Conquistador Golf Course, a popular spot for recreation and a revenue stream for Cortez, is bracing for significant cuts to its irrigation water as Montezuma County faces extreme drought.
Montezuma Valley Irrigation Co., which provides the course and other parks and recreation spaces with nonpotable water, is allocating 1.5 acre-feet per share instead of the normal 4, a 62% reduction.
“If we get to a severe cut back situation, we will prioritize keeping turf and trees alive, but I would expect to see yellow or brown turf throughout the city,” Parks and Recreation Director Creighton Wright said in a news release Wednesday.
City Council member Bill Lewis, who sits on the Golf Course Advisory Board, gave a report on the board’s most recent discussion at the City Council meeting April 14, addressing water shortages and revenue increases as key topics during the board’s April 3 session.
“That water will probably last, at best, until the end of June,” Lewis said of this year’s golf course allocation.
The news comes as the course is seeing increased attendance. The April 11 tournament hosted at Conquistador Golf Course attracted more than 100 players, and the course is generating more revenue than in past years.
According to Lewis’s report, last year the course brought in $24,720 in revenue. This year’s earnings have already surpassed that total, at $28,226, he said.
It remains unclear how the drought will affect golf course attendance and revenue. The city is considering accessing some potable water for irrigation, altering watering frequency and shifting parks and recreation water resources to high-priority areas, which include the golf course. Additional water conservation measures have yet to be decided.
“In general, we will follow the same conservation practices the city asks residents to follow, including watering at night and limiting runoff,” Wright said in the statement. “While we have several scenarios in mind, we won’t execute them until the water availability dictates it.”
avanderveen@the-journal.com
