Water Sources and Uses in Wyoming

Wyoming State Water Source and Use With today's drought it is more important than ever to comprehend the Wyoming state water source and various available water levels compared to the amount of water required. Please use. In this article I will introduce not only these applications and numerical values ​​but also the controversial HB 19 law and the four major river basins that supply water to Wyoming in the West. We discuss where and how to obtain most of the surface water in Wyoming every year.

The water loss survey of the Colorado River basin released in the Geophysics research book at the end of 2004 shows that 75% of the loss comes from the groundwater source. 7 US states (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, California) use the Colorado River and its tributaries to supply personal and agricultural water. It is estimated that agriculture itself is currently using about 60% of the groundwater in the Colorado River. This basin supplies water to about 40 million people in seven provinces and irrigates about 4 million acres of farmland. This study points out that the water of the Colorado River is the most widely distributed water in the world.

The Colorado River System is an important source for more than 33 million people in agriculture and urban areas in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Mexico in California. The river has experienced continuous drought since 2000. Because the population of Colorado follows the trend of urbanization and is expected to nearly double in the next 40 to 50 years, there is little water usage in the face of the climate crisis. In the 2014 survey that quantified the economic importance of the Colorado River, the estimated direct loss in Colorado exceeded 1.1 million jobs and labor income is estimated at about $ 60.5 billion. This is based on the assumption that the water supply of the Colorado River is less than one year and can not be compensated by other water sources.

Urban water users can easily see the water statistics of Colorado and draw conclusions. Over 80% of the water in Colorado State is used for agriculture. However, water used in agriculture is not "consuming" usage, as most of it is returned to the ground and returned to the basin. In addition, agriculture is one of the oldest institutions in the state, accounting for the majority of our economy. In the past few decades, Colorado state water consumption has declined slightly. However, from the unnatural green lawn sprinkling to industrial water, drinking water use in the city is increasing rapidly. Population growth in Colorado State is the cause of the flood we are facing now and we all should find a way to protect.