Water Budget FAQs
1. Why does the city use water budgets?
Water budgets have helped Greeley residents save millions of gallons since 2017 and are customized to fit your property and household size. Greeley’s water budget program also prevents large families or large lot owners from being disadvantaged.
Water budgets ensure our water supply continues to meet the needs of our growing community. Over the past 20 years, Greeley’s population has nearly doubled, yet water use has remained the same.
2. How is my water budget calculated?
Click here for the Spanish version of this graphic
Greeley residents are provided with a total monthly water budget. The total monthly water budget includes a customer’s indoor water budget and outdoor water budget.
3. Why is my water budget different from my neighbor’s if we’re all allocated the same amount?
All families and properties are unique. We determine each household's water budget using the same guidelines.
Think of it this way: Two people live in your neighbor's home; you have four. Because each person in each household receives an allocation of 45 gallons per day, your indoor water budget will be twice as high as your neighbor's. But if your yard is half the size of your neighbor's, your outdoor water budget will be half the amount of your neighbor's.
4. What if I use more than my budgeted amount?
Your total monthly water budget is the sum of indoor and outdoor water budgets and has four tiers. If you exceed your budget, you will pay for all the water that falls within your original budget and then pay for the rest of the water used in higher tiers. The more your percentage is above your original water budget, you may move into tier 2, 3, or 4.
5. What can I do to stay within my monthly water budget?
There are several actions you can take:
- Verify your water budget information on your water bill -- make sure you are reading it correctly and update your water budget information.
- Turn off your sprinklers when it rains or install a rain sensor.
- Schedule a water assessment through Greeley’s conservation program
- Sign up for WaterSmart, a free web portal to help you track your water use.
- Change water run times each month (July is our peak water use month; build up to it, then ramp down). See the chart below:
We will not adjust your water budget for the following:
- Pools, spas, or hot tubs
- Evaporative (swamp) coolers
- Gardens
- Water features
- Hobbies requiring increased water use
- Car washing
6. How do I adjust my persons per household or irrigated area?
Please let us know if anything needs to be corrected or has recently changed! Contact us one of the following ways:
7. How can I track my water use?
Read Your Water Bill:
Look at your monthly water bill. We set up an online guide to help you navigate your water bill.
Use WaterSmart:
WaterSmart works together with the water budget to help you see your water use in simple terms. It is a free web portal that provides recommended water-saving actions and lets you view your results and savings. If you have one of the new Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) you can look at your usage daily on WaterSmart.
Greeley WaterSmart Portal
8. What if I have a right-of-way area that I maintain?
The right-of-way area is included in your irrigable area.
9. How does rainfall affect my water budget?
Any amount of rainfall could reduce or eliminate your need to irrigate. If it rains more than a quarter of an inch, turn off your sprinklers; if it rains less than a quarter of an inch, turn down your sprinklers’ run times. You can get a rebate through our Conservation Program for rain sensors or ET controllers (link) that will automatically do this for you!
10. What if I have circumstances that might cause me to need more water?
The City of Greeley offers watering variances for new seed or sod. For more details:
View Restrictions, Variances and Violations
Please get in touch with us if you believe that you have other circumstances that would require an increased water budget. We will not adjust your water budget for:
- Pools, spas, or hot tubs
- Evaporative (swamp) coolers
- Gardens: vegetable, perennial and annual gardens as well as trees and shrubs use less water than bluegrass lawns.
- Water features, fountains etc.
- Hobbies requiring increased water use