Practicing What it Preaches: Denver Water Utility

11/15/2024

Denver Water’s multi-million redevelopment resulted in LEED certification of buildings on the 34.6-acre property and included the utilization of a water resource management system called RUFUS (ReUse For Us System) that recycles water from restrooms and the main cafeteria at the downtown property.  

Because of the work that was done at Denver Water, Chance Coe, the utility’s water quality lead, says onsite water use is now legal for anyone in Colorado wishing to design, permit and operate such a system. But it may not be a good fit for every facility, he admits. 

“While Denver Water helped remove barriers for these systems, there are still complex issues that require a commitment for long-term operations and maintenance,” Coe says. “Commercial rainwater capture can only be done in conjunction with a water rights decree, which would likely need to include an augmentation plan. This is a complex task for those not in the water industry.”  

Still, Coe recommends similar projects for water operations and in other buildings. 

 “We don’t expect people to copy our operations exactly, but there are many organizations or facilities in Colorado (and elsewhere) that would benefit from different aspects of our One Water Strategy, whether it be the wastewater treatment, the rainwater capture and irrigation or the passive stormwater mitigation,” he says. 

Coe adds Denver Water is available to demonstrate its system to show others what is possible. “We are excited to watch others take the newly incorporated regulations for indoor toilet flushing and improve upon it in ways we may never have imagined,” he says.  

He also shares a few tips for successful water reuse projects, beginning with stakeholder buy in. Coe recommends reaching out to other utilities or organizations already doing the work and learn from their experiences. 

“There is so much value in these systems, but it can be hard to see that value if organizations cannot look behind the potential cost of the system initially,” he says. “Our future and our water are priceless. The steps we can take today to effectively change the way we think about our environmental impacts and utilize conservation efforts will reap a host of benefits for generations to come.”  

When working with stakeholders, Coe advises not to overlook the employees themselves. “They are the ones who will use the system every day and need to understand the unique nature of an actual, living reuse system,” he says. “We spent over a year before moving into the new building educating our employees on what our reuse system is, why we were implementing it, and most importantly, what they could and could not put into the system.”  

He also recommends adding educational opportunities for people visiting the building. Denver Water posts informational signage in its lobby to educate building visitors on how the system works. Information about the building’s other water efficiency systems and sustainability features is also included, informing all visitors on the journey of water from source to tap.  

Focused on the future 

Denver Water just received a permit to use recycled water for irrigation purposes. That system will be tested and processed in 2025. 

For now, Denver Water plans to keep sharing its work to spread the news about what is possible, according to Coe. 

“We are approaching a milestone in our system where we are stable enough to begin to press into the optimization components,” he says. “While we have often found ourselves troubleshooting, making process adjustments and learning more about how our system works for Denver Water, we know we are collecting valuable data along the way that will contribute to the efforts of others in the future.” 

The future will include more efforts of this kind, according to Brian Good, chief administrative officer overseeing Denver Water’s sustainability efforts with the OCR project. 

He is quoted in an article on Denver Water’s website as saying, “Denver Water will never be satisfied with ‘good enough.’ We are always striving to do better for our customers and our community.” 

Ronnie Wendt is a freelance writer based in Minocqua, Wisconsin.