The Carbondale Board of Town Trustees on Tuesday, April 28, supported an “escalating ladder” of water conservation measures to plan for a potentially historic low runoff season.
The measures come as the runoff is predicted to be at 50% of the 2018 runoff season, which was a historically low year, Scott Wenning, Carbondale Utilities Division’s assistant public works director, told trustees.
“Most likely, this is the worst drought that anybody alive in this valley has ever seen,” Wenning said.
As such, Wenning outlined the escalating ladder of water conservation measures he and staff proposed the Town take. The first step, beginning in early May, would advise water users to assess their water needs and encourage them to practice conservation they may have to implement later in the season.
As drought conditions worsen, the Town will enact “voluntary restrictions,” then “mandatory restrictions,” “water shortage measures” and “water crisis measures” as needed. These restrictions will be triggered when water usage hits a certain percentage of the total water the Town, which does not have a reservoir and relies on real-time water availability, can produce.
The more severe restrictions, such as “water shortage” will begin when Carbondale is using 90% of the water it can produce. These restrictions would prohibit washing of sidewalks, driveways or other paved areas, draining or refilling pools and tubs, washing privately owned vehicles (except when using a bucket), could restrict lawn watering and irrigation, require restaurants to serve water only upon request and more, according to code.
The Town would begin “water crisis” measures when Carbondale is using 95% or more of the water it can produce. These restrictions prohibit watering lawns, gardens and other plants, except with a handheld container, during certain periods, require restaurants to operate using disposable plates, glasses and utensils, prohibit replenishing swimming pools and only permits fire hydrant water use for firefighting.
Wenning said the escalating ladder of water usage restrictions could “move quickly when it moves,” and would likely be triggered by a power outage, as some of the Town’s treatment plants cannot operate at full capacity without supplied electricity. He told The Sopris Sun on Wednesday that Xcel Energy and Holy Cross Energy could conduct planned outages this summer to reduce wildfire risk during periods of high fire danger. Water problems would start if the Town loses power for a full day, Wenning told trustees.
A water rights call, where an area with more senior water rights pulls water from a local source elsewhere, could also trigger usage restrictions, according to Wenning.
Town staff did note that because Carbondale does not have a reservoir, immediate water conservation measures will not save water for later in the year.
“Conservation helps manage peak demand, but it does not bolster supply later in the season,” a document from town staff states.
The Town can store 2 million gallons of potable water in a tank on White Hill and 700,000 gallons in a tank in River Valley Ranch. That storage amounts to about a single day of storage, accounting for the Town’s water usage and water needed for firefighting purposes, Wenning said.
For the time being, keeping green space green could be valuable.
Town staff advised trustees to be mindful of the area’s fuel moisture content, or the amount of water contained in fuels available to a fire. High fuel moisture makes fuels more resistant to fire, according to the Northwest Fire Science Consortium.
“These two issues — water supply and wildfire — should be considered together,” the document from Town staff states, adding “At this time, maintaining defensible green space and maintaining high fuel moisture content in living vegetation is the appropriate course of action while water is available.”
Getting people off the road
The Carbondale Trustees on Tuesday, April 28, supported initiatives proposed by the Bike, Pedestrian, and Trails Commission to update the Town’s priority “multi-modal corridors” — prioritizing multi-modal transport like biking and walking — to include River Valley Ranch Road to Crystal Bridge Drive. They also supported adding 7th Street between Main Street and Sopris Avenue, eliminating 3rd Street and adding the promenade connecting the Rio Grande Trail with Main Street.
Trustees, too, agreed to provide $4,000 to the commission’s Public Relations campaigns to market non-vehicle forms of transit and supported the commission’s initiative to add signage around town directing individuals to parks, We-Cycle transit, public areas and more.
“I feel like I get my ear to the ground and I hear people say, ‘You know, we’re losing the battle of traffic versus town culture,’” said Rick Blauvelt, vice chair of the Bikes, Pedestrian & Trails Commission on the importance of getting people off the road through these initiatives. “And that is just so disheartening.”
SPEAR
Carbondale Police Chief Kirk Wilson made clear to the trustees that he is striving to get the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to clarify that the Special Problems Enforcement and Response Team (SPEAR), to which the Carbondale Police Department is involved, will not enforce immigration law.
He first told trustees that Colorado law already makes clear that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, not a local one, and that it is crucial that the community feels comfortable contacting local law enforcement for them to adequately do their jobs.
“I’ve asked that the MOU is very specific to Colorado law — that we will not enforce immigration law. Period,” Wilson said. “That needs to be clearly stated … not only for our community, not only for the entire county, but also for the task force officers (in) future and in current.”
Arbor Day
The trustees approved Saturday, May 2, 2026 as Carbondale Arbor Day.