THE GEOLOGIC PAST AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE OF THE CITY OF DENVER

Since its founding as a placer gold opportunity, Denver has been intimately associated with geology. The city is built on nearly two miles of Denver Basin strata that records the last 300 million years of earth history. Its parks, particularly its unique mountains parks, such as Red Rocks Amphitheater, showcase some of the most spectacular and accessible geology in the country. Denver is presently the center for oil, gas, and mineral exploration in the Rocky Mountain West, as well as hosting the USGS, the Colorado Geological Survey, and several significant university geology programs such as those at Colorado School of Mines and University of Colorado. The city has an interesting history of resource use. An early and innovative solution to the shortage of surface water on the east side of the Front Range was the cross-divide diversions that redirect westbound Colorado River water through tunnels that penetrate the continental divide and supply annual snowmelt to Denver's population. Denver Water serves as a regional leader for storage and supply of surface water and understanding the use of alluvial and bedrock groundwater aquifers that supply the growing population of the Front Range urban corridor. Denver obtains most of its electricity from the combustion of Powder River coal in regional power plants. The public is growing more aware of Denver's connections with its geology through programs at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and public art projects such as the Ancient Colorado painting series at the Colorado Convention Center. In 2005, we signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Accord toward compliance with the Kyoto Protocol. In May, 2007, a diverse group of civic leaders, produced Greenprint Denver, a report that assessed the city's carbon footprint and recommended pathways and policies for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and moving the city toward sustainability.