Denver Water supply and water use update

Denver Water’s collection and service areas continue to face severe drought conditions, with historically low snowpack. Denver Water depends on mountain snowpack for its water supply, which serves 1.5 million people in Denver and surrounding suburbs.

As a result, on March 25, 2026, the Denver Board of Water Commissioners declared a Stage 1 drought, seeking a 20% reduction in water use to preserve water levels and avoid even stricter mandatory restrictions later this summer. On April 8, 2026, the board approved the implementation of temporary drought pricing, starting with May water use and reflected in June bills, to signal the premium value of water during droughts and help incentivize customers to save water.

Denver Water customers are required to follow mandatory watering restrictions of two assigned days per week. If it rains, you can skip one or even two of your days. 

Snowpack and water supply update

• In Denver Water’s collection system, the 2025-26 snowpack peaked more than a month earlier than normal and at the lowest levels observed in the past 40 years:
  • Colorado River Basin: Snowpack peaked March 18, 2026, at 58% of normal, the second-earliest date and second-lowest peak on record. (Typical peak date is April 24.)
  • South Platte River Basin: Snowpack peaked March 17, 2026, at 42% of normal, the second-earliest date and the lowest peak on record. (Typical peak date is April 26.)
• Snowpack and melting conditions are unprecedented, with accelerated melting seen since mid-March. Customers need to save water to stretch supplies.
• Streamflow forecasts are calling for runoff levels to be 10-40% of normal in 2026.
• Reservoir storage conditions are below average, and far less snowpack and spring runoff is available to help refill them. As of June 8, 2026, reservoirs were 81% full, versus an average of 94% full for this time.

Water use and conservation update

• Comment from Greg Fisher, Denver Water's manager of demand planning and efficiency:

"As we head into June, and irrigation season gets into full swing, it’s important to limit watering to no more than two days a week and to watch the weather. Rainstorms are an opportunity to turn off your sprinklers – saving water and money. And some storms come overnight. Did you wake up to nice wet ground outside? Then give your sprinkler one of those two days off. Also, keep in mind, June weather can often be temperate and your plants and grass probably won’t need as much water as they might in the hotter periods of July and August. Keeping sprinklers off as much as you can helps us stretch our supplies. Remember, Use Only What You Need." 

• Customers can do their part by making water-efficient upgrades, inside and outside, including rethinking their yards. These steps preserve water supplies and create more adaptable and drought-resilient landscapes that fit naturally into our climate. Read on TAP: Simple strategies to save water at home.

• Keep an eye on the weather. Denver Water customers are required to follow mandatory watering restrictions of two assigned days per week. If it rains, you can skip one or even two of your days. 

  • 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 will be required to follow Denver Water’s annual summer watering rules:

  • 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.

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

For its part, Denver Water has proactively reduced its spending, taking steps that include enacting a hiring freeze and reviewing maintenance and other projects to see which ones could be deferred. We are also looking into other ways to increase supply by activating agreements that allow us to capture additional water that is typically unavailable during normal conditions.

This year marks the fifth time since 2000 that Denver Water has issued a Stage 1 drought, and the first since 2013. Prior to 2013, the board declared a Stage 1 drought in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Denver Water has many resources for homeowners looking for inspiration and information about landscapes that fit naturally into our dry climate. Click here for conservation and efficiency tips for outdoor irrigation and to get more details on ways to ColoradoScape  your property, including through rebates for turf removal and a DIY guide for landscape changes, among many other potential water-saving steps.

Updates about Denver Water’s reservoir levels, customer water use and snowpack can be found in the Water Watch Report, which is updated weekly in the spring and summer.

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