From the farm to the city: Using agricultural supplies to irrigate urban landscapes

摘要

Growth and development in northern Colorado are occurring rapidly. According to the state demographer's office, 7.2 million people will be living along the Front Range by 2030. (The Colorado Front Range is a colloquial geographic term for the most populous region of the state. It lies just east of the foothills of the Front Range, from which the region takes its name.) This includes approximately 1 million people living in northern Colorado-in Larimer and Weld counties-on what was primarily rural agricultural land. The intensity with which municipalities search to secure long-term water supplies has grown proportionately with the increase in population. A sizable portion of the Front Range's urban population, new and old, does not yet fully understand the relative scarcity of water in a high-desert environment. Although public education concerning the need to use water wisely is growing, a significant demand for lush green spaces in both public and private landscapes still exists.