"I know it seems extreme, but … I would rather our citizens and visitors have the ability to have clean drinking water over anything else," Silverthorne Public Works Director Addison Canino told Town Council at a Sept. 9 work session, as reported by the Summit Daily.
Five days later, on Monday, Sept. 14, the town moved from Phase 3 to Phase 4 water restrictions. Phase 4 is the highest level Silverthorne can enforce. Sprinkler season ends every fall, so it would be easy to treat this as a summer rule that showed up late. It wasn't written that way. Canino said the goal is to keep enough water through winter and spring, until next season's snow starts to melt. Silverthorne heads into winter with its strictest water rules in place. The clearest sign so far is an empty spot at the Outlets where Ice Castles used to go up.
The Number Behind the Decision
Canino's case rested on the town's wells. "The drawdown on our wells, the average of that has been minus 27.6 feet," he told council. "That's a fluctuation that is concerning."
The bigger worry was how slowly the wells were coming back. Canino said recovery had been "very very slow," and he explained why that mattered: "Usually, that offsets itself, but we're not seeing that rate of recharge coming back in."
That's why the rules reach into winter. Running irrigation is a summer problem. Wells that aren't refilling are a problem until snowmelt, and the town's response was to cut outdoor water use now and protect drinking water through the months when nothing is recharging. The town's Phase 4 page blames "the exceptional drought conditions affecting Summit County, the state of Colorado, and the western half of the United States."
What Phase 4 Still Rules Out When It's Cold
Phase 4 applies to all property within the Town of Silverthorne and to anything served by its water utility. The town's own properties have stopped irrigating for the season too. The town lists three banned activities:
- Irrigating, sprinkling or otherwise putting water on outdoor vegetation, with winterizing blowouts exempt.
- Using a hose to wash any structure, motor vehicle or boat on a property used for residential purposes.
- Washing any paved area with a hose.
Only the first one fades with the weather. Canino made that point himself, saying the stricter rules mainly affect outdoor watering, "which naturally ceases in the colder months," and that most people would be doing irrigation blowouts within a couple of weeks anyway. The other two are year-round habits. Rinsing mag chloride off a car in the driveway and spraying down a garage floor or front walk both count as hose use under items two and three.
The exemptions are narrow and practical:
- Potted plants at homes or businesses can be watered with a container filled at an indoor fixture.
- Commercial businesses keep operating "with water conservation in mind," and commercial work on residential property may also use water on the same terms.
- Irrigation systems may run for testing, auditing or repair, only while someone is monitoring them and only for as long as the job takes.
- Landscaping contractors can buy bulk water from 9 to 11 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays if they notify Utilities first.
- Emergency services can use town water at any restriction level.
Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks is another case. The course has its own water rights and supply, and its irrigation system isn't connected to the town system. The clubhouse is the only building on the property that uses town water.
Enforcement starts with a warning. After that, fines run $100 for a first conviction, $250 for a second and $500 for a third. This post is general information, not legal advice. The town's restrictions page is the authority on what applies to a specific property, and Silverthorne's Utilities team can answer questions about edge cases. For indoor and outdoor conservation tips, the town points people to the High Country Conservation Center.
The Attraction That Runs on Water
Ice Castles is the most visible effect of the restrictions. The attraction builds its walls by spraying water and letting it freeze. In its most recent Silverthorne season it sat in the Red Village parking lot at the Outlets at Silverthorne, built on asphalt and hosted jointly by the town and the outlet center, according to KUNC.
It won't be there for 2026/27. "The Town of Silverthorne told the Ice Castles last month that it would not approve water use for the 2026/27 season because of Silverthorne's current Phase 4 Water Restrictions," Communications Director Kristina Nayden said in a statement to the Summit Daily. She added that Ice Castles hadn't filed a formal request or plan for the season, though it had been talking with the town about water and drought conditions.
Ice Castles agreed with the call. "The Town has been a thoughtful steward of its water, and we fully support its decision to prioritize the community during this drought," partner Andrew Child told the Summit Daily. "Ice Castles runs on water, so it simply isn't the right year for us to build here." He said the company would "love to be back in Silverthorne when water conditions are better for everyone." The company isn't operating anywhere in Colorado this winter. Its New Hampshire and Montreal locations are still running.
The town gave up its biggest winter draw under the same rule that applies to a resident's driveway. Under Phase 4, an attraction that needs a lot of water to build and a hose pointed at a car both come second to drinking water.
The End Date Is Up to the Snow
Nothing on the calendar ends Phase 4. Canino told council the restrictions would last for an "undefined" period: "We're gonna play it as it lies, so to speak … and just be reactive to the situation that lay ahead." He was also open about the uncertainty. "I do not know what next year is going to bring," he said, and he noted that early forecasts for Summit County-area ski resorts didn't point clearly to an above- or below-average snow year.
The town hasn't published a well level or snowpack figure that would trigger a step down. As of the Summit Daily's Oct. 23 report, the town still described Phase 4 as current. Until the town announces a change, the hosing bans stay in effect through the winter.
Across the County, Different Rules
Silverthorne is the only town in this group that has gone to an outright ban. Each town runs its own water system and has set its own level, so rules change when you cross a town line:
| Town | Latest posted level | What it allows or limits |
|---|---|---|
| Silverthorne | Phase 4, since Sept. 14, 2026 | No outdoor watering of vegetation, no hosing vehicles, structures or boats at residences, no hosing paved areas |
| Frisco | Phase 3, in effect since May 8, 2026, per its page as of Sept. 25 | Nighttime lawn irrigation on an odd/even address schedule, none Monday, Thursday or Friday; hand and drip watering of flowers, shrubs and trees allowed |
| Breckenridge | Stage 2, since May 1, 2026 | Irrigation two days a week, 6 p.m. to 9 a.m.; vehicle washing limited; washing paved areas prohibited |
| Dillon | Mandatory outdoor restrictions since May 1, 2026 | In place until Town Council rescinds them |
Frisco's page, as of Sept. 25, shows where this started. On April 30, 2026, Frisco measured 9.155 inches of snow-water equivalent against a five-year average of 14.534 inches. That's roughly 63 percent of the five-year average. Rules in Frisco, Breckenridge and Dillon can change, and each town's page has the current version.
What's on Silverthorne's Winter Calendar
With no Ice Castles to bring crowds, this season's town events are concentrated at the Pavilion and Theatre SilCo through early winter:
- Nov. 6, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. First Friday's DÃa de los Muertos celebration at the Pavilion, with face painting, live music, folklórico dancing, a mercado, kids' crafts and traditional foods.
- Nov. 13 to Dec. 11. Reply All at Theatre SilCo.
- Thursday, Nov. 19. Celebrations Around the World at the Pavilion, with an evening public program of food, dancing and music after a daytime visit from county fourth-graders, per the Summit Daily.
- Nov. 21 and Dec. 19. Country Western dances, each a guided lesson followed by open dancing. Admission is $10, or $15 on live-band nights.
- Dec. 4, 6 p.m. The annual tree lighting at December's First Friday, with live music, carolers, crafts and Santa.
- Dec. 4 and 5. The Holiday Art Market at the Pavilion.
- Dec. 4 to 23. A Tuna Christmas at Theatre SilCo, plus a Tom Amend Quartet Christmas concert on Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.
Any guests expecting to walk through ice tunnels in Red Village this winter will need a new plan. The Dec. 4 tree lighting and the Dec. 4 and 5 Holiday Art Market both take place at the Pavilion on the same weekend.
Questions about how Phase 4 affects a home you own, or one you're thinking about buying, can come to us. Our team at Nelson Mountain Real Estate follows Summit County's town-by-town water rules along with the HOA and rental details that shape mountain ownership, and we're glad to help you sort out what applies where.