Thornton 2002 WCPlan

• Project Type: Water Conservation Plan
• Project Name: City of Thornton Water Conservation Plan
• Title: Water Conservation Plan
• Date: 2/6/2002
• County: Adams
• Water Conservation - Doc Type: Complete Plan

System-wide Metering (2)

All customers' homes and businesses are metered and customers are charged rates based
on the amount of water used. This is in contrast to a flat rate system where customers
pay a fixed monthly fee, regardless of how much water is used.

Residential meters are replaced once every ten to twelve years. Commercial meters are
checked annually for accuracy and repaired as needed.

As a service, when customers call and request assistance, Thornton will help customers
identifY and locate leaks in residential and business lines. Customers are responsible for
any repairs that may be needed.

Xeriscape Demonstration Garden (3)

A Xeriscape demonstration garden has been established at Thornton's Margaret W.
Carpenter Recreation Center. The garden has three components: signage, education, and
research. Signage at the location shows the plant species used. Educational brochures
about Xeris-cape are available upon request. The garden has three zones of water use:
ultra-low, low, and moderate. Plants are monitored to determine the species best suited
for each zone. This research is being conducted on an ongoing basis.

Public Education (4)

Public information programs are designed to educate citizens about the benefits of water
conservation. Thornton's public education program is ongoing. A water resources
display is set up twice each year during Thomtonfest and Harvest Fest, where water
resources personnel answer citizens' questions and distribute brochures. Upon request,
personnel give talks to schools and civic groups. The Xeriscape demonstration garden
has educational signage on premises and educational brochures are available upon
request.

Pricing (5)

The primary goal of conservation pricing is to implement rates that encourage efficient
water use. Thornton has accomplished this tbrough the current water rate structure, in
which customers are charged $2.91 per 1,000 gallons of water used, plus a $2.25 per
month base fee.4 Apartments and commercial operations are charged at a higher rate.
The more water used, the higher the bill, so customers have an incentive to conserve.

The City of Thornton' s water rate increases in the late 1980s had substantial impact on
customer behavior. Consequently, Thornton has one ofthe lowest gallons per capita per
day usage in the Denver metro area The City's water rates were set to cover costs of
operation, debt service, and long term infrastructure development.

4 City of Thornton Ordinance 2595. Effective January I, 2000.

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