Too Early To Think About Lifting Watering Restrictions

DENVER (CBS4) - Thanks to the recent storms Colorado's snowpack is looking much better.

Less than a month ago the statewide average was 79 percent of where it should be. Now it's at 92 percent of normal, and all the river basins are above normal in the northwest part of the state.

Denver Water says it's just too early for them to determine just how much water came out of the recent snow storms. But as for just when residents can water their lawn, they say there will likely always be some type of restriction in place.

As temperatures warm up, lawns will need to be watered. But recent restrictions in the city of Denver have limited homes to watering just two days a week.

"We had seen two years of very dry winters and not a lot of snow, which means our reservoirs haven't been full since July of 2011. So beginning April 1 we put in mandatory watering restrictions," Stacy Chesney with Denver Water said.

Denver Water joins other areas like Aurora and Broomfield that have voluntary or mandatory restrictions in place. Despite the recent snow, it's still too early to tell how much the water table has increased.

"We are going to closely monitor the situation and evaluate it. If we need to make changes and evaluate it we'll know more later in May," Chesney said.

Boulder is also waiting until May to make decisions but actually doesn't anticipate any restrictions. So far they've measured water levels at 70 percent of average before the recent snow storms. The additional moisture will get them closer to average. Denver Water customers aren't as lucky.

"We'll always have in place summer watering rules like not watering during the heat of the day," Chesney said. "Because we've had such great snow you really don't need to water for the next week or two."

A spokesperson for Boulder Water said they were really proactive last year in maintaining upper mountain water storage levels. They also have two different water treatment plants, which is why they don't anticipate any water restrictions there.