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I Rocky Mountain Front Range, an area characterized by rugged peaks with elevations as high as 14,200 teet (4,331 Ill) above mean sea level. The remaining portion ot the basin is a rOlling plain that slopes gradually trom elevation 7,000 feet (2,135 m) along the toothills to 2,800 feet (854 m) at the northeastern edge ot the basin. Precipitation in the basin ranges from 10 to 40 inches (25 to 102 em) per year in the mountains and from 12 to 18 inches (31 to 46 em) per year in the plains. The South Platte River and its mountain tributaries carry appreciable amounts ot runoft during the spring and early sUllllller months resulting from snowmelt runoff in the mountainous areas. In the late summer, fall, and winter months, surface-water flows are generallyliDli ted. Dur:!.ng an average year, approximately 1. 8 million acre-feet (2.2 x 109 x m3) are 6 3 available for consumptive use. About 334,000 acre-feet (412 x 10 x III ) of this amount is imported water. A map of the South Platte River basin is shown on Fig. 1. DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Total population of the South Platte River basin in 1970 was 1,553,700 persons. About 80 percent of this total 'lived in the five counties comprising the Denver Metropolitan Statistical Area, In the mountain regions of the basin, population is sparse with more ot the people located along streams and in small communities. Most ot the basin I s population is located in the corridor along the foothills ot the Rocky Mountains, between Denver and Fort Collins. Popula- tion increases in this area were well above the national average in the decade between 1960 and 1970. The population of the basin may double to 3,000,000 by the year 2000 according to some population forecasts. The remaining popula- tion is located in the plains areas. Most ot these perSOns are located in the communitiesot Brush, Fort Morgan, and Sterling, Colorado. 2