Following an official review and calculation of available water supplies, city staff announced that Boulder will remain in drought watch, which the city first entered on April 1. Residents are urged to voluntarily reduce water use through the summer.
Despite a record drought statewide and one of Boulder’s watersheds losing its snowpack weeks early, the city has a diverse enough water portfolio to avoid enacting mandatory drought restrictions. Reservoirs may or may not fill this year, but they currently appear steady. The Colorado Big-Thompson Project, which supplies Boulder with around a third of its water, has also increased its allocation above average, a common practice in dry years.
Still, Boulder residents are encouraged to save water where they can. A new daytime watering rule approved in January prohibits watering lawns from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. between May 1 and Sept. 30. City staff are also asking residents to water lawns no more than twice a week.
Single-family homes with even-numbered addresses should water their lawns Sunday and Thursday, while odd-numbered addresses should water Wednesday and Saturday. Sprinklers should also be programmed to avoid watering during rain. Indoor water reductions, such as shorter showers and running full dishwashers, are also encouraged.
The city’s Open Space and Mountain Parks department wrote in its newsletter that recreating residents may notice some changes due to drought conditions, including drier, brown fields and lower river flows. Algae growth may be present in reservoirs or small pockets of still water. Ranchers that use OSMP land for grazing will need to change their herd size and grazing locations based on water availability.
