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EASTERN SLOPE SUPPLY Since man finds water a necessity of life and of economics, the drier eastern part of the state has augmented its water supply by diverting water from the western slope. With 90% of the state's population concentrated on the eastern slope and most of the state's water originating on the western slope, transmountain diversion of such water was perhaps inevitable. Many communities other than Denver depend on diversion for their water supply. The Big Thompson Project which serves agriculture and many north centrai Colorado communities is one such facility. The Homestake Project is jointly shared by Aurora and Colorado Springs. The Frying Pan-Arkansas Project serves Pueblo and the agricultural needs of southeastern Coiorado. Many city water departments must compete with other city services for funds. Smaller towns often find it cheaper to buy water from nearby cities than to construct their own facilities. As the population increases and some cities show reluctance to serve these smaller towns, some of them are finding it more feasible to band together and acquire water rights and build storage and delivery facilities as a joint enterprise. The Windy Gap Project, an extension Page 22 of the Colorado Big Thompson, diverts water from the western slope for the municipal use of Boulder, Estes Park, Greeley, Longmont, Loveland and Ft. Collins. The Denver Board of Water Commission- ers is charged by the city charter of Denver to provide the residents of Denver with water to be used for any and all purposes. A 1955 court decision ruled that Denver water was also to be used within the metropolitan area, the area reasonably integrated with the development of Denver. The Commissioners have historically planned far ahead to obtain water rights and property to assure that Denver has an adequate supply even in drought years. Many of these rights originate in the waters of the western slope. The water acquired by the Denver Water Board is sufficient in quantity to supply almost as many "taps" outside the city of Denver as it does within the city. The Denver Water Board is financially an independent entity. Thus all its revenues are to be spent only on water projects. However, the 1974 Poundstone Amendment, which severely limits Denver's ability to annex new areas, resulted in the need for additional water only in the suburbs and not within the city limits of Denver. In 1982 the Metropolitan Water Agreement was signed by the Denver Water Board and 46 suburban cities and special districts to finance an Environmental Impact Statement for the Two Forks Reservoir which would utilize many of Denver's West Slope water rights. The signatories also agreed to finance the reservoir and receive a share of water based on the arpount of each contribution. / DIVERSIONS A diversion may be as elemental as a headgate diverting a portion of stream flow to a farm's irrigation canals, or as complex and costly as a transmountain diversion, taking entire streams, utilizing elaborate engineering for pipes, pumps and tunnels. Diversion policies particularly interest western slope residents, many of whom are concerned that if they do not divert their regional waters to a beneficial use, someone else will. The dilemma stems from Article XVI of the Colorado Constitution which provides in pertinent part as follows: "Section 5. Water of streams public property. The water of every natural stream, not heretofore appropriated, within the State of Colorado, is hereby declared to be the property of the public, and the same is dedicated to the use of the people of the state, subject to appropriation as hereinafter provided. Section 6. Diverting unappropriated water. Priority preferred uses. The right to divert the unappropriated waters of any natural stream to beneficial uses shall never be denied. Priority of appropriation shall give the better right as between those using the water for the same purpose; but when the waters of any natural stream are not sufficient for the service of ail those desiring the use of the same, those using the water for domestic purposes shall have the preference over those claiming for any other purpose, and those using the water for agricultural purposes shall have the preference over those using the same for manufacturing purposes." These provisions plus the population demands of Front Range development invite increasing transbasin and transmountain diversion and storage projects on Colorado streams.