I love fishing. If I ever get an opportunity to throw a line in the water, it’s a great day. And while the ALCC Golf Tournament is always a fun day, I’d trade my clubs for my fishing rod just about any time! 

This has been a unique summer for fishing because of the lack of water throughout our state. The South Platte River flowing in and out of Antero Reservoir, which was drained earlier this year, has been running at a minuscule 2 CFS. While I’ve still been fortunate enough to catch some beautiful trout this season, seeing some of our rivers at extremely low flows and reservoirs nearly empty has been stunning. 

Earlier this year, I wrote about the historically low snowpack across Colorado. Unfortunately, that lack of snow has carried over into a significant drought and a difficult fire season throughout the state. 

Denver Water also made a major announcement last week regarding ending outdoor watering on September 30th. That made me curious: What are other water providers doing throughout Colorado? 

What I found was a surprisingly wide range of regulations.

A contractor can move from Pueblo, where there are no significant watering restrictions, to Colorado Springs, where establishing new landscapes is still very workable with a permit, to Castle Rock, where establishment exemptions have been suspended, and then into Aurora, where cool-season turf installation is prohibited. Head into the mountains or over to the Western Slope, and you’ll find additional restrictions from Vail and Aspen to Grand Junction. 

As part of my research, I created a quick-reference guide showing current water restrictions for communities throughout the Front Range and several mountain and Western Slope communities. 

You can download the Colorado Water Restrictions guide here. 

We also recently surveyed landscape contractors throughout the Front Range to better understand how drought conditions and potential water restrictions are affecting their businesses, clients, and landscapes. The feedback provided valuable real-world insight that ALCC is sharing with water providers as we work together on practical approaches to conservation—particularly around irrigation, establishment of new landscapes, and protecting trees and other valuable plant material.

You can review the ALCC Drought Survey results here.

It is never too late to share your feedback, if you have not yet completed the ALCC Drought Survey, please do so here.

As leaders in the landscape industry, I think there are three things we can do right now as we tackle the ongoing drought: 

1. ColoradoScaping! Get your team certified. The investment of time today will have a significant ROI for your company and our industry for years to come. 

2. Educate your clients. Send regular communication about current water restrictions in the communities you serve. 

3. Connect with your water provider. Get to know someone at your local water provider. That relationship can be mutually beneficial for both the provider and the landscape contractor.  

Water regulations will continue to shift and change, but responsible water use in Colorado is here to stay. As an industry, we have an opportunity to be part of the solution and demonstrate that beautiful landscapes and responsible water use can go hand in hand. 

I’d encourage each of us to take one next step toward responsible water use this month. 

Ben Fisk
ALCC Board President