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Town warns of imminent ditch cuts tied to Cameo call; meter upgrades and outreach planned
Summary
Water staff told the board the Cameo call on the Colorado River could trigger substantial reductions to local ditch deliveries (Carbondale Ditch ~33%; Bowles and Holland ~50%); the town is replacing meters (budget ~$350,000) and preparing outreach and supplemental supply plans.
Scott, speaking for town water operations, briefed the board on near‑term water system risks tied to the Cameo call and described the meter replacement program and outreach plans.
Scott said the historic‑user pool that has historically provided a backstop may be exhausted; if the pool is unavailable, local ditches will be shifted to senior‑priority settings and the town anticipates reductions — "the Carbondale Ditch will be cut down by about 33% ... Bowles and Holland will be down to 0.5, and the Weaver Ditch will be down to 0.5," he said. He estimated formal notice could arrive within one to two weeks and urged residents to be prepared. Scott also described operational challenges this summer — increased algae growth in ditches and staffing constraints — and said the town has budgeted approximately $350,000 for water‑meter replacements (about $270,000 spent to date and roughly 400 meters deployed of ~2,760 total).
Board members asked about enforcement and use of telemetry data; Scott said telemetry would provide more frequent data and could help identify heavy users, but enforcement details had not been fully developed. Staff said they will continue outreach via local media and meter data rollouts and are drafting a supplemental water supply plan.
