MCMS, Inc., a veteran-operated potable water hauling company based in Loveland, Colorado, has opened pre-winter scheduling for residential cistern fills so rural households can top off stored water before winter. The company is asking cistern owners to book fills during October, after a January-through-August period of below-normal precipitation in Larimer County.
Governor Jared Polis activated Phase 3 of the Colorado Drought Response Plan on June 4, 2026, declaring a statewide drought emergency after the lowest snowpack accumulation season on record, according to the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The U.S. Drought Monitor released the same day placed nearly 93 percent of Colorado in moderate to exceptional drought. State officials also reported that the water year beginning in October 2025 was the warmest on record in Colorado. Locally, precipitation in Larimer County from January through August 2026 ranked as the 12th driest such period in 132 years of records, 3.98 inches below normal, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.
Many rural homes outside municipal water systems store drinking water in a cistern filled by delivery, either as the household's only supply or to back up a well. In a dry year, a well that normally carries part of a household's demand may produce less, and the cistern makes up the difference. That shifts more of the household's water onto scheduled deliveries heading into winter.
Household use sets the pace of those deliveries. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program, drawing on U.S. Geological Survey data, each American uses an average of 82 gallons of water per day at home. At that national average, a family of four uses about 328 gallons per day, and a 2,000-gallon load would last roughly six days, or close to a week.
Households that use less than the national average stretch each load further. At 50 gallons per person per day, the same family of four would use about 200 gallons daily, and a 2,000-gallon load would last about 10 days. These figures are estimates, and actual use depends on the number of occupants, fixtures and appliances, and whether any water goes to animals or outdoor use.
Fill frequency follows from the same arithmetic. The interval between deliveries equals the usable volume of the cistern divided by daily household use, so a larger cistern or lower daily use lengthens the time between fills. MCMS carries 2,000 gallons per haul in a stainless steel tank, and a cistern larger than one load may take more than one delivery to fill.
Winter changes the demand side of that equation. Depending on well depth, pump equipment, line insulation, and the severity of the cold, some well systems can freeze or lose output during extended cold weather, and households that rely on them may draw more heavily on their cisterns. MCMS runs tire chains and delivers to properties across its service area through the winter, including Livermore, Red Feather Lakes, and Rustic.
"Booking a fill in October can spread the deliveries across the season instead of leaving them all for the first cold snap. A cistern that goes into winter full gives a household some margin if the well freezes or use runs higher than planned," said Jesse Moore, Owner of MCMS, Inc.
The company recommends that cistern owners check their current water level, confirm the capacity of their cistern, and estimate daily household use before scheduling, so that the fill can be sized to the tank. Households that also water livestock through the winter can include that demand in the estimate.
MCMS, Inc. is a veteran-operated company based in Loveland, Colorado, that delivers potable water in a 2,000-gallon stainless steel tank for residential cistern filling, livestock water, and hot tub filling. Its service area covers Fort Collins, Loveland, Wellington, and surrounding communities in Larimer County. The company does not haul non-potable water. For more information, visit MCMS, Inc.'s website.
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For more information about MCMS Inc, contact the company here:
MCMS Inc
Jesse Moore
(970) 646-8291
jessemcms@yahoo.com
Colorado
