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<br />I. Introduction <br /> <br />There are two types of aquifers presently being developed in the Denver metro <br /> <br />area: alluvial aquifers and bedrock aquifers. Alluvial aquifers are made up <br /> <br />of more recently deposited sediments adjacent and tributary to existing <br /> <br />surface streams. The use of tributary groundwater impacts surface water that <br /> <br />is relied upon by water rights owners along an entire stream system. In <br /> <br />contrast, bedrock aquifers were deposited millions of years ago and in a legal <br /> <br />sense, are generally not tributary to surface streams. This means that over a <br /> <br />period of many years, withdrawal of the water may not have a measurable impact <br /> <br />on the flow of surface streams. <br /> <br />In terms of groundwater, the bedrock aquifers in the Denver Basin are seen by <br /> <br />the task group as presenting the greatest opportunity for additional supplies <br /> <br />of municipal water, and they have been selected as the primary scope of this <br /> <br /> <br />inquiry. Alluvial aquifers are hydrologically and legally part of the surface <br /> <br /> <br />system and from a water rights standpoint do not offer new supplies. Because <br /> <br /> <br />alluvial aquifers are generally beyond the current scope of the Groundwater <br /> <br />Task Group, only a few possible suggestions for their use have been provided <br /> <br />in this report. <br />