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Waters of the State The headwaters for several major interstate river basins rise in Colorado's Rocky Mountains along the Continental Divide. The Colorado River and its major tributaries flow roward the west and into the Pacific Ocean. The river's major Colorado tributar- ies are grouped within the upper and lower basins on the Western Slope. Eighty-seven percent of the water leaving the state (9,097,000 acre feet) flows through the Colorado River system in an area slightly greater than one-third of the state, where only 11 percent of the population lives. In contrast, the Platte and Arkansas River basins contribute only 5 percent of the water leaving the state. while 85 percent of the state's population is located in these [WO major watersheds comprising just over half of Colorado's land area. Estimates sug- gest that the SOllth Platte's waters are put to succes- sive extractive beneficial uses seven times before leaving the state. The Platte and Arkansas rivers flow from the east side of the Continental Divide, emp- tying into the Mississippi River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. Three percent of the water leaving the state flows through the Rio Grande River, which courses south into New Mexico, then east along the southern border of Texas into the gulf. Total Population Distribution by Region . - I I- I i jFro",lUnJO w,,"....Slol>oi , i Total Water Distribution by Region Colondo~_a..,",. 0 PI>................,R...,a.."", RKlG""""'a..~". 0 "",..au", Lakes, reservoirs and freshwater wetlands are a sig- niticant part of the Colorado waterscape. More than 1,500 lakes and reservoirs comprise about 164,000 acres in the state. Unfortunately, little is known about the total acreage, functions and values of wet- lands in Colorado. Ground water is also an important resource, supply- ing IS percent of the state's drinking water. Twenty- nine of Colorado's 63 counties rely solely on ground water for drinking purposes and agricultural meso In 1998, 539 public water systems, serving more than 429,000 people, and 350,000 people on private wells. were wholly dependent on ground water. The aquifers supplying ground water underlie a sur- face area of24,540 square miles or 24 percent of the state. They store about 2.6 bil- lion acre feet of water. Colorado has seven principal aquifers or aquifer systems, all ditTering in water quality. -he United States a60v 0\ ,0,000 feet is in Co\orad~.~~hitewater River 0 (().ting on fI) . ~ e the elevat\o(\ e<'c..\' Utfftters o\,e Ore than 20 Rivers In Colorado. ",'" ~o There a(e