After a warm, dry winter, Denver Water officials are planning for stricter watering restrictions this summer.
The Board of Water Commissioners will consider implementing restrictions on water use starting Wednesday, March 25.
Changes could include Denver Water assigning customers watering days and limiting watering to two days per week. Those restrictions would be mandatory and would be enforced.
“We've seen historically low snowpack,” spokesperson Jimmy Luthye said in an interview. “It's been a very dry winter, and we're trying to do everything that we can to keep as much water in our reservoirs as we can for as long as we possibly can.”
Denver Water last declared a Stage 1 drought in summer 2013. Stage 1 droughts bring mandatory restrictions, and cities like Thornton are already implementing them.
Water-saving measures can include taking shorter showers and reusing water when washing the dishes. But the biggest water suck is outdoor watering.
“The resource is very precious, and if a drought were to be declared, that's something that we take very seriously,” Luthye said. “We need everybody to help and to do their part to protect this resource.”
The Board of Water Commissioners evaluates drought conditions, and it is set to consider the Stage 1 drought declaration at its March 25 meeting, effective immediately.
Other restrictions would include:
- Watering would be forbidden from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Restaurants could only serve water upon request
- Hotels would change sheets less often
- Commercial vehicle fleets could only be washed weekly
Denver has been in severe drought for more than a month.
“We would need to see an additional 7 to 8 feet of snow to get back to where we would like to be for the end of the snow season,” Luthye said. “And that would require more snow than we have ever seen in April.”
At this time of year, reservoirs are typically up to 85% full. This year, they are around 80%, and it’s likely that the state has hit its peak snowpack already — weeks ahead of normal.
“We like to get to 100% full, or as close as we can get to filling our reservoirs each year, and we're just not going to get there this year,” Luthye said. “They might be as full as they're going to get, which would put us even further behind going into next winter. So we know that we're going to have enough water to get us through this year, but it's impossible to know what next winter is going to bring. And we need customers to save water.”
Even before restrictions are enacted, Denver Water is asking residents to conserve water.
“We're imploring our customers to please hold off setting and activating their sprinkler systems until mid-to-late May,” Luthye said. “We're asking for folks to hold off a little bit longer. We know that it's warm and dry this week, but at the same time, we did have some snow this Sunday, so it's likely that plants and trees are going to be doing okay and can make it through this week.”
That said, it’s OK— probably even necessary — to hand-water plants and trees to keep them alive through this unseasonably warm weather.
Being water-wise is the norm in the city, Luthye said.
“We do have this ethic in our community of being smart about water use, recognizing where we live,” he said.
CPR News’ Mateo Schimpf contributed to this article.
