Dry winter may push Aurora, Denver into tighter water restrictions
A warm, dry winter is beginning to create concerns for Aurora's water supply. Snowpack across Colorado continues to lag and reservoir levels sit below what the city typically expects at this time of year. Aurora Water says it now has more frequent internal meetings and closer monitoring of storage levels, runoff projections and short term weather patterns.
"It is very dry, and we recognize people are probably thinking, 'are my trees and bushes going to be okay?'" said Shonnie Cline with Aurora Water.
As of now, the city's reservoirs are at 59% of storage, which Cline says is "slightly lower than we would like to see" for this point in the season. The larger worry, she added, is what current snowpack conditions will mean for spring runoff.
"That is the space where we have some concerns with where our snowpack is right now," she said.
Cline said this is not a moment for panic, but it is one for preparation. Aurora Water is already working with city officials to evaluate whether tightening outdoor watering restrictions will be necessary when summer arrives.
"You can typically water three days a week," Cline said. "When we go into stage [one] restrictions, that will go down to two days a week ... and we would let residents and businesses know what two days they are supposed to water."
If conditions stay dry or worsen, Stage Two restrictions could bring watering down to just one day per week. Aurora currently has about 19 months of water stored, Cline explained, which is an amount that historically aligns with Stage One mandatory restrictions. If the city does go into Stage One, that would include rules allowing restaurants to serve water only upon request.
Denver Water is also closely watching its supply after a season that began weak and has stayed that way.
"We started out far behind, and we've just never been able to catch up," said Nathan Elder, Manager of Water Supply at Denver Water.
He said recent storms in the mountains have only prevented conditions from getting worse, not improved them.
"We're pretty confident we're going to need some sort of level of water use restrictions this year," Elder said, adding that they expect to know more by March.
In the meantime, Aurora Water says one of its biggest concerns is how residents respond to unusually warm February days. With temperatures climbing into the 60s and 70s at times, some may be tempted to start up their irrigation systems far too early. Cline encouraged residents to resist that urge. Instead, she said hand watering trees and shrubs is the best way to help plants endure the dry stretch without wasting water or risking damage to underground sprinkler systems.
Aurora Water and Denver Water both say conditions can still change, noting that March is often one of the region's snowiest months. But with little guarantee the weather will shift meaningfully, utilities are preparing now for a summer where conservation could play a larger role and where residents may need to adjust their watering habits sooner rather than later.
The city of Aurora lists tips for how to convert turf lawns to water-wise landscapes on auroragov.org.