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Reservoir Operating Studies <br />summarizes the current (1989) observed and potential water demands in various sectors of the <br />basin. economy. <br />Table 2-1 <br />Summary of Current and Projected Water Demands (af) <br /> 1989 Current 2015 2040 <br /> Observed Use Potentia l Demand Projected Demand Projected Demand <br /> Withdrawn Consumed Withdrawn Consumed Withdrawn Consumed Withdrawn Consumed <br />Domestic 4,101 1,194 5,577 1,624 14,327 4,175 37,662 10,983 <br />Commercial 817 124 1,111 169 3,022 456 8,310 1,247 <br />Industrial 65 65 88 88 216 216 8,542 8,542 <br />Thermoelec 18,157 18,157 22,615 22,615 22,875 22,875 30,993 30,993 <br />Mining 5,053 1,692 5,053 1,692 12,571 3,725 32,686 8,936 <br />Irrigation 319,743 79,043 336,496 83,184 336,496 83,184 336,496 83,184 <br />Livestock 5,635 885 5,635 885 6,135 1,385 6,135 1,385 <br />Other 667 349 667 349 2,536 1,309 7,118 3,640 <br />Res Evap 5,778 5,778 5,778 5,778 5,778 5,778 5,778 5,778 <br />Export 3,157 3,157 4,788 4,788 4,788 4,788 4,788 4,788 <br />Total 363,173 110,444 387,808 121,172 408,744 127,891 478,508 159,476 <br />Source: USGS, 1989, Blank, 1990, Davenport, 1990. <br />The estimated potential demand under current development conditions assumed greater <br />utilization of existing facilities and allowed for higher but not unprecedented depletion rates. <br />Potential municipal use included a 36 percent increase over observed 1989 use and was meant <br />to allow for high demands that could be experienced during a dry summer. The potential <br />thermoelectric use estimate allowed for 90 percent utilization of existing generation capacity <br />and the highest water use per unit of generation at Craig and Hayden observed over 1985 to <br />1989. The potential irrigation use was based on 75,000 irrigated acres, slightly more than the <br />highest historical value of 73,300 acres estimated for 1983, and 1.11 of of depletion per acre <br />estimated for 1989. Potential evaporation and export figures were the highest calculated by the <br />State Engineer's Division 6 office over the 1981 to 1989 period. <br />Projected Future Demands <br />Rates of population growth in Moffat and Routt counties for the 1970 to 1990 period <br />were used to project increases in regional population for the years 2015 and 2040. Population <br />was assumed to increase each year by a fixed percent of previous years' population; these <br />projections resulted in 2040 estimates of population for Moffat and Routt Counties of 44,800 <br />and 121,800 persons, respectively. Population growth was then used to extrapolate future <br />water use in the municipal, commercial, non-thermoelectric industrial, mining and "other" <br />water use categories. The growth rates were also applied to mining because much of the water <br />use in mining involves sand and gravel operations, which should generally expand with <br />population. In other sectors, projected water use was based on specific growth assumptions. <br />The resulting estimates of projected 2015 and 2040 water demands are also summarized in <br />Table 2-1. <br />The 2015 and 2040 demand levels represent additional depletions over current conditions <br />due primarily to growth in municipal and industrial uses. The 2015-level demands are roughly <br />2-4