DENVER — The Denver Board of Water Commissioners voted Wednesday to formally end lawn watering season a month early, citing the driest April-to-July stretch in 110 years of record-keeping and reservoir storage well below normal for this time of year.
Trees, shrubs and gardens can still be watered by hand, but sprinklers must go off for lawns starting Oct. 1 — and stay off through next spring.
Denver's drought has gotten bad enough that the region's water utility is taking a step it doesn't take lightly: Ordering lawn sprinklers shut off a month before the watering season would normally end, with no set date for when they can turn back on.
Watch our most recent report on this decision in the video below:
The move by the Denver Board of Water Commissioners amends the county's Stage 1 drought resolution, making Oct. 1 a mandatory end date for lawn watering rather than the usual seasonal guideline.
The ban stays in effect until the board decides how and when watering can resume — meaning sprinklers are expected to remain off well into spring 2027.
Just how bad the drought is
Denver Water pointed to several numbers behind the decision.
Natural streamflow into the utility's storage reservoirs between April and July measured just 95,000 acre-feet — 22% of normal, and the lowest level recorded since Denver Water started keeping records 110 years ago. The Denver metro area is also having its hottest year on record through July, with average daily highs five degrees above normal and precipitation four inches below normal.
As of Aug. 24, storage in Denver Water's supply reservoirs sat at 72% full — well short of the historic median of 94% full for this time of the year. Utility staff project storage could fall to 60% before next year's spring runoff season even begins.
"The drought afflicting the Denver region and its water supply system has only worsened over the course of the summer, making it clear that we need to take additional steps in response," said Tyrone Gant, president of the Denver Board of Water Commissioners. "Formally ending lawn watering Oct. 1 will help stretch our supplies, as we will be entering next spring with storage levels far below normal."
Why customers cutting back hasn't been enough
Denver Water's Stage 1 drought declaration set a target of reducing water consumption 20% below the five-year average. But the utility says the summer's extreme heat pushed many customers to use more water on their permitted watering days just to keep trees, shrubs and landscaping alive — undercutting that conservation goal, even as people tried to comply with the existing rules.
"Despite the blistering conditions, customers overall have reduced their water use this summer," said Denver Water CEO/Manager Alan Salazar. "But with a lack of precipitation and the hottest first seven months in the Denver region we've recorded, we must take this additional step. It's critical that our customers turn sprinklers off Oct. 1, so that we can extend our water supply."
Greg Fisher, Denver Water's manager of demand planning, put it more bluntly, pointing to the neighbors who haven't cut back.
"If you are the only one on your block with a lush green lawn, you might want to revisit your watering practices, as your overuse is compounding the impacts of this historic drought on our water storage supplies," Fisher said. "We're asking everyone to care more and water less, so we don't have to take more drastic steps in the future, which could create more damaging impacts to our landscapes."
What's still allowed
The new rule targets lawns specifically — not all outdoor watering. Until Oct. 1, customers must still follow the existing Stage 1 restrictions limiting watering to two assigned days per week.
After that date:
- Trees, shrubs and perennials can still be watered any day using a hand-held hose with a shutoff nozzle, or low-volume, non-spray irrigation like drip systems. Spray irrigation is not allowed.
- Annuals and vegetables can be watered the same way — hand-held hose or drip irrigation — any day until the first frost, also without spray irrigation.
- High-traffic grass areas, such as parks and school athletic fields, can only be watered after Sept. 30 under a water budget or variance approved by Denver Water.
- Recycled water users can continue irrigating on any day under the standard watering rules, since they rely on a separate, reused water supply.
- New grass establishment is not allowed after Sept. 30, barring special circumstances under an approved variance.
- Irrigation systems can still be run briefly for installation, repair or maintenance, as long as someone is present to prevent water waste.
What happens next
Denver Water has not set a date for when lawn watering will be allowed to resume. That decision rests with the Board of Water Commissioners, meaning customers should plan for sprinklers to stay off through the winter and into next spring unless the board issues a new resolution.
