Where will all the water be coming from?

[seeker21]

Thanks for asking...I'm interested in Longmont because of its close proximity to Boulder and its relatively affordable housing prices. My wife is more into Fort Collins though--don't know how much that helps. I guess some water districts are a lot more far-sighted than others?

[TinajaCo]

Yes, some definitely had more foresight. I'm not sure about Longmont or Ft Collins, but I can probably find out for you, so stay tuned!

[tfox]

Fort Collins is very well set up with water supplies relative to other cities in Colorado -- they have the Poudre watershed and all of Horsetooth reservoir -- if you go to Horsetooth you'll see what I mean. Plus, Fort Collins growth is fairly stable.

Longmont is probably okay too -- I believe they have dibs on Gross Resevoir and Lefthand Creek and the Saint Vrain. Longmont's growth is also stable.

What you have to be worried about is smaller communities or suburbs which don't have a lot of history. Particularly if such smaller communities were more or less set up by developers. Worst of all would be subdivisions built out in unincorporated areas.

[seeker21]

Originally Posted by tfox

Fort Collins is very well set up with water supplies relative to other cities in Colorado -- they have the Poudre watershed and all of Horsetooth reservoir -- if you go to Horsetooth you'll see what I mean. Plus, Fort Collins growth is fairly stable.

Longmont is probably okay too -- I believe they have dibs on Gross Resevoir and Lefthand Creek and the Saint Vrain. Longmont's growth is also stable.

What you have to be worried about is smaller communities or suburbs which don't have a lot of history. Particularly if such smaller communities were more or less set up by developers. Worst of all would be subdivisions built out in unincorporated areas.

Great info, thanks. Yeah, I think that last thing was the problem with that development in/outside of Lyons...a sad scene. I suppose there are people who buy those properties too, only to run out of water and have a worthless property on their hands.

[prairiestate]

As a Chicagoan, I can tell you a Great Lakes pipeline is probably not going to be the answer. The closest of the lakes is Michigan, which has had a low water level for years. Many Chicago suburbs do not have lake water, and their are strict allotments for how much water can be taken out of the lake. This means that a lot of fast growing suburbs clamoring for lake water aren't going to receive it. There was a town in northwest Indiana profiled on the 10:00 news that was on the verge of being abandoned because they were almost out of water, and weren't allowed to access the lake. Even here, we usually have watering bans and restrictions in the summer. So, if we don't even have enough water for all the suburbs, I just can't see water being diverted to Denver, let alone Phoenix or Vegas. It would empty the Great Lakes.

[cluckk]

Do you really expect this to be a major issue in your life time? I know Global warming is the latest buzz-word but I'm old enough to remember the fears of Global-cooling. It's just my opinion and a minority but it seems to me there are too many Chicken Littles. Every few years it's a new scare! I prefer to do research and wait and see--I am not convinced. But wait! That's right, global warming is happening--the water in Colorado is running dangerously low. Those of you in states with plenty of water should stay there. Leave the front range to me. I'll be glad to live in the desert that will result. I'll even send you pictures--how much is photoshop?

[TughillTina]

Yes cluck-it was the mid seventies and the headlines said-Ice age upon us-meanwhile some of my dear friends in Phoenix were wondering where are the icebergs, Now fast forward to today and it's Global warming and I'm sitting here in upstate ny freezing my a** off wondering where is the warmth. It's chicken little and propaganda at its finest. For the water to stop in Colorado there are numerous things that would have to happen and from my original post I am quite serious when I say water comes from clouds. One of the big draws of Colorado is the dry climate so basically people who live there which I was one for thirty years must know that you are fighting a uphill battle when it comes to green grass or "lush" vegetation but that is just the climate, the water hasn't stopped. Yes there is a drought but I also know that this past summer was very wet in some areas of Colorado and there has been quite a bit of snowfall. Another thing the Great Lakes are HUGE water making machines, they couldn't possibly dry up unless a HUGE meteor came tumbling down upon us, but see that has nothing to do with human beings. I guess what I'm trying to say is I know that I am a speck of dust when it comes to the climate, it is not in my control and it is not in anyone elses control.

[cluckk]

I simply say: show me the evidence. I have yet to see it. Yes we have gone up a couple degrees. However, we have only been able to track such things for a couple centuries. The evidence I have seen shows that the earth goes through natural warming and cooling cycles. We happen to be in the warming side of that and nothing we do can change it.

Of course, I try to practice conservation where possible. This is not because I fear Global Warming but because it is good stewardship. But I prefer not to be a Chicken Little. One thing I have learned over the years is doom's day predictions always pan out to hysteria. Global warming seems to be the Y2K scare blown large. But that is my opinion, and I know: "Opinions are like b*tt-holes--everyone has one and they usually stink!"

[CSColorado]

Only a small percentage of the water that comes into Colorado actually stays in Colorado. We get enough water here to supply several states. In my humble opinion we should be building a few more resoirvoirs to keep it here. A lot of our water supply comes from snow-melt... looks like we're fine for next year.
As for global warming, do you think that people were this freaked out when we came out of the ice age? I'm sure that cave men were responsible, and I'm upset that they didn't set a better example for us by taking more action to prevent it.