Drought has been on everyone’s mind and we have been eagerly awaiting water restriction announcements from the water districts. As of today, major water providers in Northern Colorado are not yet under mandatory drought restrictions but this will likely change in the coming weeks.
Most of Northern Colorado is currently in a “voluntary conservation” or “drought watch” status with plans to make announcements as more snowpack/runoff data becomes available. Every water district will have it’s own unique guidelines so we have put together the following resource and will update it as we learn more.
Most Front Range districts follow a very similar 4-stage drought framework (usually with a “Drought Watch” before Stage 1).
🟢 Drought Watch |
🟡 Stage 1 |
🟠 Stage 2 |
🔴 Stage 3 |
|
Voluntary Conservation
Most systems perform normally, but inefficiency increases costs. |
Moderate Restrictions
Inefficient systems waste water and raise bills. |
Severe Restrictions
Poor systems stop performing and create dry spots. |
Critical Emergency
Irrigation systems largely unusable. |
| Water Provider / District | Service Area | Current Status | Irrigation Restrictions |
| City of Fort Collins Utilities | Fort Collins | 🟢 Drought Watch | Recommended: ≤3 days/week, no watering 10am–6pm, delay system startup until May |
| Fort Collins–Loveland Water District (FCLWD) | Fort Collins outskirts, Loveland, Timnath | 🟢 Drought Watch | Recommend ≤3 days/week watering, no mandatory restrictions |
| City of Loveland Utilities | Loveland | 🟢 Drought Watch | Similar to Fort Collins—encouraged conservation, no formal restrictions yet |
| Town of Windsor Utilities | Windsor | 🟢 Drought Watch | Usually follows 2–3 day/week schedules during drought years (varies annually) |
| City of Greeley Water & Sewer | Greeley | 🟢 Drought Watch | Max 3 days/week (even/odd schedule), no watering 10am–6pm |
| Town of Timnath (served by districts) | Timnath | 🟢 Drought Watch | Follows FCLWD / ELCO / NWCWD rules depending on location |
| East Larimer County Water District (ELCO) | Rural Larimer County, NE Fort Collins | 🟢 Drought Watch | Encourages reduced watering; restrictions depend on drought conditions (no fixed schedule most years) |
| North Weld County Water District (NWCWD) | Windsor, Severance, N. Greeley | 🟢 Drought Watch | Recommends 2–3 day/week watering schedules during peak season |
| Town of Johnstown | Johnstown | 🟢 Drought Watch | 4/20/2026 – prohibits watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., with specific days for residential addresses until October 15, 2026. Even Addresses: Mondays/Thursdays. Odd Addresses: Tuesdays/Fridays. |
| Little Thompson Water District | Berthoud, Johnstown, Mead, Milliken | 🟢 Drought Watch | Mandatory Restrictions Not in Place |