Inside Arvada's Drought & Watering Restrictions

Water Supply Administrator, Amy Willhite shares information about why Arvada declared a Stage 1 drought and implemented water restrictions this year. She explains how snowpack drives Front Range water supply, what the rules entail, and how the city plans to reach a community-wide goal of reducing water use by 20%, including at City-managed parks, athletic fields, and golf courses. Find the latest information, the restrictions, and FAQs at arvadaco.gov/drought. 

In the episode:

• Water restrictions including the two-day-per-week lawn irrigation schedule and the 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. outdoor watering ban 
• How violations are handled and how a drought surcharge may work
• How parks, golf, and athletic fields reduce water use while prioritizing playability, safety, and tree health
• Why the splash pad can run while the Olde Town fountain will be limited due to water recycling differences 
• Why nearby communities have different rules based on storage and water rights portfolios
• And more!

News and events: 

• The City’s Volunteer Appreciation Event is Saturday, May 16
• Mayor Pro Tem Randy Moorman presented the 2026 State of the City on Friday, April 10
• Neighborhood grant applications are open now through May 8
• The annual pavement program is underway across the city completing repaving, concrete work, and treatments to maintain road quality

Visit us at arvadaco.gov/podcast or email us at podcast@arvada.org.

Transcript

What A Water Supply Administrator Does

Katie 0:02

Welcome to the Inside Arvada Podcast, the official podcast of the City of Arvada. I am one of your hosts, Katie Patterson, and I am actually your solo host today while Sean is out for a little bit. But I'm not here alone. I'm joined by Amy Wilheit, the city's water supply administrator. And Amy has been with the city for three years, and she's been in the water resources industry for over 20 years, working as a water resources analyst for Excel Energy in Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico, and then as a water administrator at Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. And a fun fact, Amy has served on over 20 Ditch Company Board of Directors in her career. Hey Amy. Hi. Thanks for joining us. Thank you. So kick us off, tell us just a little bit about what it is you do with the city. I imagine a water resource administrator is a job a lot of folks don't know exists. So what exactly do you do here?

Amy 0:57

It's pretty much everywhere I've been, people have kind of wondered what does the water person do? Yeah. So I manage the raw water supply for the city of Arvada. So that's all management of the water before it gets to the water treatment plants. And some of my roles are managing the contracts that we have. We have a contract with Denver Water for 75% of our water supply. And then the remainder of our water supply are our own water rights. So I manage that as well. And we have uh water rights in about 25 different ditches, different ditch companies. Uh, we have two reservoirs, the Arvada Blun and Tucker Lake. Arvada Blun is used for drinking water, and Tucker's mostly golf courses, and then also some irrigators use that. I also do daily operations of our water rights and water counting. So I have this very uh large spreadsheet, uh, about a 20-page spreadsheet. So we can be in compliance with state law for our water rights. We also do water rights protection and policy work, track the water use and cost data, infrastructure projects, long-term supply-demand planning. And I'm also the subject matter expert around the city for water supply questions.

Why Arvada Declared Stage One Drought

Katie 2:08

So cool. Such a fascinating job and such a niche for someone like me who grew up in Missouri where we just didn't think and talk about water the way we do here, um, and water rights and our supply. And so it's such an interesting and unique job. And we wanted to have you on now because we have declared a stage one drought, which comes with water restrictions to help manage that supply that you help our city manage. So why did the city declare drought?

Amy 2:36

Well, this has been a very concerning snowpack season for me. Uh, we've been watching things since about January, and snowpack just kept uh continually decreasing and decreasing, and we're just not seeing the buildup that we were hoping for. I've never really got that break for like a large snowstorm or anything like that. So we're pretty concerned about the snowpack. Uh some areas are 4%, so they're basically melted off already, which is super early. And then the high temperatures weren't helping as well. Since it didn't turn around, um, I've been talking with Denver Water for quite some time, and uh they decided they would declare a stage one drought, and we have to follow suit because of our contract with Denver Water, so that's why why no?

Katie 3:17

And it's we're we talk about snowpack because our reservoirs are largely refilled by snowpack. Um, I think sometimes folks think of Colorado water as being all the Colorado River because that's what gets talked about the most. But we actually get a lot of our water from that snowpack.

Amy 3:32

That is correct. The front range relies on about 80% of their water from snowpack.

Katie 3:37

Okay, and so this is gonna be a really big change for folks and new to a lot of folks who um haven't seen a drought since you know 2013. Some of us may not have even lived in Colorado at that time. And so this is a new kind of behavior change that we're gonna ask folks by restricting their water. What can folks expect with some of those rules?

Amy 3:56

Sure. So irrigation will be restricted to two days a week. So we'll have single family homes on odd and even days. So even will be a Sunday, Thursday, and then odd would be Wednesday, Saturday. And then any commercial HOA other, like multifamily and such, will be uh Tuesday, Friday. Um, Mondays we shouldn't be seeing any irrigation. But you can continue to use a hose to water your trees, your perennials, and your shrubs at this point.

Katie 4:23

And that's any day, right? Any day, that's right. The restrictions are for your outdoor lawn, like your sprinkler systems. And then the trees, shrubs, gardens can be watered any day, but it needs to be hosed, not a sprinkler system.

Amy 4:36

That's right. And then there's a timing. So no water should be no watering should be occurring between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day.

Katie 4:43

And that's true for all outdoor watering. That's right. Yeah, and that helps with uh keeping water from evaporating and keeps the water going into the ground and into our plants. Yes. Okay. Where we want it. Yes.

Amy 4:54

Absolutely. Um there's some other best management practices. One is just not to turn your sprinklers on until May. And then the other one would be to irrigate zones about 15 minutes each. You don't need to go beyond that.

Enforcement Fines And Possible Surcharges

Katie 5:07

Yeah, I um don't have a lawn. But that essentially is that you can set your sprinkler system into zones so that it absorbs more of that water and doesn't oversaturate, correct? That's right. So, Amy, what happens if someone is found to violate our watering restrictions?

Amy 5:22

So there will be a warning to begin with. And then if they continue to um violate the waste of water section in our code, um, it'll be a $100 fine. And then after that, the third time would be $250 fine and then $500 fine after that.

Katie 5:41

Okay. And that'll be well um the first warning notice, there'll be a door hanger that folks get on their door. Um, they'll also get something, I believe, in their bill, and then they'll get the fines will be charged through their bill, the billing system. That's fine. And then we're also looking into, and something Denver Water has already implemented is a surcharge, which is different from the fines, and that is based on usage, correct? Yes. So can you explain how a surcharge works?

Amy 6:06

Usually there's just a base base water use that is not surcharged, but as you go into higher tiers, there's additional surcharges. So possibly tier two, three, four. I'm not sure how we are structuring it, but it needs two readings through council.

City Parks Golf And Fountain Changes

Katie 6:18

Yeah. So we haven't you we haven't brought it to council yet. That's still kind of in development, but it is something that folks can expect to go into effect later this summer. And I'll come back and share that later. That's right. And then we have a full set of the rules, FAQs, lots of answers to questions on our website at ourvaco.gov slash drought. Um, it's linked at the top of every single web page right now. We want to be getting the word out about this. Um, but all of the details are there. We also want folks to just try not to waste water. That can mean water pooling into gutters or onto sidewalks or you know, spraying when it's high wind, those sorts of things. People can fill swimming pools. We've gotten that question. And it won't be, yeah, as long as we're in a stage one and we can talk about that. And the Ralston Central splash pad will be running this summer, and then the old town fountain will be on a on a more limited basis. So thinking about that side of things, city operations. Right. Um, our parks, our golf courses, our athletic fields are all managed by the city and our own water use as a city. How are how are we managing our water use?

Amy 7:27

So we're all gonna try to cut back by 20% water use, and that includes parks and golf. So they have a pretty robust drought plan, which is really great. And they're able, they have a lot of technology where they're able to decrease the amount of water that they're using, the amount of gallons and such. You might not see them the odd even. It might be a little more spread out because there are so many properties. So you might see some irrigation on different days for golf and parks.

Katie 7:54

Yeah. So they're planning to still not water from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They'll water outside of that time frame as much as they can. They may occasionally need to be testing an irrigation system for maintenance and things like that. But when you're talking about over 100 parks, I don't even know how many acres of property um they do have to kind of water, they have to spread out their demand across more days of the week than just the two days that we can limit other customers to.

Amy 8:18

And they are prioritizing certain things like greens and very, you know, certain parts of the golf course and different types of like parts of the fields and things like that.

Katie 8:27

Yeah, I knew I've talked with our parks and golf managers quite a bit going through this, and they talk about how it's that playable field that they may they um prioritize. That and tree health were the two things they prioritize for the playable space needs to be safe for people to use it. And so it is a usable turf on like maybe just your typical park where there's maybe grass that doesn't get used for sports in the same way.

Amy 8:53

And they have this really cool sensor they showed me that they can take out to their greens and they can measure how much moisture content is in the green. Yeah. They know whether or not to irrigate, which is really exciting.

Why Conservation Matters Even Now

Katie 9:03

Very cool. They have invested a lot into technology really in the last, it sounds like five, 10 years, um, not just in response to this drought, to but it helps prepare for these types of years. So that's exciting. Yeah, it is. Yeah. Um, and I started to mention the splash pad at Ralston Central will run as normal. They are going to limit the old town fountain, though, to special events. So they'll they'll run that on the weekends. And that's because the splash pad runs more like a swimming pool where the water is recycled over and over again. So they're able to reuse that same water allotment where the old town fountain is going down the drain at the end. So it's just almost like it's it's go back goes into the sewer system after. So it uses significantly more water. Okay, so then why is it important to conserve water during a drought?

Amy 9:54

So we all need to conserve water, uh, kind of thinking to the future, like right this minute, not as concerning. We've got water in our reservoir and everything, but we don't know how long this drought is gonna last and it's not looking great. And so when we are, you know, really using a lot of water in the summer, um we we may not have the flows that we're used to this year, and then we may not be able to fill up our reservoirs and things like that. So that's why it's really important.

Katie 10:20

Yeah, I think that can like the visual can be kind of confusing for folks where you see like a reservoir really full right now and it looks like things are normal. Um, or if you see some of the data, but it's the we use so much more water in the summer in general. And then as we deplete that reservoir over time, we just don't have the snow snowmelts and all that going back into it.

Amy 10:43

Yeah, and don't be surprised if you start to see very low reservoirs this year. Yeah. Uh that that's what they're for. They're supposed to be used, and so they will be depleted this year pretty much statewide. Yeah.

Why Rules Differ Across Communities

Katie 10:57

And and to that point too, different communities do kind of have different restrictions in place. Um, can you explain a little bit why different communities are are doing different things?

Amy 11:07

Sure. Every community has a different like water rights portfolio, water resources portfolio. So some have more storage than others, some have different water rights in different basins that did better this year. So, I mean, you can be one community next to another that has different restrictions, and that's kind of why why we see that happening. Uh, for example, Denver Water, part of their system, their snowpack in their upper south plat was 4% of normal. Uh areas like Boulder might see more like 50% of normal for some of their snowpacks.

Misconceptions About Ditch Water And Wells

Katie 11:37

So that's why we see that. Yeah, that's um both makes sense and just confusing when we don't all work in this world. Um, and then talking about things that are confusing, what are maybe some misconceptions or questions? We're obviously going to get lots of questions this year. Um, folks are really gonna be paying attention, but what might be more confusing for someone?

Amy 11:57

I think if someone sees someone who has water rights in, say, a ditch company uh for irrigation and they're irrigating on different days, uh, that might throw folks off because they're not, uh they don't have to follow the Orvada rules for their privately owned water rights in ditches. Uh also people with wells, with well water, they might see something a little different with people with wells. We're hoping that folks put up signage to state that they have a well or that they're using ditch water for that irrigation. The other misconception might be that we need to conserve because of growth. This is an unprecedented drought, and we have a very robust water supply in almost every scenario. We do a lot of modeling on our end, too. So this is just kind of a real anomaly, and uh, we definitely have enough water for our community.

Water Trivia And Conservation Programs

Katie 12:43

Yeah, I think that's good to know. Definitely something we're seeing folks ask about is our water running out of water and that sort of thing. And it really is just an unprecedented year. And so that's good to know. And you started to mention this with the ditches. Um, we call that non-potable water, so it's not our treated drinking water source. So sometimes you'll see signs that say non-potable water in use here, ditch water in use here. That's also true of a lot of our athletic fields and our golf courses as well, are watered with that water. And it's still water, right?

Amy 13:14

It's still water. Yeah, and we still want to save and we're trying to save. But for example, Westwood's golf course is irrigated with uh Tucker, Tucker Lake water, which is raw water.

Katie 13:24

Right.

Amy 13:24

And that's unchanged water. It's a long water court process, but I'm I won't get into today. But it's it's a raw water irrigation rate. So that's a little bit different. But they're still trying to save 20%.

Katie 13:36

So yeah, it's still doing well. Thanks. Um yeah, I think like kind of our our ending point is that we are all in this together. Yeah. Um, we didn't talk about kind of the business side of things, but um, we are gonna be asking businesses to serve water upon request as well. That'll be part of that that folks might see and experience when they're going to restaurants. Um, it's not that you can't have your water. It's just, you know, if you're gonna get a beer and not gonna drink your water, just don't pour the water, is the idea there. And so we are all in this together, and conservation really is the best tool we have. So, with that, I'm gonna ask you some trivia questions. Uh-oh. First question. I can give you multiple choice on this one if you want, but I didn't. I might ask. Um, how many miles of water main does our vata maintain to the closest 100?

Amy 14:22

I'm on the supply side before it gets to the pot the plants.

Katie 14:26

You don't do this part.

Amy 14:27

Yeah, I don't do that part.

Katie 14:28

Okay. Is it oh funny? 400, 600, 900, or 1,000. I'm gonna say a thousand just because that's such a 650. Oh, okay. Roughly. Not that's not a good thing. I learned something today. I appreciate that. And then this is another one that you don't necessarily know. That's just for fun. It's on the supply side. But another thing we didn't talk about is that the the city does partner with Resource Central for outdoor water conservation programming for our residents. So that's a great tool in our toolbox. And um during years like this, you can still do a garden in the box and get that, those plants that'll um be low-water plants uh into your garden. And then you can also get sprinkler evaluations. We've talked about it on the podcast already this year. So one of the programs, or no, amongst all those, all three programs that we offer lawn replacement, garden in the box, and slow the flow sprinkler evaluations. How many residents participated in programs in 2025? Was it A, 122, B, 357, or C 623?

Amy 15:34

Well, they're all specific numbers. Yes. I would say B.

Katie 15:38

It was C. So it's 123 number this time. We had some extra grant funding last year, and we were able to up our participation quite a bit. And we're doing that again this year. So that's exciting.

Amy 15:48

So I just heard from Resource Central recently that they also have webinars and things like that for education. Yes, that's true.

Katie 15:54

Yeah. We don't track the numbers of people that attend those in the same way we do that programs that are cost-based. So yeah. Okay, and then this is a longer one because I'm gonna read you a quote from it's a sh an abridged quote from the book New Frontiers: a History of Arvada, Colorado, 1976 to 2006 by Kimberly Field. And the quote is Denver Water hasn't formally required Arvada to ration water that year, suggesting that voluntary conservation measures would suffice. Peak demand on Saturday came dangerously close to capacity, although the city maintained plenty of water and storage for emergencies. Within a week, city council approved the familiar and much reviled every third day ration plan developed by Denver Water. Arvada would implement strict water rationing again in blank and blank as the city eagerly awaited Blund to come online. What year were they talking about? Okay, what was the what was the bracketed years there? 76 to 2006.

Amy 16:57

2006. Well, 2002, 2003 were pretty rough years. And I know 81 was a was also a rough year.

Katie 17:05

Yeah.

Amy 17:05

So I need to choose one.

Katie 17:07

Yes, and the city eagerly awaited Blunt to come online.

Amy 17:13

I think, yeah.

Katie 17:14

So it was actually 1980, was when the quote was from. And then they did rationing again in 82 and 83.

Amy 17:20

So I get that one. I'm supposed to got it.

Katie 17:23

Okay, perfect. Thank you.

Amy 17:24

That was great. Well, Amy, thank you so much for coming on. You're very welcome.

City News Events And Next Episode

Katie 17:28

Thank you. And in today's news and events section, the city's volunteer appreciation event is Saturday, May 16th from 10 a.m. to noon at Allenhouse Pavilion. So you can learn more about that at arvata co.gov slash volunteer and sign up for our volunteer email list. And in April, Mayor Pro Tem Randy Mormon presented the 2026 State of the City, and a recording of that speech is posted on the city's YouTube page. The neighborhood grant applications are open now through May 8th, and grants are available to support projects that promote positive neighboring activities and community involvement. So learn more about eligibility and how to apply at arvataco.gov slash grants. And the pavement program is underway this year, completing repaving, concrete work, and treatments to maintain road quality. And this program actually received additional funding this year as part of one of the city's three wildly important goals to pave 75 lane miles of road, and that is nearly double what is completed in a typical year. And so you can learn more about the program and the areas proposed for work at arvataco.gov slash pavement program. Thank you to our guest today, Amy Wilhite. Be sure to listen to our next episode. We'll have Paul Donegan, Senior Long Rage Planner, helping to lead the city's comprehensive plan update. Today's podcast was recorded and edited by Arvada Media Services, and Sean's pre recorded fun fact of the day is.

Sean 19:04

Today's fun fact is the peak water use day for the city of Arvada in 2025 was August 8th, when 34,250,000 gallons of water were used.