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<br />
<br />2
<br />
<br />MARCH 1981
<br />the Soulb Platte River Basin 10 ca I ' WRl
<br />Use dUring tbe SUmmer row' P UTe Spnng runoff and retain it for ben .
<br />also conStruc~ed (hrOUgh~ut t~g b~sa~on. In later years Over 4~SOO wells e~~a1
<br />on and especlally fOllowing tbe d hlo belp augment surface supplies E Ie
<br />however, that tbe land under _ roug t of the early 1930s, it Was quit~ 1 ar y
<br />water short without the devel=::~n fat the time on the average wOu~de~
<br />area. 0 some source of Dew w I f
<br />W aerorthe
<br />ater users in Northeastern Color
<br />to tbe surplus 110ws of tbe U ado bad looked enviously for man
<br />tbe Continental 0' 'd pper Colorado River on tb W Y years
<br />IVI e as a pot 'al e estern Slo
<br />only it could be developed and tr:1 soudrce of SUpply for this new wat~; ~;
<br />spone to tbe Soutb Platte Ba ' , '
<br />l~ sm.
<br />
<br />~
<br />o
<br />
<br /> r
<br /> r-'- r- r- r--<-
<br /> N I-N r-
<br /> r- II I- #
<br />1 [(I~ ~ "
<br /> ~- .- ~ .- .j-
<br /> .' ~ ~ -'-
<br /> r- t-I; " ....... '- lOt- &'-
<br /> _e-
<br /> - # t- e-J- ~ '-
<br />8::0 '- .. !: li - 0
<br /> -r- I-~ f-
<br /> ~ ~
<br /> ~- "
<br /> - ~l-- -l- I-
<br /> -- - ~ t-,,- -
<br />'" - - f- -
<br /> -f- - l- I- ~
<br /> ~
<br /> - -
<br />"" - "- I-
<br /> -
<br /> '- I~ Strea
<br /> ,
<br /> I-
<br />" 58 5S " " "
<br /> " " 6S 66 61
<br /> 6869 ,
<br />
<br />~
<br />o
<br />~
<br />
<br />100
<br />
<br />Yea: 0 71 12 13 74 15 16 11 78 79
<br />
<br />FIG, l,-Avanahl. Wat.r Supply_ T 'L ,
<br />r1uutary ServIce Area
<br />By a vote of tbe people in 1937
<br />DIStrict was formed to re res ,tbe Northern Colorado Water Consene
<br />~ conracting with the Unit:d s~~~st~eep::r USers of .Northeastern COlo=;~
<br />lOn, or the construction of the C I d en.t of Intenor, Bureau of Reclama
<br />transbasm' di . 0 ora O.Blg Tbo -
<br />VersIOn project wbi b I mpson Project (CBT)
<br />Colorado River and by a series C f WOll d collect sllrplus water from. the U . a
<br />
<br />~:~~u~~Sp~~tt:rBfrom tbat Bas: ~~~~ ~:d~~~':p~::rRia~d pumping Pl:':;~~
<br />asm on the E t 81 ver, a tnbutary f
<br />under way in 1938 and Was as ern ope. Construction of this Pr. 0
<br />constructed completed in ]956 Tbe P , oJect got
<br />to export an average of 310 000' rOJect was designed and
<br />, acre-ft (382 200 000 ')
<br />, , m annually.
<br />
<br />District
<br />,"",
<br />
<br />IlchCo.
<br />SI(J(iife
<br />
<br />mflOw
<br />
<br />,
<br />
<br />WA1
<br />
<br />WATER SUPPLIES
<br />
<br />3
<br />
<br />I
<br />I
<br />
<br />This water was then to be used as a supplemental supply to the base tlo,"
<br />of lhe four major tributaries of the Soutb Platte Basin-the Poudre River, Big
<br />Thompson River, St, Vrain River, and Boulder Creek,
<br />Since 1957, tbe fIrst full year of Project operation, the Project bas yielded
<br />approximately 217 ,000 acre-ft (267,600,000 m ') of supplemental trans basin water
<br />annually, ranging from a minimum of about 123,000 acre-ft (151,700,000 01')
<br />to a maximum of over 309,000 acre.ft (381,000,000 m') (Fig, I), With in.basin
<br />surface supplies averaging about 597,000 acre.ft (736,000,000 m)) from these
<br />major tributaries\ this represents an average annual supplement to the basin
<br />of approximately 36%,
<br />In 1957, tb. population of tbe District service area was approximately 135,000,
<br />The current population of this same area is in eXCess of 419,000 (Fig, 2), In
<br />1957 the annual domestic water demand was approximately 29,000 acre.f,
<br />(35,800,000 m'), Tbe curr.nt demand for domestic water totals over 95,000
<br />
<br />,.;;
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />.)
<br />
<br />5,0
<br />
<br />~c
<br />2'J:J
<br /> ,
<br />15~'
<br /> .
<br />lnc
<br /> -
<br />50
<br />
<br /> Note: 1919 a"er~sf acres per person: -
<br /> lall~t~~ 1(res'=0.2 ~..--
<br /> -.....
<br /> --
<br /> ~.....
<br /> -..... .
<br /> Papulation LlIMn!ZedJcre.'i~\ - -'
<br /> -
<br /> - -
<br /> - -- - -
<br /> - -- - - -
<br /> 1-- 1-- - -
<br /> - - -1--
<br /> !l 11 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~
<br />- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
<br />
<br />to
<br />
<br />.
<br />"
<br />'03.0
<br />i
<br />i
<br />i l.IJ
<br />~
<br />~
<br />
<br />1.0
<br />
<br />Year
<br />
<br />FIG. 2.-Northern Colorado Water Con.ervancy District: Population Versus Urbanized
<br />Acre.ge
<br />
<br />acre-ft (I l7, 100,000 m') (Fig. 3), In otber words, over the past 22 years annual
<br />demand for domestic water bas increased by approximately 66,000 acre.ft
<br />(81,400,000 m3), or 228%, resulting from a growth increase of over 210% during
<br />tbe same period, 90% of whicb bas occurred since 1966,
<br />
<br />WATIR SUPPlY IMPACTS
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />Since the South Platte River Basin tributaries have been overappropriated
<br />for years in terms of providing any new undeveloped water for domestic beneficial
<br />use, the source of supply 10 support Ibis growth has been acquired gradually
<br />by the cities, small towns, rural domestic water associations, and industrial
<br />users of the area through the purchase of surface water rights previously used
<br />for irrigation. In addition, suppJeD':!ental Colorado River water diverted by the
<br />CBT Project primarily for agriculture users continues to be purchased from
<br />the irrigator for tbese uses. Tbis can be further illustrated by looking at the
<br />
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