For Aurora residents who want to save water in their yards but aren’t sure where to start, Aurora Water announced a variety of free in-person and online water conservation classes, as the Front Range faces potential restrictions heading into the summer.

Aurora Water’s free classes focus on a variety of water-saving measures, from practical gardening to irrigation tips, for both beginner and experienced gardeners, according to the city’s newsletter.

More than half of the water used in Aurora during the spring and summer is used for outdoor watering, according to the city’s website.

The Front Range faces the impact of a historically low snowpack year, with local governments considering early water restrictions and water officials urging everyone to make efforts to reduce water use.

Free courses cover topics that include water-wise landscaping; native grass planting; water-wise veggie gardening; sprinkler system tips; and drop irrigation 101.

The full list of upcoming classes and links to enroll are on Aurora’s website. Classes scheduled for April are as follows.

• Thriving gardens with “plant select” (learn about resilient plants, get tips for adding beauty and sustainability to your garden): 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. April 8 at Tallyn’s Reach Library at 23911 E. Arapahoe Road
• Native grass landscaping: 10:30 a.m. to noon April 11 at Hoffman Heights Library at 1298 Peoria St.
• Installing a water-wise landscape: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 18 at Tallyn’s Reach Library at 23911 E. Arapahoe Road
• Water-wise veggie gardening: 10:30 a.m. to noon April 25 at Mission Viejo Library at 15324 E. Hampden Circle

Aurora Water also offers a free self-paced online course about installing a water-wise landscape that is available on the agency’s website.

Next week, Aurora lawmakers will vote on declaring a Stage I Water Shortage, as recommended by Aurora Water officials.

Councilmembers moved forward with the declaration in the most recent study session and will cast a final vote on Monday, deciding whether to enact summer water restrictions starting Tuesday.

With snowpack in the 2025-26 season well below average and temperatures reaching record highs, Aurora Water officials called the city’s water supply — and that of the entire Front Range — “bleak” in recent meetings.

“Ninety degrees in March is scary for our water supply and for the demand,” Aurora Water engineer John Murphy told councilmembers, adding that people will need to start irrigating their lawns earlier this year, which leads to more water use overall.

Enacting the Stage I Water Shortage means the city will implement a mandatory two-day per week watering limitation and a reduction in watering variance allowances for irrigation.

The goal, Murphy said, is to decrease outdoor water use across the city by 20%.

“Our water supply situation is actually bleak enough that, if things don’t improve and we don’t get the community response that we need during a Stage I restriction, the forecasts indicate that we may be in a Stage II restriction by the end of the year, which would be really dramatic,” Murphy told councilmembers. “None of us wants to go there.”