Manitou Springs relies on creek and reservoir water for its supply, of which there is a current abundance. Why then is the city experiencing a critical water shortage?

The answer is due to turbidity.

The word refers to everything that is floating around in the water that isn’t water. The rapid snowmelt currently filling French Creek is also making the water cloudier than usual with debris like dirt and plant matter.

Manitou Springs can filter the debris out, but it takes time. The dirtier the water, the slower the filtering process becomes.

It is important to note that the clarity of water is not an accurate measure of how safe it is to drink, since bacteria are invisible to the naked eye. Likewise, not all visible debris in water indicates it isn’t safe to drink.