FALLING GROUNDWATER LEVELS HAVE NOT DETERRED POPULATION GROWTH IN DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO

The Museum of Nature & Science has had a multi-year research program working on the stratigraphy of the Denver Basin. We have developed a detailed understanding of the three dimensional character of the rock units filling the basin. These rock units make up the bedrock aquifers of the Denver Basin and the depletion of the groundwater resources can be elegantly demonstrated using our depositional models combined with annually published water levels provided by the State Engineer's Office.

We have made maps and perspective diagrams showing the falling water levels in the major aquifers. These products allow the public and the planning community to effectively visualize the challenges of hidden and depleting resources. Our ongoing collaborations with the communities of Parker and Aurora are enabling their municipal water managers to optimize the use of remaining subsurface water resources and are helping them to emphasize the need to convert domestic water supplies from groundwater sources to sustainable surface resources.

The dramatically falling groundwater levels in Douglas County (in many areas exceeding 1 inch per day) have not served to deter population growth. The county, located just south of Denver, has one of the highest growth rates in the nation despite the fact that potable water resources are rapidly dwindling. The county is almost solely dependant on its groundwater resources as surface water resources in the area are very limited and most of the surface water rights have been claimed by prior users. In-depth newspaper reports (for example in the Rocky Mountain News), a series of technical publications in geological journals, and an expose in a popular novel have served to educate a subset of the public but not to noticeably restrict the urbanization of the County. Public understanding of the water resource situation will be enhanced by our aquifer visualization efforts.