THORNTON, Colo. — Residents in Thornton will have to cut down on outdoor watering after city leaders upgraded water restrictions due to drought conditions and record-low snowpack.
During a meeting Tuesday night, Thornton City Council voted unanimously to upgrade the city's drought watch — in place since the beginning of this month — to a Stage 1 drought declaration. Brett Henry, an assistant city manager for Thornton, said this is the first time the city has taken that step since 2012.
"I think most people are aware here in the Front Range that we've had a pretty bad winter, a pretty abnormal winter. If you've been up in the mountains, snowpack is pretty thin," said Henry. "For a lot of the Front Range community, snowpack is our drinking water the coming year."
He said the goal is to make sure the city maintains its water supply to have enough drinking water and water to fight wildfires over the next few years.
The upgraded drought status means residential and commercial water users are prohibited from outdoor watering before May 1. After May 1, outdoor watering will be limited to two days per week. The city's parks department and other large water users, like homeowners associations and commercial districts, have to cut down water use by 10%, according to the Stage 1 drought declaration.
"That allows them to really figure out where to prioritize their water needs. In other words, if it's looking grass, you know, it's not, not a functional purpose, they may cut back more. Versus sports fields, we still want to be able to hold activities, and that will require more water," said Henry.
Golfers at Thorncreek Golf Course, a city-owned golf course in Thornton, said the dry winter has been good for their game, but acknowledged the tradeoffs.
"I think everybody's a little surprised with how dry it's been, which is, it's fun because we get to play year round, but sure it's going to have consequences when it gets a little hotter out," said Austin Grant.
Thornton isn't the only city making adjustments.
The City of Broomfield, which is currently under a drought watch, made changes to its water use code on Tuesday ahead of the 2026 irrigation season. City council members unanimously approved new city rules that create separate requirements for irrigation of large parcels during non-drought conditions and require repairs to damaged irrigation systems causing water waste within 10 days.
During Tuesday's council meeting in Thornton, city leaders said this year's snowpack in the Upper South Platte and Clear Creek watersheds is at a record low level. Right now, the city said it's reservoir storage is at 83% capacity, which is normal for this time of year. However, city leaders said less runoff from snowmelt in the spring will lead to lower than average inflows used to refill reservoirs.
City leaders said current projections show 2027 reservoir storage targets will not be met unless water restrictions are implemented.
"We know that based on customer demand and certainly the abnormal dry temperature, warm temperatures this spring, we're really making sure that we'll have water available later in the summer and in the subsequent year if this turned into a prolonged drought," said Henry.
Henry said while there is no immediate water crisis, the Stage 1 drought restrictions help the city educate and remind the public about water conservation.
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