DENVER — Irrigation season is approaching and this mild winter has not been good news for our state's snow pack situation. That's why Denver7 is digging deeper on how it could impact the community in the months ahead.
"In Colorado, we have this amazing system of delivering water to users, whether you're sitting in Denver or you're on the Western Slope or the Eastern Plains, almost every single part of our state sees water that comes from somewhere else in our state," James Eklund, a water attorney, told Denver7.
He said the warm winter has us heading toward a summer "bad enough" that if we don't see some conservation efforts, the community is going to start to see the impact, first, on their water bills.
"We have been very, very good about getting water to customers at a price that they barely even notice," Eklund said. "When that starts to change, either the amount of water that you're going to be allowed to use or the bill that you have to pay for that water starts to change, that will catch people's eye and attention, as it should. And it means that we just have to be very, very judicious, very careful and strategic about how we manage the resource."
That's something Denver Water told Denver7 they're working to do.
"Denver Water will move closer to developing recommendations for its Board of Water Commissioners on a potential drought response over the next couple of months," Tom Hartman, a spokesperson for Denver Water, said over email.
Depending on how this season shapes up, Denver Water may need to implement additional drought restrictions to "preserve water supplies."
"Since 2000, Denver Water’s response to dry conditions in previous years included issuing a Drought Watch (voluntary restrictions) in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2012 and 2013. In some of those years (2002, 2003, 2004, 2013), Denver Water levied additional drought restrictions as part of declaring a Stage 1 level response, which required mandatory reductions in outdoor water use," Hartman said.
The utilities website lists ways you can help be the solution before we get to that point, including rules for outdoor water use.
