This Colorado city is asking restaurants to switch to a water-by-request-only model

If you want a glass of water with your meal in Aurora, soon you might have to speak up. Aurora Water is asking local restaurants to move to a water-by-request-only model.

For five months now, Marcelo Alvariza has been living out his dream of owning a restaurant here in Colorado. He says it was a long time coming.

"I was about to go to Uruguay to open a restaurant with my father. That thing never happened. And so after COVID, I started thinking, and I want to do it," said Alvariza.

He wants his customers at Orejano to enjoy themselves, so they come back, and he knows sometimes a glass of water goes great with a steak milanesa sandwich. So he was a little confused when he heard the City of Aurora wanted him to restrict his customers' access, even though he understood why they were doing it.

"I know they're doing it for- just to reserve water," said Alvariza.

It's the latest effort by Aurora Water to conserve as much water as possible. It's asking restaurant owners to only serve a glass of water if the customer asks for it. It's not a law or an ordinance. Just an ask.

"We already know that they already have enough on their plates. We're not trying to make their life more difficult," said Shonnie Cline, Aurora Water's deputy director of internal and external affairs. "Every single thing that they do every single day, with water, counts."

Aurora Water says its long-term conservation strategy is necessary if customers want to keep their water bills affordable.

"It is actually becoming much harder to go out and acquire water rights. And it's very expensive to do this," said Cline.

Alvariza says his customers are always welcome to a glass of water from his soda fountain, but he doesn't automatically offer it.

"We have to follow what is better for all of us," he said.

And he says if conserving water leads to smaller bills, maybe people will have a little extra money to come give his food a try.