Denver water use dips to 40-year low in 2014

Maybe it is projects such as replacing 10,000 toilets in Denver Public Schools. Maybe it is Denver Water's ceaseless "Use Only What You Need" campaign. Or maybe residents seeing scarcity are self-motivated. Whatever the reasons, water use in metro Denver has dipped to 40-year lows. The total amount residents used in December decreased to 3.19 billion gallons, and in January to 3.36 billion gallons — down from previous winter highs topping 4 billion gallons, utility officials said. The last time December use dropped this low was in 1973 when Denver had 350,000 fewer people. "Our customers are responding. ... Conservation has been successful and will be an integral part of meeting our future water needs — along with reuse and new supply," Denver Water manager Jim Lochhead said. The low use this winter continues a trend of declining water use despite a growing population. Denver residents use 82 gallons a day per person for all indoor and outdoor purposes, utility data show. That's down from 104 gallons in 2001 and puts Denver ahead of other Western cities that are counting on conservation to avoid running dry...more