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<br />Development of the Regulatory Framework for Denver Basin Aquifers' <br /> <br />GLENN GRAHAM'.] <br />GEORGE VANSLYKE'.] <br /> <br />1. Manu'i(:ripl received Julv 8, 2004; Accepted lul~ 2-1.2004 <br />2. Con~ulting GrO\JodY,alE'l' Crologi>.l <br />J. Formerly .....ith the COIOf.lOO Division Of \VJtt'f Rewurce<. <br /> <br />1- <br /> <br />ABSTRACT <br /> <br />Thl." resource potclllial of the Denver Ba.-;in aquifers was fl.:'cognized as early as the IR80s. but de....e1- <br />opment, regulation and adminislr:Hion of Colorado's groundwater did nol hegin until 1959. and regula- <br />lions $JX'cific to the Denver Basin were nol impk'I11t..'ntcd until on'f 100 years later. in 19x5. <br />The Colorado Di\ision of \X'alcr Resource.... (CD\X"H) hegan an ;lpprais:J.1 of the Deon:f Basin bedrock <br />aquifers in the fall of 19iO. This sllLdy resu!tc.:d in the 1976 publicHion GrOlmd \ftJfer Resources of/he <br />Bedrock Alfllifl!rs of tbe Delll'(>r Basin Cofomdu by John C. Romero. :-'Ior(' d\..t~~ik'J work in the late 1970s <br />and early 19?iOs by tht' Division of Water Ik'sources and the United Stall's Geolo,g:ic;ll Survey (USGS) <br />formed the technical base for the promlll~ation of the Denver Basin Ruks and Regulation.s mandated by <br />Senate Bill 5, in 1985. <br />Population grt)\\.1h ;JIang the Front Ran~t" in lilt.: 1970s calnl' with increasing reliance on groundwater <br />contained in the bedrock aquifl'rs. Projected inl.:n:asing watl.'r delTl:Jnds basnl on continued gnl\\1h <br />Glu.sed concerned individuals and o~anizalions 10 r.lise questions ahout long-term water supplies in <br />gen('ral. and on the wisdom of dqX"I1l.Hnj,t on a finite groundwater SOllrl.:e in parlicubr. TIle \'oidng of <br />these concerns result..:d in the creation of a Ground \'\.;]Ier Task Group. The )o1roup was comprised of <br />'\later attorneys, Illl'lTlbers of tin: W;ttl'r rights and engincerin)o1 consulting cOllllllunity, :lIld staff of the <br />CD\'fH. The group was [(l identify lht' rl.'SOllrce and makt' ren>llllllt'ndations for [he devdopment of <br />groundwater from bedrock aquifers. <br />As :1 result of the work done hy lhe task grollp. a Ground Water Legislation Comrniuee was formed <br />in 1983 to proposl' 1:1".s that would guide the development of groundwater in lX'dnKk aquifl..'rs. Panku- <br />lar attention was {O Ix: gin:'n to {hat part of the fl'sourC(' kkntifieJ as nontributalY groundw.ut:r, which <br />had ocen loosely dl'fined as groundW;Ht'r not in hydr:llllic connection with waters of tht' surface. In <br />SOffie pans of the st.He, ~Iny groundwater slOred in hedrock type aqllift.'rs localed more than abollt 150 <br />ft.'CI lx-low the surface W:1S considered nnntrihlHary groundwater. Two years later. tht' Color:lIJo General <br />Assembly enaclcd ~enalt' Bill 85-5, An Act for the Admini...tr:lIion of \X.ater. In fl'....ponsl' to this Iegisbtivt' <br />mandate. the CDWR (kn:lopt.'d the Dl'lwer B~lsin .\kxld utilizing ~IODFI.O\\.. and publishl'd the Denwr <br />Basin Atlas maps_ TI1l'sl' data "t'ts ha\-e remained e.....cntially unchanged since 19&-l. <br />At the present linK" {here ;lre two coordin:Ht'U t.frorls examining Ihe currelltly :lv;lilahle data specific <br />10 the D<:n\"(,.'"[ lh..in tx'dnKk aquift'fS_ C:unp Dresser ,\kKee (Co.\1l and the l;SCS are ilk:ntil):iog ;lod <br />compiling aquifer ruraml..'tt.'r data !O IX" used in ;11l upgr:ldl.'d grollndwater model of thl..' tx:dn)\-"k aquifers <br />and associated :lllll\.ial aquifers_ <br /> <br />INTRODUCTIO:-.: <br />HYDROGEOLOGIC SETTU\G <br />REGUl.ATORY HISTORY <br /> <br />.154 <br />.154 <br /> <br />111 <br /> <br />CCRRENT STUDIES <br />CQ:-.:ClUSro;o..;S <br />ACK~OWLEDGMENTS , . . . <br />REFERE-.;CES . <br /> <br />.....158 <br />... ..159 <br />........ ,159 <br />. ... .160 <br />T1w.\tmOlI<lm r"'O/QR/.1;/. Vol .,1. ,,, ,(()oot..., ~(~HI. r> l'i:I-II~.1 <br /> <br />l, ~ <br /> <br />nR'R".:k\'.\I"lInr;"n.\'_""I,I!I"n[\tG<-"OI~,,(s <br />