New Water Customer

Welcome to Castle Rock!

If you are new to Castle Rock, here are a few quick tips to make sure your move is smooth (with respect to your water account, anyway!) We encourage you to explore this website for more about the Town of Castle Rock and Castle Rock Water. Feel free to come visit us at our main office, 175 Kellogg Court (Building 171).

Your title company Is responsible for setting up your water service

At the closing of your new home, your title company will provide you with a new water account form. Be sure to include your phone number and email so that our business office has the appropriate emergency contact information. The title company will give us this completed form to set up your water service. For rental properties, the landlord / owner is responsible for the water account.

Summer watering schedule

From May 1 to Sept. 30, the Town has a watering schedule to reduce overwatering and manage peak demand. Irrigation is allowed before 8 am and after 8 pm only on specific days according to your street address. Non-residential and Town properties have similar restrictions in place but the times and days differ.

Paying your bill

You will receive your bill via postal mail with options for mail-in, drop-off, online and phone payments. You can easily view, print and pay your bill through a secured online portal. You'll just need your bill with your account number and account name. Watch our how-to video and sign up. We suggest you go paperless!

New landscape watering permit

If your lawn is still being established when watering schedules are in place, you can apply for a Temporary Irrigation Exemption. This allows you to water any day of the week, before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m.. The permit is for 21 days for sod and 30 days for seed establishment. Keep in mind when landscaping that you should maintain the swales in your yard, for proper drainage.

New landscaping and erosion expectations

The Town requires landscaping to be installed within six months of occupancy for erosion and water quality maintenance. Please keep all erosion control measures (e.g. silt fence, straw mat) in place until landscaping is installed. Be sure to maintain the graded swales on your property which direct water away from the foundation and channel it toward the sidewalk and ultimately to the storm drain. If excessive water over sidewalk appears, it most likely is due to overwatering and immature landscaping. Be sure to check with building codes and HOA requirements for landscape changes.

Educational opportunities

Workshops on irrigation efficiency, landscape winterization and xeric design are held each year at no cost to our customers. Attending the Water Wiser workshop allows watering outside of the water schedule, but still within the time frame before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m. The workshop makes you eligible for rebates on irrigation products and turf removal. We also offers tours of the Plum Creek Water Purification Facility. Email us for information about tours. Find conservation tips, local weather information and Town-specific plant lists.

Get rid of chemicals properly

Storm drains are a flood control measure and carry rain, snow and everything else on the street directly to the nearest stream, which ultimately becomes a source for our drinking water. Do not dump anything down the storm drains-not even yard waste. Take unwanted household chemicals to the Douglas County Household Chemical Round Up events and be sure to drop off unused or expired prescription drugs, at any time, at the lobby of the Castle Rock Police Department.

Keep in the know

The Town of Castle Rock feels an informed community is an engaged one and we have several avenues for residents to be informed. The Town's newsletter, Your Town Talk, comes with your water bill. Sign up through Notify Me to get periodic email updates on specific events, tips and what's happening within the Town. You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter! Additionally, residents are invited to attend the monthly Water Commission meeting where projects and plans are reviewed.

How to read your bill

Water meters are read for each household the first three days of the month. Subsequently, bills are generated and sent via mail and/or email around the 6th of each month and are due by the end of the month. Customers are billed for actual water used and bills are designed to show specific charges for each service Castle Rock Water provides. It also shows actual usage against a budgeted amount. Your goal is to stay within that water budget for conservation purposes. If your usage goes beyond this budget, excess usage surcharges will apply.

Water usage charges show the amount of water consumed in your household during the month. To encourage conservation and to better monitor usage, rates are divided into tiers and each household is budgeted a personalized amount. The rates for each tier are progressively more per 1,000 gallons to encourage conservation. During the winter, Tier 2 is eliminated and anything in excess of your normal indoor water usage is charged at the Tier 3 rates

• Tier 1 is your Average Winter Monthly Consumption (AWMC) and is your typical indoor usage based on previous winter's indoor water consumption. Your AWMC is re-established each year and adjusted on the bill in April.
• Tier 2 is outdoor watering budget and is calculated based on your irrigable yard size and evapotranspiration (ET) factor.
• Tier 3 is the amount of water in excess of Tier 1 and 2. If your bill has a Tier 3 charge, you are using more water than you should.
• Excessive use surcharge is a surcharge for usage greater than 40,000 gallons per month.

Fixed charges are organized separately from your water usage. These remain stable throughout the year and include each area in which we serve you - Water Service, Renewable water Resource, Wastewater and Stormwater. View a current list of maintenance and capital investment projects that are funded by these charges.

Past Due amount is highlighted in red and is due immediately. This amount should be paid immediately to avoid possible service disconnection.

Other charges, when applicable, are listed on the bill and may include late fees, disconnection charges and other service charges.

Water Use Graph shows actual usage relative to your monthly water budget.

Payment Coupon is located at the bottom of your bill for easy removal. Mailing in your payment is only one way to pay. At the secure online payment portal, you can make one-time payments or schedule recurring payments, as well as access your account history. There is 24/7 automated phone access (unavailable from Jan. 1 until Jan. 18) and customers can pay in person or utilize drive-up payment boxes at Castle Rock Water and Town Hall. Please be sure that your email and phone number are correct on the coupon.

Rates and Fees are evaluated each year in accordance with the community-endorsed Water Master Plan which promotes spreading the costs between current and future customers. Our comprehensive plan, to ensure long-term water, is one of the most progressive in the state yet we remain mid-range in combined rates and fees for area water providers.

Senior Discount

Contact us at 303-660-1373 for details on the $3 discount for anyone over the age of 65. Application (PDF) and proof of age are required.

Average Winter Monthly Consumption (AWMC)

The Average Winter Monthly Consumption (AWMC) is established for each customer by calculating an average of the total amount of water used indoors in the months of November, December, January, and February. This represents the amount of water your household used indoors and it also determines Tier 1 for your water budget. What comes in must go out, and the AWMC is also used to calculate the amount of wastewater treated each month. As conditions in your household may change, your AWMC is reset annually each April and the updated charges appear on your April statement. For new customers, until an individual AWMC is established, a class average is assigned. For single-family residential customers, the average AWMC is 4,000 gallons and with the monthly wastewater charge, the bill comes to approximately $35. See rates for exact pricing.

Accessing your water meter

Become familiar with your water meter in order to check for household leaks and to access the control valve for emergency shut off. Typically, your water meter is located inside your home in the basement or crawl space, nearest the outside wall facing the street. However, some homes have the water meter in a meter pit outside the home. (Please do not open the meter pit. Accessing it can cause freezing issues in the winter and debris concerns in the summer, as well as other tripping and property damage hazards.)
Make sure your water meter is accessible at all times, especially in the event your water needs to be turned off for an emergency. Do not place boxes, furniture or (if on the exterior) landscaping materials in front of or on top of the meter or the meter pit.

Although the meter might be located on your property, it belongs to the Town of Castle Rock (Municipal Code 13.12.050.) Please do not tamper with or remove the meter. Call us at 720-733-6000 for assistance with your meter.