The City of Aurora’s water department warned the City Council on Monday that reservoirs are getting low, replenishment from this year’s snowpack is looking uncertain and the city needs to discuss implementing springtime drought restrictions earlier than usual.
“What we are seeing now is unfortunately very disconcerting,” Aurora Water spokesman Greg Baker said during the City Council's study session.
The city’s water supply has dwindled steadily in the past couple of months, and Aurora’s reservoirs now sit at 54% capacity, Baker said. Based on current city demands, the reservoirs will likely be at 48% capacity by mid-April. Aurora utilizes the Colorado River, Arkansas River and South Platte River basins. Snowpack is at 89% of normal levels. Since 2020, snowpack “has been well below” average, staff memos said.
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It’s not entirely clear what’s spurring the recent trend for Aurora’s water supply, but Baker noted the West in still in the midst of a megadrought - roughly 20 years of drought - and that the entire region is seeing a decline in water resources.
He also addressed potential misconceptions about Colorado’s snowpack. Although residents may see reports showing the state’s snowpack as a whole is faring well, that does not necessarily pertain to the areas where Aurora gets its water, Baker said. He added that it is difficult to project how well snowpack will refill the city’s reservoirs.
Aurora Water staff are requesting that the council pass a resolution that would implement Stage I water restrictions on May 1.
“That would help preserve some of our supply,” Baker said.
During normal conditions, the city limits landscape watering to three days a week and prohibits watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Under Stage I drought conditions, the city limits watering to two days a week, and reduces variances allowed for irrigation accounts, while also applying surcharges. Restrictions are enforced through fines on customers’ water bills.
The goal is to reduce outdoor water usage in the city by 20%.
During normal conditions, the city maintains more than a 30-month supply of water, but amid severely dry conditions that trigger Stage I restrictions, the supply has fallen between 25 and 30 months. Stage II and Stage III conditions are emergency scenarios, staff said.
Staff would not normally make this request of the council until April or May, Baker said, but given current projections the city will need more time to educate the public about the drought conditions and water restrictions if Stage I is implemented on May 1, he said.
The city teetered on the edge of needing to implement Stage I restrictions last year but didn’t, Baker said, hoping for a better spring than what panned out. The city can typically start to see how runoff is fairing after it begins mid-April.
If the water supply turns out better than projected in 2023, the city can come out of Stage I restrictions, Baker said, but there is also a risk of doing so too early and creating a need next year to implement Stage II restrictions.
Under Stage II restrictions, outdoor watering is limited to one day a week and aims to reduce usage by 50%. Stage III conditions entirely prohibit outdoor water use.
Councilmember Francoise Bergan asked several questions, including whether homeowners associations can fine a resident whose yard turns brown because of watering restrictions. HOAs should not be fining residents amid drought restrictions under state statute, staff said, and that part of the education campaign the city would run leading up to restrictions would emphasize that.
Councilmembers did not object to moving the resolution to a regular council meeting for consideration.
But Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky did object to a proposal to restructure how the city applies surcharges during drought conditions, which help make up for lost revenue during periods of restricted water use.
