HomeMy WebLinkAboutresolution.council.062-20 RESOLUTION # 062
(Series of 2020)
A RESOLUTION IN ASPEN, COLORADO, ADOPTING THE CITY OF ASPEN
DROUGHT MITIGATION AND RESPONSE PLAN.
WHEREAS, the City of Aspen has demonstrated a long-term commitment to
the wise stewardship and responsible and efficient use of its water resources; and
WHEREAS, the City of Aspen carefully developed a City of Aspen Drought
Mitigation and Response Plan, attached hereto as Exhibit A; and
WHEREAS, the City of Aspen has established procedures to guard against
potential shortages in its water supplies pursuant to Municipal Code Section
25.28.020; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF ASPEN, COLORADO, THAT:
That the City Council of the City of Aspen hereby adopts the City of Aspen
Drought Mitigation and Response Plan, attached hereto as Exhibit A and
incorporated by this reference.
INTRODUCED, READ AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of
Aspen on the 28th day of July 2020.
lwo�2m=
Torre, Mayor
I, Nicole Henning, duly appointed and acting City Clerk do certify that the
foregoing is a true and accurate copy of that resolution adopted by the City Council
of the City of Aspen, Colorado, at a meeting held, July 28, 2020.
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Nicole Henn ng, City Clerk
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ELEMENT Water Consulting DRAFT JULY 2020
130 SOUTH GALENA ST
ASPEN, CO 81611
(970) 920-5000
CITY OF ASPEN
DROUGHT MITIGATION
AND RESPONSE PLAN
PREPARED BY
ELEMENT
Water Consulting
www.elementwaterinc.com
(303) 481-2365
® July 10, 2020
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1
PLANFocus............................................................................................................................1
1. STAKEHOLDERS, OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES....................................................................2
1.1 DROUGHT RESPONSE COMMITTEE .....................................................................................2
1.2 OBJECTIVES AND OPERATING PRINCIPLES.............................................................................4
2. HISTORICAL DROUGHT AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT.............................................................6
2.1 HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT OF DROUGHT,AVAILABLE SUPPLIES,AND DEMANDS..............................6
3. DROUGHT IMPACT ASSESSMENT......................................................................................10
4. DROUGHT MITIGATION AND RESPONSE...........................................................................10
4.1 SUPPLY-SIDE MITIGATION AND RESPONSE STRATEGIES..........................................................11
4.2 DEMAND-SIDE MITIGATION AND RESPONSE STRATEGIES .......................................................12
S. DROUGHT STAGES, RESPONSE TARGETS,AND MONITORING............................................13
5.1 DROUGHT STAGES AND RESPONSE TARGETS.......................................................................13
5.2 MONITORING OF DROUGHT INDICATORS ...........................................................................14
5.3 MONITORING REFERENCES AND RESOURCES.......................................................................15
6. STAGED DROUGHT RESPONSE PROGRAM.........................................................................18
6.1 NORMAL CONDITIONS:WATCH.......................................................................................18
6.2 STAGE 1: MODERATE ...................................................................................................19
6.3 STAGE 2:SEVERE.........................................................................................................20
6.4 STAGE 3: EXTREME......................................................................................................21
6.5 EMERGENCY RESPONSE:EXCEPTIONAL..............................................................................22
7. IMPLEMENTATION...........................................................................................................23
7.1 WATER SHORTAGE DECLARATIONS...................................................................................23
7.2 DROUGHT PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGN......................................................................24
7.3 ENFORCEMENT............................................................................................................25
7.4 REVENUE IMPLICATIONS AND FINANCIAL BUDGETING PLAN ....................................................25
7.5 MONITORING OF PLAN EFFECTIVENESS..............................................................................26
7.6 PLAN APPROVAL.........................................................................................................26
7.7 FUTURE UPDATES........................................................................................................26
8. REFERENCES.....................................................................................................................27
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List of Figures
Figure 1: Illustrative Municipal Supply and Demand Scenario....................................................................11
List of Tables
Table 1: Drought Response Committee Members and Roles.......................................................................3
Table 2: General Water Use Priorities During Water Shortage Conditions..................................................5
Table 3: Potential Future Drought Impacts.................................................................................................10
Table 4: Staged Drought Response Categories and Water Use Reduction Goals.......................................13
Table 5: Drought Indicator and Corresponding Time of Year.....................................................................14
List of Abbreviations
AF acre-feet
AFY acre-feet per year
cfs cubic feet per second
CWCB Colorado Water Conservation Board
DMRP Drought Mitigation and Response Plan
DRC Drought Response Committee
gpm gallons per minute
IRP Integrated Resources Plan
SWE snow water equivalent
WATF Water Availability Task Force
WEP Water Efficiency Plan
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CITY OF ASPEN DROUGHT MITIGATION AND RESPONSE PLAN
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INTRODUCTION
The City of Aspen (City or Aspen) owns and operates its water supply system, providing treated, i.e.
potable,water to all customers in its service area and raw, i.e. non-potable,water for irrigation purposes
to a small subset of customers. Aspen provides water for snowmaking from both treated and raw water
supplies. The City is committed to sustainability and providing a quality potable water supply to the
community. This Drought Mitigation and Response Plan (DMRP) provides a framework for Aspen to use
water sustainably, particularly during drought and other conditions that create a water shortage. Water
shortage occurs when water demands exceed available water supplies and is often driven by a
combination of snowpack and precipitation conditions,temperature, and water use'. Implementation of
the DMRP will support the wise use of water under all conditions, help preserve essential public services,
and minimize the adverse effects of a water supply emergency on public health and safety,environmental
resources, economic activity, and individual lifestyles.The DMRP works in concert with the City of Aspen
Water Efficiency Plan (WEP) and programs implemented through the WEP, such as the Water Efficient
Landscape Ordinance. These plans and programs encourage the efficient use of water at all times by
establishing"normal"condition guidelines that are in place unless restrictions are imposed through action
by City Council. Aspen staff rely upon national drought monitoring tools and indices as well as state and
local hydrologic and climatic information to monitor for drought conditions. Through this monitoring,
coupled with analyses and professional judgment,Aspen staff will recommend appropriate drought stage
declarations for Council's approval under the DMRP. Section 6 of this plan provides an overview of the
staged response program and Section 7 provides additional information about the implementation
process.
PLAN FOCUS
Aspen obtains its water supply primarily from the surface water sources of Castle Creek and Maroon Creek
which are tributaries to the Roaring Fork River.Aspen's water supply is highly dependent upon snowpack
and the snowmelt runoff pattern.The City's water system does not currently include a significant water
storage component that would allow it to store water supplies when they are available and release stored
water when it is needed,retiming deliveries of water supplies to match timing of water demands.Without
storage,the City is largely dependent upon streamflow availability at its river diversion points.
This DMRP focuses on managing the supplies that are available under the City's current surface water
system operations. Potential future supply components, such as storage and use of ground water, are
identified as longer-term water shortage mitigation strategies.Streamflow is susceptible to variation and
changing conditions, including diurnal streamflow fluctuations, as well as catastrophic events such as
landslides,fires,and other events that can prevent river diversions for some period of time. For Aspen, its
surface water supply is vulnerable in the late summer, after the main snowmelt runoff period, when
landscape irrigation demands are still high. Furthermore, Aspen is committed to protecting decreed
instream flows and has adopted a policy to maintain streamflow in the creeks downstream of its diversion
structures at flow rates that are at or above the Colorado Water Conservation Board's (CWCB) decreed
' This plan focuses specifically on mitigation and monitoring for drought indicators; however, many aspects of the response
program are applicable for other types of water shortages.For purposes of this plan,the terms"drought"and"water shortage"
are used somewhat interchangeably.
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CITY OF ASPEN DROUGHT MITIGATION AND RESPONSE PLAN
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instream flow rights for the protection of the fishery and the associated aquatic habitats in those streams.
At times,Aspen limits its river diversions to prioritize protection of the environmental flows.
Demand-side response strategies provide ways the City and its customers can reduce water use during a
shortage. These strategies are the cornerstone of the City's DMRP. During drought conditions, water
supply shortages are typically most pronounced during summer months, when demands are high due to
irrigation.Therefore,the response measures in this DMRP generally target outdoor water uses.Additional
detail regarding Aspen's water demands is available in the WEP.
This DMRP specifically applies to uses of the City's treated water supply. It also applies to use of the City's
pressurized and non-pressurized raw water supply that is made available pursuant to agreements that
provide for curtailment of water use or suspension of water delivery during water shortages or
emergencies,as defined under Section 25.28 of the City Municipal Code.Some City raw water is provided
pursuant to longstanding agreements that do not contain curtailment provisions.
1. STAKEHOLDERS, OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES
1.1 DROUGHT RESPONSE COMMITTEE
Historically,the Aspen Utilities Department has coordinated with other staff throughout the City as water
supply monitoring began to indicate the potential for drought conditions. Staff have come together to
make recommendations to City Council regarding water shortage declarations related to drought
conditions. In 2019,a formal Drought Response Committee(DRC)was formed to support the planning for
ongoing drought response efforts. Starting in 2018 and ending in summer of 2019 (the "2018" drought),
Aspen was under a water shortage declaration. During this period,the Utilities Department staff realized
that the success of an ongoing water shortage monitoring and response program would depend upon
having an interactive, collaborative process with staff from other departments throughout the City. The
DRC includes staff representing departments that need to be involved to monitor drought conditions,
make recommendations for declaring a water shortage related to drought, communicate with elected
officials and the public both before and during drought, evaluate the effectiveness of drought response,
enforce drought restrictions, and provide recommendations for necessary actions. A list of the current
DRC members and committee roles is provided in Table 1 below.
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Table 1:Drought Response Committee Members and Roles.
Current Staff Position Committee Committee Role Responsibilities
Role
Public Works Final Decision Make final decisions in consideration of DRC input.Support
Scott Miller Director Maker Utilities Director and staff in development, promulgation,
and implementation of Rules and Regulations.
Assist in clarifying roles and providing staff support.
Resource Develop and promulgate Rules and Regulations to
Tyler Christoff Utilities Authorization implement response plan under water shortage
Director Lead declaration. Ensure Rules and Regulations are carried out
and provide coordination between departments.
Utility Drought Lead the coordination,gathering,and dissemination of
Steve Hunter Resource Response Team information and prepare recommendations for
Manager Leader department heads and City Council.
Utilities Financial Provide cost estimates to implement demand reduction
Lee Ledesma Finance Advisor programs,expected lost revenue estimates,and
Manager recommend drought pricing changes.
Austin Weiss Parks Parks Advisors Provide information and guidance on irrigation
Managers management of parks,golf course,and open spaces.
Raw Water Watershed Provide information and guidance on water supply
Rob Covington Conditions
Supervisor Advisors availability,water rights,and operations.
Water Water Provide information and guidance on water treatment
Charlie Bailey Treatment Treatment
operations and water quality issues.
Supervisor Advisor
Climate Provide information and guidance on best science for
Ashley Perl Action Environmental monitoring climate and ensure that the drought response
Manager Policy Advisor is coordinated with the City's environmental policy.
Community Messaging Lead the public outreach,messaging to customers,and
Mitzi Rapkin Relations Advisor media relations and messaging to staff.
Specialist
Utility Billing Lead the implementation of database improvements and
Melissa Asay Supervisor Billing Advisor bill format changes to implement rate and fee changes and
provide messaging information.
E.H. Data Provide information and guidance on water demand
and Efficiency Policy reduction measures,associated cost estimates,and
Chris Menges Research Advisor evaluate response effectiveness.Serve as the liaison
Project between the WEP and DMRP.
Planner
Serve as the liaison for internal planning and
Raquel Flinker Project Utilities Analyst implementation efforts such as the City's exploration of
Manager II Alternative Transfer Methods and the development of the
Integrated Resources Plan.
Clean River River and Provide information and guidance on impacts of drought
April Long Program Stormwater to the health of the river and stormwater system.
Manager System Advisor
City Provide legal advice on the drought response program,
Jim True Attorney Legal Advisor drought pricing changes,and need for City Council
approval.
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CITY OF ASPEN DROUGHT MITIGATION AND RESPONSE PLAN
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During the 2018 drought, four meetings were held with the DRC focusing on the drought conditions and
response measures. The DRC meetings were designed to monitor drought conditions to inform ongoing
drought stage recommendations while discussing long-term goals, objectives, and strategies for drought
response planning and implementation. A significant amount of the DRC meeting time was spent
discussing Aspen's unique customer base and how to engage and encourage customer and community
support for efficient water use at all times. The DRC insight provided a broad perspective in developing
this DMRP. When a drought occurs, the DRC will work together to move through water shortage
declarations and implement a staged response plan.
1.2 OBJECTIVES AND OPERATING PRINCIPLES
Aspen's DMRP objectives and operating principles were established to guide the development of this plan
while also supporting the City's water use priorities.The DMRP objectives are as follows:
• Maintain essential public services to preserve public health and safety, environmental resources,
and economic activity during all drought stages.
• Provide guidance to prepare for and respond to drought conditions through a staged drought
response program. This includes the framework for how to transition through varying drought
stages depending on drought severity, as indicated through monitoring of available hydrologic,
climatic, and water use information.
• Effective communication of drought awareness and response information to water customers.
When water shortages occur, water use restrictions are imposed in order to meet the most critical
community needs.The general prioritization of water use under a water shortage condition is provided in
Table 2. The City's first priority is to preserve the health and safety of the community, followed by the
City's commitment to protect the natural environment through the preservation of decreed instream
flows. Depending on the severity and duration of the water shortage, water uses described under
Priorities 4, 5, 6, and 7 may need to be reduced or prohibited, starting with hydroelectric power
generation as the lowest priority use. Restrictions under Priority 3 reflect 'nonessential' potable indoor
uses; however, these restrictions could impact the business and commercial/recreational sector and
would likely not be implemented except under severe, long-term shortages. While this sequence of
priorities reflects the City's general philosophy for community water use during water shortage
conditions, each water shortage circumstance is unique and will be evaluated by the City to determine
the appropriate set of response measures. The DMRP provides a comprehensive yet flexible framework
to guide the City through drought mitigation and response efforts,as well as the procedures to follow for
declaring a drought and implementing drought response measures.
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Table 2:General Water Use Priorities During Water Shortage Conditions.
Priority Representative End Uses Description
1 Health and Safety Indoor sanitary uses for residential,commercial,schools,health services,etc.;
firefighting and hydrant flushing.
2 Protection of Natural Protection and maintenance of decreed instream flows.
Environment
3 Discretional Commercial Non-sanitary indoor uses;outdoor commercial uses to support stability.
and Industrial Use
4 Public Parks and Outdoor potable or raw water irrigation of public areas,including lawngrass in
Recreation active recreation areas.
5 Residential Landscaping Outdoor potable or raw water irrigation of trees and shrubs in residential
Features areas.
6 Lawngrass Irrigation Outdoor potable or raw water irrigation of residential lawngrass and public
areas with low foot-traffic throughout the City.
7 Hydroelectric Power Generation of hydroelectric power from Maroon Creek diversions.
Generation
The following operating principles supported the development of this DMRP and provide a set of guidance
criteria that will support the DRC while making decisions during times of a drought.
• Input from the DRC and other City representatives will be considered in the development and
implementation of the DMRP.
• Response measures that limit and/or restrict water use of certain end-users will be implemented
in a manner to reflect the priorities listed above,with the highest priority being the preservation
of water for public health and safety purposes during periods of drought.
• Except when public health or safety is at risk, all reasonable efforts will be taken to preserve the
environmental and recreational value of the surrounding lands which are important to the values
and livelihood of City residents.This is the City's highest priority second only to public health and
safety.
• Effective coordination and collaboration among City staff is crucial to the success of the DMRP.
This plan provides a comprehensive framework for implementation of the staged drought
response program based on available information. Exceptions/adjustments to this framework
may be necessary during a drought or under other water shortage conditions. Any changes will
be clearly communicated and coordinated among the appropriate City staff.
• The City will strive to minimize the severity of potential impacts through diligent planning and
mitigation.
• Targeted communication and outreach with the community is critical to the implementation and
success of any program requiring a reduction in demands. Developing an engaged and educated
public will better support an effective drought response.
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2. HISTORICAL DROUGHT AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT
2.1 HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT OF DROUGHT,AVAILABLE SUPPLIES,AND DEMANDS
Droughts are cyclical and unavoidable, especially in Colorado's semi-arid climate. Our water history is
reflected in terms of these historical droughts and how significantly streamflow was impacted. Historical
periods of drought are often referenced in long-range water planning efforts to provide a "worst-case"
planning scenario.The Aspen Utilities Department, for example,frequently references the 1977 drought
to represent historically low streamflow. In fact, 1977 is known locally as the year that the Roaring Fork
went dry through Aspen. In more recent history, 2002, 2012, and 2018 conditions influenced water
shortage declarations in Aspen and across the state. In particular,2002 was considered the worst drought
year on record statewide in terms of streamflow. Without meaningful storage, Aspen relies completely
on live stream conditions.Aspen considers these historical droughts in its water supply planning, as well
as the potential for more severe or prolonged droughts to occur in the future. Following each of the recent
droughts,Aspen has reevaluated its drought response and made changes to its drought response program
and/or Municipal Code to reflect lessons learned and to more clearly define demand reduction goals,
stages, and response mechanisms, as appropriate.
2002 Drought
At the end of April,2002,the year-to-date precipitation at the Independence Pass SNOTEL site was at 64%
of the long-term average. These conditions triggered the City to begin planning for a potential drought
over the coming months. Streamflow projections were showing that runoff could peak as early as mid-
May,which is about four weeks ahead of normal.There was another complicating factor due to atypical
early administrative water rights calls on the river in the lower Gunnison and Colorado Rivers that
impacted legally available supplies in the Roaring Fork Basin. Statewide, the Governor had declared a
drought emergency by May of 2002,calling on local governments and others to do their part in conserving
the State's water resources.
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In early May, 2002, Aspen initiated a Stage 1 water shortage declaration, beginning with voluntary
restrictions and an adjustment to its tiered rate structure in the highest tier.The City terminated the water
shortage declaration and the associated temporary surcharges in October of 2002,never having advanced
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CITY OF ASPEN DROUGHT MITIGATION AND RESPONSE PLAN
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beyond the Stage 1 declaration? There has been a steady decrease in Aspen's potable demands, largely
in response to the significant drought impacts and enhanced water efficiency focus following the 2002
drought. Aspen's ongoing conservation and efficiency activities have influenced a consistent decrease in
water use over time and helped to mitigate drought impacts experienced in Aspen over the 2012 and
2018 droughts.
2012—2013 Drought
By June, 2012, much of Colorado was experiencing some level of drought condition. The City was
experiencing a reduction in supply from water that could not be produced from its wells due to water
quality issues. Additionally, extremely low snowpack leading into the runoff season threatened late-
summer streamflow levels. In June, 2012, Aspen initiated a water shortage declaration, beginning with
voluntary restrictions and an adjustment to the highest tier of its rate structure. Aspen decided to keep
the Stage 1 declaration through the 2012 —2013 winter. Having the Stage 1 declaration in place at the
beginning of the irrigation season was considered essential to early actions and educational outreach to
City customers, allowing them an opportunity to initiate changes in irrigation and other uses that would
conserve water throughout the 2013 irrigation season.
Aspen and the surrounding areas experienced strong monsoon weather patterns in late July and August
of 2013, leading to improved instream flows in Castle and Maroon Creeks. In September, 2013, the City
ended the Stage 1 declaration and all associated surcharges The City experienced higher demands in 2012
leading into a reduced demand in 2013 in response to ongoing Stage 1 declaration and voluntary
reductions.3 Following this drought, the City added water use reduction goals for pressurized and non-
pressurized raw water systems.
2018—2019 Drought
As of May 7,2018,the year-to-date precipitation at the Independence Pass SNOTEL site was at about 60%
of the long-term average.These drier than normal conditions were expected to impact the runoff season,
both in terms of the time to return to baseflows and the volume of runoff available. Forecasts indicated
the volume of runoff was expected to be 50%—70%of normal for the Roaring Fork Basin.
Z Note that Stage 1 requirements in 2002 were different from the stages described herein.
3 Note that Stage 1 requirements in 2012-13 were different from the stages described herein.
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In mid-May, 2018, Aspen declared Stage 1 water shortage conditions. Under Stage 1, public facilities,
including parks and golf courses,were directed to lead by example and implement water use restrictions,
public education materials were provided to the community to encourage voluntary efficient use, and
temporary water surcharges were added to the upper tiers of the billing rate structure to encourage a
reduction in water use. The City continued to monitor supply conditions and customer demands
throughout the summer.
U.S.Drought Monitor May 22,2018 U.S.Drought Monitor August 14,2018
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In mid-August,2018,the City moved from a Stage 1 to Stage 2 water shortage declaration.The goal under
Stage 2 was to protect the health of Castle and Maroon Creeks while maintaining Aspen's municipal water
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supplies at levels that could meet customer demands and maintain healthy landscapes. Stage 2 included
mandatory restrictions for all Aspen treated water customers, including:
• No watering of lawns between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. or more than three days a week and no
more than 30 minutes per sprinkler zone per day.
• No watering native areas more than two days a week or during rain events.
• No watering resulting in ponding or the flowing of water onto paved surfaces.
• No washing of sidewalks, driveways, patios,tennis courts and parking areas.
A City email address was provided to customers to report violations if observed and the City could issue
fines for violations and disconnect water service for repeat violations. Temporary surcharges were
increased for the upper tiers of the billing rate structure to support further reduction in water use.While
revenue projections from water use in Tier 1 and Tier 2 were expected to decline once customers
responded to the water shortage declaration,the City anticipated the decline to be offset to some extent
by the higher rates for Tier 3 and Tier 4.
The City entered the 2018 — 2019 winter season under the Stage 2 water shortage declaration. Staff
considered the pros and cons of remaining under the declaration through the winter versus relaxing or
coming out from the declaration for the winter and then potentially re-establishing the declaration in the
spring or summer. Various climate projections were monitored and ultimately Aspen chose to maintain
the Stage 2 declaration through the duration of the winter season.The primary reasoning was that if the
2018— 2019 winter had another low snowpack with higher temperatures, Aspen was likely to advance
the water shortage staged response program through the 2019 summer months. If the City came out of
water shortage declaration during the winter, it would take time to re-engage the declaration process
should conditions not improve. Additionally, community outreach was already underway to support
reductions in water use.City staff were concerned that interrupting the declaration would disengage the
public. During the 2018 declaration process,staff had observed a large lag time between the stage being
declared and the customer responses occurring. The DRC was established to support the planning for
ongoing drought response efforts.
In early spring of 2019, the DRC was closely U.B.0muahtMonhw May 7,2019
monitoring snowpack and weather conditions, Colorado ""'"" WT
meeting regularly to review conditions and
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removed the water shortage declaration.
Enforcement was one of the largest challenges experienced during the 2018 — 2019 water shortage
declarations. While customer complaint and reporting were the historical mechanism for enforcement,
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the DRC concluded that a more formal process for enforcing restrictions would increase the success of
the drought response program. The City modified the "wasting of water" section of the Municipal Code
to reflect more strict requirements for water use under normal conditions. The DRC also recommended
transitioning Stage 1 restrictions from voluntary to mandatory and adding an "Emergency Response"
stage to its water shortage categories, as reflected in this DMRP. Some additional changes to the
Municipal Code Section 25.28 are in progress at the time of preparing this DMRP.
3. DROUGHT IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Impacts to the City during future droughts may be similar to those experienced in past droughts,although
depending upon how climate change impacts local conditions, future droughts may be more frequent,
intense,and/or prolonged relative to historical droughts.The level of severity for the anticipated impacts
varies from minor to significant and is influenced by the magnitude and duration of the drought. One
operating principle identified through this plan is to minimize the severity of potential impacts through
planning and mitigation.Table 3 below shows potential future drought impacts and the anticipated level
of severity based on historical impacts and the anticipated effects of mitigation and planning.
Table 3: Potential Future Drought Impacts.
Potential Future Impact Potential Severity
Increased costs and staff time to implement drought plan Minor
Reduced firefighting capability Minor
Changes in water use behavior to conserve water Moderate
Costs to increase water use efficiency Moderate
Impacts to fish and wildlife habitat Moderate
Loss of revenue from reduction in water sales Moderate
Loss to recreation and tourist industry Moderate
Restrictions/limitations on landscaping companies Moderate
Disruption of water supplies Moderate to Significant
Domestic landscaping stressed or lost Significant
Increased risk of frequency and severity of wildfires/flood hazards Significant
Public landscaping stressed or lost Significant
Visual and landscape quality Significant
4. DROUGHT MITIGATION AND RESPONSE
Drought mitigation measures are implemented prior to a drought to avoid, delay, or reduce potential
drought impacts. Aspen actively manages its water resources through ongoing and diverse planning
efforts, which supports long-term sustainability goals and the mitigation of drought impacts. To date,
Aspen's primary drought mitigation measure has been the implementation of the City's 2015 WEP. The
2015 WEP works along with the Roaring Fork Regional WEP to support the City's conservation efforts.
Programs implemented through these plans, including a professional landscape certification program,
have advanced the City's outdoor water efficiency program.The City is in the initial phases of developing
an Integrated Resources Plan (IRP), which will evaluate the City's water supply portfolio and demand
projections under future conditions, including climate change, ultimately leading to a future supply
strategy.
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Because Aspen relies predominantly on streamflow for its supplies, management of demands is of high
importance. Even during average years,Aspen's water supply system reaches a stress-point in early spring
and again in late summer when streamflow are relatively low, demands are relatively high due to
irrigation, and Aspen is operating to protect decreed instream flows (see Figure 1). This figure is an
illustrative example showing a dry-year water supply compared to a projected demand. Periods where
the demand exceeds the supply reflect a water shortage. This illustrates the importance of ongoing
conservation as well as drought response strategies.
Illustrative Supply and Demand Scenario
f� Dry-Year Supply —Future Demand
Shorta e
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Figure 1: Illustrative Municipal Supply and Demand Scenario.
The following is a list of the City's historical and ongoing mitigation measures:
• Municipal Water Efficiency Planning
• Roaring Fork Regional Water Efficiency Planning
• Integrated Resources Planning
• Efficient Landscaping and Irrigation Standards
• Qualified Water Efficient Landscape Certification Program
• Leak Detection and Water Loss Audit Program
• Pursuit of an "Engaged Efficiency" Culture
• Ongoing Monitoring of Drought Indicators
4.1 SUPPLY-SIDE MITIGATION AND RESPONSE STRATEGIES
The City is in the process of expanding its existing water supply system to improve reliability, to firm its
supplies for long-term drought mitigation and to further respond to an extreme or prolonged drought.
The City recognizes that individual water supply sources may be impacted differently by drought
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conditions and will consider the availability of each supply,and supply-side management strategies,under
each water shortage declaration. Potential supply-side strategies include the following:
• Storage would help the City to delay the initiation of a water supply shortage declaration, under
many conditions, particularly drought,and would provide a quantitative index for guiding drought
stage selection. The City has conditional storage water rights and, at the time of preparing this
plan, is in the process of studying storage site locations. Storage is an important part of Aspen's
long-term drought mitigation strategy (although it will not fully eliminate the City's drought
vulnerability). Until storage is available, Aspen's decisions regarding water shortage declaration
under drought conditions are particularly complicated because water saved through early season
demand reductions cannot be held over to meet demands during the latter part of the irrigation
season. This requires a faster customer-side response to reduce irrigation demands once
streamflow is low, and likely a more immediate implementation and enforcement of water use
restrictions.
• The City owns alluvial groundwater rights that may be exercised in the future as a supplemental
supply. At the time of this plan, the existing wells require additional costly treatment in order to
be used. The City may retrofit piping from its decreed wells to deliver pumped water either into
the City's water treatment plant or provide further treatment at the wellhead to provide an
additional potable supply into the distribution system. If implemented, this would mitigate and
likely delay water shortage declarations due to drought by providing a supplementary, interim
potable supply.
• The City may temporarily suspend some diversions of its irrigation water rights and associated
deliveries in order to make more physical water available in the stream for diversion and
treatment under its municipal water rights.
• During times that public health and safety is at risk, the City may divert and treat water that it
would otherwise not divert because of its commitment to protect the CWCB decreed instream
flow rights.
• The City has the right to reuse a portion of its water supply and is in the process of building a
reclaimed water system to exercise this right. Reuse/reclaimed water is not subject to curtailment
under this plan but may help mitigate future drought impacts by reducing irrigation by other
water rights.Upon operational availability,the City may utilize reclaimed water supplies to irrigate
higher priority outdoor water uses as identified in Section 1.2.
• The City's water supply depends upon diversions from Castle and Maroon Creeks and therefore
data-informed monitoring of these watershed conditions is of critical importance. Monitoring of
drought indicators is complicated by the fact that there is not an active streamflow gage located
on Castle Creek.The installation and maintenance of a Castle Creek gage would help improve the
City's ability to monitor and make drought declaration decisions.
4.2 DEMAND-SIDE MITIGATION AND RESPONSE STRATEGIES
The City's primary demand-side mitigation measure, as discussed above, is the implementation of the
2015 WEP. In particular, the City has developed outdoor landscape and irrigation efficiency standards.
The City's efficiency programs support a lower baseline demand through efficient water use practices,
which delays and minimizes impacts caused by drought.Demand-side response strategies focus on further
reducing water use during times of drought. Because most of the City's water demand is for outdoor use,
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these strategies target outdoor use. Generally, demand-side response strategies can be categorized as
follows:
• Water restrictions on irrigation.
• Water restrictions on private outdoor swimming pools and hot tubs.
• Water restrictions on outdoor commercial or construction uses.
• Billed water use surcharges.
These demand-side strategies are important but may not be enough to successfully navigate all droughts
into the future,which is why the City continues to evaluate and expand its water supply system.
5. DROUGHT STAGES, RESPONSE TARGETS, AND MONITORING
5.1 DROUGHT STAGES AND RESPONSE TARGETS
The City's drought response strategy is based on five stages representing increasingly severe drought
conditions as shown in Table 4 below. These stages and response strategies were developed for water
shortage declarations related to drought conditions.The strategies may apply to water shortages related
to other circumstances; however,each water shortage should be evaluated independently with Rules and
Regulations created to specifically address those conditions. For each stage, the City has identified
demand reduction targets on systemwide demands served by treated water and outdoor demands served
by a combination of treated water, pressurized raw water, and non-pressurized raw water. These
reduction targets connect with response strategies developed for each stage,as described in Section 6 of
this plan. Municipal drought response strategies tend to focus on outdoor water use reduction programs,
targeting irrigation uses to achieve the bulk of the demand reduction goals for a staged drought response;
outdoor uses consume significantly more water than indoor uses, and are typically considered more
discretionary than indoor uses.Therefore,reductions are typically focused first on outdoor uses. Planning
for this type of staged drought response program makes sense for Aspen because the City's water supply
system is currently dependent upon streamflow and is most likely to be limited during the later summer
period when landscape irrigation demands are high. Future modeling,monitoring,and the future addition
of storage may warrant a review and potential modification of these response targets.
Table 4:Staged Drought Response Categories and Water Use Reduction Goals.
Category
x �'•, '�E�t� �>� GOAD ��`
5%-10% 10%_15% 15%-25% 25%-40%
Systemwide Voluntary Reduction Reduction Reduction Reduction
10%-15% 15%-25% 25%-60%
Outdoor Voluntary Reduction Reduction Reduction 60%+Reduction
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5.2 MONITORING OF DROUGHT INDICATORS
The amount of water available for the City's municipal supply is currently dependent upon the physically
available streamflow in Castle and Maroon Creeks. Both Castle and Maroon Creeks are snowmelt
dominated streams,and the amount of summer streamflow is closely related to snowpack conditions that
occurred the prior winter. Timing of peak snowmelt runoff is another significant factor in summer
streamflow availability.To interpret local conditions,Aspen staff rely upon several hydrologic and climatic
indices including snowpack,precipitation,temperature,wind,evaporation,streamflow,soil moisture,and
weather forecasts to support professional judgment in making recommendations for declaring water
shortages and moving through drought stages. The combination of conditions makes each year unique
and requires ongoing monitoring.The time of year corresponding with each indicator is also important to
consider, e.g. snowpack is used as a primary indicator during winter and early spring months while
streamflow is used as a primary indicator during runoff and summer months. Table 5 shows typical
monitoring data relied upon by Aspen to predict drought conditions and the typical timing of.
Table 5:Drought Indicator and Corresponding Time of Year
Indicator Applicable Time of Year
Snowpack November through May
Snowmelt April/May Projections
Precipitation
Snowfall October/November through April
Rainfall May through September/October
Streamflow April through October
Treated Water Demands Year-Round
Temperature Year-Round
Soil Moisture Year-Round
Monitoring and data assessment are most intensive starting in February when snowpack levels start to
show trends that can be compared to historical averages, continuing through August when Castle Creek
and Maroon Creek flows are declining, and outdoor uses are still high. The monitoring efforts are
complicated by the fact that there is not an active streamflow gage located on Castle Creek. Because
Aspen's supplies are driven by snowpack conditions and subsequent runoff patterns, it is difficult to
accurately predict conditions far in advance. One large snow event can shift snowpack levels from far
below average to above average.Similarly,early peak runoff and abnormally high temperatures can result
in reduced late-summer streamflow levels even if end-of-season snowpack data had indicated above-
average levels.As such, monitoring is an ongoing process. Water shortage declaration is a near real-time
decision made by analyzing and interpreting monitoring data,cross checking with other regional and local
water resources experts, and applying historical experience coupled with professional judgment. Some
events that may indicate drought include, but certainly are not limited to, include the following:
• Significantly lowerthan average peak snow waterequivalent(SWE),or if the SWE level peaks early
relative to historical average years, resulting in earlier than typical runoff.
• Above average temperatures.
• Dust on snow.
• Precipitation that falls in the form of rain rather than snow prior to April 1.
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• Streamflow below 12 cubic feet per second(cfs)in Castle Creek and 14 cfs in Maroon Creek,based
on the City's modeling of prior drought conditions.
• Below average or no precipitation.
5.3 MONITORING REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
The City relies upon monitoring data and field observations to review local conditions. A combination of
the drought indicators described above are used to evaluate conditions and make drought declaration
decisions.Aspen also considers regional hydrologic and climatic data, drought indices such as the Palmer
Drought Severity Index and the Surface Water Supply Index,information from other nearby water utilities,
long-term weather forecasts, etc. The DRC provides a forum for soliciting monitoring information from
multiple staff and further establishing key parameters and dates that are used to support monitoring
through staff experience. Additionally, the City has a daily operational model of its municipal raw water
system that can be used to predict available streamflow entering the City's system based on operational
demand scenarios and streamflow projections. Because this is a predictive model, it can be utilized as an
indicator but cannot be solely relied upon in making drought declarations.
Drought conditions change frequently and vary in extent and duration—no two droughts are exactly alike.
Through ongoing tracking of water supply and demand conditions, before and during drought, the City
can adapt its drought response strategy to meet changing conditions.This section of the DMRP documents
information that has historically been used to monitor for drought conditions, which informs the City in
its consideration of declaring water shortages and moving between stages of the drought response
program. However, this is not a comprehensive list of resources reviewed and relied upon to support
drought monitoring and declaration. Aspen will update its monitoring procedures as new resources and
tools become available.
• The US Drought Monitor' provides broad-scale perspective on drought conditions nationally,
regionally, and by state. The US Drought Monitor maps are updated weekly and released each
Thursday. The author of the maps, who may be a different person each week, interprets
quantitative data and qualitative information to update the drought intensity patterns.The maps
show drought classifications based on geographic locations and range from "None" to D4
Exceptional Drought. This is an important tool for communicating with customers and can be
useful in evaluating current conditions relative to a prior period and over an expanded region.
However,the drought designations shown in the US Drought Monitor do not reflect local drought
declarations but rather provide a general reference for Aspen staff to consider. For example,the
US Drought Monitor may show a D3 Extreme Drought condition for the Aspen area, but the City
of Aspen may be in a Stage 1 drought declaration.
• The Governor's Water Availability Task Force(WATF)5 monitors conditions that affect Colorado's
supply, including snowpack, precipitation, reservoir storage, streamflow and weather forecasts.
The WATF holds regular monthly meetings to present status reports from the State Climatologist
and NRCS, review outlooks on climate and streamflow conditions, and discuss potential water
supply impacts. Drought monitoring and long-term mitigation are ongoing activities and the
responsibility of the WATF. The Colorado Drought Mitigation and Response Plan (Colorado
^https://drouehtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx
s htti)s://cwcb.colorado.aov/water-availability-flood-task-forces
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Drought Plan)', updated in 2018, outlines a mechanism for coordinated drought monitoring,
impact assessment, emergency drought response, and mitigation of long-term drought impacts
in Colorado. Drought monitoring is ongoing and facilitated through the WATF regular meetings.
The WATF notifies the Governor when drought conditions reach significant levels and
recommends activation of the Plan. The Governor activates relevant Impact Task Forces, which
convene to determine the existing or potential impacts within sectors (municipal water,
agricultural industry, wildlife, and energy). Implementation and the subsequent supporting
actions are driven by the specifics of each emergency or disaster situation.The Colorado Drought
Plan can be partially or fully implemented for any number of counties and classifications,allowing
flexibility based on recommendations from the Impact Task Forces. Activation of the Colorado
Drought Plan does not require any local drought response, although the it is a strong
consideration for the City.
• The Colorado Drought Plan Visualization Story Map' was developed in association with the
Colorado Drought Plan.The Story Map provides an interactive Drought Vulnerability Assessment
summary(vulnerability scores and potential impacts)that are summarized by county for each of
the following sectors: agriculture, energy, environment, recreation, socioeconomic, and state
assets. The municipal sector is not explicitly referenced because of the uniqueness of each
municipal water supply system. The Story Map provides a visual representation of counties that
are currently triggered, allowing the user to select a county to view associated data for each of
the defined sectors. Sectors identified to develop the vulnerability score include agriculture,
energy, environment, recreation, state assets, and socioeconomic. The scoring for these
categories provides another indicator of drought conditions.
• Local snowpack conditions are a key water supply indicator that influences how snowmelt runoff
will contribute to streamflow during the City's high outdoor water demand period of June through
September.NRCS SNOTEL Watershed Time Series Snowpack Graphs"are published and updated
frequently to show daily snowpack data by state or by river basin for the current year to date,the
prior 3 years, median snowpack, and average snowpack. General statistics for current snowpack
levels are updated with each published chart.This source is frequently used to monitor regional
snowpack conditions that indicate the snow status and general seasonal trajectory.
• The NRCS Colorado Basin-Wide Interactive SNOTEL Charts9 allow users to select and create snow
water equivalent charts summarized by major river basin and by sub-basin,tracking average SWE
levels from all SNOTEL sites within and adjacent to the selected watershed for any combination
of years. The user can also develop interactive charts for precipitation. Both historical data and
projection charts are available. While these may not provide a direct reflection of Aspen's local
water supply conditions, these charts can be used to gain perspective of the overall basin
conditions.
• NRCS Colorado Site Interactive SNOTEL Charts10 allow the user to select a specific SNOTEL Site
and open interactive charts for SWE or precipitation. Both historical data and projection charts
are available. Unfortunately, there are no SNOTEL sites located within Aspen's water supply
watersheds; however,the Independence Pass site is relatively close. Data from the Independence
Pass SNOTEL site (Station ID 542) is monitored and used along with staff field observations to
6https://drought.unl.edu/archive/plans/Drought/state/CO 2018.pdf
7 httos://Ivnker.maps.arcais.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=8b8a995c2574439cbef10088aO8dl2ae
8 https://www.nres.usda.gov/wps/portal/nres/detail/co/snow/products/?cid=nres144P2 063323
9 https://www.nres.usda.gov/wps/portal/nres/detail/co/snow/products/?cid=nreser)rd1432263
10 https://www.nres.usda.aov/wps/portal/nres/detail/co/snow/products/?cid=nreseprd1433035
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relate this information to snowpack within the Castle, Maroon,and Hunter Creek drainage areas,
where Aspen's water supply is located, as well as the Roaring Fork.
• Precipitation and temperature" are compared to prior years and evaluated together with
snowpack and streamflow. Early warming and rainfall enhance snowmelt and reduce snowpack.
Temperature data from the Aspen 1 SW NOAA station or the Aspen Pitkin Co Airport Sardy Field
NOAA station are used to observe the following:
o The timing of when minimum daily (i.e. nighttime) temperatures start exceeding 35
degrees Fahrenheit.
o Whether precipitation occurs as snow or rain below 10,000 feet elevation.
• Streamflow is monitored during the winter-to-spring transition period to observe the rate of
snowpack dissipation (through inspection of the magnitude and shape of the streamflow curve)
and streamflow response to snowmelt(runoff)through the change of season.
• The NOAA Colorado Basin River Forecast Center12 develops geographic water supply forecasts
for the Upper Colorado River Basin,Lower Colorado River Basin,and Eastern Great Basin.Through
an interactive map of the basins, the user can select a station and view a hydrograph with
observed streamflow, short-term forecast, and longer-term outlook. This website also shows
snow conditions, reservoir conditions, precipitation,and soil moisture.
• Other national drought-specific resources including the National Integrated Drought Information
System(NIDIS)13,the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Center14,the Intermountain West Climate
Dashboard15, the Evaporative Demand Drought Index(EDDI)16, and the USDA Topsoil Moisture
Monitoring Maps17 are also relied upon.
Treated water production18 data provides an indication of how water demands are trending and is
considered along with the water supply indicators to anticipate potential shortages.
• Treated water demand data are reported through Aspen's monthly billing software and tracked
through an internal water use tool. Billed water use provides an indication of how water demands
are trending by customer category. Billed demands are considered along with the production and
water supply indicators to anticipate potential shortages.
o Beginning in April, monthly water demand data are monitored by customer class relative
to the prior 5-year period. Demand data are utilized to help focus recommendations for
drought response measures and enhance customer outreach and communications.
o During any declared water shortage,demand data summarized by customer category are
evaluated for the effectiveness of response actions, including restrictions, water pricing,
education, and enforcement, toward reducing demands and supporting
recommendations for adjusting the drought response measures.
11 https://www.colorado.gov/cdss/climate-data
12 https://www.cbrfc.noaa.gov/
13 https://www.drought.gov/drought/states/colorado
14 https://water.weather.gov/ahos/rfc/rfc.i)hp
1s https://wwa.colorado.edu/climate/dashboard.htm1
16 https://Dsl.noaa.gov/eddi/`
17 https://www.drought.gov/drought/data-gallery/topsoil-moisture-monitoring
1e https://www.citvofaspen.com/1165/Drought-Dashboard
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6. STAGED DROUGHT RESPONSE PROGRAM
The City's staged drought response program identifies appropriate response measures for each drought
stage. This section outlines typical drought indicators and response measures, intended to provide a
comprehensive set of activities to support the City's selection of staged response targets and guidance for
developing Rules and Regulations when a water shortage is declared due to drought conditions. While
many indicators are considered, all of the conditions listed below do not have to exist before declaring a
drought. Similarly, the lists of shortage response measures provide a guide to water use modifications
that will be considered during each shortage condition.This part of the DMRP will be used as a framework
for developing the Rules and Regulations during a shortage declaration, which will provide details about
the specific set of response measures to be implemented and enforced under the particular water
shortage circumstances, as further described in Section 7.1 below. The City will modify the program
elements as needed to meet demands under changing water supply conditions.
While some of the response measures rely on changes to City water uses and activities, the majority of
response measures rely heavily on customer behaviors.The City will model effective drought response in
its own water use and will provide the necessary information and tools to motivate a public response.
However, it is ultimately in the hands of the City's customers to execute. As appropriate, modifications
and adjustments may be made to the measures described here to best address the circumstances and
conditions of a given water shortage.Any restrictions defined under a specific drought stage will continue
through higher stages unless more strict restrictions are identified.
Under normal conditions, the City will implement normal monitoring activities. The City will actively
implement the WEP programs and measures to manage the use of its finite water resource, minimize
water waste,and encourage best practices.This is considered normal operation and does not require any
formal action from City Council.
Common Indicators:
• Local watershed characteristics including snowpack, precipitation,streamflow,temperature, and
soil moisture indicate normal conditions.
• Normal to above-average snowpack conditions during winter months.
• Normal to above-average streamflow and projections starting late-spring through fall.
• Average to below-average temperatures during all months.
• No indication that local conditions will deteriorate in coming months.
Common Response Measures:
• The City will work with the state Division of Water Resources as needed to place administrative
calls for water under the Colorado water rights priority system to protect supplies.
• All terms defined under Municipal Code Section 25.28. "Wasting of water prohibited" are
mandatory at all times.
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Under Stage 1 conditions,the City will increase emphasis on basic water use reduction measures and wise
water use practices implemented through public education and outreach.The City will promote rebates
and support programs for low-flow water use fixtures, irrigation technology, irrigation assessments, etc.
and will begin targeting high volume water users and lower-priority water uses. Mandatory restrictions
and water bill surcharges will begin.
Common Indicators:
• Local watershed characteristics including snowpack, precipitation,streamflow,temperature,and
soil moisture indicate moderately dry conditions.
• Below-average snowpack conditions during winter months.
• Below-average streamflow and projections starting late-spring through fall.
• Above-average temperatures during all months.
• Other water providers in the Roaring Fork Basin are preparing to respond to dry conditions.
• Indication that local conditions will likely deteriorate in coming months.
• Indication that the Governor may activate the Colorado Drought Plan or has activated it in
neighboring counties.
Common Response Measures:
• Irrigation of existing lawns limited to 3 days/week. Customers may choose which days or the City
may designate days,depending upon the shortage condition.
• Irrigation of existing flowers, vegetable gardens, shrubs and trees using overhead irrigation
systems limited to 3 days/week;watering by hand,drip,or subsurface irrigation any day.
• Encourage HOAs and commercial customers to perform irrigation system audits on common areas
and increase rebates to support.
• Encourage postponing new landscapes unless converting to xeriscape.Any allowed new seed/sod
should have signage posted regarding establishment.
• Encourage customers not to operate any existing outdoor fountain,waterfall,or pond that is not
used directly for irrigation.
• Public facilities will be directed to implement water use restrictions by administrative order,
including: limiting irrigation of public parks and golf courses to an extent greater than the target
reduction in overall water use; reducing street washing to minimum level necessary to comply
with air quality standards and suspending fire hydrant flushing and testing except when required
for completion and acceptance of a newly constructed water systems or to support public health
and safety.
• Provide public education materials to increase awareness about water supply conditions,
mandatory restrictions under Stage 1, and inform the public that worsening conditions may lead
to more restrictive stages. Recommend hospitality and recreation-based establishments help
communicate about water smart uses.
• Increases in water rates for tiers three (3) and four(4),shall be imposed as mandated by the City
of Aspen City Manager up to the maximum rates defined in Municipal Code Section 25.28.
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Under Stage 2 conditions,Aspen will work to keep trees,shrubs,vegetable and flower gardens,and lawns
alive but limit outdoor water use and nonessential uses. Aspen will emphasize wise water use practices
through public education and outreach and eliminate wasteful water use and target reduction of excessive
water use. Surcharges and rate increases will be implemented to further support conservation and to
provide revenue stabilization.The City will advance demand reductions in lower-priority water uses.The
response measures listed in this section assume that any restrictions required under Stage 1 will continue
unless more strict response measures are specified under Stage 2.
Common Indicators:
• Local watershed characteristics including snowpack, precipitation,streamflow,temperature, and
soil moisture indicate severely dry conditions.
• Below-average snowpack conditions during winter months with projections indicating conditions
will not improve.
• Below-average streamflow starting late-spring through fall with projections indicating conditions
will not improve.
• Above-average temperatures during all months with projections indicating conditions will not
improve.
• Other water providers in the Roaring Fork Basin are actively responding to water shortage
conditions.
• Strong indication that local conditions will continue to deteriorate in coming months.
• Colorado Drought Plan activated for Pitkin County.
• Aspen treated demands projected to exceed available supplies without further demand
reduction, unless decreed instream flows are depleted, especially in mid to late summer.
Common Response Measures:
• Irrigation of existing lawns limited to 2 days/week based on customer address. The City may
specify days of the week to certain customer classes(e.g.single family versus others)to help focus
field monitoring and identify larger water uses.
• Irrigation of existing flowers, vegetable gardens, shrubs and trees using overhead irrigation
systems limited to 2 days/week;watering by hand, drip,or subsurface irrigation any day.
• There shall be no new public or private landscaping installations allowed with the exception of
that required as a minimum for erosion control of disturbed surfaces as determined by the City.
• Watering of golf courses and parks shall be managed to achieve the target reduction in water use
based on type of specified water and delivery mechanism.
• There shall be no filling or refilling of single-family residential swimming pools with water provided
by the City.Operation of other swimming pools is permitted.
• There shall be no operation of existing outdoor fountains,waterfalls,or refilling of ponds. No new
water features allowed.
• There shall be no noncommercial washing of privately-owned cars, other motor vehicles, trailers
or boats, except from a bucket and except that a hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle
may be used for a quick rinse.
• No new or expanded water connections shall be authorized; however, existing authorizations
shall be honored, provided, however,that this shall not apply to emergency situations in which a
well user's indoor-use well has run dry.
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• Dust control and construction water allowed on a case-by-case basis.
• Except for fighting fire,there shall be no use of water from a fire hydrant or specially designated
loading hydrant for human consumption or for use in connection with animals,street washing or
construction water supply.Hydrant draft permits for any of the foregoing uses shall be suspended
for the duration of the Stage 2 designation.
• Aspen will take the following actions: increase media briefings and coverage with specific
messages; increase monitoring and send reminders to top 10% water users; establish a water
waste hotline/web address; create a pledge program for community leaders(businesses)to take
steps toward smart water usage and conservation within their organizations; ask to display
drought messaging signs.
• Surcharges may be imposed.
Under Stage 3 conditions,Aspen will work to sustain mature trees to the extent possible but recognizes
that there may be a major loss of lawns,gardens, some trees, and some shrubs. Most low-priority water
use, including many of the outdoor water use and non-essential uses listed in Table 2 under Priority
Numbers 4 through 7, will be eliminated. The City will operate an aggressive public education and
outreach program and will eliminate wasteful water use and excessive water use. Surcharges and rate
increases will be implemented to further encourage conservation and to support revenue stabilization.
Under an extreme condition, the City may pursue supply-side response measures including operating its
physically available senior water rights to divert water even though they deplete the decreed instream
flow.This will occur only when public health and safety is at risk.These response measures are considered
to be subsidiary and may have legal or water quality implications that will be further investigated. The
response measures listed in this section assume that any restrictions required under Stage 1 and 2 will
continue unless more strict response measures are specified under Stage 3.
Common Indicators:
• Local watershed characteristics including snowpack, precipitation,streamflow,temperature,and
soil moisture indicate prolonged, extremely dry conditions.
• Well below-average snowpack conditions during winter months with projections indicating
conditions will deteriorate.
• Well below-average streamflow starting late-spring through fall .with projections indicating
conditions will deteriorate.
• Above-average temperatures during all months with projections indicating conditions will
deteriorate.
• Other water providers in the Roaring Fork Basin and Colorado River Basin are actively responding
to extreme water shortage conditions.
• Strong indication that local conditions will continue to deteriorate in coming months.
• Colorado Drought Plan activated for Pitkin County.
• Aspen treated demands projected to require diversion of senior rights that will reduce decreed
instream flows, or, in a worst-case scenario, exceed available supplies under decreed municipal
rights,especially in mid to late summer.
Common Response Measures:
• Irrigation of existing lawns limited to 1 day/week based on customer address.
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• Irrigation of existing flowers, vegetable gardens, shrubs and trees limited to 1 days/week and
watering only allowed by hand,drip,or subsurface irrigation.
• There shall be no new landscaping installation allowed.
• Athletic fields, trees, and golf course greens irrigated by mandatory schedule or water budget
only. There shall be no daytime irrigation. This will influence both potable and raw supply
reductions.
• There shall be no filling or refilling of swimming pools.
• There shall be no filling or refilling of water features.
• There shall be no car washing.
• There shall be no new or expanded water connections authorized; however, existing
authorizations shall be honored provided, however, that this shall not apply to emergency
situations in which a well user's indoor-use well has run dry.
• There shall be no water used for dust control, except pursuant to authorization from the City or
Pitkin County Environmental Health Department and only to the extent necessary to comply with
air quality standards.
• Hydrants allowed for fighting fire only.
• Increase frequency of public outreach.
• Surcharges may be imposed.
Emergency conditions are highly unlikely but require prioritizing essential uses. Long-term loss of
landscape should be expected and indoor uses may be restricted. The response measures listed in this
section assume that any restrictions required under Stages 1 through 3 will continue unless more strict
response measures are specified under the Emergency Response. Under an emergency response
condition,the City may pursue supply-side response measures including operating its senior water rights
to divert water,even though they deplete the decreed instream flow,and reducing diversion of the City's
raw water irrigation rights.This will occur only when public health and safety is at risk.
Common Indicators:
• Local watershed characteristics including snowpack, precipitation, streamflow,temperature,and
soil moisture indicate prolonged, exceptionally dry conditions.
• Significantly below-average snowpack conditions during winter months with projections
indicating conditions will deteriorate.
• Significantly below-average streamflow starting late-spring through fall with projections
indicating conditions will deteriorate.
• Significantly above-average temperatures during all months with projections indicating conditions
will deteriorate.
• Other water providers in the Roaring Fork Basin and Colorado River Basin are actively responding
to extreme water shortage conditions.
• Indication that prolonged,extremely poor local hydrologic and climatic conditions will continue.
• Drought indicators predicting exceptional drought levels statewide.
• Colorado Drought Plan activated for Pitkin County.
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Common Response Measures:
• Irrigation of lawns or plant material not allowed,except trees and shrubs may be watered by hand
no more than 1 day/week.
• Irrigation of golf courses and parks not allowed. This will influence both potable and raw supply
reductions.
• There shall be no new or expanded water connections.
• There shall be no dust control or construction water.
• Hydrants allowed for fighting fire only.
• There shall be no irrigation of public facilities.
• Consider supply-side response measures including diversion of senior water rights that will
deplete instream flows if necessary,to protect public health and safety.
• Surcharges may be imposed.
7. IMPLEMENTATION
7.1 WATER SHORTAGE DECLARATIONS
The City's Municipal Code provides authority for implementing and enforcing staged responses during a
water shortage and requires City Council approval to declare and advance drought stages. Likewise, City
Council approval is required to de-escalate drought stages and to rescind restrictions with the lifting of
any drought status.As described in Section 25.28 of the City Municipal Code,when the City Council passes
a resolution declaring water shortage and stage,it will direct the City Manager to promulgate and enforce
Rules and Regulations that define response measures to be implemented under the particular water
shortage circumstances. The City Manager and supporting staff will utilize the DMRP framework for
selecting the specific set of response measures to include in the Rules and Regulations.
Aspen's Utilities Department is primarily responsible for ongoing monitoring of drought indicators and for
providing recommendations to City Council on drought stage declaration.The DRC will typically meet each
February or March to review water supply and demand conditions and projections that are prepared by
Utilities staff based on monitoring data. Upon anticipation of a water shortage declaration related to
drought conditions, the DRC will increase its drought monitoring efforts and determine the frequency of
meetings needed. Monitoring data along with professional judgment and historical experience will
support staff recommendations for stage declaration and adjustments to the response program, which
are ultimately presented to City Council for discussion and approval. Because certain water sources may
be more or less impacted than other sources during a drought, drought response measures will be
developed based on a review of the specific conditions.The DRC Communications representative will lead
public drought communication efforts and will rely upon the DRC for recommended content and
messaging strategies.
Timing of drought stage declaration is very important for Aspen to allow ample time for staff to implement
and engage the public in the staged response program. If a water shortage declaration does not occur
with enough lead time for implementation and response effects to be achieved, decreed instream flows
may be depleted and demands may exceed supplies, resulting in emergency situations. Public response
lead time is a crucial consideration,as many customers are not full-time residents and may not initially be
engaged enough to quickly react to an early water shortage declaration. This also highlights the
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CITY OF ASPEN DROUGHT MITIGATION AND RESPONSE PLAN
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importance of fostering an ongoing and engaged efficiency culture.Conversely,declaring a water shortage
or advancing a drought stage prematurely can result in unnecessary restrictions, impacting community
confidence as well as City revenue.
7.2 DROUGHT PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGN
A primary discussion topic during the DRC meetings was the need for a more formal communications plan
providing ongoing education, messaging, and customer support before, during, and after a drought.The
City recognizes that providing public information and maintaining its working relationship with customers
are critical to the success of any water shortage response program. In order to encourage a positive
response from customers,the City needs to communicate with customers about water supply conditions
and the reasons for potential implementation of mandatory restrictions. Public response is more
successful when customers are educated about local water supplies.A primary communications challenge
with the City's customer base is that while many of the full-time residents are engaged and informed on
local conditions, the majority of customers served during peak periods are seasonal residents or visitors
who are less informed about and engaged with local conditions. Examples of potential messaging
challenges that were identified by the DRC and will be further addressed in its ongoing education
campaign include:
• The Roaring Fork River flows provide a visual indicator of water supply conditions to the public.
However, flows in the Roaring Fork River may or may not correlate to Aspen's water supply
conditions in the Castle Creek and Maroon Creek watersheds. Therefore, it is important for the
City to continuously educate the public about where their water comes from and the conditions
that pertain to Aspen's water supply.
• Public/athletic fields and parks may be allowed watering exceptions during some water shortage
conditions.This is fairly standard practice for municipal uses but necessitates communication with
the public to message the policy.
• Some properties are supplied by raw water for irrigation.Colorado water law,the customers' raw
water contracts, and City policies may influence different water management criteria for these
supplies during certain water shortage conditions. Therefore, it is important for the City to
educate the public about how different types of water supplies may be affected under water
shortage conditions.
The DRC acknowledged that a consistent customer outreach and messaging program could help support
future drought responses, an engaged efficiency culture, and other planning efforts. The public drought
campaign will be closely coordinated and developed with the City's current conservation and efficiency
education programs and other planning efforts underway for the City's Integrated Resource Plan
development. The drought campaign will be adapted in each of the following phases:
1. Normal Conditions:Aspen's outreach will focus on consistent messaging to support conservation
and efficiency efforts and to communicate local conditions including "where our water comes
from",typical Roaring Fork Basin hydrology, general climate conditions, and how efficient water
use helps reduce municipal streamflow diversions thereby leaving more water in the streams.
Outreach will occur at regular intervals and will maintain consistency with other local areas
including messaging provided by the Roaring Fork Conservancy. Information on local projects or
programs will be integrated as appropriate. This messaging will be ongoing and will occur at all
times outside of drought or water shortage conditions.
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2. Active Drought Conditions: During this phase, Aspen will increase messaging frequency to
communicate anticipated drought conditions and associated response measures. This will begin
prior to initiation of a water shortage declaration, when monitoring data indicate potential
drought conditions. Messaging will be focused on weather, other supply indicators, and the
implementation of the staged drought program. As drought stages are advanced, messaging will
focus on mandatory water restrictions, the City's responses, and progressing conditions. This
messaging will continue through the duration of the drought.
3. Post-Drought Reflection:this phase will occur after all drought restrictions and declarations have
been lifted or restrictions have been stages have been reduced.Aspen will provide a look-back at
the drought impacts and response measures. Aspen may request targeted feedback on impacts
from residents and local businesses at this time to evaluate the effectiveness of program
implementation and outreach strategies.This information will be used to prepare for and ideally
mitigate impacts from future droughts and, as warranted, make updates to this plan and the
Municipal Code.
7.3 ENFORCEMENT
The City's Municipal Code provides the Utilities Department, in concurrence with the City Manager, the
authority to enforce the response measures described in the Rules and Regulations governing the water
shortage declaration. Education and outreach are utilized to promote efficient water use and inform
customers about expectations in all drought stages. Warnings, citations, fines, and, in the most extreme
cases, installation of flow restrictors inhibiting water use or terminating service altogether are common
drought response program enforcement mechanisms.Municipal Code Section 25.08.040 provides the City
Manager, Superintendent, or other designated official authority to inspect any premises where water
from the City is used to determine if water is being wasted. The City can issue fines for violations and
disconnect water service for repeat violations. Upon first violation,the owner or occupant will be issued
a written warning. Upon further violations within the water shortage declaration period at the same
premises,the owner or occupant will be advised in writing and a penalty charge will be added to the water
bill in accordance with Section 25.28 of the Municipal Code.
The Director of Utilities and Utilities staff will be responsible for administering the enforcement of the
staged drought response program and ensuring that the messaging associated with the enforcement are
appropriate and reflective of the drought program. Utilities will need to work with the Finance
Department to issue fines through water billings and to record and manage citations and associated fines.
The City may consider hiring seasonal monitors to patrol and report excess or wasteful water use during
periods of drought. It is anticipated that the City will also utilize its advanced metering infrastructure in
the future to evaluate customers'water use during water shortage declarations.
7.4 REVENUE IMPLICATIONS AND FINANCIAL BUDGETING PLAN
A reduction in water use due to drought restrictions will result in reduced water sales and revenue. The
City's Municipal Code Section 25.28 defines billing surcharges through drought stages. Surcharges are
intended to offset revenue reductions during a water shortage, at least in-part. The City Manager
determines the necessary rate changes and Utilities staff will work with the Billing Department to monitor
water use and revenue,making recommendations to City Council to adjust surcharges as needed to offset
revenue loss impacts. Additional costs associated with the implementation of the staged drought
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CITY OF ASPEN DROUGHT MITIGATION AND RESPONSE PLAN
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response program including the public drought campaign and enforcement may also have revenue
implications. At the onset of a water shortage declaration, Utilities and Finance staff will develop a cost
estimate associated with the implementation and enforcement of the drought response program under
the given circumstances. Internal funding will be identified, and any additional funding needs will be
pursued through available drought-related loans,grants, etc.
7.5 MONITORING OF PLAN EFFECTIVENESS
The City plans to monitor the effectiveness of this plan through ongoing and post-drought evaluations.
Ongoing monitoring will be conducted in conjunction with the City's active review of water efficiency
activities. An annual DRC meeting will be held in February or March to reflect on prior year observations
and activities, review current monitoring data, and discuss anticipated watershed conditions and
characteristics for the coming irrigation season. Depending on anticipated conditions,the DRC will either
plan for increased monthly meetings in preparation for potential water shortage declaration or will focus
discussions solely on ongoing planning efforts and review.The following monitoring data will be collected
and presented at this DRC meeting by the appropriate committee members:
• Water demands
• Drought indicator data
• Lessons learned or recommended modifications to the program
• Drought mitigation measures,specifically water efficiency efforts and programs
• Public outreach and information campaign status
This monitoring supports an assessment of the staged drought response program's effectiveness and
allows the City to adjust mitigation and response programs as appropriate. It also facilitates
recommendations for plan updates and improvements.
7.6 PLAN APPROVAL
Aspen's DMRP was approved and adopted by City Council on XXX, 2020 by Resolution XXX.
7.7 FUTURE UPDATES
This plan may be updated to reflect modified operational conditions or as new water supplies and
operational management components such as storage,potable-use wells,and non-potable reuse become
available.The City is in the process of developing an IRP which will evaluate the City's supply status and
future municipal demands.This plan will be reviewed and revised as necessary based on findings from the
IRP efforts.This plan may also be updated as needed based on plan monitoring and lessons learned as the
City implements the staged drought response plan as described herein.
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H. REFERENCES
Aspen Water Production: City of Aspen Drought Dashboard, Treated Water Production Website.
httPs://www.citvofaspen.com/1165/Drought-Dashboard.
CDSS Precipitation and Temperature: CWCB/DWR Climate Data Website.
https:Hwww.colorado.gov/cdss/climate-data.
Colorado Drought Story Map:Colorado Drought Plan—Visualization Story Map Website. Prepared for the
Colorado Water Conservation Board by Lynker Technologies.
https://Iynker.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.htmI?appid=8b8a995c2574439cbef10088aO8d 12
ae.
Conditions Map: NOAA Colorado Basin River Forecast Center Website. https://www.cbrfc.noaa.gov/
CWCB 2018:Colorado Drought Mitigation and Response Plan. Prepared for Colorado Water Conservation
Board by Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions Inc in Coordination with the Drought Mitigation
and Response Planning Committee and the National Drought Mitigation Center.August 2018.
CWCB Drought Guidance Document: Municipal Drought Management Plan Guidance Document.
Prepared for Colorado Water Conservation Board by AMEC Earth & Environmental.August 2010.
CWCB Drought Sample Plan: Sample of a Municipal Drought Management Plan. Prepared for Colorado
Water Conservation Board by AMEC Earth& Environmental.June 2011.
CWCB WATF: DNR CWCB Water Availability & Flood Task Forces Website.
https://cwcb.colorado.gov/water-availability-flood-task-forces.
NRCS Interactive SNOTEL: NRCS Colorado Site Interactive SNOTEL Charts Website.
https://www.nres.usda.gov/wps/portal/nres/detail/co/snow/prod ucts/?cid=nreseprd 1433035.
NRCS SNOTEL Watershed: NRCS SNOTEL Watershed Time Series Snowpack Graphs Website.
https://www.nres.usda.pov/wps/portal/nres/detail/co/snow/products/?cid=nresl44p2 063323.
Title 25: City of Aspen Municipal Code,Title 25—Utilities. Last updated in January 2020.
United States Drought Monitor: United States Drought Monitor Map Website.
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx.
USGS Streamflow: USGS National Water Information System Site Inventory for Colorado Website.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/inventory.
WEP 2015: City of Aspen Municipal Water Efficiency Plan. Prepared for the City of Aspen by ELEMENT
Water Consulting Inc.and WaterDM.October 2015.
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MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and City Council
THRU: John D.Krueger,Director of Transportation
FROM: David Pesnichak,Regional Transportation Administrator
DATE OF MEMO: July 17,2020
MEETING DATE: July 28,2020
RE: EOTC Updated 2020 Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan
(CVTP)
REQUEST OF COUNCIL: Attached for your review and approval is a resolution #64 for the
adoption of the updated 2020 EOTC Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan(CVTP).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION:
• City Council participated and provided into at the EOTC retreat in August 2019.
• At the October 2019 EOTC meeting, the Committee approved the 2020 Work Plan that
included the update of an EOTC Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan based on the
adopted EOTC Strategic Plan and input received at the August retreat.
• Council reviewed and unanimously voted to approve the updated EOTC Comprehensive
Valley Transportation Plan,attached, at the July 16,2020 EOTC meeting.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Aspen as a member of the EOTC is asked to approve the updated CVTP by resolution.
At the EOTC meeting on July 16, 2020, the EOTC voted unanimously to adopt the updated CVTP.
Each other member jurisdiction of the EOTC is also asked to approve the CVTP by resolution before
the Plan can be considered adopted.
DISCUSSION:
The EOTC first adopted the CVTP in 1993 and the Plan had not been updated since. The EOTC
reviewed,provided comment,and unanimously voted to adopt the updated CVTP at the July 16,2020
EOTC meeting. The CVTP identifies the policy level priorities for expenditures of time and money
by the EOTC and staff.
FINANCIAL/BUDGET IMPLICATIONS:
There are no financial/budget implications to the City of Aspen.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS:
By encouraging mass transit and working to manage or reduce the number of vehicles on the road
system,the EOTC is having positive impacts on the environment.
RECCOMENDED ACTION:
Staff recommends that Council approve the attached resolution to adopt the updated 2020 EOTC
Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan.
ALTERNATIVES:
Council can decide not to adopt the 2020 updated EOTC Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan.
Not adopting the 2020 Strategic Plan would require it to go back to the EOTC for reconsideration at
the next available EOTC meeting.
PROPOSED MOTION:
"I move to approve Resolution #64 to adopt the updated 2020 EOTC Comprehensive Valley
Transportation Plan."
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS:
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution#64 Approving the updated 2020 Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan