Resources on tap for a growing region.
Developing adequate water resources is critical to serve Colorado's current and future generations, as well as to provide for our region's economic vitality and quality of life.
Colorado is the only state in the continental U.S. with all major waterways originating within its boundaries. Eighty-five percent of Colorado's water is used by the agricultural industry. The remaining 15 percent is divided among domestic, municipal, and industrial uses.
The Denver Water Board is the largest provider of water in the Metro Denver area, serving over one million customers. The City of Aurora is the second largest, with 300,000 customers.
The Special District Association of Colorado (SDA) has over 134 special district members in Metro Denver providing water, water sanitation, and water conservation services. Special districts are formed by local voters to provide vital public services that cannot be feasibly supplied by cities or counties in the region.
Major Water Projects Planned
- Construction of the Rueter-Hess Reservoir is underway to meet the long-term water needs of the Parker community and Douglas County. The original project, at $105 million, is nearly complete. Approval is pending from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an enlarged $60 million reservoir totaling 72,000 acre-feet of storage.
- The $754 million Prairie Waters Project in Aurora is a large-scale water-reuse project that will extract water from the South Platte River and treat it to boost the city's water supply by 20 percent. Described as one of the most innovative water supply solutions in the West, the project is being constructed by Denver-based CH2M HILL, a global full-service engineering, construction, and operations firm.