Colorado officials predict a 163-billion-gallon shortfall in its water supply by 2050, and the Continental Divide stands in the way of easy solutions to the challenge.
"Colorado is looking for 163 billion gallons of water, and a long-awaited state plan for finding it calls for increased conservation, reusing treated wastewater and diverting more water from the Western Slope," according to an article by Bruce Finley.
The need for the plan stems from Colorado's growth: "Rising demand from population growth and industry, if continued through 2050, threatens to leave 2.5 million people parched."
Finley reports that the plan, mandated by Governor John Hickenlooper, has been under development for 18 months and is expected for release on December 10, 2014. Similar to other states, Colorado's water infrastructure is challenged by a geographic divide between water supply and water demand. Also, much of the water supply for the Western United States is found in rivers that originate in Colorado.
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