How Much Water Will Colorado Need?

This morning, I reported on the Statewide Water Supply Initiative, the latest in a decade-long effort to figure out how much water Colorado will need over the next several decades -- and whether the state's on the right path to supply users with all that water.

Check out the Executive Summary for yourself here.

Here's a shorter summary of the findings for municipal and industrial use -- basically the water we use everyday at home. The need is expected to skyrocket. I bolded a few facts of particular interest to the West Slope.

The following are the major conclusions from
Colorado's 2050 M&I water use projections:

-Colorado's population is expected to nearly
double to between 8.6 and 10 million people
by 2050.

-The Front Range will continue to be the most
populous place in Colorado with over
80 percent of the state's population residing
in the Arkansas, Metro, and South Platte
Basins. The Front Range is expected to grow
by approximately 70 percent.

-The West Slope will grow at the fastest rate
of any area in Colorado between now and
2050. Population on the West Slope is
expected to more than double in the next
40 years with some growth rates as high as
240 percent.

-Statewide M&I water usage rates have
decreased by 18 percent. This decrease is due
to a combination of drought response,
conservation savings, and additional data
collection efforts. Additional data collected
during this effort has improved the original
SWSI water usage information.

-Because population growth is the driving
factor in water use across the state, water use
is also expected to nearly double by 2050.

-Passive conservation will save approximately
150,000 AFY by 2050 or an 8 percent savings
relative to baseline 2050 M&I water demands.

-The basins with the largest SSI water usage in
2050 are projected to be the Yampa‐White,
Arkansas, Metro, and South Platte Basins.

-Colorado will need approximately
600,000 AFY to 1 million AFY of additional
M&I and SSI water by 2050. These estimates
incorporate new water demands from
population growth, energy, and other SSI
needs (including oil shale), and replacement
of nontributary groundwater.

-An oil shale industry producing
1,550,000 barrels of oil/day could use between
0 to 120,000 AFY depending upon what
technologies and other factors are
implemented. Due to ramp up rates, by 2050
projected water use ranges from 0 to
44,000 AFY for an industry providing
550,000 barrels of oil/day p16

Bente Birkeland Interviews Statehouse Leaders

The new legislative session begins next week.





In anticipation of the new session, Rocky Mountain Community Radio's Bente Birkeland interviewed the House and Senate Minority and Majority Leaders.



You can listen to her interviews here:


Republicans hold the minority in the state senate, but say they’re looking forward to having more leverage now that Republicans control the other chamber. Mike Kopp from Littleton is the Senate Minority Leader.




The state senate remains firmly in Democratic hands. Senate President Brandon Schaefer of Longmont is the only legislative leader who is not new to the position this session. And he has a specific vision for the months ahead.


Control of Colorado’s State House of Representatives, has changed this year, with Republicans now in control. New House minority leader Democratic representative Sal Pace talked about what it means and the role of his caucus.


Colorado has a new Republican Speaker of the State House, Frank McNulty. He talked about his plans for leadership and how he intends to work with the Democratic controlled senate and the Democratic Governor.

More on Secure Communities

Today I reported on Governor Ritter signing onto Secure Communities, a fingerprint check program with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Now, anyone booked at their local law enforcement will have their prints and other identification scanned through the immigration database with ICE.

Click here for more details on Secure Communities, from ICE.

Take a look at the state's agreement with the feds:

Secure Communities MOA - Colorado Final-1

Here are some thoughts from immigration rights' activists who oppose Secure Communities, from the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition in a press release yesterday:

ColoradoImmigrantRightsCoalition-SecureCommunities

Citizens and members of the city of Aspen Historic Preservation and Planning and Zoning Commissions were generally appalled at an anonymous developer's application to redevelop the Given Institute property.



I reported on it on our local news, but there is never enough time to include everything, or even part of everything.



At last night's meeting the general comments were that the proposed development lacked sensitivity because it asked for nearly $2 million in exemptions from the city as well as height, setback and size limit exemptions and would require cutting down many of Aspen's oldest and tallest trees.



Citizens were irked that there was a development being proposed at all and some mentioned trying to create a consortium of people to buy the property. The anonymous buyer (he's buying the 2.25 acre property and buildings from the University of Colorado for $15 million) is proposing to save the Given Institute building on one lot and subdivide the property into three more for private residential development. Representatives of the buyer said this application was rushed and they wanted to get feedback from the commissions, staff and citizens and go back to the drawing board.



Here's what some various members said during the meeting:



Neighbor Jonathan Lewis

Former neighbor Al Dietsch

Aspen Deputy Parks Director Stephen Ellsperman

Aspen Community Development Director Chris Bendon

Attorney for the buyer Bart Johnson

Planner for the buyer Mitch Haas

Aspen citizen and ACES board member Michael Fox