Castle Rock issues drought advisory, asks residents to cut water use 10%

Castle Rock has asked every Castle Rock Water customer to cut water use by 10%, putting outdoor irrigation on notice as the town tries to protect supplies before dry conditions worsen. The Stage 1 drought advisory took effect May 20 after Town Council approved it May 19.

Town officials said the move was driven by ongoing dry conditions, below-average snowpack, higher temperatures and rising demand. Castle Rock said its storage remains stable, but regional drought conditions have raised the risk to near-term renewable water supply reliability. Recent rain helped some, officials said, but it did not erase the deeper concern tied to a weak winter snowpack and a persistent run of dry weather across the Front Range and the Intermountain West.

The pressure is visible in the numbers. The National Resources Conservation Service reported Colorado snowpack at 17% of median on May 27, a sign that runoff feeding reservoirs and renewable supplies was far below normal for late May. Castle Rock Water serves about 90,000 residents and, in one report, uses more than 3.2 billion gallons of water a year, with only about one-third coming from renewable sources. That mix makes conservation more than a feel-good campaign in Douglas County. It is part of keeping day-to-day supply reliable in a town that continues to grow.

For homeowners, the immediate effect is mostly in the yard. Castle Rock is focusing the advisory on outdoor watering and urging residents to check sprinkler systems for leaks, use cycle-and-soak irrigation, water from dusk to dawn and take advantage of conservation rebates. The town has also tried to reduce friction around brown grass by approving an ordinance that prevents homeowners associations and metro districts from fining residents for dormant lawns during declared droughts. Officials are making clear that a water-wise yard, not a green one, is the priority right now.

Castle Rock is leaning on a conservation record that it says has already paid off. The town reported per-capita water use of 111 gallons per capita per day in 2025, the lowest level in nearly two decades, and a Fresh Water News analysis cited by the Denver Gazette said Castle Rock has reduced water use 12% since 2013. Through the ColoradoScape program, the town said more than 1.5 million square feet of high-water-use turf has been removed since 2009, and Town Council approved a $3.25-per-square-foot rebate for qualifying turf removal in 2026.

That history matters because it shows why officials moved now rather than waiting for a crisis. If dry conditions persist, snowpack stays weak and renewable supplies continue to look vulnerable, Castle Rock could face pressure to move beyond a voluntary advisory. For now, the town is betting that early conservation can keep storage steady, preserve options and avoid mandatory restrictions later.