Related Information:
- 2007 Supplement to Board Resource Statement (PDF)
- 2002 IRP (PDF)
- IRP 2010 Public Involvement Process
Both the 2002 IRP and the 2007 Supplement to the Board Resource Statement will be replaced in 2010 with the new IRP.
In November 2008, Denver Water embarked on a new Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that will help guide decisions related to our water system over the next 40 years.
Long-term planning has always been a key element in our ability to meet customers’ needs in a rapidly growing, semi-arid region. Today’s customers benefit from a very reliable water system, much of which was planned decades ago.
The IRP, a planning process we instituted in 1997, examines water collection, treatment, distribution and recycling systems, and provides guidance about what will be needed in the future. It scrutinizes water-demand projections and demand-management alternatives, as well as water-supply options and alternatives.
The new IRP, which will be finished in 2010, will consider a broader range of issues than in the past, including:
- Potential challenges to the water system, such as climate change; more severe and frequent droughts; changes in demographics and water use patterns; changes to watersheds, including beetle kill and forest fires; Colorado River water shortages; and economic and regulatory changes
- New opportunities for conservation, water-use efficiency and environmental enhancements
- The frequency of water-use restrictions for customers
- Water quality
- Denver Water’s role in regional and statewide water activities
- Priorities for improving and maintaining the water treatment and distribution systems.
A wide variety of supply and demand management methods available to Denver Water will be considered. They include strategies such as conservation, non-potable water recycling, expansion or development of new water supply and storage projects, system refinements and cooperative projects with other entities. They are all aimed at meeting the future water needs of our customers. The plan also will account for a water supply “safety factor” in case extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances arise.
The IRP will examine three types of costs for its water strategies: financial, environmental and social, a process called “triple bottom-line” analysis.
Development of the new IRP is in the early stages. Throughout the process, we will gather input from stakeholders, including customers, the Citizens Advisory Committee, our water distributors, public entities, elected officials, environmental groups, West Slope entities, neighboring utilities along the Front Range and industry experts.
We would like to hear from you. Please send us an e-mail.