Home Care In Aurora, CO

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was corrected to reflect that the city’s total water storage is at 51% capacity.

AURORA | City officials are contemplating consequences for its largest water consumer, Niagara Bottling, which has not yet reduced its consumption despite drought restrictions imposed citywide requiring a 20% reduction in use.

While the bottling plant has not yet violated the drought restrictions, the facility is on track to use more water than its annual allocation unless consumption slows down, according to Shonnie Cline, director of internal and external affairs for Aurora Water.

Aurora Water officials met with the city council in a closed meeting on Monday to discuss next steps.

Cline said the city is working with Niagara to address the issue, but she couldn’t provide many details because the conversation took place in a council executive session, which is closed to the public. Cline said time is of the essence to address the water use.

“The overall goal was just to get them to reduce their usage under our really significant drought issues,” Cline said of the meeting. “The simple fact of the matter is that they have not gone over that reduced allocation, but they also haven’t changed the way that they’ve done production. So their production has continued on like it’s a normal year.”

9News reports that Niagara is allocated by the city’s water department 178 million gallons per year, but Cline said the plant typically uses more than the allocation and last year used about 200 million gallons of water. Cline said she alerted Niagara in April that its annual allocation would have to be reduced because of drought conditions.

A spokesperson for Niagara Bottling said in a statement that the company shares the goal of water conservation and has already installed an in-plant recovery system that’s expected to save approximately 8 million-10 million gallons of water in 2026 and about 20 million gallons annually thereafter.

“We understand that every responsible member of the community has a role to play when water supplies are under pressure and Niagara is willing to do its part to reduce water consumption during drought conditions,” the statement says.

The company says it will continue to work with Aurora Water to reduce its consumption, including through “turf replacement and other permanent water-efficiency initiatives.” It expects the combined efforts will cut use by 60 million gallons in 2027.

The philanthropic arm of the company also works with Colorado Water Trust to restore water to the Colorado River, according to the statement.

If Niagara does use more water than it has been allocated, then the city may impose consequences, so far undefined.

“We’re kind of in uncharted territory here,” Cline said. “We’ve never been in a position where we’ve had to ask a company like Niagara to cut back.”

Cline said company leadership is actively engaged in conversations about adjusting water usage, but noted that reducing water consumption is a more complex request for a business with a set production schedule.

“They have certainly been trying to identify solutions,” Cline said. “They told us that they set their production schedule in October of the previous year. Obviously, in October of the previous year, we didn’t know what was going to happen over the winter, so we couldn’t give them the heads up.”

For large commercial and industrial water users, the required reduction is calculated from the annual allocation, not from the previous year’s water use. Restrictions for non-recoverable water users do not dictate exactly when or how those reductions must occur.

In May, city council members imposed restrictions on residents that called for immediate reductions of water use.

In non-drought years, there’s no penalty for businesses like Niagara using more than their allocation, the user just pays for the extra water. However, in drought conditions, going over the allocation is much more serious and can cause trickle-down effects because the system is not able to naturally replenish its storage.

“??It’s not that we’re targeting Niagara — it’s just that we have got to do what we can to ensure that we keep as much water in our reservoirs, in the event that we do not end up with the snowfall that we need over the winter,” Cline said.

Cline said the extreme heat of this year is leading to more water lost to evaporation, adding that rain is only helpful if it occurs where it can be captured, like over a reservoir.

Currently, the city’s total water storage is at 51% storage, which is significantly lower than the typical rate this time of year of about 80%.

“We expect it to take us every bit of three to five years to recover our storage, and that’s if we have continually good winters,” Cline said.

So far, Aurora Water says the city is doing a good job reducing its water use, with total demand for the year, including indoor use, down 8%, while outdoor irrigation is down 20%. Stage 1 drought restrictions call for a 20% reduction on outdoor irrigation.

So far this year, Aurora Water has issued 2,429 overuse warnings, but it has issued only 201 violations totaling $73,625 in fines, according to Kirby Shedlowski, manager of public relations. No residential accounts have gotten a third violation, which comes with a larger fine. For persistent violations, the city can shut off a property’s water.

Cline said the city’s aggressive enforcement of drought restrictions and its advanced metering infrastructure have helped the city keep a handle on water usage. However, Cline said the situation is extremely dire, and she worries that the economic impacts could expand if the drought worsens.

“(Stage 2 drought restrictions) will mean there will be mass die-off of landscape, and it also starts to impact other businesses, including car washes,” she said. “So the economic impacts are not insignificant when we go to Stage 2. Unfortunately, when we’re in this mega historic drought, we’re left with a series of bad options.”

The city is doing everything it can to avoid moving to Stage 2 restrictions because of the economic impacts, Cline s

The Great Lawn renovation is scheduled to be completed by late August and reopen in October.

AURORA | Aurora residents might be forced to restrict their outdoor watering use beginning in April because of dire drought conditions facing the city and state. Aurora Water officials requested on March 25 that Aurora City Council approve a two-day per week watering schedule for residents city-wide. Council members are…

Aurora voters will decide in the Nov. 3 election whether to move municipal elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years.

The Aurora City Council referred Ballot Question 3D to the ballot in late July by a 6-2 vote. It would affect elections for offices including the mayor and members of the council.

Here’s a quick look at what would happen if voters pass the measure.

What would Question 3D do if passed?

The measure would move Aurora’s elections in a staggered fashion from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years. The first even-numbered municipal election would take place in 2030.

To make the transition, candidates running for a council seat and council members running for reelection in 2027 would serve three-year terms instead of a normal four-year term. Likewise, candidates and council members running in 2029 would serve three-year terms, with the next election occurring in 2032. At that point, four-year terms would resume for everyone.

What would be the cost?

The city doesn’t specify a cost for the election cycle change but notes that even-year elections are more expensive to run than odd-numbered elections. That’s because coordinating such an election with Arapahoe County, which takes in a large portion of Aurora, requires additional infrastructure, particularly more voter service and polling centers, raising the city’s share of election costs.

For example, the 2024 election cost Aurora $121,286 for one ballot question. In 2025, Aurora paid $71,903 to have five council seats and five ballot questions on that year’s ballot, according to city data.

What do supporters say?

Supporters of Ballot Question 3D say voter turnout in even-year elections, including midterms and presidential elections, is appreciably higher than in odd-year contests when less is on the ballot. Changing election years in Aurora would result in more people casting a ballot, bolstering participation and strengthening local democracy.

What do opponents say?

Aside from cost, opponents of the measure say that by including Aurora candidates and ballot issues at the end of what are typically lengthy even-year ballots, voters will burn out before they get to the bottom of the ballot.

For example, this fall’s ballot will feature 14 statewide ballot measures, along with a number of federal, state and local-level candidates, ahead of any Aurora municipal candidates or issues that might appear on the ballot if the change were adopted.

There is also a fear that having to campaign in a busier election season will be more expensive for any candidate hoping to get their message out.

The former RK Industries headquarters in Denver has sold for $16.78 million, clearing the way for a 329-unit apartment development.

Multifamily developer The Garrett Cos. bought the property at 3800 Xanthia St., according to a warranty deed filed with the city Friday. The developer plans to build the apartment community on about 10 acres in the first phase. Construction is expected to begin later this year, with completion slated for the fourth quarter of 2027.

The Garrett Cos. also plans a second phase on about 5 acres of the property.

Eric Roth and Martin Roth of CBRE represented the seller, RK Industries, which specializes in construction, manufacturing, fabrication and facility services.

“Located in the heart of the Central Park master planned community, the RK Industries ownership had the foresight to realize that the site’s redevelopment potential supported other uses that would enhance the neighborhood,” said Eric Roth, an executive vice president with CBRE, in a Monday announcement about the sale.

“The Class A apartments will blend seamlessly with the surrounding residential development.”

Founded in 2014, The Garrett Cos. has developed dozens of housing projects across several states. Its Colorado projects under construction include The Gallery, a 260-unit apartment community in Aurora; Garrett Baseline, a 363-unit apartment community in Broomfield; and Garrett Parker, a 192-unit apartment community in Parker.

The company also has plans to demolish a vacant office property in Centennial and replace it with 368 multifamily units across 14 buildings.

The sale follows RK’s expansion into Aurora and the relocation of its headquarters to 3301 Lewiston St. The company announced the move late last year to the 154,488-square-foot facility.

“Relocating our headquarters to Aurora isn’t just about expanding our footprint in Colorado, it’s about expanding opportunity,” said RK Industries Chief Operating Officer Jon Kinning.

“We’re projecting to create over 1,700 good-paying jobs over the next eight years, investing heavily in workforce training, and strengthening the communities where our employees live and work.”

The move to bring RK to Aurora was supported by $24.4 million in tax incentives aimed at keeping the company’s expansion in Colorado.

It’s been six weeks since local and state health officials trying to investigate a case of tuberculosis at the immigration detention facility in Aurora last heard from the GEO Group, the private contractor operating the center for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

That’s despite repeated, ongoing efforts from local investigators to learn more about how many people were exposed to the potentially fatal infectious disease in the crowded facility and where those people are now.

But, authorities are also unlikely at this time to take further legal action to compel GEO to cooperate with the investigation, despite an existing Adams County public health order requiring the facility’s compliance. Kelly Weidenbach, executive director of the Adams County Health Department, said any new legal effort would likely get sucked into an ongoing federal lawsuit in which GEO is challenging the state’s authority to conduct health and safety inspections at the facility.

“We have received advice from our counsel that it is likely a situation where the court would stay our motion until that litigation is resolved,” Weidenbach said during a virtual town hall meeting that the department hosted Friday. “So that is a limitation on our side at this moment.”

The consequence is that, two months after a single case of active tuberculosis was confirmed at the facility, state and local public health officials are in an extraordinary standoff.

Tuberculosis, a bacterial disease that spreads through the air, is considered such a serious public health risk that there are laws in state statute specifically related to controlling it. As Weidenbach said Friday, the law makes clear that “investigation is not optional.”

But because of GEO’s unwillingness to cooperate with the investigation, Adams County chief medical officer Dr. Wendy Bamberg said officials do not know the current location of the person who tested positive; whether that person is receiving treatment or continuing to expose others; how many other detainees may have been exposed and where they currently are; or whether any employees and contractors were exposed and may have carried the disease with them outside the facility.

“We need to identify who is exposed so that we can make sure that those individuals are tested appropriately, and if needed, those people are treated,” Bamberg said. “Even if there is no active infectious case of tuberculosis within the facility, we still need to be able to follow the people who are exposed because those people may not be at that facility now.”

Tuberculosis typically requires prolonged exposure to someone who is actively sick to spread. But, for those who are infected, it can lie dormant for months or years before turning into an active infection.

In various statements to reporters, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the infected detainee had been “treated, cleared, and removed from the country” and that there were no other active or suspected cases of tuberculosis found at the facility.

Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the deputy chief medical officer at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said the state has exchanged “correspondence” with federal officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE.

Herlihy said the feds “have indicated to us that they have implemented some disease control strategies, including some type of contact investigation.” But Herlihy said the information was “very high level” and lacked the specifics local authorities need to truly understand what is going on.

“This is a uniquely frustrating experience and a uniquely challenging set of circumstances,” Herlihy said. “I would say that it is unusual for us to not be able to gain cooperation with a private entity, and I would say even historically in our relationship with GEO, we’ve had years of collaboration and cooperation leading up to this.”

As recently as January, Adams County public health officials were able to conduct inspections at the GEO facility, Weidenbach said. One thing that’s changed since then is that state lawmakers passed a bill strengthening local authority to conduct health and safety investigations in immigration detention facilities.

GEO sued the state and the Adams County Health Department, seeking to strike down the law. A federal judge last week heard arguments over whether to temporarily block the law. The judge has not indicated when he might rule on a temporary injunction.

To local officials, the longer the standoff goes on, the greater the risk of a public health scare turning into a crisis.

“If we don’t know about what’s happening within the facility, then we can’t help manage that situation and provide advice to that facility,” Bamberg said. “But we also don’t necessarily know what’s happening in our community.”

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Aurora Water doesn’t much care which two days in a week you water your lawn, amid this historic drought.

But if your irrigation system starts up on a third day in the same week, the water world equivalent of a Flock camera is watching. The “smart” meters on every Aurora property automatically sense a spike in water use, and alert Aurora Water to confirm the violation and send out a warning or fine.

With updates at 15-minute intervals, the meters also detect irrigation watering during hot daytime hours when that’s against the rules.

The water surveillance, which Aurora Water officials acknowledge many of their customers might not realize exists, is one key to Colorado’s third-largest city so far achieving its water-saving goals in a year with record-low snowpack and abysmal streamflows into mountain reservoirs. Aurora says its 400,000 residents are using 27% less lawn water than in 2025, and managed a 9% cut from combined indoor and outdoor use.

Maintaining or even improving those savings is crucial as Aurora Water’s reservoir system sits at 49% full at a time when it should be above 80%.

Denver Water, meanwhile, has seen only about a 5% cut of water use compared with its previous five-year average among 1.5 million city and suburban customers. When Denver Water enacted twice-a-week watering restrictions in the spring, it set a target of a 20% cut from five-year average use.

Denver’s customers are doing better when using Aurora’s comparison with 2025 only, Denver officials said.

“Versus 2025, total water use is currently down about 7% and outdoor use is down about 16%,” said Travis Thompson, Denver Water communications manager.

The state’s largest water agency says it is encouraged by other statistics showing customers are using 21% less lawn water than they would have expected in the run of 95- to 100-degree days the Front Range experienced in July. In a summer that sits in the top 1% hottest and driest on record, the agency says, that’s a laudable savings mark.

One difference: Aurora Water spent millions of dollars in capital getting smart meters on every customer tap, while Denver Water chose to spend more of its capital speeding up replacement of aging, dangerous lead water delivery lines. Denver’s enforcement of drought restrictions to date has relied on thousands of neighbor complaints about properties watering more than twice a week, during restricted daytime hours or other violations.

“We have a far bigger tool than they have for being able to detect when people are using water irrigation water when they’re not supposed to,” said Shonnie Cline, Aurora Water’s deputy director of water internal and external relations.

Watchdog groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union in the past have raised questions about privacy invasions from smart home devices, including electric and water meters monitored by utilities. Especially by combining information from multiple meters, hackers or other bad actors could watch patterns and learn when people are home or away, are cooking, taking showers or other personal habits.

Cline said a better analogy than a controversial Flock camera is to see a smart water meter as a personal fitness tracker. “It gives you data and you are able to identify patterns that can improve your overall health if you make changes,” Cline said.

Aurora points out the smart meters for every customer work both ways, as a protection from leaks and potential property damage. Customers are able to log on and track their own use at the same time the city sees it, and could recognize a home leak while away on vacation, for example. During droughts, the meters will be one key to helping maintain reservoir storage for the benefit of the whole community, Cline said.

“There is a definite footprint that goes along with the data that indicates irrigation is taking place,” Cline said. “We have that pretty locked in where we can see when somebody’s irrigating, and so that’s why it’s interesting, because even when we send a warning, people are like, ‘But I didn’t!’ And then we’ll show them the data, and they’re like, ‘OK, I can’t argue with you, right?’ “

Denver Water, while enjoying higher water storage rates at its mountain reservoirs that have seen better snowpack, is not satisfied with customer savings rates and is now shifting somewhat from “education” to “enforcement” mode.

Denver had sent out nearly 3,600 warning letters but only five fines by the beginning of August. Fines will ramp up now that customers know what the rules are and Denver Water knows more about where the problem customers are, officials said.

Aurora Water, by contrast, has issued 234 fines after sending out more than 2,500 warning letters, including 10 of the highest $2,000 fines to businesses and large irrigation consumers. Only three customers were issued a second fine at the $250 residential level, Aurora Water said, and none had been issued a third fine. Aurora’s fines total more than $70,000.

Now that Denver Water has weeks of data on actual water use during drought restrictions, the agency can focus its communications on suburban areas with bigger lawns that haven’t cut back, said Greg Fisher, the utility’s manager of demand planning. Some of those suburban customers have no idea it’s Denver Water that collects their mountain runoff and delivers it to their local water utilities.

With only 5,000 advanced meters installed for 250,000 taps, Fisher said, word of mouth enforcement confirmed by onsite visits from Denver Water employees will continue to be the standard for warnings and fines.

“We continue to rely on, and I think it’s a pretty inventive idea, of letting our customers report water waste violations,” he said. “Even with the water people out on the street, we can’t be everywhere. So giving our customers the ability to report has been pretty powerful and I think effective for us.”

Denver Water officials do not anticipate asking their board this season to approve the next drought stage that would take lawn watering down to one day a week and add other restrictions. Denver Water would have to change its rate structure again to charge more for lawn watering that does occur to make up for loss of revenue from restrictions.

Plus, the utility thinks it’s a longer-term challenge to convince customers to change habits and stay “on board” with drought restrictions in the middle of what could be a multiyear crisis, Fisher said.

“We have a long game,” Fisher said. “This thing’s going to last a minimum of 12 more months, in my opinion, save for some sort of record-breaking snowfall this winter. So we’re in it for the long haul. I think we need to continue to up the message as we see conditions change. But at the same time, we really need to support our customers and have them stick with us for that extended period.”

People are capable of change, Denver Water officials said. The last drought this severe for Front Range customers was 2002.

“Our customers are using 100 million gallons less per day this year than they did in 2002, which is just stunning,” Fisher said. “And that translates to being actually 14% higher in our reservoir storage now than we were in 2002, because of our customers’ efficiency efforts over the last quarter century. We’re feeling really good about that. And that’s with significantly more population. … 200 to 250,000 more people.”

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.