Drought and Freeze: Colorado Town Facing Severe Water Shortage

A small Colorado town currently does not have enough water to meet the needs of the community.

Low Water Levels In Empire

The town of Empire, located near Idaho Springs just off of Interstate 70 gets its water from Mudd Creek, but the levels are currently too low, which means residents either have no water in their homes or very low water pressure. The water treatment system has not been able to produce enough water to meet demand.

Police Chief John Stein told 9 News the water shortage is the result of a combination of drought and freezing temperatures which have frozen a lot of the water flow further up the creek. A news release from the town of Empire said they have "a leak in the distribution which is resulting in a significant loss of pressure in the drinking water system." The release indicates recent work on the system is partly to blame.

Boil Order Issued In Empire

The town has issued a boil water order, which means any water that does come through the town's water treatment system needs to be boiled before drinking it. The boil order indicates that water main breaks resulting in loss of system pressure can introduce disease-causing organisms into the system.

Water Being Made Available To Empire Residents

The good news is that residents of Empire are being given the opportunity to fill containers of water from a tanker parked at Theobold Park. A limited supply of 5-gallon buckets has been made available to residents. Meanwhile,  Safeway and Kroger have both donated drinking water, which was available to residents at the Town Hall. Meanwhile, the Clear Creek Rec Center in Idaho Springs was allowing Empire residents to use its shower facilities during the duration of the water shortage.

While the folks in Empire deal with this water shortage, the community is coming together to make sure that everyone can have access to much-needed water and get through this difficult time.

Water is A Precious Commodity

Water for drinking and washing is a precious commodity we tend to take for granted - until we don't have it. It always feels like we have a never-ending supply. The water shortage in Empire reminds us how fortunate we are to have our faucets flowing freely in our homes with plenty of water to meet our daily needs.