The Denver Water Nonpotable Reuse Project is designed to reuse wastewater
effluent. Denver Water receives water from two primary sources, the South Platte
River Basin east of the Rocky Mountains and water imported from the western slope
of the Rocky Mountains. It is the water from the western slope that Denver Water
may legally reuse. Under the Blue River Decree, Denver Water must maximize reuse
where feasible in order to minimize or defer new imports. Since the late 1960s,
Denver Water has been investigating methods of reusing treated wastewater.
Between 1985 and 1991, Denver Water operated the Potable Reuse Demonstration
Project. Information from this research study established the relative safety of
reclaimed wastewater as a potable water supply. Potable reuse is one possible
alternative for satisfying Denver's future water demands. The first step in the
development of this Project was the identification and refinement of potential
reuse customers. This paper discusses Denver Water's approach to customer
identification and water demand quantification for its Nonpotable Reuse Project. Includes 15 references, tables, figures.