Water Use in Colorado
The future health and welfare of the Nation's population is dependent upon a continuing supply of uncontaminated fresh water. Increasing withdrawals and increasing demands for instream flows are limiting the water available for future use. More comprehensive water-use data and analysis of water-use information are needed to quantify the stress on existing supplies and to better model and evaluate possible water-supply management options to supplement traditional water-supply approaches.
The USGS compiles water-use data from numerous sources for all parts of the county, and since 1950 has published a series of Circulars on the estimated use of water in the United States at 5-year intervals. These Circulars contain State-level estimates of the amount of public- and self-supplied water used for commercial, domestic, industrial, irrigation, livestock, mining, power generation, and other purposes. The water-use data collected and compiled in Colorado are an integral part of the nationwide assessment of water supply and demand.
Freshwater Use in Colorado, 2000
Source - Estimated Use of Water in the United States County-Level Data for 2000
(Population is in thousands; Water-use values are in million gallons per
day (Mgal/d))
| County |
Population |
Ground-water use |
Surface-water use |
Total water use |
| Adams |
363.86 |
27.04 |
106.55 |
133.59 |
| Alamosa |
14.97 |
125.27 |
99.56 |
224.83 |
| Arapahoe |
487.97 |
15.81 |
96.18 |
111.99 |
| Archuleta |
9.90 |
0.83 |
65.78 |
66.61 |
| Baca |
4.52 |
111.58 |
0.00 |
111.58 |
| Bent |
6.00 |
7.55 |
316.95 |
324.50 |
| Boulder |
291.29 |
5.85 |
176.17 |
182.02 |
| Broomfield |
|
|
|
|
| Chaffee |
16.24 |
0.92 |
71.24 |
72.16 |
| Cheyenne |
2.23 |
29.40 |
3.18 |
32.58 |
| Clear Creek |
9.32 |
0.59 |
1.22 |
1.81 |
| Conejos |
8.40 |
34.70 |
219.32 |
254.02 |
| Costilla |
3.66 |
50.67 |
49.65 |
100.32 |
| Crowley |
5.52 |
0.97 |
96.98 |
97.95 |
| Custer |
3.50 |
0.45 |
48.85 |
49.30 |
| Delta |
27.83 |
4.68 |
673.86 |
678.54 |
| Denver |
554.64 |
6.91 |
152.26 |
159.17 |
| Dolores |
1.84 |
1.82 |
52.82 |
54.64 |
| Douglas |
175.77 |
15.72 |
27.62 |
43.34 |
| Eagle |
41.66 |
2.41 |
138.18 |
140.59 |
| Elbert |
19.87 |
11.26 |
7.13 |
18.39 |
| El Paso |
516.93 |
16.88 |
121.61 |
138.49 |
| Fremont |
46.15 |
0.88 |
159.54 |
160.42 |
| Garfield |
43.79 |
4.73 |
416.07 |
420.80 |
| Gilpin |
4.76 |
0.52 |
0.11 |
0.63 |
| Grand |
12.44 |
1.06 |
109.33 |
110.39 |
| Gunnison |
13.96 |
3.34 |
238.60 |
241.94 |
| Hinsdale |
0.79 |
0.12 |
9.59 |
9.71 |
| Huerfano |
7.86 |
1.88 |
66.28 |
68.16 |
| Jackson |
1.58 |
0.08 |
322.74 |
322.82 |
| Jefferson |
527.06 |
16.77 |
127.37 |
144.14 |
| Kiowa |
1.62 |
26.61 |
2.14 |
28.75 |
| Kit Carson |
8.01 |
186.44 |
0.00 |
186.44 |
| Lake |
7.81 |
0.64 |
40.38 |
41.02 |
| La Plata |
43.94 |
3.97 |
216.64 |
220.61 |
| Larimer |
251.49 |
27.03 |
245.01 |
272.04 |
| Las Animas |
15.21 |
2.89 |
118.84 |
121.73 |
| Lincoln |
6.09 |
20.04 |
0.18 |
20.22 |
| Logan |
20.50 |
55.94 |
253.37 |
309.31 |
| Mesa |
116.26 |
7.60 |
1194.37 |
1201.97 |
| Mineral |
0.83 |
0.11 |
0.00 |
0.11 |
| Moffat |
13.18 |
1.32 |
207.42 |
208.74 |
| Montezuma |
23.83 |
1.15 |
427.60 |
428.75 |
| Montrose |
33.43 |
5.83 |
591.91 |
597.74 |
| Morgan |
27.17 |
111.80 |
176.41 |
288.21 |
| Otero |
20.31 |
10.17 |
271.74 |
281.91 |
| Ouray |
3.74 |
0.36 |
81.74 |
82.10 |
| Park |
14.52 |
1.72 |
26.41 |
28.13 |
| Phillips |
4.48 |
128.11 |
1.72 |
129.83 |
| Pitkin |
14.87 |
0.48 |
42.71 |
43.19 |
| Prowers |
14.48 |
96.58 |
332.48 |
429.06 |
| Pueblo |
141.47 |
10.61 |
235.71 |
246.32 |
| Rio Blanco |
5.99 |
1.78 |
214.80 |
216.58 |
| Rio Grande |
12.41 |
171.59 |
113.74 |
285.33 |
| Routt |
19.69 |
2.94 |
268.28 |
271.22 |
| Saguache |
5.92 |
357.81 |
289.22 |
647.03 |
| San Juan |
0.56 |
0.02 |
0.15 |
0.17 |
| San Miguel |
6.59 |
0.33 |
9.55 |
9.88 |
| Sedgwick |
2.75 |
62.39 |
49.67 |
112.06 |
| Summit |
23.55 |
2.33 |
2.17 |
4.50 |
| Teller |
20.56 |
1.40 |
5.44 |
6.84 |
| Washington |
4.93 |
58.59 |
5.65 |
64.24 |
| Weld |
180.94 |
142.19 |
921.98 |
1064.17 |
| Yuma |
9.84 |
315.18 |
5.95 |
321.13 |
Information Resources
| 
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey