Drought Information

The City and County of Broomfield’s water supply comes from the upper Colorado River just west of Rocky Mountain National Park and water sources along the Front Range. This means drought in the Colorado River Basin and local drought in the Front Range can affect how much water is available to Broomfield.

Climate change research and recent trends suggest droughts in Colorado could be more frequent and/or more severe in the future.

  1. Drought Watch

    The dry weather conditions have Broomfield in a Drought Watch status. Read on...

What Broomfield is doing to be resilient against drought

Broomfield has made investments to prepare for drought and to improve drought resilience for the future. Efforts include:

  • Using a water reclamation system to reuse treated wastewater to irrigate parks, HOA green spaces and other areas. 
  • Investing in new water sources and major projects to ensure we have a reliable supply of water over the long-term. For example, Broomfield is a participant in the Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project which will turn existing Colorado River water rights into a more reliable water supply for the future.
  • Developing and updating a drought response plan.
  • Investing in city-wide and residential water efficiency and water conservation, as seen below.

Why conserve water now

Save money on your water bill and help make Broomfield more drought resilient in the future by conserving water now. If we all work to use less water everyday, there will be more water available to get through future droughts. Even small actions can contribute to big results for Broomfield, the Front Range and the Colorado River Basin.

Learn how you can help conserve water

Take advantage of a number of programs and resources Broomfield already offers to help residents save money and conserve water.

Broomfield's drought plan

Droughts are impossible to avoid. Broomfield’s Water Resources department has been working in tandem with Emergency Management and other departments to have a plan in place in the event of drought. The goal is to have a secure supply of water regardless of a drought’s severity.

It's important to remember every city and county is different. Cities and counties vary in how they acquire and store water, what they consider to be drought conditions and their response to drought. Just because counties surrounding Broomfield have or have not declared a drought does not mean Broomfield will follow suit. 

Levels of drought

Depending on the severity of a drought, Broomfield has a number of ways to respond. A Drought Watch can be declared directly by CCOB staff and calls for voluntary water use restrictions. Drought Conditions I–III must be declared by Broomfield City Council and call for mandatory water use restrictions.

Drought response actions

When a Drought Watch is declared by CCOB staff, voluntary actions are requested of Broomfield residents and businesses. These voluntary actions include but are not limited to: 

  • Reduce outdoor water use during the hottest hours of the day. 
  • Reduce lawn watering to two days per week.
  • Use a broom instead of a hose to clean sidewalks and driveways.

Drought Conditions I, II and III must be declared by Broomfield City Council. This is because these declarations lead to mandatory actions. These actions will be updated based on the drought status.

Actions taken by the City and County of Broomfield during Drought Conditions I, II, and III include, but are not limited to:

  • Reducing the frequency and duration of watering of Broomfield's parks and other city-owned and maintained landscaped areas during times of drought or water shortage.
  • Not watering park grass areas between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. 
  • Monitoring the volume of water used for park irrigation with specific reduction targets under each drought condition. 
  • Regular coordination between Public Works and Parks to monitor and manage water use for parks irrigation.

Required actions for Broomfield residents and businesses include but are not limited to: 

  • Limiting lawn watering to only two days per week, with specific time limits for each drought condition.
  • No lawn watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. 
  • Specific water use reduction targets for golf courses and other large grass areas. 
  • Limiting washing of vehicles to once per week or less.