On May 17, 2018, the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) Board of Directors approved the 2018 Drought Management Plan.
The plan sets trigger points for voluntary drought procedures and four mandatory drought restriction stages from Low through Severe.
The trigger points for the voluntary drought restrictions are any one of the following:
1. A curtailment order on Four Mile Creek prior to May 1.
2. A maximum snow water equivalency (SWE) less than 75 percent of median.
The voluntary water reduction stage is intended to give the community advanced notice of developing drought conditions and to begin to foster water conservation and voluntary water use reduction with a reduction goal of 10 percent.
The voluntary stage does not trigger the drought surcharge or tier rate multipliers.
With a curtailment order on Four Mile Creek received on April 30, the district is implementing
voluntary drought restrictions as of May 5.
PAWSD will implement Level 1 mandatory drought restrictions in the event the reservoir levels drop below 70 percent.
The Drought Management Plan can be found at https://www.pawsd.org/water-service/water-
conservation/.
