From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
It’s a complicated message. Yes, Southern Colorado is in a drought, with less precipitation than 2012. However, no outdoor water restrictions are planned in Pueblo.
The Pueblo Board of Water Works adopted a policy this week to include four stages of drought response, which will be triggered by storage levels and weather conditions. That said, Pueblo has not implemented any of the stages, but is encouraging wise use of water among its customers. “The revision will put the board in a better position to deal with drought in the future,” said Executive Director Terry Book.
Only 1.92 inches of precipitation have been measured in Pueblo this year, less than 2.25 inches at the same time last year, and less than half of the 3.94 inches normally seen by this time of year. In the mountains, Arkansas River basin precipitation has reached 15 inches so far, which is less than 2012, but more than 2002. That’s about 75 percent of average. The outlook is better in the Colorado River basin, where precipitation has measured about 90 percent of average so far this year.
The Pueblo water board is banking on its relatively senior direct-flow rights and nearly average imports from the Colorado River basin to meet its needs this year. But it is still urging customers to be careful with water. “The ground is dry from drought, and these few little showers we’ve seen are less than we’d usually see in April or May,” said Alan Ward, water resources manager.
Customers are using less water so far this year. Through the end of April, consumption had totalled 1.4 billion gallons, about 200 million gallons less than 2012 and 7.85 percent below the 5-year average. The number of accounts, 39,512, is at an all-time high, but temperatures in 2013 have been significantly cooler.
Pueblo has more than 26,000 acre-feet in storage, just 60 percent of the amount stored last year, but twice as much as in 2002, the last time the city was under water restrictions.