As of Feb 2025:
- This is an annual metric and only reflects data through 2024. The 19.6% increase in water use in 2024 compared to 2023 is due mostly to a 70% decrease in precipitation during the irrigation season in 2024 compared to the same season's average precipitation in 2023.
- Metric is typically updated in March.
- This measure reflects all billed residential water use (single-family, duplex, and multi-family rate codes). It does not, however, include any water used by commercial rate codes associated with residential properties (like irrigation accounts, club houses, pools, offices and other uses that typically have a commercial rate code). This metric is highly dependent on weather conditions’ impacts on residential irrigation water use.
- The AWWA National Water domestic per capita consumption benchmark from 2017 is about 61 gallons per person per day, which is notably lower than ours. This is likely due to certain areas in the US not needing to irrigate landscapes, whereas in the arid west, outdoor water use is much higher and contributes to greater per capita water consumption.
2023 Status: Although some additional water supplies were added to the Utilities portfolio in 2023, it was not significant enough to show a change in this metric. The Actual Demand in 2023 was less than 90% of the Target Firm Yield of Supplies (which is good).
- This metric illustrates how well the Utilities Water Resources Division maintains a reliable water supply for the Utilities water service area customers.
- The goal is to keep water supplies greater than the demands of the water service area customers.
- Factors that increase the firm yield of Utilities water supplies include:
- Acquiring additional water rights that can be used without water court action;
- Going through water court process to allow Utilities to use certain previously acquired water rights;
- Adding reservoir storage that allows for water to be stored during times of excess and used during times of shortage; and,
- Adding reservoir storage that can meet return flow requirements downstream in order to allow for increased use of water supplies at the water treatment plant.
- This metric is only updated annually in March.
In 2024, the City received 25 drinking water quality complaints, equating to a rate of 0.19 per 1,000 customers. This was a decrease of 20 complaints, or 44%, from 2023, and remains well under benchmark goals.
Complaints related to sensory perceptions of the water quality were significantly reduced in 2024, which may be a result of a new complaints process where customer complaints are prioritized, and it is determined if the complaint appears to be due to observation of a normal condition with no risk to human health or if it needs to be escalated. The number of complaints related to inquiries about lead or health issues remained about the same as in 2023. We believe this indicates that the new complaints process is doing a better job of getting the appropriate complaints to the Water Quality Lab.
Based on the 2024 Benchmarking Manual from the American Water Works Association, 38 participating combined utilities had a median number of technical water complaints of 2.2 per 1000 customers. The best quartile rate observed by other participating utilities was 1.0 per 1000 customers. At 0.19 per 1000 customers, the City of Fort Collins was better than the best.
Additionally, this measure can be calculated as complaints per 1000 accounts. Using this method, the City had a rate of 0.69 per 1000 accounts. Based on the 2024 Benchmarking Manual from the American Water Works Association, 38 participating combined utilities had a median number of technical water complaints of 7.2 per 1,000 customer accounts. The best quartile rate observed by other participating utilities was 3.8 per 1,000. At 0.69 per 1,000, again the City of Fort Collins was better than the best.