GILPIN COUNTY — "Water Conservation and Rainwater Collection in the Mountains" was the title of a workshop that Gilpin County CSU Extension Agent Jennifer Cook led on June 13, 2026, in the Gilpin Exhibit Barn. The workshop provided tips on how to reduce water consumption on ordinary activities and how to build a rainwater system for outdoor watering.

Cook began her presentation by showing with graphs the severity of the current drought affecting Gilpin County and the Western United States. The area is considered semi-arid and the low snowpack is having repercussions in a number of ways.

Cook said that Denver Water has notified Gilpin County government that their yearly water allocation has been reduced this year by 50% which means less water for dust suppression and maintaining the Pete Gones ballfields.

Even with substantial moisture since the start of May, the county remains in a D3 Abnormal Drought condition and with a Stage 1 Fire Ban. Warmer temperatures will result in earlier snowmelts of dwindling runoffs.

The first major point that Cook highlighted was to shift from thinking of water less as a resource to thinking about it more as a gift.

Most rural residents in the county have water wells and Cook described how to know if a well is running dry and how to reduce consumption during dry times.

Warning signs of a dry well include: 1) well pump is cycling on and off frequently or is running a long time before shutting off; 2) Pressure gauge on the storage tank fluctuates more often; 3) sudden drop in water pressure; 4) frequent water outages and/or surges; 5) air bubbles come out of the faucets; 6)  water runs out after heavy usage; 7) water is suddenly cloudy; or 8) neighbors are also experiencing problems with their private wells.

One of the most common ways to prevent the overuse of a private well is to space out water-intensive activities like showers or running the dishwasher. Give the well time to recover after doing a load of laundry or taking a shower.

Run a washing machine or a dishwasher only when they are fully loaded. Also avoid using the pre-wash cycle on automatic dishwashers.

Cook showed a graph of personal hygiene changes that can result in reduced water consumption. These practices can also be used in homes on municipal water because reservoirs can run dry.

The obvious one is to take a shorter shower or turn off the water when soaping up. Cook put out a challenge of five minutes to complete a shower. Installing a low flow shower head can reduce water consumption from 3-8 gallons per minute to 2.5.

The practice of leaving the water running when brushing teeth can be replaced by turning it on to wet the brushes or rinsing. This could reduce water consumption from 2-5 gallons per minute to 1/4-1/5 gallon.

Washing hands is another practice that can be switched from letting water flow freely to having it on only when soaping or rinsing.

Old toilets that use multiple gallons per flush need to be replaced with newer toilets that are designed for one gallon per flush. If it is suspected that the tank is leaking, try putting food dye in the tank and see if it shows up in the bowl. If it does, then replace the toilet.

Automatic car washes are considered less water-intensive than using a house hose because the car wash operation reuses the water.

The second part of the workshop was a discussion of how to build rainwater collection systems for outdoor watering. Collecting and using rainwater in barrels has been allowed since 2016.

Residents can collect at any one time up to 110 gallons (two 55-gallon barrels) of rainwater to be used for outdoor purposes. There are also commercial rainwater systems available that can be purchased and installed.

The hitch with collecting rainwater is that there needs to be a gutter system that collects water from the roof and directs it to the rain barrels.

For more information about water conservation methods or rainwater collection systems, contact Jennifer Cook at 303-582-9106 or Jennifer.Cook@colostate.edu. The CSU Extension Service website for Gilpin is at extension.colostate.edu/Gilpin. The CSU Extension Service also has an online pamphlet about water conservation. Use the search term: Water Conservation In and Around the Home – CSU.