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o c.! ? ~:j "~') ~1 . PART III--PROBLEMS AND NEEDS OF THE AREA MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL WATER SUPPLY PROBLEMS The impact of rapid urban growth in the St. Vrain Creek.basin has put severe strains on the cities' existing water supply systems. The rapidly expanding population challenges the formulation of long- range plans to anticipate and solve the water reg,uirement problems. As all direct streamflows are overappropriated within the basin, some municipalities may be hard-pressed to acg,uire and develop water rights and water supplies within their financial capabilities. Not only are direct flows reg,uired but storage is needed, particularly by Boulder and Longmont, to store and deliver water for municipal and industrial use. IRRIGATION NEEDS . Except for the southeastern portion of the basin, which suffers from lack of adequate irrigation water supplies, there appears to be only limited need for supplemental irrigation water. Most of the need. that does exist occurs during the late irrigation season. The importa- tion of water from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project into the St. Vrain Creek basin, commencing in 1953, alleviated most of the agricultural water shortages. However, there is need for additional terminal storage for irrigation, including that reg,uired for the C-BT water inflow to the St. Vrain Creek basin, which has averaged about 46,000 feet annually since C-BT service began. Because of the burgeoning urban developments around Denver and the area southeast of Boulder, all possible avenues for acg,uisition of water 'rights have been and are being considered by these municipal and industrial interests. Consequently, the agricultural interests in the St. Vrain basin are particularly concerned about in-basin water supplies being exported to adjacent basins, thereby changing stream regimen and diminishing return flows in the St. Vrain Creek basin. FLOOD PROELEMS . The mountainous area of the basin can produce severe, d~ging rain-snowmelt floods. The foothills and plains areas can be subject to deluge-type rainstorms. In recent years, damaging floods occurred in 1938, 1942, 1949, and 1957 in various parts of the basin. Boulder 7 . <.k ~_;;.i.ii g. ~ ,_,;: ,.' . .' , "'" ..'"-S'.>:' __"",--"~.,~,.,,,_,,,,;i;.~~,~~~'_-' .,.