MONTE VISTA – After a presentation on the current drought conditions, the City of Monte Vista announced it had put watering restrictions into place. 

Pat McDermott of the Colorado Division of Water Resources gave a presentation on April 16 to the Monte Vista City Council on the current drought conditions in the San Luis Valley.  

The purpose of McDermott’s presentation was to show council members the severity of the current drought conditions, while encouraging water restrictions for conservancy purposes.  

McDermot’s presentation provided information on basins, reservoirs, lakes, and rivers in the San Luis Valley. He provided comparative historical charts, showing the difference in water flows and storage, spanning several years for multiple reservoirs including Sanchez, Platoro, Santa Maria, Continental, Beaver Park, Mountain Home, Smith, Shaw, Rio Grande, and Terrance.   

McDermott stated that this year is one of the worst years for water storage, with storage as low as 4% in the Sanchez Reservoir.  Reservoirs in the Valley were previously used for irrigation purposes, but this year Platoro has decided not to release water for irrigation. 

“These reservoirs are not going to save our irrigators this year; there isn’t enough water in those reservoirs to save them,” he said.  

McDermott stated that aquifers are also going to continue to decline. He referenced a graph from the Rio Grande Water Conservancy District showing water storage levels on the decline since 1976, noting the negative effects and depletion of these levels on an aquifer in an area called Subdistrict 1, where farmers and ranchers grow many different crops including potatoes and alfalfa, stating that farmers are going to have to try to be conservative this year too.  

McDermott also said that May, June, July, and August are predicted to be much warmer months this year.  

McDermott added that forest fires are a major concern for everyone this year. He referenced the Valley’s only hope for some precipitation is rain from a Super El Nino in the forecast.  

He explained that El Nino provides increased moisture whereas La Nina years are dryer. 

“Right now, the indicators are 2 degrees Celsius above normal so that’s why we are calling it a Super El Nino. There is also a likelihood that if these conditions continue, we are going to have abundant rainfall, and abundant snowpack this coming winter,” McDermott said. 

Monte Vista Public Works Director Robert Vance announced that watering have been put into place. The water schedule for the City of Monte Vista is as follows – residents at odd addresses can water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and even numbered addresses can water on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Watering on Sundays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. is currently prohibited.  

For more information on watering restrictions, contact the City of Monte Vista at 719-852-8281.