Winter snow pays off: Two years of water supply in Colorado Springs

Utilities workers are optimistic because snowpack levels are much higher than they were at this time last year.

“In 2013 at this time we were in a pretty dire situation. We were well below average for snow pack and snowfall,” said Patrice Lehermeier, spokesperson for Colorado Springs Utilities.

Fortunately, that’s not the case this year.

“The best way to describe it is cautiously optimistic,” said Lehermeier.

Optimism that this winter’s snow will mean years of water.

“If the snow that we’ve received in the mountains melt like we think it will, we can see our reservoirs and water storage at a two year supply. That’s a really good number for us,” said Lehermeier.

The majority of Colorado Springs water comes from the Upper Colorado Basin. Right now it’s 130% of average snowfall.

“Here’s the important part though- just because we’re not in mandatory restrictions doesn’t mean you should start over using water. Our goal is to sustain public safety. We know the drought is only one winter away, and who knows what could happen next summer. We also know that wildfire is a huge concern across our state and this area is a victim of some of that devastation,” said Lehermeier

Besides keeping their eyes on the water levels officials ofColorado Springs Utilities are also trying to keep our area green in other ways.

For the very first time it’s giving away 500 trees in support of a greener, healthier community and energy savings.

Customers can reserve one free tree through April 21 or while supplies last right on the Colorado Springs Utilities website.

https://www.csu.org/Pages/default.aspx