Start to prep for worsening drought

Coloradans up and down the Front Range would be wise to start prepping for more intense water conservation as our largest sources face extreme taxation during an unprecedented drought fueled by climate change.

Colorado water utilities are not sounding the alarm bells yet, and that’s mostly because conserving water today does little to help water needs in the future.

But while the Front Range has enjoyed an unusually wet spring and, so far, a tolerable summer full of afternoon storms, the western watershed that relies even more on the Colorado River is facing exceptional drought levels.

Ute Water in Mesa County is pulling water from the river to mix with water from its Grand Mesa reservoirs for the first time in 65 years, which will further tax a vital resource that is already stretched too thin.

Further down the river, drought conditions in Arizona are so severe that the typically drought-tolerant juniper trees are beginning to die. Lake Powell has fallen so low it is possible farmland in central Arizona will have to be fallowed in 2022. And near Las Vegas, the heat wave is so extreme that it’s causing rapid evaporation and depletion of Lake Mead to a level that threatens Hoover Dam's ability to generate electricity.

Large water utilities in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver should be, we think, asking customers to undertake more drastic drought preparation. Because while it’s true that these large operations are wellprepared to shield their customers from the possibility of needing such measures, there should be a shared sacrifice for the sake of all users — including farmers and industries that use the most water. Every one can reduce use and increase efficiency.

Denver Water took a big step toward that kind of shared sacrifice when it stopped pumping water over the divide to the Gross Dam to allow more flow into the Colorado River. By early July, it had voluntarily let enough water flow into the Colorado and Fraser rivers to supply over 44,000 residences with water for a year.

“I don’t think we can say enough about our customers’ efforts so far,” said Greg Fisher, manager of demand planning for Denver Water. “We saw 50-year lows in water use January to May this year … that’s a 50-year low despite adding 600,000 people to our service area.”

The message from Denver Water is consistent — use what you need. That means watering only three times a week and, depending on the type of sprinkler you have, keeping it to 15 to 30 minutes per zone.

The utility also encourages switching to high-efficiency shower heads and toilets.

Fisher said the utility sees Denver users responding well to rain, meaning we are paying attention and shutting off our sprinklers.

But there could come a time of extreme drought — when it’s so bad that it gets to the point of only watering trees. Some projections indicate that time may come in 2022 for many users up and down the Colorado River. Plus, drought conditions are likely to get worse – climate change is wreaking havoc on snowpack and already arid ground is sucking up water before it arrives at our rivers.

Lawns that have transitioned to droughttolerant and dessert-dwelling landscaping will look and feel better when and if restrictions come, and that transition will be less painful if it’s gradual over several years instead of all at once.

The more prepared everyone is, the less it will hurt. The time to act is now.

Members of The Denver Post’s editorial board are Megan Schrader, editor of the editorial pages; Lee Ann Colacioppo, editor; Justin Mock, CFO; Bill Reynolds, general manager/ senior vp circulation and production; Bob Kinney, vice president of information technology; and TJ Hutchinson, systems editor.