The Dillon Reservoir, located just over an hour west of Denver, is facing critically low water levels that are already forcing major changes to summer recreation plans and could even lead to water restrictions down the line.At the Frisco Bay Marina, mud is clearly visible near boat slips where water should be. Town leaders made the difficult decision Wednesday to close the marina's dock system and public boat ramps for the summer after receiving the latest reservoir level projections from Denver Water."As of late January 2026, Summit County and much of Colorado are experiencing record-low snowpack, with levels near the 05th percentile, meaning that 95100% of winters on record have produced more snow," that report reads. "Entering 2026, the region recorded its lowest snowpack since 1981, with statewide snow-water equivalent (SWE) measuring approximately 5862% of the median."The 160 boat slips bring in a budgeted yearly revenue of $316,000 for the Town of Frisco.Last winter, people were ice skating between the docks, said Frisco Bay Marina General Manager Logan Snyder. Denver7 checks in on Dillon Reservoir levels with Colorado's dry winterNormally, the boat slips would be sitting just a few feet below the top of the adjacent pier. Instead, the dock system is currently sitting nearly 20 feet below that pier.The low water levels are a direct result of unusually warm temperatures in the high country, which have prevented adequate snowpack accumulation.Town officials dont expect much of a change in those levels by the time summer rolls around.Portions of the bay bottom could remain exposed by then just like Denver7 saw on Thursday afternoon. When you come out here and you look at what were looking at right now, what goes through your mind? asked Denver7s Adria Iraheta.The first thing is just a bummer for our guests and its scary, Snyder replied.In January, Summit County recorded the regions lowest snowpack since 1981.Right now, Denver Water is standing in a pretty tough spot. Our snowpack in the Colorado Riven Basin is only about 40%. Our snowpack in the South Platte basin is about 55%, said spokesperson Todd Hartman. "The situation in those two river basins is quite, quite troubling at the moment.The Dillon Reservoir accounts for 40% of Denver Water's supply.This will be the second consecutive year in which Denver Water draws additional water from the reservoir thats due to ongoing construction at Gross Reservoir, according to the Town of Frisco, creating an additional 3% reduction in water levels from the reservoir.These projections could trigger voluntary or even mandatory water restrictions for Denver Water customers in the coming months, according to Hartman.However, he noted that customers have become more water-efficient over the past two decades."They have done a great job conserving, so we feel like our customers are well-positioned to handle things if we have to ask them to cut back a little, and we may have to do that," Hartman said.For now, the Frisco Bay Marina is adapting to the challenging conditions by shifting operations to areas with deeper water further east.While the main dock system will be closed, the marina still plans to continue its paddleboard rentals and some boating access."It's just kind of the puzzle right now of shifting things around," Snyder said.The marina plans to increase the number of dry storage spots from 20 to 145 so that people affected can store their boats.The dry conditions may also impact other summer activities in the area."Fun stuff like campfires and grilling and backyard fires, you know things like that just, I can't see them happening this year," Snyder said. ...read more read less