Where will all the water be coming from? (Denver, Highlands Ranch: appliances, how much)

[seeker21]

This is an issue that affects almost the whole of the western US I realize. Since my wife grew up in Denver we are seriously considering retiring either just west or north of Denver, but I am seriously debating whether it is a wise thing to do. The glaciers are quickly disappearing, rainfall patterns are changing, and the population of the Denver metropolitan area (up to Ft. Collins) is quickly growing.

What are the prospects and plans for water sustainability along the front range these days? I remember visiting Lyons in 1999 and looking at new construction that could not be sold because their water access had...er...evaporated.

[BlueWillowPlate]

It is definitely something to consider. A friend of mine almost bought a house in Walsenburg but decided against it because of water concerns. I do know that in the last 5 years or so, after some rather heated negotiations, Southern California is now getting less of the Colorado River than it used to.

[mrkool]

I asked this same water question a while back in the New Mexico forum. I suggested that ultimately a pipeline might be built from the great lakes to the southwest. All the replies I got were either smart alecks or just said a pipeline will never happen. I replied OK, no pipeline... so tell me just where the water is going to come from in the future. All of a sudden no one had anything to say. Screw 'em. I got plenty of water where I am...

[Steve-o]

Basically its as simple as this: if a person's chosen state cannot supply enough water to support its people, then people shouldnt be living there to begin with.

The story of the wise man building his house upon the sand comes to mind.

[BenWolfe]

It will only effect the Parker and Castle Rock areas, but plans are underway to build a new reservoir between Castle Rock and Parker to service the growth in those areas.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by mrkool

....I suggested that ultimately a pipeline might be built from the great lakes to the southwest....

Glad to see that I'm not the only one with that idea....for generations, natural gas and petroleum pipelines have run from the Gulf area (LA and TX) all the way to Boston, or beyond...for heaven's sake, a water pipeline would be a piece a cake. Petroleum pipelines got a big boost during WW-2 when the Germans were sinking tons of our coastal tanker ships, you could see them burning and sinking off of NJ.....at first the railroads ran the wheels off their tank car fleet to bring the stuff up from the gulf, but later in the war the "Big Inch" and "Little Inch" Pipelines saved the day.

One way to bring water here from the Great Lakes (or even Western Canada) is to run the pipelines along the railroad lines....they have all the right-of-ways (ROWs) needed, no eminant domain issues, no land acquisition issues, buying a few acres here and there for pumping stations would be a breeze.

Tons of fiber optic lines already run along the RR ROWs....imagine, only one property owner to deal with for a linear ROW running hundreds or thousands of miles.....fiber companies have even made deals with the states to use the interstate highway corridors for lines...again...one landowner to deal with....

s/Mike
career transporter, retired
train hugger

[TughillTina]

This is funny- answer- CLOUDS-RAIN-SNOW- last time I checked Colorado gets rain and snow. If you are concerned about water, move anywhere near the great lakes. Water is everywhere and there seems to be no stopping it. Or to the Pacific Northwest, I heard they get quite a bit of water also. You guys really crack me up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mike from back east]

Now Tina....your point of view just doesn't hold water (hehehe)....think about shutting down the petroleum pipelines and telling the New Yorkers to move to where the gasoline is....TX or LA.

s/Mike

[Aggie]

...one thing homeowners can do ... besides the obvious ... CONSERVATION, REDUCTION ... would be to consider water harvesting. Catch water from the roof .... one inch of rainfall delivers 864 gallons from 1000 square feet of roof surface. Storage is the problem, but can be handled, especially in areas with highly seasonal rainfall patterns. It can be used for landscape plantings, gardens, etc. And could be used in the house to flush potties, wash cloths, etc. We use ours for potable water also with a little home treatment unit

One of the earlier posts is quite correct ... we have exceeded the water supporting capacity in many areas .... I have many long, tiring, but factually based soapboxes about this. However, it never ceases to amaze me at how much further our existing water supplies could go if we "all" used flow restriction devices on appliances, and planted native adapted yards.

...ok, I'll shutup now ... y'all take care.

bruce

[TinajaCo]

It really depends on the city. Denver, for example, really had foresight and so has ample water supplies, even during droughts. Highlands Ranch and a lot of Douglas County, on the other hand, are heavily reliant upon underground aquifers that are being sucked down faster than they can be replenished, and without big plans many areas could run out of water in that area (they are starting to look at other sources, but it may be too little, too late for some areas). So more than anything it depends upon the water district you are in. Are there specific areas you are considering?