April 2026

Celebrating water‑wise yards: Join our 2026 Landscape Contest

Spring is just around the corner, and many of us are starting to think about yards, gardens and outdoor projects again. We love seeing how customers turn their outdoor spaces into places that are both beautiful and water-wise. Our latest blog, “From patch to showpiece: How a small area can win big in LTWD’s landscape contest,” spotlights real customers, real budgets and real yards and shows how just 200 square feet can qualify you for our 2026 Water-Wise Landscape Contest.

Suzy, our 2025 contest winner, transformed a front-yard patch into a colorful, low-maintenance space. She didn’t set out to win an award. She observed what thrived in nearby yards, chose plants she already loved, and intentionally used rock and hardscaping to highlight their shapes and textures. Each key plant got its own drip emitter so she could fine-tune water needs. The result? A garden that makes her smile every time she pulls into the driveway and sparks compliments from neighbors.

The contest’s 200-square-foot minimum is intentionally practical. It’s big enough to make a visible difference in your water use and curb appeal, but small enough to tackle in phases without overhauling your entire property. You’ll find ideas for your own water-wise yard, along with how LTWD programs, like Garden in a Box by Resource Central, can help you get started.

Reducing irrigated turf through a focused project like this is one of the easiest ways to lower outdoor water use, keep your bill predictable and stay within your annual allotment. Small changes add up big time by stretching the water supply and creating yards that are easier to enjoy.

Suzy’s project also offers a few helpful takeaways.

• She spent time looking at nearby gardens to see what plants thrived locally and chose varieties she already loved.
• She used dedicated drip emitters so each plant could receive the right amount of water, adjusting output when needed.
• Even small design choices, like carefully placing rocks to add color and texture, helped bring the whole space together.

We hope you’ll consider entering the 2026 contest if you’re planning a project or have changes you’re proud of. It’s a chance to celebrate your efforts, inspire neighbors and win a cash prize.

Read the March blog to get inspired and find out how to enter the 2026 Water-Wise Landscape Contest.

 

New allotment timeline webpage offers more clarity

We know allotments and surcharges have been on many customers’ minds, especially as we head into outdoor watering season. No one likes unexpected charges on a bill. To help provide more clarity, we’ve created a new allotments and surcharges communications timeline webpage that walks through how we arrived at our current structure.

The timeline brings together key milestones, board decisions and customer communication in one place. It outlines when changes were proposed, how they were shared and why they were necessary. The page also explains:

• How annual allotments are set
• How surcharges apply when a customer exceeds their allotment
• How these tools help manage a limited resource fairly.

Our goal is to help you understand not just what the current rules are, but how and why they were developed.

Each tap in the district has a designated annual water allotment. Staying within that allotment helps ensure there is enough water for everyone we serve. When customers consistently use more than their allotment, additional water must be sourced, treated and delivered, which comes at a higher cost. Allotments and surcharges encourage thoughtful use and protect supplies for the entire community.

As we move closer to peak-use months, this is a good time to revisit your own water habits. Being informed now can help you make small adjustments before summer bills arrive.

Review the allotments and surcharges communications timeline

 

Capital projects: investing in today and tomorrow

When you turn on the tap, you see clear, clean water. What you don’t see is the network of pipes, pumps, tanks and treatment facilities working behind the scenes. This year, LTWD is moving forward with several capital projects that strengthen that system and prepare it for the future.

A few projects we want to highlight today are the Markham Tank build and the Carter Lake Filter Plant expansion. The Markham Tank adds storage in a fast-growing area to ease high-demand strain (and prevent low water pressure on busy summer days). The Carter Lake Filter Plant expansion project boosts treatment from 50 million to 72 million gallons per day, with more flexibility for varying raw water quality. Other efforts replace aging pipelines and upgrade facilities before issues arise.

We carefully plan and fund these investments. Tap fees from new connections cover growth-related infrastructure so that existing ratepayers aren’t subsidizing development. We also proactively replace existing assets to avoid costlier problems later.

These projects may not be visible from your driveway, but they keep service reliable, support local growth and protect our quality of life.

Visit the capital projects section on our website

 

Water shortage contingency plan: where we are this spring

Colorado’s weather can shift quickly from snow to sun, and water conditions can change just as fast. We follow a water shortage contingency plan with clear levels and corresponding actions so customers know what to expect if supplies tighten.

Every April, after Northern Water announces the Colorado-Big Thompson quota, we update our action level. This year’s quota is 70%, which translates to a green (watch) status for LTWD this spring.

Green (watch) emphasizes awareness and voluntary conservation. Under this status, we ask customers to watch water during cooler hours, check for leaks and follow best practices for lawns and plants. Small changes across thousands of homes add up significantly.

The plan lets us respond quickly and fairly if conditions worsen due to dry weather or other challenges, while giving you maximum notice.

Review the full water shortage contingency action plan

 

Tell us about your yard goals for a chance to win $25 bill credits

We want to hear how you use your outdoor space and what matters most to you. This short survey has just five questions and should take five minutes or less to complete. Everyone who participates will be entered for a chance to win one of three $25 bill credits on their LTWD account.

Your feedback will help us design programs, resources and communications that support the way you actually live and highlight conservation options that fit your lifestyle, not a one‑size‑fits‑all approach.

Take the survey and enter to win $25