Irrigation Construction and Conservation Notes
- Before any taps are made from mains, application(s) must be received and approved by the Distributor (if applicable) and Denver Water.
- Denver Water is to make all taps 2” and smaller. Three inch and larger taps require a water plan submittal for Denver Water’s review and approval. (See Chapter 2 of Denver Water Engineering Standards.)
- All meter and automatic meter reading (AMR) locations shall be approved by Denver Water, except in Master Meter Districts. Contact Meter Inspection at 303-628-6706 before construction to verify acceptable meter locations.
- Irrigation of Narrow Strips of Land:
- Spray irrigation of narrow strips of land almost inevitably results in water waste. Therefore, the following irrigation system and design requirements apply to irrigation of any strip of land less than 25 feet in width, including medians, parkways, traffic islands, parking lot islands and perimeters, rights-of-way along streets, and other public or private areas along roadways.
- For strips of land less than 6 feet in width: Spray irrigation shall be prohibited. Low-flow irrigation systems are required.
(a) Low flow is defined as bubblers, dripline or similar products.
- For strips of land between 6 feet and 15 feet in width: Only low-flow irrigation, or spray irrigation using low-angle spray nozzles designed for the specific width to be irrigated shall be permitted. All spray heads must be pressure reducing and designed to prevent low head drainage.
- For strips of land between 15 feet and 25 feet in width: Only gear-driven rotors with low angle nozzles may be used to irrigate turf areas. Planting beds may be irrigated with low-flow or spray irrigation. All spray heads must be pressure reducing and designed to prevent low head drainage.
- Soil Amendment for Newly Licensed Premises:
- The setting and inspection of the meter is contingent upon proof of proper soil preparation before installation of plant material. It is required over the entire pervious area of the property unless a variance for specific areas has been approved before inspection of the premise. Proper soil amendment is the equivalent of adding approved compost at a rate of four cubic yards per 1,000 square feet of permeable area, incorporated (rototilled) to a depth of six inches.
- Rain Sensors Required:
- A functioning rainfall sensor, capable of turning off an automatic clock controlled irrigation system with a battery backup, is required on the following irrigation systems installed after January 1, 2008. A list of approved devices is available from Denver Water.
- Irrigation systems connected to all irrigation-only taps, including those related to single family residential licensed premises.
- All irrigation systems connected to regular taps.
