By Andrew Connor
On April 9, 2026, the PAWSD Board of Directors approved the 2026 Drought Management Plan. The Plan sets trigger points for Voluntary drought procedures and four mandatory drought restriction stages from Low through Severe. The PAWSD Drought Management Plan can be found online, here.
The trigger points for Stage 1 – Low Drought Restrictions are any one of the following:
• On or before April 30th, SNOTEL Water Equivalency Reaches zero;
• On or before May 7th, a call is put on Fourmile Creek; or
• A combination of the water level in the Hatcher Reservoir, the flow in the San Juan River and the drought condition as listed in the National Integrated Drought Information System.
PAWSD entered the Voluntary drought restrictions stage on April 6, 2026 because of San Juan River flows, NOAA Extreme Drought designation, and SNOTEL Water Equivalency.
At the April 9, 2026 Regular Board Meeting, the PAWSD Board of Directors voted unanimously to enter Drought Stage 1 – Low, per the PAWSD Drought Management Plan, once the SNOTEL Water Equivalency reaches zero.
On April 22, 2026 the SNOTEL Water Equivalency dropped to zero.
The goal of Stage 1 – Low Drought Restrictions is to reduce water consumption throughout the District by 10% – 20%. This requires the following water use restrictions:
- Irrigation is limited to the hours between 6pm and 9am.
- Gardens (e.g., edible and ornamental) may be hand watered using a hose or drip irrigation.
- Restaurants shall serve water only upon the request of customers.
- Hotels are encouraged to replace towels and bed linens for new guests and at the request of existing guests.
Non-compliance of the drought stage requirements can result in fines up to $500.
A water rate adjustment of 1.25 times the standard tier rate is in effect for residential usage of more than 5,000 gallons a month. This rate will begin April 29, 2026.
There is no tier-rate adjustment or surcharge for commercial users or residential flows under 5,000 gallons per month during Stage 1 – Low.
Track your water use by signing up for Dropcountr and receive alerts! Detailed instructions for setting up your Dropcountr account are located on the PAWSD website.
Please call the PAWSD office at 970-731-2691 if you have questions or need assistance setting up the Dropcountr alerting system.
The District greatly appreciates everyone’s continued diligence in conserving water.
Archuleta School District students prepared two websites that provide very good information on the PAWSD water system and drought conditions. Please visit at:
https://deed-waffle-71833514.figma.site/?authuser=0
https://sites.google.com/pagosa.k12.co.us/the-hatcher-challenge/home?authuser=0
Andrew Connor is District Manager, Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District.