Colorado Reader April 2019: Where does our water come from? | Page 8

Meeting Colorado’s Water Needs
Colorado’s population has grown
from 1 million in 1930 to more than
5 million today. The population is
projected to grow at even faster rates
in the future. How do we ensure
population growth doesn’t change
what we know and love about our
state - such as our precious natural
resources, and especially, our water
resources? When it comes to our water,
Colorado’s Water Plan has answers. 1. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. Water comes out
of the average faucet at 2.5 gallons per minute. Don’t let all that
water go down the drain while you brush! Turn off the faucet after
you wet your brush, and leave it off until it’s time to rinse.
The Colorado Water Plan provides
solutions to Colorado’s water
challenges. It also identifies ways
in which we will continue to find
solutions to our water challenges
into the future. If Colorado’s water
is managed strategically, our
state has enough water to meet
our needs well into the future. 4. Fix your leaks. Fixing leaky faucets can mean big water savings.
How many of the water conservation
tips on the right can you start
doing? Check with your city’s
water department for more
ways and helpful resources to
conserve water in your home.
2. Cut your showers short. Older shower heads can use
as much as five gallons of water per minute. Speed things
up in the shower for some serious water savings.
3. Turn off the tap while washing your hands. Do you need the water to
run while you’re scrubbing your hands? Save a few gallons of water and
turn the faucet off after you wet your hands until you need to rinse.
5. Re-use your pasta cooking liquid. Instead of dumping that water
down the drain, try draining your pasta water into a large pot. Once it
cools, you can use it to water your plants. Just make sure you wait, because
if you dump boiling water on your plants, you might harm them.
6. Head to the car wash. If the car needs to be washed, ask your parents to take it
to a car wash that recycles the water, rather than washing at home with the hose.
7. Choose efficient fixtures. Buying a low-flow toilet, choosing
efficient shower heads, and opting for a water efficient dishwasher
and washing machine can add up to big water savings.
8. Shrink your lawn. Even better: lose the lawn completely. Instead, opt
for a xeriscaped landscape that incorporates low-water ground cover,
succulents, and other plants that thrive in drought conditions.
The Colorado Reader publication is an Agriculture in the Classroom project of the
Colorado Foundation for Agriculture. The Colorado Foundation for Agriculture (CFA)
is a 501(c)3 non-profit education corporation and works with industry partners to
help meet our shared vision of advancing Colorado agricultural literacy. We provide
Agriculture in the Classroom resources and programs to Colorado educators and
students, many of which are FREE or at minimal cost. For more information or to make a donation to support agricultural
literacy education programs, visit www.GrowingYourFuture.com, or contact Jennifer Scharpe, Colorado Foundation
for Agriculture, 10343 Federal Blvd Unit J Box 224, Westminster, CO 80260, 970-818-3308, Info@GrowingYourFuture.
com. Content for this Reader has been provided by the South Platte and Metro Basin Roundtables, and the Poudre
Learning Center © Copyright 2019 Colorado Foundation for Agriculture. Educational instructors may, for academic purposes,
reproduce, download, disseminate, and transfer that material as long as the reproduction credits CFA as its source.
• Colorado Water Conservation Board
• Central Colorado Water Conservancy District
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8 - Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom
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