Denver doesn't need water? All the development on the Front Range doesn't require massive amounts of water that isn't there? The farmers in eastern Colorado don't need water for irrigation?

The Colorado was way over-tapped 50-60 years ago. The Arkansas River has been over-tapped for 30-40 years with real stresses to the watershed in the past 20 years due to front range development.

I know exactly where you live. It doesn't matter if the water flows into the Colorado River basin or the Arkansas River basin (which feeds the Colorado Canal which provides water for farmers in southeastern Colorado) Water is precious. There's far too much residential development on the Front Range and far too little water resources to support it. If anything, the situation on the Front Range is worse than what's happening on the Upper Colorado.

What happened in California's Owen Valley in the 1920s and 1930s will soon happen, or already is happening, in Colorado. On both sides of the divide. (there were two mountain ranges between LA and the Owen Valley-they simply built aquaducts over the mountains)

What I think is happening here.... the rich are moving out cause of the high taxes in that state.... not only that... but they are tired of paying for the jillion illegals you have staked their claims as having 'squatters rights'... only to demand everything from the Calif Govt to support them while they're doing their 'squatting'.......much like I resent all of them moving in this state while I have to do without.... So perhaps if I'm to obtain the same kind of gratuity, I have to lay out in the sun for a few months to color my skin and speaka de Spanish, huh?

Why dont they have marches and wave their Mexican flags, spit and stomp on it there like I've seen them do our flag in this country .... perhaps then, they would get 'greater results' from their Mexican govt.. or either be shot - which ever comes first... After all, those leaders there are just as crooked as the Cartels ....

The Dutchman wrote:
Bob, up here we trap all the rain water we can and the gray water runs out in the back yard. Water here is worth it's weight in gold to those that want it. There have even been city dwellers that moved out here that paid heavy fines for using irrigation water that run through their property that they had no right to.
If you don't have a domestic well permit in this area you can't water anything outside the house, plants, pets or even wash a car. I have a domestic well and irrigation water and we still take our vehicles into town because they recycle the water....

Not sure which agency is reporting that the El Nino will bring more rain (it will, but not now). It is just now forming and should hit us sometime late this year. Unfortunately, we might not have the water reserves to get us that far. As far as Dutch mentioning lavish lawns, not in my area. Yes, we do have lavish lawns when we have the water to support it, and I doubt anyone in northern California wants the water withheld from the farmers; however, lawmakers continue to ship more and more water to southern California where they don't make any attempt to save water (at least, none that I could see when I lived down there) and who keep screaming that they need more and more of the water we work so hard to conserve.
Driving around most of northern California right now, you will see more brown than green in yards, dirty cars where people are trying to conserve. I even have friends who place plastic tubs inside their showers to catch the water and use it to water their gardens (my back will not allow lifting anything like that anymore).
Sorry, got a bit off track. My point was that I hope we get a lot more than just the 2" we are expecting this week because the El Nino is not going to get here anywhere near soon enough. It MIGHT make for a very good year of fishing next year tho.