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Preface This special issue of The Mountain Geologist explores the distribution, geology, and legal framework of the bedrock aquifers in the Denver Basin. As summarized by Topper, these aquifers occur in sedimentary rocks ranging from the Fox Hills Sandstone up through the Denver Formation, strata deposited in settings that varied from shallow -water marine through fluvial. Groundwater occurs within pore spaces in these rocks, and the distribution of porosity and permeability reflects the stratigraphic characteristics of the environments of deposition; hence, aquifer characterization is a geologic challenge. This issue gathers threads of ongoing research to add to our current knowledge base pertaining to these aquifers. As pointed out by Novotny and Sanford, much of the water consumed in Douglas County is over 30,000 years old. This vintage water is administered by a well -worn system as described by Graham and VanSlyke. Studies of vertical permeabil- ity reported by Barkmann serve to emphasize that very significant barriers to fluid -flow are common in the Basin and the aquifers are both layered and compartmentalized. Aquifer studies such as those by Kittleson and Raynolds define the containers or reservoirs, while innovative drilling techniques such as those reported by Jehn - Dellaport may be used to accelerate short -term water production rates. Colorado spans territory referred to as the Great American Desert; only by dint of our engineering skills have we moved water across mountains and stored spring snow -melt so as to be able to water our crops and slake the thirst of our cities. Over 80% of surface water is used for irrigated agricultural production in rural Colorado. In the urbanizing Den- ver Basin, groundwater is a finite resource and we are depleting our reserves. Nonetheless, availability of potable water may not be a significant near -term constraint on population growth in the Front Range area of Colorado, as we will simply allocate more funds to redi- rect agricultural water to our urban and suburban needs. As the Front Range develops the water - transfer and storage facilities to redistribute sur- face water resources, the geologic community will be called upon to provide a better understanding of aquifer characteristics so as to improve predictive models of aquifer per- formance. Increased demand for water injection and storage within aquifers will require an improved understanding of subsurface rock distribution and fluid flow patterns. The RMAG community is especially qualified to take a proactive role in helping to interpret and con- vey these complex aquifer issues to the public. Bob Raynolds Michele Reynolds, Guest Editors The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists vi