Denver Water has begun issuing fines to customers who violate watering restrictions as a prolonged drought continues to strain the region's water supply with no signs of improvement.
Denver Water customers are currently limited to watering lawns two days a week. Despite those restrictions being in place for most of the summer, the measures have not made a significant difference, according to the agency.
Last week, Denver Water issued more than 50 warnings and six or seven fines to customers who did not follow watering rules. The agency said it has shifted from educating customers about restrictions to actively enforcing them.
Greg Fisher, manager of demand planning and efficiency at Denver Water, said conditions are not improving.
"So right now it's unfortunately not getting better. We're continuing to see diminishing flows. The monsoons that didn't show up for us in the metro area, we saw some in the mountains which helped just a bit, but really no relief in town for our lawns. As we try to save 20% during the irrigation season."
Fisher said the conservation effort now is about protecting the region's water supply heading into next year.
"We need to save as much water as we can. Because really we are working for next year. We don't know what the snow pack will look like. But we want to put ourselves in the best position we can for next year and really save or guard against going on stricter restrictions."
