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<br />000363 <br /> <br />UPCO Final Report <br />Executive Summary <br /> <br />May 29, 2003 <br />Page ii <br /> <br />II. Water Needs <br /> <br />Upper Colorado River In-Basin Water Needs <br /> <br />Water demands in Grand and Summit Counties will grow as the area continues to be a <br />destination resort and important recreation and tourism center for Colorado. Likewise, <br />Denver Water and the Northern Water Colorado Conservancy District are also planning <br />to further develop their existing water supplies, which are diverted from the study area <br />for use on the Front Range, as their populations continue to grow. The UPCO study <br />quantified current and future water demands. The following provides an overview: <br /> <br /> <br />Grand County 3,100 14,200 Approximately 70% of future demands are in the <br />Fraser River Basin. <br /> Approximately 25% of future demands are in the <br />Summit 8,000 17,900 Upper Blue River area above Dillon. The remaining <br />County future demands are primarily in the Silverthorne, <br /> E les Nest, and Mesa Cortina areas. <br />Denver Water 285,000 386,000 Please see below for more detail. <br />Northern 247,800 Up to Additional diversions by the Windy Gap project. <br />271,700 <br />Notes: <br /> <br />1) For Summit and Grand Counties, the amounts shown in this table include all of the major <br />water providers but do not include dispersed domestic usage in unincorporated areas not <br />served by major providers. <br /> <br />2) Current demands are based upon the year 2000. Approximately one-half of Denver's current <br />water supply is derived from East Slope sources in the South Platte River Basin. <br /> <br />3) Future demands for Grand and Summit Counties are based upon estimated buildout <br />conditions. Denver's future demand is for their near-term (future baseline) planning horizon <br />(2030) and their estimated buildout demand is 450,000 acre-feet per year. <br /> <br />4) Water Demands for Colorado Springs are not included because no increases in water <br />diversions from the Study Area are planned. <br /> <br />In-basin Instream and Recreational Water Needs <br /> <br />The UPCO study also compiled information regarding instream flow water rights, water <br />levels necessary for water-based-recreational activities, and wastewater treatment plant <br />discharges. This information was used to evaluate the impact on stream flow and lake <br />levels, and goes beyond just the municipal and domestic water demands of the study area. <br />