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KENNEY, KLEIN, AND CLARK
<br />restrictive every third day (or 2 -1/3 days per week)
<br />drought conditions persist into 2003 (Lawn Watering
<br />approach is notable, especially since twice weekly
<br />Work Group, 2003, unpublished report). Consistent
<br />watering is often sufficient to maintain the health of
<br />with the results of this study, an approach allowing
<br />landscaping. Actual water demand is very site specific
<br />twice weekly watering was adopted.
<br />and is influenced by factors such as soil type, wind
<br />This new coordinated approach to watering restric-
<br />and sunlight exposure, and precipitation events.
<br />tions was largely stillborn, however, as one of the
<br />Additionally, Kentucky bluegrass, even if allowed to
<br />largest snowstorms in history hit the Front Range on
<br />turn brown and go dormant for months, will turn
<br />March 18 and 19, 2003, dropping 31.5 inches of heavy,
<br />green when watered again (Wilson, 2002). While each
<br />water laden snow in the metro area and in excess of
<br />provider needs to consider its own unique circum-
<br />seven feet of snow in some nearby mountain water-
<br />stances, our results generally suggest that conserva-
<br />sheds (NSIDC, 2003). Primarily due to this storm,
<br />tion programs based on mandatory, twice weekly
<br />snowpack by mid -April in the Upper Colorado and
<br />landscape .watering restrictions provide an attractive
<br />South Platte basins had rocketed to 108 and 115 per -
<br />balance between saving water and limiting the impact
<br />cent, respectively, of normal (NRCS, 2:003). As
<br />on customers, particularly for water providers with a
<br />warmer spring temperatures initiated snowmelt,
<br />goal of reducing demand by approximately 30 percent.
<br />reservoir storage quickly recovered, and each city
<br />Using a. conservation approach based on designated
<br />devised its own schedules for easing and ultimately
<br />watering days is also consistent with the current
<br />ending water restrictions. By fall of 2003, all manda-
<br />administrative, technological, and enforcement capac-
<br />tory water restrictions in the metro area had been
<br />ities of the region's municipal water providers,
<br />lifted or were scheduled to terminate soon.
<br />although several managers expressed concern that
<br />some customers may feel obligated to water on their
<br />designated days even if rains had recently occurred or
<br />ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
<br />were forecast, thereby reducing the potential savings
<br />from this form of water restrictions. It may also be
<br />The authors wish to acknowledge the cooperation of the eight
<br />worthwhile to combine Water restriction programs
<br />participating water agencies and research assistants Adam Morri-
<br />with pricing strategies such as drought surcharges.
<br />son and Bethany Graven in providing and compiling the relevant
<br />These programs are also relatively easy to implement
<br />data. This work was supported by the Western Water Assessment,
<br />an interdisciplinary project funded by the National Oceanic and
<br />— administratively, if not politically - although several
<br />Atmospheric Administration and administered by the Cooperative
<br />studies show residential water use to be largely
<br />Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of
<br />inelastic (Michelsen et al., 1998). Reforms in technolo-
<br />Colorado.
<br />gy and administrative capacity may be necessary to
<br />pursue more dynamic means of residential water con-
<br />servation during drought, such as approaches featur -
<br />LITERATURE CITED
<br />ing individual water budgets and supported by
<br />systems providing customers with real time water use
<br />Anderson, R.L., T.A. Miller, and M.C. Washburn, 1980. Water Sav-
<br />data, climate and demand forecasts (such as evapo-
<br />ings From Lawn Watering Restrictions During a Drought Year,
<br />transpiration estimates), and price signals.
<br />Fort Collins, Colorado. Water Resources Bulletin 16(4):642 -645.
<br />Baumann, D.D., J.J. Boland, and W.M. Hanemann, 1998. Urban
<br />Water Demand Management and Planning. McGraw -Hill, Inc.,
<br />New York; New York.
<br />Epilogue
<br />CDWR (California Department of Water Resources), 1991. Urban
<br />Drought Guidebook. Office of Conservation.
<br />Jain, S., C.A. Woodhouse, and M.P. Hoerling, 2002. Multidecadal
<br />Following the experience in the summer of 2002,
<br />Streamflow Regimes in the Interior Western United States:
<br />several regional water managers expressed the opin-
<br />Implications for the Vulnerability of Water Resources. Geophysi-
<br />ion that customers were confused by the diversity of
<br />cal Research Letters, doi: 10.1029/2001GL014278, 15.
<br />water restriction programs across neighboring munic-
<br />Lee, M.Y., 1981. Mandatory or Voluntary Water. Conservation: A
<br />ipalities (Lawn Watering Work Group, 2003, uripub-
<br />Case Study of Iowa Communities During Drought. Journal of
<br />Soil and Water Conservation 36(4):231 -234.
<br />lished report). This diversity of approaches made it
<br />Lee, M.Y., and R.D. Warren, 1981. Use of a Predictive Model in
<br />difficult for the media to inform and remind cus-
<br />Evaluating Water. Consumption Conservation. Water Resources
<br />tomers of .the watering restrictions specific to their,
<br />Bulletin 17(6):948 -955.
<br />area. Similarly, the diversity of approaches for mea-
<br />Luecke, D.F, 1999. Two Forks: The Rise and Fall of a Dam. Natural
<br />suring water savings made it difficult to track and
<br />Resources and Environment 14:24.
<br />Luecke, D.F, J. Morris, L. Rozaklis, and R. Morris, 2003. What the
<br />communicate levels of success. For these reasons, a
<br />Current Drought Means for the Future of Water Management in
<br />consortium of Front Range cities known as the Lawn
<br />Colorado. Trout Unlimited, Boulder, Colorado.
<br />Watering Work Group was established to devise a
<br />Maidment, D.R., and S.P. Miaou, 1986. Daily Water Use in Nine
<br />consistent metro wide program of restrictions should
<br />Cities. Water Resources Bulletin 22:6:845.
<br />.JAWRA 86
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