What the mega-drought means to Castle Rock

The west is having "Exceptional Drought" conditions, again. Eighty percent of Colorado’s water comes from the west side of the mountain so any community reliant on the Colorado River is going to significantly feel the pinch. Fortunately, Castle Rock / Douglas County is not in a drought right now, nor do we get our water from the Colorado River*. However, we are feeling the heat.

Castle Rock Water is prepared. We have diversified our water supplies and they include groundwater, East Plum Creek and best of all, reuse water. Reuse water is available despite drought. Though the Front Range is not officially in a drought, the hot weather has water customers irrigating significantly more. The increased demand for water does put a lot of pressure on immediate supplies. During these hot summers, it is best to water efficiently, not excessively. A good soaking every few days, will makes water go deeper into the root zone, reducing evaporation and giving the plant roots nourishment where they need it. If you have a Kentucky Bluegrass lawn, expect it to brown. It’s not lack of water, but the heat that is making it look so rough. (It should come back when it cools down.) It is also a good time to consider installing a low-water landscape, like a ColoradoScape, that highlights native-adapted plants that can survive the heat and drought while still bringing beauty and color to your yard.

*Actually, a tiny bit of our imported WISE water does come from here!

Why isn’t my lawn greening up with more water?

This grass type is most likely Kentucky Bluegrass and is a cool weather grass. That means when it gets HOT, it goes dormant and turns brown. It is the cool weather, not more water, that will turn it green again. (This week we are expecting a few days of cooler temps and a light sprinkling that should help our yards!)

While it may seem logical to turn up the irrigation controller when it gets hotter, you may just be throwing this water away. Keep to the every-third-day schedule, and use cycle and soak to get the water deep to those roots. It’s all about protecting those roots right now. Watering at night is ideal not only for reduced evaporation, but also plants are more accepting of the water when they aren’t fighting the heat of the day. Keep grass blades long so they retain more moisture for the turf and shade the soil, helping reduce evaporation.

When could Castle Rock go into drought restrictions?

Castle Rock is not in drought restrictions and we aren’t close, yet. There are two primary factors when considering drought restrictions: lack of supply and too much demand. Fortunately, Douglas County has had sufficient rain and snow for our renewable supplies and we have started reusing some of our reuse water, so we are currently managing sufficient supply.

Peak demand is when the entire community is using water at the same time, putting all of the infrastructure to the test. The treatment plants and wells can only treat and distribute so much water. Also, there comes a point when demand is so great that it drains all of the water from the storage tanks in a single day. The problem here, is that we need to keep a percentage of that water for fire protection, especially given potential coinciding fire restrictions. So, why not build more storage tanks? We would spend millions for something we only need a couple days each year. It is easier and cheaper to restrict use, and thus the need for drought restrictions. Castle Rock is currently in good shape, but our water professionals are closely monitoring supply and demand parameters.