WSP02978

• File Number: 8447
• Description: South Platte River Project
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Date: 8/1/1969
• Author: Chase & Wampler
• Title: Basic Data Report of South Platte River Project for CWCB
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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The accuracy of the prediction can be checked up through
1966 by examining reported tonnages of the Bureau of Mines for
Arapahoe, Adams, Jefferson and Douglas Counties, and adding a
yearly average for Denver County of about 300,000 tons:

Twelve-Year Production Record. Bureau of Mines (Millions of tons)
Arapahoe Adams Jefferson Douglas Denver' Total
1967 1.23 2.69 missing 0.43 0.3 Incomplete
1966 1.19 1.17 2.57 0.48 (Average 5.44
.1965 1.2 2.8 2.2 0.4 1/ per year) 6.9
1964 1.4 1.9 2.0 0.5 6.1
1963 1.1 3.1 2.0 0.5 7.0
1962 1.5 3.6 2.4 0.6 8.4
1961 1.7 3.3 2.0 0.5 7.8
1960 1.3 3.3 2.0 0.3 7.2
1959 1.5 3.2 1.5 0.3 6.8
1958 1.7 1.7 1.5 0.1 5.3
1957 1.6 2.3 2.0 0.1 6.3
1956 1.4 2.4 1.0 0.3 2/ 5.1
Twelve-Year Total 72 . 64

1/ Actual 1965 production in Douglas County was 0.6 million
tons, but individual production records show that only about
0.4 million tons was tributary to Denver.

2/ Production probably to meet demand of Valley Highway
constr~ction job.

According to the Bureau of Mines, the actual total tonnage
for the years 1961 through 1965 was just slightly more than
36 million tons. The Regional Council Report predicted 34
million tons. It thus appears that the future sales predic-
tion is somewhat conservative, based on past data, but is
reasonably accurate at least through 1970. The large jumps
in estimates of total production from 1970 to 1975, and 1976
through 1980 are purely conjecture based on general past
economic growth.

It is entirely reasonable, nevertheless, to predict an
expanding market, of undefined proportions, not only in the
general Denver area but also in the South Platte River Basin.

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