Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Page Four <br /> <br />II. Denver Basin Aquifer Life <br /> <br />The nontributary groundwater in the Denver Basin is finite and not naturally <br /> <br />renewable. Because natural recharge back into the formation is generally <br /> <br />negligible, any withdrawals will cause depletion of the aquifers and the <br /> <br />nontributary resource is said to be -mined.- <br /> <br />There is a common perception that encouraging dependence on a finite supply of <br /> <br />groundwater will some day produce a sudden crisis when groundwater-dependent <br /> <br />users exhaust the supply of groundwater. Expressions of concern have been <br /> <br />voiced that, difficult demands would be made for a share of over-appropriated <br /> <br />surface water supplies. From a practical viewpoint, however, actual aquifer <br /> <br />depletion is a very gradual process. As the amount of water in an aquifer is <br /> <br />reduced, more wells will be needed to maintain a constant rate of delivery. <br /> <br />The economic aspects of continued well proliferation to maintain that rate of <br /> <br />delivery and increasing costs of operation and maintenance are the real core <br /> <br />of groundwater management and the life of the water supply. In this respect, <br /> <br />developing integrated surface and groundwater supply systems is encouraged. <br /> <br />For example, the conunittee has been interested in seeing how some existing <br /> <br />groundwater based water distr icts have been diversifying their systems by <br /> <br />integrating surface and groundwater sources of supply. <br />