AURORA | Aurora lawmakers this week gave tentative approval to significantly tighten water restrictions beginning in early April, as officials warn the city faces a worsening drought, historically low snowpack and the possibility of rapidly shrinking water reserves.
During a March 23 study session, city council members signaled support for implementing Stage 1 drought restrictions as soon as April 7 — nearly a month earlier than Aurora’s typical seasonal watering limits. A final vote is tentatively scheduled for April 6.
If approved, the new rules would reduce outdoor watering, prohibit certain water-intensive activities and usher in stricter enforcement measures that include escalating fines for violators.
City water officials say the situation has deteriorated sharply in recent weeks, reinforcing concerns raised in a previous Aurora Sentinel report that the city could be headed toward even more severe restrictions later this year if conditions fail to improve.
“This is a more dire situation than any of the previous watering restrictions I’ve been here for,” Aurora Water General Manager Marshall Brown told council members. “It’s bad.”
Supply outlook worsens
The proposed restrictions come as Aurora’s water system shows mounting signs of stress. Reservoir levels currently sit at about 68% capacity, showing only a modest improvement from late February, Brown said. Still, that represents only about 1.5 years of usable supply, according to city officials. Currently, Colorado Springs officials reported having about 3 years supply on hand amid their drought restriction considerations.
That Aurora margin leaves little room for error, Brown said.
“We have about a year and a half worth of usable supply there,” Brown said, saying that combined with projections of continued drought, high temperatures and limited spring runoff, the city must take a proactive position in limiting water now, not after it’s gone from reservoirs.
Compounding the problem is a severely diminished snowpack. Snow levels across the three Colorado water basins that feed Aurora’s system are hovering at roughly 49% of average, officials said.
That means the city is likely to receive only about one-third of its typical water supply this year, Brown said.
The bleak outlook mirrors conditions across Colorado. Gov. Jared Polis earlier this month activated the state’s drought task force, while other Front Range water providers, including Thornton and Erie, have already implemented similar restrictions. Denver Water is also considering comparable measures.
Scientists say snow cover and snow depth across the West are both at the lowest levels they’ve seen in decades, while at least 67 Western weather stations have measured their warmest December through early February on record.
“I have not seen a winter like this before,” said National Snow and Ice Data Center director Mark Serreze, who has been in Colorado for almost 40 years. “This pattern that we’re in is so darned persistent.”
Much of the precipitation that would normally fall as snow and stay in the mountains for months is instead falling as rain, which runs off more quickly, scientists say.
It’s a problem scientists have warned about with climate change.
Going snowless happens from time to time, but it’s the warmth that has been so extreme, which is easier to tie to climate change, said Russ Schumacher, professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University and Colorado State Climatologist.
File Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado
Earlier and stricter restrictions
In a typical year, seasonal watering limits begin in May. This year, restrictions could begin April 7.
The expected Level 1 restriction rules would limit outdoor watering to two days per week, down from the current three-day allowance, and assign specific watering days based on property type. Watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. would be prohibited.
But several additional measures outlined during Monday’s meeting reflect a more urgent conservation push.
Among them:
• Backyard swimming pools would be prohibited from being filled, with limited exceptions tied to insurance requirements. Homeowner association pools would be considered community pools and would be able to fill.
• Installation of new “cool weather grasses,” including Kentucky bluegrass and fescue — which make up most Aurora lawns — would be banned.
• Decorative water features, such as fountains, would not be allowed to operate.
Developers and homeowners would instead be required to use more drought-tolerant alternatives, such as warm-season grasses like Tahoma 31 or native landscaping.
City officials acknowledged that the shift could pose challenges, particularly as supplies of alternative turf remain limited and many home buyers expect traditional lawns.
Still, Brown said the long-term water savings outweigh the short-term inconvenience.
Enforcement ramping up
Unlike past drought responses, Aurora plans to aggressively enforce the new rules.
Officials said previous efforts relied heavily on complaints from residents reporting neighbors, resulting in inconsistent compliance. This year, the city will deploy advanced metering technology capable of tracking water use nearly in real time.
That includes the ability to detect when irrigation systems are running, when pools are filled and even when leaks occur.
“We’ll be able to tell exactly what our customers are doing,” Brown said.
Violations will carry increasingly steep penalties:
• First violations will result in a warning.
• Second violations will trigger a $125 fine for single-family homes.
• Third violations increase to $250.
• Additional violations rise to $500.
Commercial and multi-family properties face even higher penalties, starting at $250 and escalating to as much as $2,000 for repeated offenses.
Customers will have a short window to come into compliance after being cited, Brown said. Residential customers get seven days to solve a problem, but commercial customers get only three days.
Officials say the stricter approach is necessary, particularly as some residents have already indicated they do not intend to follow the rules.
“We are already getting emails and letters from some of our customers telling us they heard this was coming, and they don’t care,” Brown said.
Financial incentives and penalties
In addition to restrictions, the city will impose drought surcharges aimed at both encouraging conservation and offsetting the cost of securing additional water supplies.
Customers who exceed 110% of their typical winter water usage — a benchmark for indoor consumption — will face added charges of about $2.15 per 1,000 gallons, on top of standard rates.
Officials say the surcharge structure is designed so that residents who reduce usage by about 20% could see little to no increase in their overall bill.
Those who fail to cut back, however, could face significantly higher water costs, Brown said.
The city has already approved additional water acquisitions across the state to bolster supplies, adding to financial pressures on the utility.
Escalation remains possible
Even with the proposed measures, officials warn that further restrictions may be unavoidable.
As previously reported, city projections show the potential for Stage 2 restrictions — which could limit watering to once per week — by the end of the year if conditions do not improve.
Stage 3, the most severe level, would effectively eliminate outdoor irrigation altogether.
Brown emphasized that avoiding those scenarios will depend heavily on public response in the coming months.
“The forecast indicates we may be in a Stage 2 restriction by the end of the year,” he said in remarks last week. “That would be really dramatic.”
Public education push
City officials and elected officials say communication will be key as the new rules take shape.
Officials plan to expand outreach efforts to residents, developers and businesses, including promoting water-wise landscaping programs and tools that allow customers to monitor their usage.
Programs the city already offers include free landscape design services for converting traditional lawns to drought-resistant alternatives, as well as mobile apps and alerts that notify users of leaks or unusually high consumption.
Restaurants have already been asked not to serve water unless requested, as part of a broader effort to reduce unnecessary use.
Council members stressed the importance of setting expectations early, particularly for homebuyers and developers who may be caught off guard by the turf restrictions.
A critical window ahead
The next several weeks will be crucial, officials say.
March and April typically bring some of Colorado’s most significant snowfall, which can help replenish reservoirs. That hasn’t happened so far and long-range forecasts suggest warmer and drier-than-normal conditions are likely to persist.
Without meaningful improvement, Aurora’s already strained system could face further decline — and potentially trigger more aggressive conservation measures.
For now, city leaders are moving forward with what they describe as necessary, if difficult, steps.
“This is not a good situation this year at all,” Brown said.
— The Associated Press contributed to this story.
To save water, I shall shower and flush the toilet only once a week.