Colorado residents face earliest water restrictions ever

Some Colorado residents have already been told to reduce their water use — the earliest such restrictions ever imposed — following a heat wave and snow drought.

As a result of a snow drought and a heat wave that have both set records, some Colorado residents face the earliest restrictions on their water use ever imposed.

Denver Water announced Wednesday that it is seeking a 20% cut in water use, asking people to turn off automatic watering systems until mid-May and restricting the watering of trees and shrubs to twice a week.

“The situation is quite serious,” said Todd Hartman, a spokesperson for the utility. “We’re in such a dire situation that we could be coming back to the public in two or three months and saying you’re limited to one day a week.”

It is the earliest in the year that Denver Water has ever issued a restriction, Hartman said.

Colorado’s snowpack peaked at extremely low levels on March 12 — nearly a month earlier than usual — then cratered during the recent heat wave that cooked nearly every state in the West.