Thornton, CO

Thornton, CO is home to approximately 148,000 people living in Colorado’s Front Range, with a water service area population of 165,000. Currently, the City’s utility billing database does not distinguish business types within the CII customer class, making it challenging to determine water use trends for different business types and to project future water demand. WaterNow and Thornton worked together to identify appropriate water use benchmarks for key business types, such as restaurants, hotels, warehouses, schools, car washes, medical facilities, automotive services, offices, industrial, and retail. 

The project team researched existing CII water use benchmarks, conducted a commercial water use analysis to establish draft commercial water use benchmarks, and met with commercial water users and professionals with subject matter expertise to share the draft benchmarks and gather feedback. WaterNow used this feedback to finalize the commercial water use benchmarks and provide Thornton with guidance on benchmark implementation.   

WaterNow and Thornton developed water use benchmarks for 14 CII categories. The project also calculated 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile water usage rates for each CII customer category to help customers understand their water use in relation to other costumers. The benchmarks and percentile thresholds developed through this project will enable Thornton to develop data-informed water conservation goals and equitable tap fees for CII customers. To support Thornton’s integration of these benchmarks into their water saving strategies, the project team developed a guidance document outlining ways to refine, implement, and effectively communicate the CII benchmarks. WaterNow also created an explainer document outlining the methodology the project team used to create the benchmarks; this document will aid in future iterations of this process in Thornton and will support other communities in developing their own CII benchmarks.