HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 4/21/2020 - Memorandum From Carol Webb And Lisa Rosintoski Re: Water Shortage Declaration For The Horsetooth Outlet ProjectUtilities
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700 Wood Street
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6700
utilities@fcgov.com
fcgov.com/utilities
M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: 04/08/2020
TO: Mayor and City Councilmembers
THRU: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City Manager
FROM: Carol Webb, Deputy Utilities Director, Water Resources & Treatment Operations
Lisa Rosintoski, Deputy Utilities Director, Customer Connections
RE: Water Shortage Declaration for the Horsetooth Outlet Project
This memo provides a summary of the water shortage declaration process and timeline for the
Horsetooth Outlet Project (HOP).
BOTTOM LINE
Northern Water and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation plan to perform critical maintenance on the
Soldier Canyon Dam outlet pipeline from Horsetooth Reservoir in October and November 2020.
During this maintenance, the Utilities (and other water districts serving Fort Collins) will rely on
the Poudre River to meet daily water demands. The Utilities and water districts are jointly
constructing a temporary backup water supply pumping system in the event the Poudre River
supply is temporarily interrupted during the maintenance project.
Staff have engaged in significant mitigation planning for HOP, including plans for the City
Manager, Darin Atteberry, to issue a mandatory outdoor watering restriction declaration. This
declaration will most likely be communicated in May (to allow customers to prepare and plan)
and will be in effect from October 1 through approximately December 15, 2020. Water
restrictions allow the Utilities to manage outdoor water demands to ensure that all indoor water
demands are met during the maintenance project.
The timeline and steps for declaring a water shortage for HOP are as follows:
April 21, 2020 – City Council 2
nd
reading of the Water Shortage Action Plan, which includes
City Code provisions that allow the City Manager to declare water shortages in a situation
such as HOP.
May 2020 – City Manager declares water shortage and outdoor watering restrictions for HOP
(note that an advance declaration enables proactive outreach).
DocuSign Envelope ID: 5511222B-300E-4335-A56C-B0C0F0430958
October 1, 2020 –Mandatory outdoor watering restrictions begin, that includes additional
education to mitigate enforcement measures.
December 15, 2020 – Anticipated date that City Manager declares end of water shortage and
restrictions
Staff have initiated public outreach regarding the planned water restrictions and will continue to
inform the public via utility bill inserts and other outreach mechanisms up to and throughout the
planned water restrictions.
Please contact us with any questions.
pc: Alice Conovitz, Water Conservation Specialist
Mariel Miller, Senior Specialist, Sciences
DocuSign Envelope ID: 5511222B-300E-4335-A56C-B0C0F0430958