Aurora City Council to Vote on Possible Water Restrictions

Severe drought conditions may lead to new limits on water usage in the city.

Apr. 5, 2026 at 11:25pm

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The Aurora City Council is set to vote on implementing phase one water restrictions due to an ongoing severe drought that officials say could be worse than the historic 2002 drought. The proposed restrictions would limit outdoor watering to two days per week, prohibit new turf installations, and require water to be served at restaurants only upon request.

Why it matters

The drought conditions in Aurora and the surrounding region have become so dire that city officials are concerned about having enough water supply to meet demand, especially if a major wildfire breaks out as happened in 2002. Implementing water restrictions is a proactive measure to conserve limited resources and mitigate the impact on the community.

The details

Under the proposed phase one water restrictions, Aurora residents would only be allowed to water their lawns and gardens two days per week instead of the usual three. New turf installations would be prohibited, and water features like fountains would need to be turned off. Restaurants would also only be able to serve water upon customer request. The city has two more phases of restrictions they could implement if the drought worsens, including banning private and public pool top-offs and further limiting outdoor watering.

  • The Aurora City Council will vote on the proposed water restrictions on Monday, April 8, 2026.
  • The 2002 drought that the current conditions are being compared to was the worst on record in Colorado at the time, leading to extreme fire risk and water supply issues.

The players

Allison Coombs

Aurora Mayor Pro-Tem and City Council Member who has expressed concerns about the severity of the current drought compared to 2002.

Shonnie Cline

Representative from Aurora Water who has stated the current drought may be worse than 2002 and outlined the proposed water restrictions.

East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District

A water utility serving southeast Aurora and Centennial that has already implemented similar watering restrictions.

Denver Water

The water utility for the city of Denver that has also put water restrictions in place due to the drought.

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What they’re saying

“It looks like we're on record to be even worse than the worst drought we've had in my memory, which was 2002, at which time our whole state was on fire. You would be down here in town, and there'd be ash blowing through the street.”

— Allison Coombs, Aurora Mayor Pro-Tem and City Council Member

“What we are seeing is, this is going to be a lot worse than 2002.”

— Shonnie Cline, Representative, Aurora Water

What’s next

The Aurora City Council will vote on Monday, April 8, 2026 on whether to implement the proposed phase one water restrictions. If approved, the new rules would go into effect immediately.

The takeaway

The severe drought conditions in Aurora and the surrounding region have become so dire that city officials are being forced to take drastic action to conserve the limited water supply. This highlights the growing threat of climate change-driven extreme weather events and the need for proactive measures to ensure water security for communities.