Brief by Central Staff
Drought – August 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine –
This summer’s drought has led many of our towns, cities, and water districts to restrict outdoor water use — many, but not all.
In general, the farther north and upstream you go, the less likely you are to encounter water restrictions. Go south and downstream, and it gets harder to maintain a lawn or garden.
The most severe restrictions in our part of the world this summer are in Walsenburg, where all outside watering is banned, with a $300 fine for violators. People can use gray water from their washing machines or the like, but if a policeman asks, they have to show the connection and that the hose isn’t coming straight off the city water tap.
By contrast, neither Leadville nor Fairplay, both to the north and both near river headwaters, has any water restrictions in place.
“It’s been a close thing a couple of times,” we heard from the Parkville Water District, which serves Leadville. “But so far, we haven’t had to impose any restrictions.” So Leadville residents can water any time on any day, although “we are asking people to conserve water.”
Much the same holds in Gunnison, but most people there get their lawn water from the city’s ditch network, and the ditches have flowed all summer.
Saguache also has ditches throughout town, but they’re dry this summer, and the town clerk said outside watering is forbidden during the heat of the day, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
That’s simpler than the restrictions in Poncha Springs. No watering is allowed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on any day. Otherwise it’s odd days and even days, based on the house’s street number, except that there’s no watering at all on Mondays and Thursdays.
The rules are also somewhat complicated in Monte Vista. Even-numbered houses water on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Odd numbers can water on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Every house can water on Sunday, but there are hours in effect every day: 4 a.m. to 10 a.m., and 6 p.m. to midnight.
Buena Vista’s rules are less complex, and they’re voluntary. It’s odd-even, based on date and house number, with hours of 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., and 4 p.m. to 9 .m.
Salida’s rules are even simpler, though they’re not voluntary: you can water any day, but never between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Silver Cliff and Westcliffe are served by the Round Mountain Water District, which recently adopted strict hours for outside watering: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on an odd-even schedule.
Del Norte didn’t adopt new restrictions this summer, but continued those it already had. Anybody can water on any day, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The Rio Grande has been worse than low this summer, but Alamosa gets its water from wells, and so far it hasn’t had to restrict water use.
“We’re asking people to conserve, of course,” the public works department told us. “We don’t like to see water on the sidewalks or running down the street.”
Since many nearby residents’ wells have gone dry, the city is assisting them by making water available at the treatment plant. “If they have a truck with a tank, we’ll sell them water.” The cost is $6 for 500 gallons.
