It’s a drought. And drought pricing is one of the many tools Denver Water has available to incentivize customers to reduce water use, stretch our stored water supply and help ensure our ongoing ability to operate and maintain the system that delivers clean, safe water to 1.5 million people.
Temporary drought pricing on outdoor water use was approved by the Board of Water Commissioners on April 8, 2026, and applicable starting with May 2026 water use as reflected in June 2026 bills. Drought pricing on outdoor water use will be in effect through April 30, 2027, or until further action by the board.
With just a few pieces of information from your bill, you can estimate water charges for 2026, including drought pricing.
Download this spreadsheet and open in Excel. Complete all yellow cells for best results.
Within Excel, choose your Customer Type from the dropdown menu (Inside City, Total Service or Read & Bill).
You will find this on the Rate section of your bill.
Within Excel, select your Meter Size from the dropdown menu.
Your meter size is next to the Fixed Monthly Charge of your bill.
The drought declaration seeks a 20% reduction in water use. Compare if you don't reduce or if you reduce by x%.
Start plugging in usage numbers for estimates. On the spreadsheet, do not enter the full number of gallons in the Usage (billed consumption) column. For example, 4 equals 4,000 gallons, 10 equals 10,000 gallons, etc.
On your bill, the total number of gallons consumed is underneath the Consumption column.
You can estimate total water charges for a month or the entire year. Please note, however, these are estimates only. Because of many factors, your total water bill may be different. Also note the spreadsheet does not estimate sewer or sanitary service charges, which contributes to your overall bill.