Denver Water will ask its board to consider premium pricing for outdoor water use next month after the board declared Stage 1 drought conditions on Wednesday and approved mandatory watering restrictions.

The restrictions include a 20% reduction in water use, effective immediately — the result of a historic low snowpack and early melt, Denver Water officials said.

The restrictions underscore the need for customers to save water to manage supply constraints, according to officials.

The 20% reduction affects all of Denver Water’s 1.5 million customers, both residential and commercial.

Denver Water said that, as of Monday, its reservoir storage stood at 80% full at a time when the average is 85% full.

“A tremendous amount of thought and care went into this declaration, and it is the right decision for our organization and for our community,” said Tyrone Gant, president of the Denver Board of Water Commissioners, in a statement. “This is not our first drought, and we will get through this challenging time, but we need everyone to help out this summer in case drought conditions persist into next year and beyond.”

“Current conditions indicate that this is going to be an exceptionally challenging year for our water supply, Nathan Elder, Denver Water’s manager of water supply, said. “Snowpack levels are at historic lows, and they’re melting earlier and more rapidly than normal.” 

As of Monday, officials said snowpack levels — which are an indicator of how much water is expected to melt and enter reservoirs this spring — are among the worst on record in Denver Water’s two primary watersheds, the Colorado River Basin (55% of normal, worst on record) and the South Platte River Basin (42% of normal, worst on record).

“We’re 7 to 8 feet of snow short of where we need to be,” Elder said. “It would take a tremendous amount of snow to recover at this point, so it’s time to turn our attention to preserving what we have.”

What to know about water restrictions:

Denver Water officials noted there’s no need to activate automatic systems until at least mid- to late-May, which can help save water.

Occasional hand-watering may be necessary for trees and shrubs during this time.

Effective immediately, Denver Water customers in single-family residential properties may water no more than two days per week and must follow a set schedule:

• Addresses ending in even numbers: Sunday and Thursday.
• Addresses ending in odd numbers: Wednesday and Saturday.

All other customers, including multifamily properties, commercial properties, homeowners associations and government properties, may water only on Tuesdays and Fridays.

In addition, customers must follow Denver Water’s annual summer watering rules:

• Use a hose nozzle with a shut-off valve when washing your car

• Water only during cooler times of the day, between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m.

• Do not allow water to pool in gutters, streets and alleys

• Do not waste water by letting it spray on concrete and asphalt

• Repair leaking sprinkler systems within 10 days

• Do not irrigate while it is raining or during high winds

“We spent the last couple of months waiting for that big storm,” Travis Thompson, Denver Water communications manager, told The Denver Gazette. “In the past, we have seen some of these late spring storms come and kind of save us, and bump us back up. It didn’t come, and forecasts are showing that it’s most likely not going to come this year.”

Thompson added: “So what we have to do right now is not only prepare our water system for this summer and this year, but if this goes on for two or even three years, how do we make sure we really work to preserve our water supply as much as possible? So, at the end of the day, we definitely have it for the most critical needs and functions for our community — obviously, the health and survival of our community.”

Denver Water is not the only utility to enact water restrictions this early in the year.

Aurora officials are also considering starting normal summer water restrictions a month earlier than usual and imposing harsher penalties for not following restrictions as Aurora Water faces a “bleak” water supply.

Meanwhile, three Douglas County water providers are urging residents to conserve water as the region emerges from a warm, dry winter that has strained water resources.

Castle Rock Water, Highlands Ranch Water and Parker Water and Sanitation asked customers to use water wisely and avoid unnecessary waste as irrigation season approaches, according to a joint news release issued Monday.

Although April can be one of the snowiest months in Colorado, Denver Water officials said it would take one of “the snowiest Aprils on record, by a wide margin,” to restore the snowpack to normal. 

Denver Gazette Reporters Kyla Pearce and Nicholas Fogelman contributed to this story.