High and dry
As drought continues, City asks residents to voluntarily conserve water

With the unofficial start of summer this weekend, Durango residents are being asked to help conserve water with the hottest, driest months of the year ahead.

This winter’s below-average snowpack combined with rapid melting have local leaders concerned about regional water availability. As a result, the City of Durango sent out a notice this week asking residents to be “mindful” of water use this summer. 

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor on May 15, most of La Plata County was experiencing severe drought, with the rest in moderate drought. 

“The City of Durango is actively managing our water distribution system to ensure the most effective use of resources,” City Water Plant Manager Jason Fast said. “The success of navigating these dry conditions relies heavily on community-wide conservation efforts. By working together and being mindful of our water usage, we can help protect our water supply.”

One of the biggest drains on the local water supply in the summer, obviously, is irrigation of lawns and yards. The City reminds residents that sprinkler systems are prohibited from operating between 9 a.m.-7 p.m. to minimize evaporation. In addition, folks are asked to limit watering their lawns to twice a week and reduce the time each zone is watered. Water can also be conserved by not watering when it’s windy or raining and not letting water pool in gutters, streets or alleys. Finally, residents are encouraged to forego any new landscaping until the city is not in drought conditions.

Residents are also asked to embrace water efficiency in their daily routines, from fixing leaky faucets to limiting showers and washing only full loads of laundry.

The City of Durango receives the majority of its water from the Florida River, which spills into Lemon Reservoir. Eventually, the water is released downstream and ends up in the small city-owned Terminal Reservoir. Located northeast of town near Sky Ridge, the reservoir holds about a 10-day supply of water.

When demand exceeds supply in the Florida River, the City pumps water out of the Animas River. Historically, these two water sources have served Durango well, but increasingly that is  being upended by climate change and long-term drought, also known as “aridification.” Though Southwest Colorado still sees up and down years with precipitation, the long-term trend is less available water year over year.

A telling stat: Prior to 2010, the Animas flowed under 100 cfs just two times (in the 1910s), based on 100 years of records. In the past eight years, however, the Animas has experienced more than 30 days with flows below 100 cfs. 

And despite some welcome precipitation in May, things do not bode well heading into summer. The San Juan snowpack was sitting at 25% of median on Tuesday, and weather experts are forecasting a hot and dry summer in Southwest Colorado. 

According to Open Snow Meteorologist Alan Smith, Colorado and much of the Mountain West is in a “ENSO Neutral phase,” which means neither El Niño nor La Niña conditions are present. These conditions, which were in effect during the 2024-25 winter, are expected to prevail throughout the summer and possibly into next winter.

Smith explained that ENSO Neutral summers tend to favor high-pressure ridging and above-average temperatures over the Western U.S. and especially the Northwest and Northern Rockies. “In other words, summers tend to be long and hot,” Smith wrote on Open Snow.

One bright spot, however, is that ENSO Neutral summers also correlate to an active monsoon season, especially in the Southwest.

“An earlier snowmelt allows the soils to dry out more quickly with solar radiation heating up the land earlier in the season,” Smith wrote. “This tends to result in an early northward migration in the subtropical high-pressure ridge, which can lead to very hot temperatures in June, followed by an early and active monsoon season as moisture builds northward.”

So, fingers crossed for a strong monsoon. And till then, do you part to make sure there’s enough water for everyone. For some easy tips on conserving water, check out: wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve-water.