Effective at 8 a.m. on June 29, Glenwood Springs lifted restrictions on indoor usage. Effective at 12:01 a.m. on June 30, Glenwood Springs lifted restrictions for outdoor watering. The regular odd/even lawn watering schedule is in effect.
UPDATED - 6/30/21 at 8 AM
ESPAÑOL: https://cogs.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=600
Effective at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 29, the City of Glenwood Springs lifted restrictions on indoor usage. Effective at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30, the City of Glenwood Springs lifted restrictions for outdoor watering.
The regular odd/even lawn watering schedule will be in effect with the end of the outdoor watering restrictions. Once increased water restrictions are lifted, watering will only be allowed before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Follow the odd/even watering schedule based on the last digit in your street address. Odd numbered addresses can water on odd days of the month. Even numbered addresses can water on even days of the month.
Please note that some large water users (schools, hotels, hospital, commercial facilities, etc.) may have City-established watering schedules that are different than residential users.
Effective at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 29, the City of Glenwood Springs lifted restrictions on indoor usage only. Restrictions for outdoor watering are anticipated to remain in effect through 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30. Please refrain from exterior water use including lawn watering, washing cars, or filling pools until the 12:01 a.m. time.
The regular odd/even lawn watering schedule will be in effect with the end of the outdoor watering restrictions. Once increased water restrictions are lifted, watering will only be allowed before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Follow the odd/even watering schedule based on the last digit in your street address. Odd numbered addresses can water on odd days of the month. Even numbered addresses can water on even days of the month.
If this timeline changes, an announcement will be made via the City website, City email/text alerts and on the City’s Facebook, Nextdoor, and Twitter pages.
Please note that some large water users (schools, hotels, hospital, commercial facilities, etc.) may have City-established watering schedules that are different than residential users.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the latest status of the water treatment plant?
Our water treatment plant is back to full production capacity thanks to a combination of tireless work from our water plant team, the improved treatment efficiency with the plant upgrades and expertise from our Engineering team at Carollo. All of the water tanks in town are projected to be at full capacity late Tuesday evening and regular water use may resume after 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30.
How have debris/mud flows impacted water infrastructure?
Glenwood Springs water crews continue to monitor weather and learn how to react to fast moving mud flows within the No Name Creek basin. The storms on Saturday and Sunday produced 3 medium size debris flows and one larger flow within the No Name Basin. These flows send muddy water down the creek to the intake, which was the initial cause of the system issues on Saturday. Normal No Name Creek water has a sediment level of around 2-10 NTU, Sundays flows brought water down with levels over 2,500 NTU. NTU stands for nephelometric turbidity units and is a measurement for cloudiness in water.
The City is still in the process of evaluating impacts to the City’s water system from the debris flows, but initial findings indicate that there is no significant damage to water infrastructure, the intakes or treatment mechanisms. The City is also working with State and regional partners to determine next steps to protect the Glenwood Springs watershed.
The realities of a natural disaster mean that conditions will likely change regularly and with limited warning. The City of Glenwood Springs is committed to acting proactively and quickly as our situation evolves to ensure safe water service and a sufficient water supply should it be needed for fire protection efforts.
In total, four debris flows have slid into our watershed following the heavy rain on June 26 and 27, and it is likely that there will be additional debris flow events, so recovery will be an ongoing process.
How did the new upgrades function during the debris flows?
The decisive difference in our ability to produce water at all are the upgrades made at the water treatment plant, at the intakes, and the No Name Tunnel. Without the improvements, which included steel armoring, deflection walks, bank armoring, new water treatment sediment removal mechanisms and filtration upgrades within the plant, we probably would not have been able to produce water at all for a longer duration of time.
To reiterate, these water restrictions were not because of availability of water or our general water supply. These are emergency precautions in response to two massive rain events that caused four separate debris flows to slide into our watershed, slowing down our existing infrastructure.
Here is a breakdown of how some of the upgrades functioned as designed to protect Glenwood Springs’ ability to produce water:
- Bank armoring at the No Name and Grizzly Creek intakes stabilized the earth around the intakes during the heavy rain and slides.
- The automated gate at No Name Tunnel quickly gauged elevated levels of sediment in the intake and closed off the pipe to the Water Treatment Plant, preventing lines from becoming overly inundated with mud.
- The new Water Treatment Plant mechanisms were able to handle extreme levels of sediment in the water system. The turbidity of our water is typically 2-10 NTUs. At the highest recordable levels, the reading within the plant was 800 NTUs and over 2,500 NTU in the Canyon Tanks. All plant systems functioned as per the design, but at this level the plant has to process water slower. Thus watering restricts to keep plant flow and water use close to the same levels.
What are the current fire restrictions with all the rain?
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions remain in effect. Visit www.GlenwoodFire.com to read details about current fire restrictions.
How do I stay informed on important City updates?
- Register to receive Garfield County Dispatch emergency alerts and update your contact information at www.garco911.com.
- Register for email or text alerts from the City of Glenwood Springs at www.cogs.us/NotifyMe.
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UPDATED - 6/28/21 at 8:25 PM
Effective at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 29, the City of Glenwood Springs is lifting restrictions on indoor usage only. Restrictions for outdoor watering are anticipated to remain in effect through 8 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30. No exterior water use including lawn watering, washing cars, or filling pools.
If this timeline changes, an announcement will be made via the City website, City email/text alerts and on the City’s Facebook, Nextdoor, and Twitter pages.
When possible, residents and businesses should consider opportunities to conserve water with shorter showers, reduced bathtub filling, and running dishwashers and washing machines only as necessary.
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UPDATED - 6/27/21 at 6 PM
ESPAÑOL: https://cogs.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=600
Glenwood Springs, Colo. – Due to additional heavy rains, Glenwood Springs water use restrictions have been extended until 8 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. On Saturday, June 26 heavy rains caused debris flows from the Grizzly Creek burn scar and heavy debris into both the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers. The City is evaluating whether the second debris flow from Sunday, June 27 impacted the City’s water system. Glenwood Springs water crews continue to monitor weather, potential effects and work to return to typical production levels.
Interstate 70 has been closed in both directions between mile points 133 (Dotsero) and MP 116 (Main Glenwood Springs Exit) due to a new mudslide in Glenwood Canyon. The eastbound closure point is now MP 87 (Rifle). Motorists are recommended to take the northern detour route. Debris area is estimated to be larger than yesterday's slide. For the latest information on I-70 road closure information, visit cotrip.org or visit the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Twitter Page.
Water Use
“Our ask for residents and businesses remains the same - turn off outdoor watering systems that may be set to run automatically and keep water consumption to a minimum in your household or business, ” said Public Information Officer Bryana Starbuck. “We have extended the water use restrictions due to the additional rain, and we are in the process of evaluating whether the second debris flow further impacted the City’s water system.”
No exterior water use including lawn watering, washing cars, or filling pools. Take shorter showers and please refrain from bathtub filling, running dishwashers, and running washing machines. As a reminder, we need to keep water usage to a minimum until we are able to get our water tanks refilled and excess debris out of our water intakes so the water treatment plant can return to typical production levels.
To reiterate, these water restrictions are not because of availability of water or our general water supply. These are emergency precautions in response to a massive rain event that caused a heavy debris flow on Saturday, June 26 into the city’s water system and slowed down our existing infrastructure.
“Without the upgrades made at the water treatment plant, at the intakes, and the No Name Tunnel we probably would not have been able to produce water at all yet,” said Public Works Director Matt Langhorst. “There is plenty of water coming down the mountain side, it is just so filled with debris that the process of treating the water has slowed. We were impacted significantly, but still able to produce clean water. Thank you for your continued patience.”
Glenwood Springs specifically restricted outdoor water usage because that is where the highest volumes of water are used. Due to outside water use like lawn watering, summer water usage has been about 4.1 million gallons a day. Typical winter water use is approximately 1 million gallons. The water treatment plant is running about half of the normal capacity, we are working to get it back to full capacity and to refill water tanks back to operating levels.
“It is likely that this will not be the last debris flow event in our watershed,” said Glenwood Springs Mayor Jonathan Godes. “The Grizzly Creek Fire left us with a large burn scar right above two of our three water sources. This is why the City of Glenwood Springs completed emergency improvements over the winter and why we continue to plan for other improvements to our water system resiliency and redundancy, like the new Cardiff water tank and the Red Mountain project. We are lucky to have such a dedicated staff that continues to work to keep our water and water levels safe.”
Glenwood Springs teams continue to work diligently get the water plant back up and monitor developing weather conditions. Special thank yous to City of Glenwood Springs water treatment staff, Eric Hale, Jose Diaz, Warren Hays, Mike Hoffman, Justin Ziegler, and Kathleen Knight as well as Leanne Miller from Carollo Engineering.
Emergency Alerts
Please register to receive Garfield County Dispatch emergency alerts and update your contact information at www.garco911.com to ensure you receive critical notifications. To receive important news and updates from the City of Glenwood Springs, register for email or text alerts at www.cogs.us/NotifyMe.
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Glenwood Springs, Colo. – The City of Glenwood Springs has issued increased water restrictions for the entire day on June 27, 2021 until 8 a.m. on June 28, 2021 following heavy rains which caused debris flows from the Grizzly Creek burn scar and heavy debris into both the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers. Keep water consumption to a minimum in your household or business. No exterior water use including lawn watering, washing cars, and filling pools. Take shorter showers and please refrain from bathtub filling, running dishwashers, and washing machines.
“What we need right now is for everyone to keep water usage to a minimum until we are able to get our water tanks refilled and excess debris out of our water intakes so the water treatment plant can return to typical production levels,” said Public Works Director Matt Langhorst. “For the most part, a starting point would be to use water like it is wintertime. Many of the water uses that take up the most water are outdoor watering activities. From there, consider opportunities to minimize business and residential water use.”
City staff has been working through the night along with the engineers that designed the water treatment plant improvements to get the water plant back up. The plant is currently running about half of the normal capacity, we expect it to be back to full capacity in eight hours, and for water tanks to be back to operating levels by 8 a.m. on Monday morning. Due to outside water use like lawn watering, summer water usage has been about 4.1 million gallons a day. Typical winter water use is approximately 1 million gallons.
Debris Flow
While the water plant and infrastructure did perform as designed during the debris flow, a large debris flow slid into No Name Creek up from our intake and has partially diverted the creek from its natural path. Debris flow damage, potential issues and repair plans are being evaluated.
“For a sense of how much debris we’re clearing, we currently have a turbidity reading of 500-600 within the plant, but yesterday we had a reading over 2,600 at the intake tunnel. A typical reading for our water source is less than 2,” said Langhorst. “The water arriving at your tap is still safe to use, but we need everyone to be patient and mindful today while we get back to normal.”
Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality.
These restrictions will be reviewed daily and if any changes can be made information will be put out to the public with those updates.
Emergency Alerts
A reverse 9-1-1 call was sent to Glenwood Springs residents at approximately 5:30 a.m. Please register to receive emergency alerts and update your contact information at www.garco911.com to ensure you receive critical notifications.
“We want to thank everyone for your patience and apologize for the inconvenience and early morning alert. This was a necessary, emergency action because outdoor water use continued through the night despite requests to temporarily suspend outdoor watering and irrigation use was drawing down the water storage at a rapid pace,” said Public Information Officer Bryana Starbuck. “We need to maintain a certain level of storage in the tanks to be sure we’re prepared to respond to fire emergencies and have sufficient water for indoor use.”
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