Reliance on groundwater hits homeowners hard
South metro suburbs worried about a slowing flow of underground water are preparing to spend billions to end their reliance on super-deep wells to supply tens of thousands of households.
Today, nearly every glass of water drawn by residents in Castle Rock, Castle Pines and Parker originates deep underground, data from utility managers show.
Twenty-five utilities between Denver and Colorado Springs are together pumping 38,742 acre-feet of water from 449 municipal wells each year, according to data provided by the water suppliers.
That works out to about 400 gallons per second being squeezed from the Denver Basin aquifer.
A journalist and lawyer, Bruce Finley has investigated local, national and international issues with on-site reporting in more than 40 countries. In his position as a staff writer for the Denver Post, he is focusing on environment-related news including water challenges, the oil and gas boom and wildfire.
