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26 HUNICIPAL WATER REQUIREHENTS The rapid growth of municipal water use In the metropolitan area farming a part of Water District No.8 is reflected by the figures compiled in Tables \0 through \), These data were derived from the Metropolitan Water Study Inventory and from records of the cities of Denver, Aurora, Englewood and Littleton, The data cover the 16-years from 1952 through 1967, which is a period of rapidly e~pandlng growth in population and water service for the cities of Aurora, Denver, Littleton, and Englewood. As these cities have grown, they have acquired water rights from the South platte River and from ather sources to satisfy their continually expanding needs for water. The yields of water rights owned by Denver, Aurora, Englewood, and Littleton was also reported In the Metropolitan Water Study Inventory, and are summar- Ized in Tables 14 and 15, Yields were determined for the study period 1952 through 1957, which reflects one of the most severe water supply periods on record and corresponds to the period of rapidly expanding municipal growth, The period 1952 through 1957 Is comparable in severity to the drouth of the 1930's and because of the greater availability of stream flow and diversion records for the I at ter per i od, it was ad"pted fc,r the determi nat i on of water rights yields. As urban development continues the value of agriculture to the area diminishes in the face of rising land and water costs. Thus land Is taken out of farm- ing for use in commercial and residential development, and the agricultural water rights are converted to municipal use. Some Irrigation is still prac- ticed by small farms and water is also required for Irrigation of parks and golf courses, but the daminant use of water from the South Platte River in Water District No.8 Is municipal, and this dominance will continue in the future. A municipal water system must provide a dependable supply of potable water in sufficient quantity to meet the demands of domestic and industrial users, and to provide fire protection at all times to the area served. In planning for municipal supplies, a long range forecast and development period is required and the year-round availability of water is assured by the acquisi- tion of both direct flow and storage rights and the use of storage water to even out variations In demand. It Is not possible to correlate municipal water demands directly to the water district boundaries because water district boundaries are based On Irrigation divisions and natural drainage divides whereas municipal development tends to spread in all directions without regard to either of the foregoing factors. Thus. although Denver and Aurora occupy a minor portion of the area encompassed by Water District No.8, together they account for a substantial proportion of the water used. In general, municipalities which have direct flow rights from the South Platte use, those rights first In satisfying their water demands. In the case of the larger agencies direct flow rights are supplemented by storage and other sources, such as the Homestake Diversion Project for Aurora, and for Denver the Fraser River system water brought through the Hoffat Tunnel and the water of the Blue River carried through the Roberts Tunnel. Municipal water demands fluctuate widely depending on clImate, rainfall, season, water rates and other factors, During the year the maximum daily demand may be as much as 2.5 to 3.0 times the average daily demand, while the maximum hourly demand will range from 1.8 to 2.5 times the average