This holiday season, with so much that will be different and distant, it’s important to take a moment to pause, reflect and be thankful for what we have.

We made a list, checked it — well, more than twice — and narrowed it down to the top three things Denver Water is thankful for during the season.

3. A sustainable future.

There are many ways to be sustainable, from a simple thing like cooking Thanksgiving dinner to completely rethinking how we do business.

In terms of smaller things, we’re grateful to have so many tips to enjoy the holiday while saving water. Among them: Thaw your frozen turkey in the refrigerator — not under running water.

On a larger scale, Denver Water is taking steps to become an energy-neutral organization. That includes initiatives like using solar power at our Administration Building.

2. Our employees.

There are 1.5 million people depending on Denver Water to keep the water flowing, daily.

Whether it’s the crews who repair and replace water mains, the teams who protect and manage reservoirs, watersheds and water quality, or our emergency services and support services workers, there are many Denver Water employees working around the clock, rain or shine, every single day.

Yes, even during the holidays.

1. You, our customer.

We have so much to thank you for, but most importantly, we are grateful for our customers’ trust for us to deliver safe, high-quality drinking water — of even greater importance during this pandemic; for your patience during construction work — including allowing the Lead Reduction Program into your homes to replace old lead service lines; and for your commitment to continue to use water wisely.

Water is, after all, our most precious resource.

Our top priority is to deliver safe, high-quality drinking water to our customers. This means upgrading and maintaining our extensive system.

Denver Water replaces more than 100,000 feet of pipe per year as part of our replacement program and has a $1.5 billion capital plan that includes about 100 major projects.

And you’ve done your part to use water efficiently. Even during last summer’s hot, dry weather, our customers used less water than they did in similarly hot, dry stretches in the past.

Using less water here means more water can be kept in the reservoirs, rivers and streams that fish live in and Coloradans enjoy.