Cortez golf course braces for deep irrigation cuts amid drought

The first big cut in Cortez water use was not aimed at back yards or farm fields. It hit Conquistador Golf Course, where irrigation supplies dropped from 4 acre-feet per share to 1.5 acre-feet per share, a 62% reduction that showed how quickly drought triage is moving through Southwest Colorado.

That reduction matters beyond the fairways. Conquistador is not just a recreation amenity; it is also a revenue stream for the city. Council member Bill Lewis, who sits on the Golf Course Advisory Board, said the current allocation would probably last only until the end of June, a deadline that underscores how little cushion remains if dry weather continues. The course hosted an April 11 tournament with more than 100 players, and its income had already reached $28,226 this year, topping the $24,720 it brought in last year.

Course managers said they planned to follow the same conservation practices the city is asking residents to follow, including watering at night and limiting runoff. City officials also were considering using some potable water for irrigation, changing watering frequency and shifting parks and recreation water resources to higher-priority areas, including the golf course, but they did not intend to move ahead until actual water availability forced the decision.

The pressure extends well beyond the course. Cortez and Montezuma County were already classified as being in extreme drought, the second-worst category on the U.S. Drought Monitor. March brought just 0.08 inches of precipitation, or 9% of normal, along with 0.7 inches of snow, only 14% of the monthly average. That kind of shortage is why the city began voluntary watering restrictions April 1, advising residents to avoid watering lawns between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and to limit watering to designated days.

Mandatory restrictions begin May 15 and run through Sept. 15, prohibiting yard watering from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents who violate the ordinance risk having water disconnected. Cortez officials have said they are working with Dolores, Mancos, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Montezuma County on outreach and educational materials, while the city’s Turf Replacement Program pays part of the cost of converting lawns to low-water landscaping.

The larger supply picture is just as stark. The Dolores Water Conservancy District said McPhee Reservoir was expected to be “pathetically low” this summer, with junior water rights holders possibly getting only about 15% of normal allocation. The district said the Dolores Project has seen nine shortage years since 2000. On April 17, the Bureau of Reclamation said Colorado River system storage stood at about 36% of capacity, another sign that the cuts hitting a Cortez golf course are part of a regional squeeze that will reach deeper into public spaces, lawns and irrigation systems if the drought keeps tightening.