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<br />SUMMARY OF STATISTICS AND PROBIBMS <br /> <br />The statistics in this report can be compiled and summarized <br />in many ways to serve many purposes. only a few ways have been <br />selected for inclusion in this report to show certain common <br />problems and to show generalized conclusions of statewide signif- <br />icance. <br /> <br /> <br />Water use.--Some water-supply systems serve more than one com- <br />munity and some communities are served by more than one water- <br />supply system. Of colorado's 297 communities having populations <br />of more than 100, 39 have no communal water facilities, the <br />rest are served by 244 water-supply systems. The statistics <br />suggest that water-use patterns in the State are unlikely to <br />cpange appreciably within the next 10 years, although a definite <br />trend is established. In 1959, municipal use accounted for only <br />about 3 percent (331,000 acre-feet) of the total water used. <br />Industrial and rural use probably aocounted for a somewhat lesser <br />amount. Irrigation was the big user and accounted for about 95 <br />percent of the total. In areas where demands for municipal water <br />are rapidly increasing, the total annual use of water is nearly <br />equal to the annual replenishable supply, thus, future expansion <br />of municipal supplies, if not made up by salvage of non-beneficial <br />consumptive use, probably will result in a decrease in use for <br />irrigation. However, the water-use pattern will be affected <br />percentagewise only slightly, owing to the proportions of use <br />involved. For example, doubling the municipal use would decrease <br />the irrigation use by only 3 percent, assuming that the entire <br />increase was accounted for by a reduction in irrigation use. <br /> <br />colorado's per capita consumption of water for municipal <br />use exceeds the national average, as does that of most of the <br />Western states. An estimate, based on data selected from towns <br />having metered supplies and thought to be typical, indicates <br />that the per capita consumption is about 210 gpd (gallons per <br />day) . The national average is about 150 gpd. <br /> <br />Per capita consumption varies widely from town to town, <br />depending on several factors. one highly industrialized town, <br />Johnstown, Weld county, used more than 600 gpd per capita in <br />1959. Although the use for some nonindustrial towns was less <br />than 100 gpd per capita, a few exceeded the statewide average. <br />Some of the reasons for a high rate of use are: (1) Extensive <br />use for lawn and garden irrigation, and recreational purposes; <br />(2) Local habits, such as allowing water to flow to waste to <br />prevent freezing of pipes in the winter, and (3) Lack of <br />metered supplies, coupled with a prolific source, resulting <br />in poor maintenance of distribution systems and individual fix- <br />tures. <br /> <br />Municipal water use in 1959 was not distributed uniformly <br />throughout the State. About 65 percent (210,000 acre-feet) of <br />the 331,000 acre-feet used in the State was used in the South <br /> <br />4 <br />