Study reveals growing South Platte Basin supply gap

LOVELAND – The results of a new study that shows substantial shortfall in future water supplies in the South Platte Basin will be discussed at a meeting of water leaders in Loveland on Dec. 17.

The South Platte Basin Roundtable is part of a legislatively appointed citizen group examining Colorado’s current and future water supply and demand. The study, which included both consumptive and non-consumptive (recreational and environmental) demands, updates prior studies by the group to 2050.

The earlier work of the Roundtable showed that even if all the major projects currently under way in the South Platte Basin are completed, including Windy Gap firming project, Northern Integrated Supply Project, the expansion of the Halligan and Seaman reservoirs, and others, the region still faced a water shortage of more than 200,000 acre-feet in the next 20 years.

SPONSORED CONTENT

How dispatchable resources enable the clean energy transition

Platte River must prepare for the retirement of 431 megawatts (MW) of dispatchable, coal-fired generation by the end of the decade and address more frequent extreme weather events that can bring dark calms (periods when there is no sun or wind).

Findings of the updated study show that the mid-range shortage for the South Platte basin in 2050 is estimated to be 360,000 acre-feet, depending on the successful completion of the various proposed projects. This does not include the Denver metro area’s water needs.

For comparison, the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, the largest transmountain water diversion project in Colorado, annually delivers 213,000 acre feet of water.

“This study shows the challenge we face and why it is important that we make the necessary investments in planning for our water future,´ said Harold Evans, vice-chairman of the South Platte Roundtable. “Our quality of life and our economy are at stake if we don’t make these necessary investments in our future.”

The Basin Roundtable meeting is free and open to the public. It will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. at The Ranch, Larimer County Fairgrounds, in the McKee 4-H, Youth & Community Building

For more information about the Basin Roundtable study, visit www.cwcb.state.co.us/IWMD/COsWaterSupplyFuture.