Water Conservation Plan

The City of Steamboat Springs (City) and Mount Werner Water District (District) strive to implement strategies that promote water supply resiliency by preparing for growth, planning for drought and wildfire, planning for a Colorado River Compact Call, implementing water conservation and developing a redundant supply. In 2019 the City and District completed an update to their Water Supply Master Plan (WSMP) which helps accomplish the items above by assessing the availability of current and future water supplies to meet future consumptive municipal demands, under a series of growth and climate scenarios.

This Water Conservation Plan (Plan) update builds on the 2019 WSMP effort. This Plan is an update to the City and District 2011 Water Conservation Plan and was developed in accordance with Colorado Statute and the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s (CWCB) guidelines. The Plan provides the following:

• Evaluation and documentation of historical water demands, and lessons learned from previous water conservation activities implemented by the City and District
• Monetary, environmental and community benefits associated with water conservation in Steamboat Springs
• Water saving targets and conservation goals to strive for through 2030
• List of water conservation activities focusing on both existing and new development
• Implementation plan for these activities through 2027
• Monitoring plan and template for evaluating the effectiveness of the water conservation plan and activities on an annual basis.

While Steamboat has adequate supplies to meet long-term growth in the region, wise water use can help improve the reliability of water supplies in times of drought and local wildfire and sustain a healthy environment. The Water Conservation Plan looks to provide quantitative water saving targets and qualitative parameters.