Exec Summary_11-15-04

• Title: Executive Summary
• Date: 11/15/2004
• Author: CWCB
• SWSI - Doc Type: Executive Summary

Executive Summary
Colorado's Agricultural Outlook
Agriculture remains the major use of water in Colorado.
Colorado's farm economy grew from $676 million in 1977
to over $1.5 billion in 2001 (U.S. Bureau of Economic
Analysis 2001). Agricultural services and forestry
represented an additional $1.2 billion in 2001. Agriculture
is an important component of Colorado's overall
economy. In some areas of the state, agriculture is the
vital part of the economy. For example, while the
Arkansas and South Platte Basins include highly
developed commercial and industrial
regions, the rural areas are highly
dependent on the agricultural industry and
it is a key economic driver. This is
generally true statewide in many of our
rural communities. One only needs to look
to the San Luis Valley, Southwest and
Northern Colorado, and the Grand Valley
to see the important economic force and
role agriculture plays in Colorado.
Besides its direct and indirect economic
benefits and contributions to the nation's
food supply, agriculture is an important
cultural value for the state. Agriculture
provides open space, creates or enhances
riparian habitats and wet meadows, and
improves late season river and stream
flows, resulting in aesthetic and
environmental benefits. Historically, over
90 percent of the state's water use has
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been associated with agriculture. Beginning in the 1950s,
the transfer of agricultural water rights to help meet M&I
demands increased, as declines in irrigated acreage in
the Front Range were realized. Statewide irrigated
acreage in the year 2000 was estimated at approximately
3,100,000 acres. The greatest number of irrigated acres
was in the South Platte Basin, with slightly over
1,000,000 irrigated acres.
Table ES-2 Irriqated Acres bv Basin
Colorado 237,700 1,986,900
Dolores/San Juan 255,000 902,200
Gunnison 263,500 1,736,100
North Platte 115,700 396,900
Yampa/VVhite/Green 118,400 652,000
TOTAL 3,164,600 11,605,000
Source: Colorado's Decision Support Systems and Basin
Roundtable/Basin Advisor input. See Section 5 for details on
current estimates and periods of record.
A decline in irrigated acreage is expected to continue for
much of the state (see Figure ES-5). A portion of the
reduction in irrigated acres will be the result of
development of irrigated lands for other uses, primarily
M&I. Other irrigated lands will be dried up as M&I water
Figure ES-5
Projected Change in Irrigated Acreage by 2030
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Statew~itle Water Supply Inii'iative
ES-10 S:\REPORT\WORD PROCESSING\REPORT\EXEC SUMMARY 11-10-04.DOC
Table ES-1 Municipal & Industrial Gross Water Demand in
Source: Colorado's Decision Support Systems and Basin Roundtable/
Basin Advisor input.