Denver Water has served customers with a clean, safe and reliable water supply since 1918.

And the number of people who rely on Denver Water keeps growing.

This spring, analysis by the utility’s planners indicated the number of people who drink or use Denver’s water every day has grown to 1.5 million people.

The utility passed the 1.4 million mark in April 2016.

The number of people served by Denver Water is based on census data for the population of the city and surrounding suburbs that receive water via long-standing contractual agreements. Information from the Denver Regional Council of Governments and Colorado’s state demographer also is used.

The utility’s planners also incorporate analysis of per-capita water usage to account for people who live in areas, such as Broomfield and Arvada, that receive some — but not all — of their water supply from Denver Water.

“Having a population estimate and knowing how fast or slowly it’s rising is important for planning purposes, especially since we have a 50-year planning horizon,” said Greg Fisher, Denver Water’s demand planning manager.

“Population estimates are one of many things we keep an eye on, as we are always looking ahead on how to best meet our customers’ water needs now and in the future,” he said.

(Read “Preparing Denver for multiple futures, not just one” and “They’re coming. Will we have enough water?” to learn more about Denver Water’s planning efforts.)