ECCV Office Hours and our Customer Service Team

In person  9 am - 4 pm Monday through Friday.

By phone  8 am- 5 pm Monday through Friday.

Online chat  8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday.

Customers looking to pay a bill may do so in the following ways:

• Pay by phone at 303-693-3800
• Online at www.eccv.org
• Pay by mail
• Drop payments in the secure box outside the main office entrance

Important Information from ECCV on COVID-19

The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has prompted a number of substantial changes to communities. Access to safe, reliable water and sanitary sewer services remains a critical public health issue during this time and ECCV is working diligently to ensure your services continue running as they should. We will continue to compile information on this page of how our operations are responding.

ECCV Declares Local Disaster Emergency - What It Means
The East Cherry Creek Water & Sanitation District has declared a local disaster emergency to help secure emergency resources for the community if they are needed during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. As a special district, ECCV has the ability to declare a local disaster emergency in order to receive state or federal aid that may be available. It’s important to know this declaration is not based on any known issue with your water, the water system, or sanitary sewer system. This is a proactive step the District is taking to help acquire resources if they are needed. This could involve additional staffing, equipment, or other resources to assist with continued operation of the community’s water system. ECCV has put multiple practices in place to protect employees and customers including closing its office to the public and having employees work remotely. Staff that must be present at facilities are following CDC recommendations including social distancing, hand-washing, and regularly sanitizing work areas.

The declaration was initially made by the District Manager on April 2, 2020 and was extended by the ECCV Board of Directors on April 9, 2020.

Download the Board Resolution below for more information:

Coronaviruses and Water

ECCV utilizes multiple treatment processes to deliver a safe water supply to the community. This includes chemical disinfection, reverse osmosis filtration, and disinfection with high-intensity ultraviolet light. These processes have consistently been proven effective at eliminating waterborne pathogens, such as coronaviruses. ECCV also conducts regular testing of the water supply to confirm the effectiveness of treatment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Environmental Protection Agency also report that waterborne transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has NOT been detected and the risk to water supplies is low. You can find more information about your water quality and how it is monitored at www.eccv.org/waterqualityreport. 

Improving Home Water Pressure

ECCV continuously monitors water pressures throughout the main service lines in the community’s water system and addresses any pressure issues as they occur. However, certain areas may experience low water pressure during high demand seasons.

ECCV offers a program to assist customers in these areas who frequently experience low water pressure at their homes. This program reimburses eligible customers for most, or all, of the cost of installing an in-home pressure booster pump. If you frequently experience low water pressure in your home, here’s how ECCV can help.

In-Home Pressure Booster Program

Step 1

Customers who frequently experience low water pressure should contact ECCV at 303-693-3800 or info@eccv.org. A member of our team will contact you to discuss your pressure issues further and arrange a time to take water pressure readings at your home.

Step 2

ECCV will take pressure readings at your home. The District provides this service at no charge but please note these readings are necessary to determine eligibility for reimbursement. Homes with pressures of 45 psi (pounds per square inch) or lower are eligible to participate in the In-Home Pressure Booster Program.

Step 3

Eligible customers may then purchase an in-home pressure booster pump. Customers will be responsible for selecting, purchasing, and installing the booster pump but should save all receipts. Larger plumbing companies may be able to make recommendations on a pump and provide installation.

Step 4

Once installed, eligible customers can submit their receipts to ECCV for reimbursement. The District will reimburse up to $1,500. The costs of purchasing a pump and installation are both eligible for reimbursement.

The Sustainable Water Assurance Fee pays off debt issued to finance ECCV’s Northern Project, which provides ECCV customers with renewable water. The debt comes in the form of bond issuances. The District has issued, and recently refunded (similar to refinancing a mortgage), several series of bonds since 2004. Prior to January 2018, the fee was known as the Northern Project Construction Fund Fee.

Just like a mortgage allows a homeowner to take ownership of a home and reside in it while the principal and interest are paid off over time, the same goes for bond financing. The bonds are the mortgage – money borrowed by ECCV which must be paid back with interest over time.

The Northern Project – which includes the Northern Water Treatment Plant – has been operating for several years but ECCV must continue to make regular payments on the debt. The Sustainable Water Assurance Fee generates the revenue that's used to make these payments.

Is this a new fee in addition to those already in place?

No, the Sustainable Water Assurance Fee is the new name for what was previously the Northern Project Construction Fund Fee. The fee amount remains the same: $25 per month for residential customers.

Why did ECCV change the name of the fee?

Sustainable Water Assurance describes the community benefit of a water supply that can continually meet demand without depleting over time. Securing, and delivering this type of water supply to customers has been an important focus for ECCV and the name change reflects that continued focus.

Since the Northern Water Treatment Plant went into operation in 2012, customers have also inquired as to why there was still a fee needed to support a “Northern Project Construction Fund.” As noted above, while the fee continues to pay back debt issued to finance that construction, the name change reflects the on-going nature of the project to deliver, and enhance, the District’s use of a sustainable water supply.

Changing the name of the fee doesn’t provide ECCV with any new abilities in terms of changing the fee amount, how it’s assessed, or what it supports.

What does ECCV mean by “sustainable water?”

A sustainable water supply is one that can continually meet demand without being depleted. Think of it in terms of deposits and withdrawals. With a sustainable supply, water is being deposited frequently enough to offset what’s being withdrawn (or used). In this case, renewable water from the South Platte River is increasingly being used to meet customer demand. Historically, the river will refill each year with water from snowmelt and precipitation, which creates a sustainable supply.

Prior to the Northern Project, ECCV relied almost entirely on well water pumped from aquifers. Aquifers don’t refill quickly, if at all. That creates a situation where barely any water is being deposited, but is being consistently withdrawn.

Why can't the District say when the fee will go away?

While the maturity date for each debt issuance is known, more financing may be required. The system provides water and sanitary sewer services to roughly 60,000 people. Like all infrastructure, the ECCV system needs continued investment to support development and maintenance, regardless of growth in the District.

Bond financing will continue to be an important financial tool for the District to assure a sustainable water supply. The ECCV Board of Directors and staff continue to evaluate options, but there is a possibility the fee could remain in some form or another for the foreseeable future.

Renewable water from the Northern Project currently makes up about 40% of the District’s overall water supply. The long-term plan is to increase this to more than 80% to help guarantee water demand in the community can be met well into the future. Increasing production capacity at the Northern Water Treatment Plant involves expansion of the current treatment facilities.

Aren’t there any other ways ECCV can pay for these things without continually charging customers fees?

The ECCV Board of Directors and District staff frequently review revenue from taxes, rates, and fees and compare that revenue with known and anticipated costs.

Additionally, the District works to maintain a cash reserve. The reserve is like a savings account: it can be a source of emergency funds, or used to help cover anticipated costs and then be gradually replenished. Like a savings account, drawing down the reserve too much leaves the District vulnerable if an expensive, unforeseen problem were to arise, and can also lead to less favorable rates if financing is needed. Both of those things, insufficient reserve funds or higher interest rates, could result in sudden and substantial fee increases for customers.

The ECCV Board of Directors has always worked to avoid these situations through sound financial management. Utilizing reserve funds in combination with revenue from water rates and fees allows the District to maintain an adequate reserve while also reducing the amount rates or fees are increased to cover the costs of necessary projects.

On a related note, in 2014, ECCV sold its Western Waterline for $34 million to the South Metro Water Supply Authority, while still retaining the ability to use the line to transport water to the District from ECCV’s Western Wellfield in the Highlands Ranch area. The revenue from this sale will help offset the cost of expanding the Northern Water Treatment Plant. This is an example of the District’s past investment in infrastructure providing a financial benefit in addressing future needs.

What about all the new homes being built in the District? The Northern Project benefits future residents, but is being paid for by current residents.

Securing a sustainable, renewable water supply benefits all ECCV customers regardless of growth. It enables the District to provide water from sources that can be naturally replenished.

However, when a new home is constructed in the District, the buyer pays a tap fee as part of the purchase of the home. Currently, an ECCV water tap fee is $28,000 per tap. This fee is in place to ensure that new development pays its own way to access ECCV’s water and sanitary sewer systems.

Developers and builders in the District must pay these tap fees in advance, and that cost is then included in the price of the new home. The revenue from tap fees is used to purchase and secure water rights, much of which are utilized through the Northern Project.

Isn’t making money the bottom line for ECCV?

ECCV is a special district, and is therefore a quasi-governmental entity that is not-for-profit. The District doesn’t have shareholders, and there aren’t any incentives or mandates for increasing revenue each year. Rate and fee increases are determined based on costs. Sometimes those greater costs are a result of projects to improve the water and sewer systems – like expanding the Northern Water Treatment Plant – and sometimes are a result of price increases for goods and services necessary for the day-to-day operation of the District.

If I don’t use much water, why do I still need to pay this fee in full?

The fee supports the development of the infrastructure needed to deliver a renewable water source to your home. Water usage is billed at different rates depending on how much water is used in a month.

Consider that water itself is relatively inexpensive compared to the infrastructure needed to deliver it to your home. For example, renewable water from the Northern Project must be diverted from the South Platte River and into shallow aquifers, pumped into the ECCV Northern Water Treatment Plant where it’s processed, and is then sent, gradually uphill, through the 31-mile northern waterline to the District.

We recognize the Sustainable Water Assurance Fee can represent a notable percentage of an overall monthly bill, and can be disconcerting for customers. However, it is also what provides our community with a sustainable water supply and a system to reliably deliver it. You can find more information on why ECCV pursued the Northern Project and the benefits it provides in The Northern Project FAQs

Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) are food by-products that can severely damage a home’s drain line system as well as the sanitary sewer system.  FOG collect and eventually harden on the inside of the sewer pipes; preventing water from flowing and causing blockages.

Blockages in the sewer may cause Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs), which potentially can cause raw sewage to spill into streets, lakes, streams, homes and businesses.

The best way to prevent blockages is to keep the FOG out of the drain line system.  Below is a list of Best Management Practices that will help to prolong the life of your drain line system and reduce the inconvenience and cost of line blockages.

Best Management Practices: What to do and what not to do

DON'T

• Don’t put grease or fryer oil down any sink or floor drain.
• Don’t dispose of food or food scraps in sinks.
• Don’t take out sink strainers or drain covers. Empty scraps into trash, not down the drain.
• Don’t use cleaning chemicals improperly. Follow the instructions on the label, for your safety as well as the safety of the environment.

DO

• Do throw all solids including waste food into the garbage.
• Do run a LOT of water if you must use the garbage disposal.
• Do compost food scraps or scrape them into the trash, not into the drain.
• Do wipe pots, pans and dishes with dry paper towels to remove grease before rinsing or washing them.
• Do deposit used fryer oil in the appropriate container.
• Do recycle cooking oils when possible.

For questions regarding FOG control, give us a call at 303-693-3800

ECCV receives its water supply from three distrinct sources:

• Groundwater from deep aquifers in the Denver Basin (non-renewable water).
• Groundwater from the Beebe Draw aquifer (renewable water).
• Surface water from Denver Water, which is a leased supply of renewable water.

Deep Aquifers

ECCV uses approximately 45 wells within the In-District and Western Well Field. The in-District wells and the Western Well Field wells each produce approximately 15 percent of the District's overall water supply, making deep aquifers the source of approximately 30 percent of ECCV's water. Aquifers are underground layers of gravel and sand, with the open spaces between the grains filled with water. Groundwater from these deep aquifers typically needs little treatment to meet drinking water standards because it is not exposed to environmental pollutants. Deep aquifers are considered a "non-renewable" source because they cannot be replenished with rainfall or snow melt as quickly as the water is withdrawn.

Northern Project

This project delivers renewable water from the South Platte River and comprises approximately 55 percent of ECCV's annual water supply. ECCV draws this water out of the Beebe Draw aquifer near Brighton. When needed, ECCV's Northern Water Treatment Plant uses up to seventeen (17) wells to extract the water. ECCV then treats the water with reverse osmosis and disinfection. Once treated, the water is transported through a 31-mile/48-inch diameter pipeline to our distribution system.

Denver Water

ECCV currently receives approximately 15 percent of its water supply from Denver Water through two separate connections to the Denver System; one near Denver International Airport, and another in Highlands Ranch. This resource is surface water that has been treated by one of Denver's state-of-the-art water treatment facilities.

Blended Supplies

ECCV blends its water supplies before distributing it to our customers. All of the water sources are tested regularly and meet all State and Federal drinking water regulations. ECCV supplies nearly 3 billion gallons of potable water to the District’s customers annually.

Unique Characteristics of ECCV Water

The mineral content of ECCV's water varies from the different sources - enough to cause taste and odor differences in the water as wells are rotated and the water supplies are blended. ECCV's Northern treatment plant provides more consistency to the water supply and less variation in the taste and odor of the water.

Non-potable Irrigation System

ECCV also produces about 100 to 120 million gallons per year of non-potable irrigation water from 3 shallow wells near Cherry Creek State Park. These wells recapture Lawn Irrigation Return Flows (LIRFs) from the Piney Creek Drainage basin. This water is supplied to about 35 HOA and park irrigation connections for landscape maintenance through a separate, dedicated system of irrigation mains along Orchard Road between Parker Road and Dunkirk Street.

Flushing Program Information

Why?

There are two main reasons why ECCV flushes all of the hydrants in our water district:

The first, is that it allows us to check the operation of every hydrant and ensure that they will be operational if needed.

The second, is it allows us to stir up any settled Iron and Manganese that may have collected in the distribution system over the previous year and flush it out through the hydrant.

The Iron and Manganese are naturally occurring minerals that are found in some of our source water. These minerals can cause discolored water and has the potential to stain clothing.

How?

The staff at ECCV drive to every fire hydrant in the water district and hook up a device that allows us to discharge water out of the hydrant into the drainage of the road.

During this time, the device also dechlorinates the water so that when the water eventually drains to rivers, it won’t impact any aquatic organisms.

Staff works to flush all of the hydrants in a specific area each day before moving into a new area the next day.

The staff at ECCV will set Flushing Signs out the previous Friday notifying residents that their area will be flushed that following week. Please check the ECCV website for specific dates of when the flushing will occur.

If you notice discolored water in your home, we recommend running the cold tap for approximately 15 minutes to clear up any discolored water that may have entered your home. If you continue to experience discolored water please contact our Customer Service at (303) 693-3800 for further assistance.

Tips:

Please refrain from parking in front of hydrants; especially during flushing days

Please trim vegetation around hydrants located in front of your address

Do not run any laundry during flushing operations in your area as it could cause clothes to become stained

Please place trash cans and recycling bins on the sidewalk instead of the curb if your trash collection day falls on the same day as the scheduled flushing day for your area.