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CHAPTER FOUR: <br />COLORADO ENTERS THE FEDERAL NEXUS <br />The South Platte river heads in high mountains southwest of Denver and then flows <br />through the northeast quadrant of Colorado, the Missouri River Basin's most urbanized state. <br />(See Figure 5). <br />COLORADO <br />HISTORIC AVERAGE ANNUAL STREAM FLOWS <br />? <br />R <br />? <br />a <br />0 <br />? <br />9 <br />? <br />Figure 5 Colorado water outflows, major rivers <br />T <br />? <br />0 <br />? <br />? <br />n <br />R <br />: <br />? <br />The Front Range, much of which is watered by the South Platte and its tributaries, is a 160 mile <br />long metropolitan stretch along the eastern slope uf the Rockies. It is home to 80 % of the state's <br />residents and has a rapidly growing economy fueled by corporate energy enterprises, the largest <br />complex of federal agencies outside of Washington, D.C., universities, tourism, high-tech and <br />service industries. Scarce water supplies and high demand by agriculture and subsequent urban <br />needs prompted the construction of major transmountain diversions from the West slope of <br />Colorado to supplement native flows. Transmowitain diversions have been: <br />1. traditionally in the service of agriculture, but in recent years have significantly <br />shifted to serve demands of the metropolitan areas; <br />2. focused on expansion needed to sustain urban and industrial growth; <br />? <br />?II <br />?i <br />? <br />? <br />?I <br />? <br />? <br />? <br />20 <br />aeo.wo -+ <br />m,.4m <br />ronuLEnvuvccoLonAoo ,anaao.r