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"Water Supplies in the South Platte:" The 15th Annual South Platte Forum will be held on Oct. 27- 28 at the Raintree Plaza Conference Center in Longmont. For more information visit: http://www .southplatteforum.org. Aurora Conceding Turf War: The City of Aurora has given preliminary approval to changing its landscape code, giving homeowners the right to reduce the amount of lawn in front of their homes, add more drought-resistant plants and install decorative pavement throughout much of their yards - this includes artificial turf. Homeowners still must wait until the council officially changes the code, which likely will occur in October. One Aurora homeowner badgered the city so much about allowing artificial turf that her 3,800-square- foot yard was turned into a test site. She ripped up her Kentucky bluegrass and paid $13,000 for the synthetic lawn. City officials spent the following year examining how Patten's yard fared during the four seasons and under the constant tread of her three dogs. They announced this summer that the experiment was a success. The fake lawn cut Patten's household water consumption in half, saving 50,000 gallons of water over a year's time. Patten said she spent $1,000 a year maintaining her natural lawn but now spends next to nothing. The city conducted similar tests on fields at Regis Jesuit High School and Hinkley High, saving a combined 2.5 million gallons of water. However, synthetic grass costs about four to eight times more to install than natural turf. Denver Rescinds Water Limits: Denver Water has lifted water restrictions, effective Sept. 1. In addition, Denver Water proposes raising its rates an average of3.8 percent for city residents and 7.3 percent for suburban customers. Other major metro utilities with drought restrictions in place - including Aurora, Colorado Springs and Fort Collins - have no immediate plans to end them. Rio Grande Basin Groups Appeal San Juan-Chama Water Diversion: Six environmental groups have appealed the New Mexico state engineer's approval of a massive project to divert water from the Rio Grande for drinking water in Albuquerque. The organizations contend state Engineer John D'Antonio did not have proper jurisdiction to approve a permit last month for the $275 million project. The water cornes from the San Juan-Chama project, which diverts river water from southern Colorado into the Rio Grande basin. The conservationists also argue that water users downstream from Albuquerque would be hanned and that the project would damage efforts to preserve the Rio Grande ecosystem. The environmentalists are concerned about the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. City officials want to build a 600-foot-wide adjustable dam where the river enters the northern part of the city. The project, projected to be finished around early 2007, is expected to supply 70 percent of Albuquerque's drinking water. The city plans to divert about twice its San Juan-Chama allotment -- about 30 billion gaIlons. It would return half of the diversion as treated wastewater, ensuring the river isn't depleted downstream. Great Sand Dunes Update: To help speed the acquisition ofland to make it part of the proposed Great Sand Dunes National Park, Sen. Wayne Allard has urged the U.S. Department of Justice to approve a waiver that would circumvent a lawsuit blocking the process. In a letter sent to Assistant Attorney General Tom Sansonetti, Sen. Allard asked that a waiver be granted to the Department of Interior "so the land transaction that will mark the final step in the creation of our nation's newest park can go forward." 14 . . .