Soil Amendment Program

Amending your soil with compost  retains moisture in the soil, allowing water to go to plants for longer periods of time. Compost provides small amounts of important plant nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which improves root growth. It also opens clay soils for better drainage and closes sandy soils to prevent water from leaching away too quickly.

Program Rules

• Each 1,000 square feet of soil must be amended with 4 cubic yards of approved compost
• Compost must be incorporated into the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.
• Remove rock and debris larger than 1 inch in diameter to avoid interfering with planting and maintenance.
• All permeable areas of the property, including tree lawns and right-of-way land the owner is responsible for, must be amended with compost.

If the property fails soil amendment inspection, Denver Water will not set the meter. The owner cannot landscape or occupy the property until the meter is set.

Denver Water charges an $80 soil amendment fee with the water-tap application. Subsequent inspections cost $60 each.

Denver Water cannot perform a soil amendment inspection if the property is landscaped. Denver Water is not responsible for any monetary or property loss from removing landscaping in order to perform an inspection.

To arrange an inspection:

• Provide Denver Water with documentation, such as an invoice or load ticket, with information regarding the soil amendment product, quantity and property address. A conservation specialist will arrange an inspection once documentation has been received and product approved.
• Documentation may be:
  • E-mailed: soilamendment@denverwater.org
  • Faxed: 303-628-6190 (indicate soil amendment)
  • Mailed: Denver Water Conservation-SA, MC 330; 1600 W. 12th Ave.; Denver, CO 80204
• Schedule an inspection with Denver Water by calling 303-628-6343, option 4. A conservation specialist will conduct an inspection within two business days of the request.
• On the day of the inspection, the conservation specialist will notify the applicant of the inspection results (pass or fail) with a hard-copy notice at the property. If the property is served by a master-meter distributor, Denver Water also will notify the distributor’s representative of the inspection results. 
• Once the property passes soil amendment inspection, the meter set and inspection appointment may be made the following business day.

If the ground is frozen and soil amendment can’t be installed properly, the meter-set applicant can deposit 25 percent of the system development charge for the property. Denver Water will then schedule the meter set without a soil amendment inspection. A soil amendment inspection must be rescheduled when conditions permit, no later than July 1 of the upcoming growing season.

Denver Water conservation specialists must be allowed access to the entire site that needs the inspection. The owner of the property must be present during the inspection.

Once the property has passed the soil amendment inspection, Denver Water will refund the applicant’s deposit but will not pay interest on the deposit.

Contact Sales Administration at 303-628-6100 for more information on winter deposits.

If weather conditions warrant, all soil amendment inspections may be suspended. Inspections will not resume until the ground can be visible and accessible to our inspectors. These conditions may vary from location to location so please call 303-628-6670 and inform us that the property meets these conditions.

A complete site irrigation plan must be submitted to Denver Water for review before applying for a tap. Call 303-628-6343 for more information.