Thursday, Mar 17 2011 1:22PM
Colorado farmers are being pressured to sell their water supply to suburban towns.
Although Colorado's rural farmers still own more than 80 percent of natural flowing water in the state, the Denver Post reports that they are losing control of its supply as they are pressured to offer water to the state's rapidly growing suburban population.
Farmers and ranchers have sold at least 191,000 acre-feet of state water to suburbs since 1987, according to the newspaper. The process has caused approximately 400,000 acres of Colorado land to dry up between 2000 and 2005, a loss that could severely stunt rural
economic community development.
"Water and agriculture are critical for the rural economy to flourish," Governor John Hickenlooper told the paper. "Unlike many other states, and even some nations, we have the potential in Colorado to provide a sustainable food supply that is local and not imported."
However, the paper said water transfers are unlikely to let up anytime soon, with suburban water managers venturing to far off mountain valleys to secure new water supplies.
The need for more water sources is likely to grow, as the U.S. consumes significantly more water than the rest of the world. The environmental website Mindfully.org reports that the average American uses about 159 gallons of water each day, while more than half of the global population lives on less than 25 gallons.