BOARD00667

• Board Meeting Date: 3/16/2004
• Description: WSP Section - Statewide Water Supply Initiative ‎(SWSI)‎ Status Update
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Water: Front Range supply areas remain dry

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Conunlll'dfrom4.\
resIdents are expected. accordin,to
data from the Colorado S'-8.tedemog-
rapher.
The findlngs come in the tn.id~ of
a stubbo:n drought, and two
months alter voters soundly reJect-
ed a S2 billion water tinancinb" plan
pushed byGo\', Bill Owens.
Though most of the hlgh count!)'
has a near-Bverage snowpad:. areas
cntic:al to Front f'.ange water sup.
plies femam dr)', The South Platte
River Basm, for ins'..ance. is onl.\' 63
percent of average. aceording to
state engmeer Hal Srmpson.
Den....er Water, like other utilities.
is carefully monitonng the weather.
It ""ill decide in Aprtl whether v.'8.ter
restnetions \\'111 bt' imposed again
thIS summer. accordmg to spokes-
woman Tnna MeGUire-Collier.
The agency. whIch Sft'\'es 1.~ mU-
lion metro-area customers. denves
about hal! Its water supplies from
the South Platte RIver If Denver
limits summer water use. it v.ill
mark the twd year in a row the
agent'y has curtailed use to protect
supplies inits mountain reservoirs.
Such problems are likely to be.
corne more common as Colorado's
population continues to grow, water
officialsswd.
That's one of the reasons the state
went forv.-ard v.ith the ambitious wa.
terana1ysls_
The study. the product of long,
technical mt"etings v.ith omcmls
from each of Colorado's eight major
rh'erbasins, is already pr'O\ing dtm-
cult. wateromcialssaid.
Each basm 15 protective of its sup-
plies and suspicious of the sta:.e's
search forclase!y g'J.arded wa~e:-da-
ta.
'"This is tr.e t'.rst ti:ne anytl"'.ing 1:ke
this has been taken on: Wilkinson

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Water demand

Estimated percent increase III municipal. industn.aland sell-suoplied ....Clle!"
demand and thf' Cl)rrespon~ quan:It~. of Willer Ill-eded m acre fe!'! pe~ ~eM b~' tllt'
~-w- 2030.
Yampa and White North Platte
34% I,Wcent mo'"l' ~:)y 2030) Z5%
9,800 (~:ty ~:3)' 2030) 110
\--~)~. ~.
_,~ -.")L__\... 1', .-- , .- ----::-
,- .-< OY . . . _. . t
;::.~~-.~...:!_-. J:,s:~....l- ~ >1
;;;~;~~ ~)'-l~>- . -;~-:- ~-.."
...-..;~-,-"-",,,- _1-~.--'
'-' ~"",;l:'~:,~."~. -~;. --' .".- --\.:-;
'r- _J., '-->:~ -:..\..,--~~ _ '1,:...--..'::--_
~:f.<_;.f-t '~~..:;~'<f2.;t.,~:;, -' ',.~~- ::'-.,ry.~,.
1_ ~~':__.:_ ,_. ~ .~-, ,.. .,...~.r _~'.
f :~YJ':-,"~- ~ -~t~
II ..i,--- ~___ ~"---
Dolores and San Juan Gunnison Rio Grande Arkansas
60% 81% 33% 41%
22.000 18.000 5.700 108.000

Colorado South Platte
58% 60%
75.000 469.000

Sou'Cl!'CoIoradu''''ill~~'iltIOl1Boa'o

0>0:;., IoOO.lfOl""'><!:~

said. "Wh1l(' we're makIng our best rf-
fort to make t1"',is a success. its real
success "-ill rely on the water users
lhemselves_~
In Colorado. although fanns still
consUrn(' more than 85 pt'rt:en~ of
available water, those supplJcs. espe-
ctally along :.h(' Front Range. are
largely o....ned and controlled by Cit-
ies and water dISUict,S.
Since last Au!;Ust, when the study
began. fast-growing cI~ie's have
watched the state closely as It seeks
,) bigger role In water plannmg a.'1d
proJeC". development.
Aurora, mO\1ng" aggressively to de.

velop new supplies, said it doesn't
Ileed th(' state's heip or guidance.
though its data is reflected in the
stale'S new anal)'sis.
"This stud)' IS an effective forum
for illUmInating the water needs of
Colorado.- said Peter Binney. Auro-
ra's direcl.Or of utilities ~But we're
not looking: for the study to help us
plan or ident!!y new 'supplies. That's
our responsibility The study....ill reo
nect what we're going to do an)way.
A..'1d I'mco:rJor.able \\.i:!": that.~

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