Denver Water issues 450 citations for water restriction violations

Denver Water customers are saving millions of gallons amid ongoing drought restrictions, but hundreds of others are facing thousands of dollars in fines for violating the rules.

Since the beginning of the month, Denver Water has issued 450 violations totaling about $265,000.

A first time violation carries a fine of at least $500, and Denver Water says hundreds of customers are now facing those penalties.

A green, lush lawn may look beautiful, but in Denver, it could come with a hefty price tag. Current water restrictions, which took effect Oct. 1, ban lawn watering.

Greg Fisher with Denver Water said that helped with violations.

"By October, we saw that increase, and honestly, it's also easier for us to see the violation in October because we banned all spray irrigation," said Fisher.

The fine for a first violation is $500, increasing to as much as $1,000 for subsequent violations. For multifamily customers, fines start at $1,000.

Denver Water says it sent a postcard to every customer warning them about the restrictions, which is why fines began sooner.

"It's much easier for us to pick out violations. There are no more assigned days, so if we saw spray irrigation at all, we could assess a violation."

Denver Water says customers reduced water use by 33% during the first 18 days, saving billions of gallons. But hundreds of others are paying the price.

Some Denver residents disagree with the fines.

"The city keeps giving leniency to big businesses and continues to punish the residents. They shouldn't be responsible for it. It's turning neighbors against neighbors," said Denver resident Mads Delgado.

Meanwhile, others say the fines are justified, like Denver resident, Jeff Huffman.

"Yeah, yeah, I do. There was a very, very dry winter, and the summer has also been dry, so we are going to need the water."

Denver Water anticipates reservoirs will be about 60% full by next spring, well below the 85% target. That's why customers are expected to continue conserving water.

"We are definitely not past the drought. We will not be past the drought until we get a good snow year. So we're really hopeful that that's this coming winter," said Fisher.

Through September, Denver Water says it received more than 7,500 reports of water waste and issued more than 2,000 formal warnings.