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AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — In May, Aurora will operate under “stage one water availability” and homeowners will be expected to scale back on lawn care.

Monday night, Aurora City Council members voted to pass a new water surcharge plan, modifying its existing plan in an effort to be more equitable toward indoor use versus outdoor use, according to officials.

Officials with the Aurora Water Department said that while some reservoirs like the Colorado and La Plata reservoirs are doing well thanks to snowpack, Aurora gets half of its water from the South Platte Basin which is significantly below average.

When under stage one, property owners should only water laws twice per week. Watering should not occur between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. between May 1 to Sept. 30.

According to the bill draft, the new pending surcharge plan is expected to go into effect in April, and it includes:

Water availability Conditions used by customers (Aurora Water Department)
Water availability conditions used by winter quarter

Aurora officials said water bill assistance plans can be found on its website.

Customers can contact the water conservation staff at 303-739-7195 for information on program qualification guidelines and the next steps.