At its April 13th meeting, the Board of Directors of the Penrose Water District moved to implement Appendix F of the District's Rules & Regulations, which sets forth policy in response to the existence, or potential occurrence, of a water supply shortage – i.e., the District's conservation policy. Most of the Front Range water providers have taken similar action in response to current drought conditions.

In implementing the Policy, the Board effectuates the first policy phase, Phase 1. – Voluntary, which is a request that customers be very conscious of the current conditions and do as much as possible to reduce usage at their property.

During the next several weeks and months, the Board will monitor system-wide usage, and prescribed benchmarks, to determine if the measures of the second phase, Phase 2. – Mandatory, will further need to be effectuated. Benchmarks used to determine a shortage include current conditions of snowpack, drought monitors, stream flows, and the amount of water in District-owned or leased storage.

In implementing the conservation policy, the Board provides this notice as reasonable effort pursuant to Section II. – Implementation of the policy, which reads as follows:

II. IMPLEMENTATION

The District will make reasonable efforts to inform its customers of the need, and the order, to curtail use but can invoke restrictions without notice in the event of an emergency. Depending on the urgency of the need for curtailment, the District may give notice of the following orders to curtail the use of water.

• Voluntary. When criteria indicates the need for water conservation, but does not present as an immediate emergency, the District may request that its customers voluntarily curtail unnecessary water use while the situation is monitored.
  
  
• Mandatory. When criteria indicates the need for water conservation due to an immediate interruption of the ability to supply water, or due to a long-term condition or situation where service will be limited, the District may enforce curtailment by implementing orders of curtailment and a rate structure to encourage further curtailment.

Suggested simple measures to curtail unnecessary usage include:

• Repair leaks, i.e., dripping faucets, toilets and pipes, etc.
• Use or install low-flow shower heads, shower head shutoff valves, and faucet aerators.
• Reduce shower time to 5 minutes or less to save significant water.
• Install dual-flush or low-flow toilets or use a conversion kit on an existing toilet.
• Only run the washing machine and dishwasher when you have a full load.
• Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing dishes by hand.
• Don't use the toilet to dispose of items that can otherwise be disposed of as trash.
• Don't plant new gardens, lawns, trees, and shrubs until water supply conditions improve.
• Water lawns, trees, or shrubs only enough to keep them alive and healthy – don't overwater.
• Water outside growth only in the morning or evening when it's cooler and there is no wind.
• Mow grass at 3 inches or higher to encourage deeper roots and to avoid shocking the plant.

For questions about the conservation policy or for additional information, please contact the District office at (719) 372-3289 or email r.gasser@penrosewater.com. Thank you for doing your part to help conserve our shared water supply.