to meet the ever-changing needs of its water system. A cost-of-service study is conducted each year to determine whether existing water rates are adequate to recover the cost of providing service. Denver Water is primarily funded through rates and system development charges (commonly referred to as tap fees — charged to new customers connecting to the water system).
No tax dollars are directed to Denver Water or its projects. Our rates are designed to recover the costs of providing reliable, high-quality water service and to encourage efficiency by charging higher prices for higher water use.