Denver Water restrictions start Tuesday | News

DENVER — Tuesday is May Day and that is what Denver Water is crying … may-day …when it comes to water usage.

“We are in the same situation as we were in 2002,” said Stacy Chesney of Denver Water. “Our water is in very short supply because of a very ‘dry’ winter season. Anyone who went skiing this season knows how bad the snow pack was in the mountains.”

Around town, we spotted people watering lawns in the hours when Denver Water is asking residents to turn off the taps. The time to refrain from watering is between 10am and 6pm, but we found people with sprinklers on midday.

Some commercial businesses were watering streets and sidewalks without even checking on what was being watered, which is just why Denver Water is asking users to to be more conscious of what they are watering.

“We are short now, and it’s not even hot yet, so that is why we are asking people to cut back to two waterings a week instead of three,” said Chesney.

By logging onto Denver Water, you can get tips on when and why to water, and a mailer is on the way with this month’s bills to make sure everyone is on board with the plans for spring and probably summer if the rains don’t come to the Front Range.

Denver Parks says it will cut back 10-percent going forward, which will help as well.

If you haven’t yet gone to using drought tolerant plants and shrubs, now might be the time to take the plunge, no pun intended.