Durango’s new water restrictions reflect a simple reality: Water use must be reduced to avoid future shortages.
The city has rightly imposed Stage 1 mandatory drought restrictions (Herald, April 13), now in effect, limiting lawn watering to three days a week with a fixed schedule: odd-numbered addresses Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays; even-numbered addresses Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays; no watering on Wednesdays. Irrigation is limited to overnight hours, between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m., to reduce evaporation. The rules also prohibit spraying sidewalks and driveways and curb other nonessential outdoor uses.
The restrictions are enforceable under city code, with an emphasis on education and warnings before fines. Still, behavior matters. As discussed at the recent Southwestern Water Conservation District annual seminar (Herald, March 29), water use can increase when restrictions are announced – a familiar response to perceived scarcity that drew laughs. But water cannot be stockpiled, and overuse now only worsens conditions later.
That makes the city’s focus clear. A staggering 70% of Durango’s municipal water use goes to irrigation. The city is targeting a 20% reduction in overall demand, which depends on cutting outdoor use. The city is also reducing irrigation at parks and other properties, limiting fleet washing and suspending fire hydrant flushing. The city should also consider expanding nonpotable or gray water use for landscaping, where feasible.
The backdrop is clear. Southwest Colorado is in extreme to exceptional drought. Statewide, snowpack is among the lowest on record, with about half the typical moisture in many areas – and worse in others (Herald/AP, April 13). Snow is melting earlier, runoff is reduced and supplies are tightening.
This is not a one-year problem. The region has been in a long-term drought cycle for more than 20 years. Short wet periods have not changed that trend. A few spring storms may help temporarily, but they will not close the gap.
Other governments are responding. Denver has implemented watering limits, and cities across the West are restricting use. The U.S. Small Business Administration has issued a drought disaster declaration covering 55 of 64 Colorado counties – but not La Plata, Montezuma, Archuleta, San Juan or Dolores counties. The program offers low-interest loans to small businesses and nonprofits, while most farmers and ranchers – including those in Southwest Colorado – must rely on separate U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.
The economic signal is as clear as the environmental one: Drought is not just a water issue; it is an economic one.
For local businesses, the Southwest Colorado Small Business Development Center in Durango provides no-cost advising, including help accessing SBA disaster loans and other support. At a time when drought is already straining rural economies, that is one more reason federal SBDC funding should be released without delay (Herald, March 27).
At the same time, federal policy is moving in the opposite direction. The Trump administration is rolling back clean energy incentives while expanding fossil fuel production and weakening water conservation standards, including efficiency rules for fixtures like showerheads (Herald, June 6, 2025) – doing little to address the underlying driver of drought in the West: a warming climate driven by greenhouse gas emissions – and reinforcing the need for local action.
Durango should treat current restrictions as a baseline, not a temporary measure.
Reducing consumption will require practical changes: cutting outdoor watering to allowed hours, replacing high-water turf like Kentucky bluegrass with drought-tolerant landscaping, installing smart irrigation controllers and fixing leaks. Indoors, that means low-flow fixtures and running full loads. Businesses should serve water only upon request, and residents should limit home vehicle washing or use commercial car washes that recycle water.
None of these steps are new. What has changed is the urgency.
The city should also look beyond restrictions to incentives and pricing by expanding tiered rates that reward lower use and charge more for higher consumption, and by building on existing rebates – such as parking strip turf replacement – to support turf conversion, efficient irrigation systems and water-saving fixtures.
The city’s previous plan relied heavily on voluntary compliance in early stages. That is no longer sufficient.
Durango cannot control supply. It can control demand.
The restrictions now in place are a starting point. Avoiding stricter measures will depend on whether residents and businesses take these steps seriously now.
