U.S. Water News Online
DENVER -- Water officials will tear up a ticket issued to Invesco Field at Mile High for violating drought restrictions but say the stadium will have to comply with the same lawn watering rules that apply to residences from now on.
Public playing fields, including the home field of the Denver Broncos, are exempt from the metro area's twice-weekly lawn watering schedule. At issue was how often workers can water stadium grounds.
The stadium, which opened last year, has a special permit to water newly seeded grass as needed. However, it doesn't have a permit to water sod on the north side of the stadium beyond the two-hour, twice-a-week drought schedule.
``Invesco's challenge is that it has 400 zones to water on that property and it doesn't believe it can cover everything in two hours,'' said Denver Water spokeswoman Trina McGuire-Collier. ``Our challenge is that we have customers complaining, who are watching their lawns turn brown while Invesco Field is watering. Our position is that Invesco should serve as an example.''
According to Denver Water, the stadium was cited twice for violating the restrictions. However, Mac Freeman, the stadium's vice president of operations, said no one ever received the warning notice or the $100 ticket.
``To suggest we were in violation when the water board can't even explain what happened is unfair,'' he said. ``But we will continue to do everything we're being asked to.''
The Denver Water Department provides water to 1.1 million customers in the metro area.
On Oct. 1, it will ban all outside watering to help preserve water for next year.
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