Following Denver Water’s adoption of temporary drought pricing as part of its Stage 1 drought response, the City of Edgewater is implementing a drought surcharge for Edgewater water customers. City Council authorized the surcharge following a work session and business meeting on drought conditions and their impact. The surcharge applies to water used beginning in May 2026, and customers will see it reflected on their June bill.
Edgewater purchases its water wholesale from Denver Water. Denver Water’s drought pricing increases the cost of water to the City, and the City is passing that cost through to customers in the form of a local drought surcharge.
How the Drought Surcharge Works
The drought surcharge is $1.65 per 1,000 gallons of water used above each customer’s baseline. The baseline is the December 2025 water usage, or 5,000 gallons per month, whichever is higher.
Water used at or below that baseline — which covers typical indoor household needs such as bathing, cooking, and toilet flushing — is not subject to the surcharge. The surcharge is designed to apply to outdoor water use beyond normal winter levels, not to essential everyday household needs.
Examples
Individual bills will vary based on usage. One unit equals 1,000 gallons. Only complete units count. The following examples illustrate how the surcharge is calculated:
Example A – December reading below the 5,000-gallon floor:
A customer whose December reading was 3,000 gallons uses 8,700 gallons in July. Their baseline is 5,000 gallons (the minimum floor). Overage is 3,700 gallons — 3 full units — surcharge is $4.95 for that month.
Example B – December reading above the 5,000-gallon floor:
A customer whose December reading was 7,000 gallons uses 9,400 gallons in July. Their baseline is 7,000 gallons. Overage is 2,400 gallons — 2 full units — surcharge is $3.30 for that month.
Stage 1 Watering Schedule
The most effective way to reduce the surcharge is to reduce outdoor watering. Outdoor watering is limited to two assigned days per week, and no watering is allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• Even-numbered addresses: Sunday and Thursday
• Odd-numbered addresses: Wednesday and Saturday
• Multifamily, commercial, and HOA: Tuesday and Friday
Vegetables, flowers, and annuals may be hand-watered any day. The City is encouraging everyone to keep automatic irrigation systems off until mid to late May because lawns are still dormant and do not need water yet.
About the Stage 1 Drought
Denver Water declared a Stage 1 drought effective March 25, 2026, following historically low snowpack across its collection area. The City Manager of Edgewater subsequently issued a local drought declaration, aligning Edgewater’s water use restrictions with Denver Water’s Stage 1 requirements.
The drought surcharge will remain in effect for the duration of the City Manager’s drought declaration and will be removed when drought conditions no longer warrant it.
Questions about the drought surcharge or your water bill may be directed to:
Penny Mays, Utility Billing, (720) 763-3060, [email protected] or visit AskEdgewater.com and submit a request directly to our team.
