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The vote came after historic regional drought conditions, including below-average snowpack, early runoff, below-normal stream flows, limited basin-wide storage, irrigation water shortages and reduced water availability throughout the Colorado River Basin, according to a Ute Water news release.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Historic Users Pool (HUP) is currently anticipated to provide a fraction of the normal amount of supplemental irrigation water for Grand Valley irrigators,\u201d Ute Water Conservancy District General Manager Greg Williams said. \u201cThat supplemental supply is typically used when Colorado River flows are insufficient to satisfy irrigation water rights. As a result, some irrigation providers throughout the Grand Valley have already implemented delivery limits and restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Irrigation shortages and restrictions increase the likelihood that Ute\u2019s customers with limited irrigation access may rely more heavily on municipal water for outdoor irrigation, Williams said.<\/p>\n In March, the District\u2019s average customer water usage increased by approximately 25%, placing additional strain on the water system, according to the release.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cUte Water was established to provide domestic water service to our customers,\u201d Williams said. \u201cOur treated water and system is not designed or intended to support extensive outdoor irrigation demands, which is a primary reason the board determined that implementing drought\/emergency rates was necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n The drought rates are intended to encourage conservation and help manage customer demand during ongoing drought conditions, according to the release.<\/p>\n
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