<\/p>\n
Durango residents Mary and Joe Shaw were shocked to receive a nearly $400 water bill in July 2016, prompting them to stop watering their lawn this summer.<\/p>\n
The Shaws live at 1928 Crestview Drive, a house with a large front yard and backyard.<\/p>\n
They removed two trees from the property last summer and laid down sod in their place. But even then, the Shaws did not expect the cost to be significantly different.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bill wasn\u2019t anywhere near that high before,\u201d Mary said. \u201cJoe was told to water the sod every day, and that was probably a factor, but he watered it lightly each day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Durango City Council voted in 2014 to raise water and sewer rates starting in 2015, in part to pay for water infrastructure improvements. In 2015, water rates increased by 55 percent. The next two years, water rates increased 10 percent each year. The increases have led some residents to forego watering their lawns.<\/p>\n
After receiving their July 2016 bill, the Shaws checked for leaks anywhere in their house that may have contributed to increased water use. They did not find any. So they cut back on their water use. But in August 2016, their water bill was about $300.<\/p>\n
Now, for the first time in 47 years since purchasing his home, Joe has stopped tending to the lawn.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said to just let the yard go because he doesn\u2019t want to pay an enormous bill like last year. It\u2019s brown, but it won\u2019t die,\u201d Mary said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t water at all last month. Joe has the idea of xeriscaping the lawn in the back of his mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Replacing lawns with xeric plantings can cut water usage back by as much as 70 to 80 percent, said Victor Longinotti, owner of the landscaping business AVL Property Maintenance, Inc.<\/p>\n
Longinotti said more people are requesting to have their lawns xeriscaped because of increased rates.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say that 15 to 20 percent of our clients are asking for xeriscaping, exclusively to lower their water bill,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Longinotti said xeriscaping does not entirely limit the need to water lawns and plants.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can still use some water, but it is responsible use of water instead of shooting it all over your property,\u201d he said. \u201cCutting back your sprinklers to a drip system also helps.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alice DeKay and her family have lived in their home at 310 West Park Ave. since 1987. After an ongoing battle with the city over her water bill, she also stopped watering her lawn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a large corner lot. It has been a really hot summer, so this is the worst time for us to not be taking care of our lawn,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In June 2016, she paid a water bill of almost $150 after consistently watering the lawn. It wasn\u2019t until the next winter that she noticed a discrepancy with her utility bill.<\/p>\n
For two bills from December 2016 until February 2017, DeKay was not charged for any water use. In March 2017, her water bill increased to nearly $200.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought that maybe they were making up for not charging me in the winter,\u201d she said. \u201cSomeone came to look at the meter, and he said that he could find nothing wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
DeKay said she continued to be charged for water she wasn\u2019t using for the next two months, even though she was not watering her grass.<\/p>\n
She fixed a toilet in her home that ran intermittently to see if that would lower her water bill; it did not.<\/p>\n
Eventually, the city replaced DeKay\u2019s water meter but did not credit her account or give her an explanation as to why her rates were so high in the winter months.<\/p>\n
\u201cI paid all that money for water I didn\u2019t use and got none of it back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
After her experience, DeKay decided she will eventually xeriscape her yard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to switch to xeriscaping because even if this problem has corrected itself, the rates are going to continue to go up,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you drive down Third Avenue, you can see all the yellow lawns. It is like every other yard.\u201d<\/p>\n