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. . . Pioneers, as they settled Colorado, knew the importance of water. It meant life, In this semiarid state they settled along the rivers and streams, They diverted water and began irrigating crops. Many people quickly learned they could make more money growing crops and selling them to miners than the miners could make in the gold and silver fields. Pioneers realized they could grow a variety of crops in Colorado - if they had water, A complicated network of canals, ditches, dams, reservoirs and lakes were developed to capture the spring runoff and provide water throughout the growing season, Periods of drought spurred on more water development projects until over 3 million acres in Colorado were irrigated, As most of the people settled along the front range of Colorado and most of the precipitation fell on the western slope, transdiversions projects were developed to bring water from the western slope to the eastern plains. Due to the unique nature of water and the west, laws like prior appropriation developed in Colorado, The value of water in Colorado is illustrated in the murals painted on our state's capitol rotunda. It is here the words by Colorado Poet Laureate, Thomas Hornsby Ferril"are etched, "Here is a land where life is written in water," Our water resource is, by its nature, limited, As more and more demand is put on this resource, it becomes important for us to understand how our actions or lack of actions will impact it. It is also important to know how water resources influence other industries such as agriculture and manufacturing, Add to this the city and urban water requirements, mix in pollution, add a few dry years and we face a considerable challenge, Managing our water resources is a complex challenge, Unfortunately, many Coloradoans take water for granted. They have little or no understanding of the complex water delivery system. Water is always there when they turn on their faucet, so why should they care? On rare occasions during dry years they may be asked to water their lawns on odd or even days, More often than not, they complain when water is low in their favorite water skiing lake - not realizing the lake's connection to their drinking water or food supply, For the past ten years, we have been experiencing an unusual period of greater than normal precipitation, The snowpacks have been above average and we have been receiving rain in the summer. There has been little stress on the water delivery system, A period of drought will change that. The complexity of issues like Two Forks or taking water from the San Luis Valley has little meaning to most people living in Colorado, Most don't know the name of the canal they cross every day on their way to work, Nor do they know where the water comes from or where it goes or how it is used, We build large subdivisions that draw water from aquifers that only have a 40-year supply of water. Does that mean no one is going to live in the subdivision 40 years from now? Increasingly, Coloradoans are being asked to make important decisions about our water supply at the ballot box, Schools, who are directed through Colorado's Content Standards, to educate about our water resources do not have adequate materials to educate about Colorado's water system, Nor are there materials to explain how or why irrigation and water supply systems were built or show the connection of this resource to our society. The purpose of this project is to develop an educational CD ROM and accompanying teacher's guide about Colorado's water supply system, its history, issues and challenges for use in elementary, middle, junior high and high schools,