On Monday night, the Aurora City Council approved Stage 1 Drought water conservation measures. That limits outdoor watering to 2 days per week and other water restrictions.
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The City of Aurora posted on its website that they are asking residents to cut their outdoor watering by 20% due to the drought conditions.
- Outdoor irrigation is limited to two days per week and is not permitted between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
- No new cool weather turf can be installed
- Private pools cannot be filled; however, topping off pools that are already full is allowed. Shared community pools will still be allowed in Stage 1.
- Decorative water features are not permitted.
- Restaurants will serve water only upon request from patrons.
- Restrictions for water waste go into effect. This includes water pooling, watering sidewalks or streets, irrigation leaks and unrestricted hose use.
The city said enforcement will be similar to what it has been in the past.
“Our biggest help when we’re trying to enforce these rules has been the public. If you see something that’s going on out there in the community, whether it’s water waste, a broken pipe, runoff, or someone is watering in the day, contact us,” said Aurora Water Manager of Water Conservation Tim York.
The city said that its reservoirs are about half full and the return to sustainable levels will likely require several winters. Aurora Water said that it is possible that Stage 2 will be enacted if drought conditions continue, and even possibly Stage 3.
droughtmonitor.unl.edu
Aurora Water also advised customers to wait until May 15 to turn on their sprinkler system.
The first violation for watering restrictions is a warning, followed by fines of $125 for the second, $250 for the third and $500 for all additional violations.
“If somebody continues to violate the watering restrictions, and they have been given multiple warnings and violations and they decide they don’t care… for some people, money isn’t an issue, so they will go ahead and pay the fines. Because it is a shared resource and we have to look out for what is good for everybody, we actually have a right to interrupt service for somebody not following our water response plan,” said Shonnie Cline, Deputy Director of Water Internal and External Relations with Aurora Water. “That will be a last resort.”
Aurora Water is also asking that residents pay attention to their indoor use, the length of time they are taking a shower, and to only wash full loads of dishes and laundry, to be a responsible water user.
City of Aurora
Aurora Water also explained that HOAs cannot prevent residents from putting in xeric landscaping, per a state statute, and Aurora Water is sending letters to HOAs in the city to remind them.
“[HOAs] can actually tell you what kind of design you’re allowed to have, but they are not allowed to tell you that you can’t have xeric landscaping. The other really important factor is they’re not allowed to enforce rules if there is currently water restrictions put in place by your current water provider,” Cline said.
Cline also said a question Aurora Water is receiving from the community concerns data centers.
“Data centers can use a lot of water and there are data centers in Aurora,” Cline said. “We do have a large data center that recently moved in and they’re on air cooling, and so they use very, very little water and we’re working closely with all the other large water users so that way everybody is going to play their role in reducing water consumption.”
The utility serves over 400,000 residents and is the third-largest water provider in Colorado.
Additional Information from the City of Aurora:
Aurora Water will host two drought community meetings to explain what a Stage 1 Drought means including restrictions and enforcement, provide resources for successful outdoor water conservation and answer questions from the public. The meetings will be hosted live and can be attended in person or virtually via Microsoft Teams.
· Tuesday, April 14 from 11 a.m. to noon at City Council Chambers, Aurora Municipal Center, 15151 E. Alameda Ave or online via Microsoft Teams.
· Wednesday, April 15 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Aurora Water, 26791 E. Quincy Ave or online via Microsoft Teams.
Customers are encouraged to stay informed about their water usage by signing up for the water customer portal that allows them to monitor and manage water use, review detailed water usage insights and set up leak alerts.
The Denver Board of Water Commissioners implemented mandatory water restrictions and declared a Stage 1 drought on March 25, which limits Denver Water customers to outdoor watering two days a week.
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