- Population (2020)
- 2,636
- Water cut
- August 13, 2026
Restricted
Monument Creek ran dry in June 2026, and on August 13 the town declared a Stage 1 water emergency with mandatory limits.
Sources: Town of Palmer LakeKRDOColorado PoliticsOur Community News
PEOPLE / PLACES
Communities facing water cuts
Across the Southwest the big reservoirs are draining, and our sister site, Colorado River Monitor, watches them fall day by day. This site is about what happens next: the towns where the taps have already run dry, or that have been told the date. Every dot on the map is a real place, a real date, and the news reports or official notices that prove it.
The reservoirs of the Southwest are draining, and Colorado River Monitor shows that day by day. This site shows the consequence: the towns and communities whose water has already stopped, or that have been told when it will. Every place on the map is a dated event with the sources that document it.
- people in affected communities
- 217,274
- communities tracked
- 23
- most recent event, August 13, 2026
- Palmer Lake
What happened
- Cut off · A supplier stopped delivering the water the community depended on.
- Ran dry · The community's own wells, intake or reservoir failed.
- Restricted · An authority declared a water emergency with mandatory rationing or a counted supply of days.
- At risk · An official body has published when, or under what conditions, the community loses its supply.
- Excluded · Never connected to a piped supply, documented by a dated official finding.
- Restored · A permanent fix was completed; hidden from the default view, shown under “Restored since” or “Everything, restored included”.
23 of 38 communities
- Population (2020)
- 1,242
- Water cut
- June 25, 2026
Ran dry
Its over-pumped wells far short of demand, Estancia declared a water emergency on June 25, 2026 and trucks water in.
Sources: Town of EstanciaMountainair DispatchInside Climate NewsNew Mexico Political Report
- Population (2020)
- 855
- Water cut
- June 18, 2026
Restricted
A neighbour's deepened irrigation well drew down the town's wells in June 2026; a mandatory watering ban followed.
Sources: Town of Apple Valley (via Utah Public Notice Website)The Salt Lake TribuneKUTVSt. George News
- Population (2020)
- 3,049
- Water cut
- March 13, 2026
Ran dry
A broken main lost 9 million gallons on March 13, 2026, leaving Walsenburg without running water for nearly six days.
Sources: The Gazette (Colorado Springs)Rocky Mountain PBSKKTV
- Population (2020)
- 1,127
- Water cut
- July 11, 2024
Restricted
A well pump burned out in a July 2024 heat wave, and the twin cities banned all outdoor watering to protect supply.
Sources: Hildale-Colorado City UtilityFOX 13 Salt Lake CityKUTV
- Population (2020)
- 13,166
- Water cut
- June 21, 2024
Restricted
A June 2024 flood off the burn scar fouled every water source, leaving the city a day and a half of drinking water.
Sources: City of Las Vegas, New MexicoNPR (via WAMC)New Mexico Environment Department (via nmlegis.gov)Office of the Governor of New MexicoSanta Fe New Mexican (via Yahoo News)
- Population (2020)
- 165,158
- Finding
- June 22, 2023
Excluded
About 30 percent of homes lack running water; in 2023 the Supreme Court held the United States owed no duty to fix it.
Sources: Supreme Court of the United StatesU.S. Senate Committee on Indian AffairsNavajo Nation Department of JusticePBS NewsHour (AP)
No photograph available
Tooleville
California · Tulare County
- Population (2020)
- 286
- Water cut
- July 15, 2022
Ran dry
Tooleville's two wells lost production as groundwater fell, and on July 15, 2022 the town went onto hauled water.
Sources: State Water Resources Control BoardSJV WaterKVPRThe Sun-Gazette
No photograph available
East Orosi
California · Tulare County
- Population (2020)
- 423
- Water cut
- July 12, 2022
Ran dry
On July 12, 2022 the east well's pump failed in triple-digit heat and the community lost water for most of a day.
Sources: California State Water Resources Control BoardLos Angeles Times (reprint hosted by Self-Help Enterprises)KVPRTulare County Resource Management Agency (via CEQAnet)
- Population (2020)
- 5,383
- Water cut
- July 8, 2022
Restricted
Falcon Lake fell to about 10 percent of capacity in July 2022, and customers went under Stage III restrictions.
No photograph available
Seville
California · Tulare County
- Population (2020)
- 446
- Water cut
- July 2022
Restricted
Falling groundwater halved the district's well output in July 2022; outdoor watering was banned and water was hauled in.
Sources: Yettem-Seville Community Services District (via CEQAnet)SJV WaterABC30 FresnoValley Voice
- Population (2020)
- 8,221
- Water cut
- March 3, 2022
Ran dry
A main break on March 3, 2022 emptied a system already short of supply, leaving Rawlins and Sinclair without water.
Sources: City of RawlinsRawlins Times (via wyomingnews.com)WyoFile
- Population (2020)
- 374
- Water cut
- March 3, 2022
Cut off
Sinclair takes its water from the Rawlins system and lost pressure with it when that system emptied on March 3, 2022.
Sources: City of RawlinsWyoFileSweetwaterNOW
- Population (2020)
- 1,242
- Announced
- October 2021
At risk
With its State Water Project allocation cut to 5 percent, the town warned in October 2021 it would run out by December.
Sources: Mojave Water Agency (via CEQAnet)The San Joaquin Valley SunSJV Water
- Population (2020)
- 26
- Water cut
- August 2021
Ran dry
The town's storage tank ran dry in August 2021 as drought cut the springs that feed its system; water was hauled in.
Sources: Utah Division of Water ResourcesFOX 13 Salt Lake City
- Population (2020)
- 60
- Water cut
- July 2021
Ran dry
In July 2021 Echo's springs fell so low that the community lived on water trucked in from Henefer and Weber Basin.
Sources: Utah Division of Water ResourcesKSL NewsRadioFOX 13 Salt Lake City
- Population (2020)
- 1,235
- Water cut
- July 2020
Restricted
In July 2020 the county banned outdoor watering for the 165 households on Fairmead's only well as its pump drew air.
Sources: Madera County Public Works (via CEQAnet)The Fresno Bee (via Fresnoland)KVPRSJV Water (via GV Wire)
- Population (2020)
- 7,679
- Water cut
- May 2020
Ran dry
A 50-year-old well failed in May 2020; flow was restored from a standby well the state had shut for contamination.
Sources: The Fresno Bee (via Fresnoland)Earlimart Public Utility District (via Earlimart School District)ABC30 Fresno
- Population (2020)
- 1,447
- Water cut
- February 26, 2019
Ran dry
Two leaks drained Paonia's storage tank in February 2019, and the town cut off water to about a third of its users.
- Population (2020)
- 1,121
- Water cut
- August 12, 2018
Ran dry
Both of the district's wells failed on August 10 and 12, 2018, leaving roughly 330 customers without water.
Sources: Stratford Public Utility District (via CEQAnet)KMPH Fox 26ABC30 FresnoKVPR
No photograph available
Sunsites
Arizona · Cochise County
- Population (2020)
- 790
- Water cut
- April 2015
Ran dry
By April 2015 at least a dozen domestic wells had gone dry as deep agricultural pumping lowered the Willcox basin.
Sources: KJZZArizona Daily StarKGUN 9Arizona House of Representatives
- Population (2020)
- 790
- Water cut
- October 23, 2013
Ran dry
The main well failed in summer 2013, four test wells came up dry, and water was trucked in from the Lebec district.
Sources: California State Water Resources Control BoardKPCC (via KQED)Self-Help Enterprises
- Population (2020)
- 518
- Water cut
- July 2002
Ran dry
In the 2002 drought both creeks ran dry in July and the valley's two districts hauled water for 66 days.
Sources: Colorado Division of Water Resources (via Colorado State Publications Library)The Colorado SunPueblo Star Journal
Updates by email
When a community is added to the register, or one gets its water back, we email the people who asked. A few emails a month at most, unsubscribe any time.