By Richard Stacy There are going to be major changes along the Front Range by 2030.
According to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the state's population is expected to increase by about 2.8 million to a little over 7 million people. Most of the increase, about 2.4 million, will live along the Front Range. The population increase will have huge impacts in too many ways to count — but one of the biggest challenges will be with respect to our water supply.
The increased population translates into a total increased annual demand of about 630,000 acre-feet, 450,000 of which will be needed for the Front Range. To put that in perspective, Dillon Reservoir holds only 254,036 acre-feet. We need to find a lot of extra water somewhere.
