What is the water situation in Colorado? (Denver, Sterling: homes, landscaping)

[Katarina Witt]

I used to think the Front Range would never be "californicated"; now I'm not so sure. Of course, no one apparently forsaw the drop in the birth rate in Europe and Japan, either, until after it started happening. If that happens here, we may be "saved".

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

I used to think the Front Range would never be "californicated"; now I'm not so sure. Of course, no one apparently forsaw the drop in the birth rate in Europe and Japan, either, until after it started happening. If that happens here, we may be "saved".

good points. the front range is not just growing from birth/death imbalance, though, being a destination for tons of transplants, right?

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by hello-world

good points. the front range is not just growing from birth/death imbalance, though, being a destination for tons of transplants, right?

Yes, though if there were fewer people altogether, there would be fewer to move here. And Colorado does attract young people who start families. That is what we did when we came here.

[hello-world]

there's an abc news clip regarding water issues (you can get to it from the yahoo home page at the moment). it's about the fight over water growing between alabama, georgia, and florida, and touches upon some of what's projected to come for the rest of the US. just thought it interesting in part since it's re: the WET and less quickly growing parts of the US, mainly (while we hear so much about what the west has to look forward to).

[b.adams]

Colorado has supply issues with their water, because we haven't built a dam in 25 years! The front range is now paying for what the environmentalists did to us.

At the same time, places like CA and AZ bought up most of the water going the other way.

And, Colorado continues to allow flood-farming to grow hay for cattle grazing and flood farming for a pathetic yield of corn along the major rivers into Eastern Colorado.

So we pay way more than we should, because we haven't planne for new storage and continue to squander the water for pennies to the farmers ... and the city folks pay an arm and a leg. Denver isn't too bad, but some cities have amazingly expensive water.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by b.adams

Colorado has supply issues with their water, because we haven't built a dam in 25 years! The front range is now paying for what the environmentalists did to us.

At the same time, places like CA and AZ bought up most of the water going the other way.

And, Colorado continues to allow flood-farming to grow hay for cattle grazing and flood farming for a pathetic yield of corn along the major rivers into Eastern Colorado.

So we pay way more than we should, because we haven't planne for new storage and continue to squander the water for pennies to the farmers ... and the city folks pay an arm and a leg. Denver isn't too bad, but some cities have amazingly expensive water.

So, let's flood every scenic river canyon in the state by building more reservoirs that may fill up in the spring and may be dry by fall (very scenic?); let's dry up every irrigated farm in eastern Colorado (what the hell, we don't need the food anyway--we can import that); let's dry up every subirrigated wetland in the state, turn them back into deserts, and send the water to bluegrass lawns (like Denver and Colorado Springs have already done to South Park). Let's do all of that so that we can move in another few million into the sprawling mess of the Front Range and make it JUST LIKE L.A.--which the last time I checked, a jillion people posting on this forum would like to escape.

I am a Colorado native (+50 years or so). I, for one, am getting really sick and tired of every Tom, Dick, and Harry coming along with the idea of "developing" or "improving" the place. Sure, there's more people, money, trophy houses, etc., etc. now, but as far as overall quality of life--it's not near as nice now as it used to be. I'm sorry if that statement upsets people who think all of that "stuff" is cool, or people who haven't been around long enough to remember what Colorado was like when it really WAS nice. Truth is, there is very little man can do to improve what God already created in Colorado--I wish to hell we would quit trying . . .

[formercalifornian]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

I used to think the Front Range would never be "californicated"; now I'm not so sure. Of course, no one apparently forsaw the drop in the birth rate in Europe and Japan, either, until after it started happening. If that happens here, we may be "saved".

I see this term thrown around a lot on these forums, but I'm not sure what you mean by it. Would you mind elaborating?

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by formercalifornian

I see this term thrown around a lot on these forums, but I'm not sure what you mean by it. Would you mind elaborating?

Certainly. It means suburban sprawl, with all that goes with it, e.g. traffic, air pollution (I know Denver's is bad, but it would just get worse), lots more people, etc. Of course, that is just the bad side of it.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

Certainly. It means suburban sprawl, with all that goes with it, e.g. traffic, air pollution (I know Denver's is bad, but it would just get worse), lots more people, etc. Of course, that is just the bad side of it.

By your definition that would include Johnson County Kansas as well. That county SW of the Kansas City metro area has seen a huge increase in population, traffic, and some air pollution issues as well.

[Katarina Witt]

You may be reading more into the definition than I meant. Everyone who has been to California knows the traffic situation, even on multi-lane roads, the air quality situation, the huge number of people (millions). I do not beieve I have ever been to Johnson Co. Kansas.