On Tuesday, April 7, the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) announced that the district is implementing voluntary drought restrictions, with the agency anticipating increased drought restrictions within the next two weeks.
According to a statement from the district, “The Voluntary water reduction stage is intended to give the community advanced notice of developing drought conditions and to begin encouraging water conservation and voluntary water use reduction. The Voluntary stage does not trigger the drought surcharge or tier rate multipliers.”
The statement explains the trigger points for the voluntary stage are:
• A curtailment order on Four Mile Creek prior to May 1.
• A maximum snow water equivalency (SWE) less than 75 percent of median.
• Reservoir levels with the addition of diversion flow less than 90 percent.
The statement notes, “With a maximum Snow Water Equivalency (SWE) of less than 75% of Median as of April 6, 2026, the District is implementing Voluntary Drought Restrictions as of April 7, 2026. PAWSD will implement the next level of mandatory drought restriction stages as dry conditions continue, and these do trigger drought surcharges and/or tier rate multipliers.”
An email to The SUN from District Engineer Justin Ramsey also notes the move is due to the National Integrated Drought Information Center upgrading the drought state in Archuleta County from severe to extreme.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s most recent map released on April 2, 97 percent of Archuleta County is in an extreme drought stage, with a sliver of the most southeastern portion of the county in a severe drought stage.
Currently, 21.59 percent of the state as a whole is in an exceptional drought stage, primarily in the northwestern portion of the state.
“Drought conditions are such that PAWSD is encouraging customers to voluntarily reduce the amount of water they use. There are no mandatory water use restrictions in place,” a memorandum from PAWSD states.
The memorandum also points to the low SWE, stating, “The current Snow Water Equivalency (SWE) is 3.8”, the median SWE on this day is 32.2”. The recent snow in the upper watershed delayed the SWE from dropping to zero, however it is still likely the SWE will drop to zero and the District will go into a higher level drought stage within the next two weeks. This is due to a very light snowpack this season and warmer than normal late winter and spring temperatures.”
According to data from the Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS), as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, Wolf Creek Pass, at 10,930 feet, had an SWE of 11.1 inches, compared to that date’s median of 30.2 inches. The current amount is 37 percent of that date’s median snow water equivalent.
On April 2, Wolf Creek Pass had a snow water equivalent of 8.2 inches.
Snowpack levels are monitored by measuring snow water equivalents that gauge how much water is held within a snowfield, and are significant predictors of springtime runoff.
The San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan River basins as a whole are listed at 14 percent of the 30-year median snowpack. That reading is up from the April 2 report of 9 percent.
The Wolf Creek summit had the second highest current snow water equivalent in the San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan River basins, and the Upper Rio Grande basin, behind the Black Mesa site with 13.4 inches of SWE as of press time Wednesday.
Students from Pagosa Springs High School recently organized and compared current SWE data with historical records in their global science class.
According to information shared by science teacher Josh Kurz, the 2026 water year recorded the lowest SWE reading on record, dating back to 1979, at just 1.7 inches on April 1.
The second-lowest SWE reading for that date was in 2002 at 10 inches, and the third lowest recording was in 2025 at 10.9 inches.
According to a summary written by student Taylor Wells, the April 1 snow water equivalent was the worst on record since 1979, “shockingly about 6 times that of 2002.”
“While the current streamflow is above average right now, that is only because of record-setting temperatures in late March, which caused our meager snowpack to melt nearly two months earlier than average,” Wells wrote. “Unfortunately, flows will likely drop to 2002 levels unless we have a wet spring. Therefore, we should prepare for water shortages and wildfires that are likely this summer. And those who enjoy river sports, take advantage of the high flows while you can.”
River flows
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, the San Juan River in downtown Pagosa Springs had a flow rate of 451 cubic feet per second (cfs).
Based on 90 years of water records, the record high flow for that date was recorded in 1960 at 1,380 cfs, while the record low was recorded in 1964 at 65 cfs. The median flow for that date is 351 cfs and the mean flow is 418 cfs.
The Piedra River near Arboles was flowing at a rate of 365 cfs, as of 2 p.m Wednesday, April 8, according to the USGS.
Based on 63 years of water records, the median flow for April 8 is 567 cfs and the mean flow is 690 cfs. The record high flow for April 8 was recorded in 1985 at 2,370 cfs, while the record low was recorded in 1977 at 100 cfs.
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