FARMINGTON – The Farmington City Council has lifted mandatory water restrictions that have been in place since June.

The Farmington Daily Times reports the council agreed on Tuesday that the restrictions can be lifted but ask residents to voluntarily conserve water.

The council’s decision comes as recent storms improved drought conditions and brought snowpack to the mountains near Silverton, Colo.

Public works director David Sypher says there are four criteria that the city uses to determine whether water restrictions are necessary. Those include the Palmer drought index, the level of water in Farmington Lake, the flow in the Animas River and the depth of the snowpack near Silverton.

Despite the improving conditions, public works director Sypher warned that the area could see dry conditions returning.