At its June 11 meeting, the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) Board of Directors authorized the district manager to enter stage two drought when the appropriate trigger points are reached, which staff predicted will be in the near future.
District Engineer Justin Ramsey explained to the board that, based on water levels in Hatcher Reservoir and the San Juan River, the district was still in drought stage one, but was “just a couple inches away” from having to enter stage two according to the district’s drought management plan.
Both the San Juan River and Lake Hatcher are sources for the water processed at PAWSD’s water treatment plants.
Ramsey predicted that the district would likely enter drought stage two within a week, adding that Hatcher Reservoir is losing between a quarter and a half inch in water level a day and a drop of 3 inches would place the district in drought stage two.
He requested that the board authorize District Manager Andrew Connor to move the district into drought stage two once the trigger points are reached, avoiding a need for the board to have a special meeting in the near future to authorize the move.
Drought stage two continues the restrictions imposed in drought stage one, limiting irrigation to between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m., requiring restaurants to only serve water on request, and encouraging hotels to only replace towels and bed linens for new guests or at the request of current guests, as well as adding new limitations.
Drought stage two limits irrigation to only even or odd days based on street address at the times allowed in drought stage one.
It also modifies the tiered residential rate multiplier included in drought stage one to start at 4,000 gallons of water used per month instead of the 5,000 gallons used per month starting point of stage one, and to charge two times the standard tier rate fee for use above this level instead of the 1.25 times multiplier included in phase one.
Both stages allow the hand watering of gardens using a hose or drip irrigation at all times.
Drought phase one aims to reduce water use by 10 to 20 percent while phase two aims for a 20 to 30 percent reduction.
PAWSD board chairman Gene Tautges commented that this made sense and emphasized that water loss from evaporation is also a contributor to the falling water levels in Lake Hatcher and other locations.
He added that reducing water use during drought protects the district’s water supply in the fall and winter.
“It’s prudent that we take action now instead of waiting until it’s a super emergency,” he said.
PAWSD board member Alex Boehmer commented that he would also support authorizing Connor to make the change, especially since there is limited chances of rain in the forecast ahead.
Connor stated that the authorization would allow him to start distributing educational materials about the upcoming drought stage, including sending out a district-wide flyer and placing a notice on the website.
PAWSD board member Bill Hudson moved to authorize Connor to enter drought stage two and to start distributing information about the upcoming drought stage to the media.
The board unanimously voted to pass Hudson’s motion.
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