What to expect in Aurora this summer amid severe Colorado drought conditions
During the spring and summer, a lot of the things Coloradans do to have fun or cool down involve water. Unfortunately, this year there isn't much to go around, but Aurora Parks, Recreation, and Open Space says that shouldn't impact your summer plans too much.
"We have the same reduction requirements from Aurora water that the public does," said Ted Bryant, a spokesman for the department.
The city has a lot of parks and open spaces to maintain.
"Our recreation centers, our pools, our golf courses are open spaces, our parks, our nature centers, all the above," Bryant said.
All those spaces require high water use. Which, during a severe drought year like this, could be a problem. Luckily, they have been preparing for a situation like this.
"Over the last several years, almost a decade, we've been investing in smart technology that allows us to prioritize certain areas of our parks, of our golf courses for irrigation, those most needed areas, those high foot traffic areas," said Bryant.
They have also been working on installing water-wise and drought-resistant grass and plants at parks and open spaces, and they expect that pools will be open.
"At the moment, we are still happy to provide our community pools as a service to the public," said Bryant.
Many of Aurora's pools have tech that helps them conserve water, like the newly renovated Utah Pool. But if the city goes into stage-2, drought restrictions will change, and pools will close.
As far as parks and golf courses go, they will be open, but golfers shouldn't expect Augusta-quality courses.
"You can expect things like browning. It's kind of our rough non-play areas," said Bryant.
The department says they pay the same rates as all residents do, and with tight budgets, avoiding surcharges will be priority number one.
"We're thrilled to be stewards of the quality of life for Aurora," Bryant said. "We also have to be incredibly responsible with our water use."
Aurora Water needs a 20% reduction in use because, currently, Aurora's reservoir system is 57% percent full.