We communicated with several representatives from the public utility to request data for reservoirs that are representative of the different collection systems. In order to determine the correlation between reservoir levels and precipitation we gathered data about the reservoirs primarily from Denver Water. We will be comparing this data between times of drought, and selected periods of time to examine and prove the effects of climate change on municipal water supply. This relationship is represented by snow coverage data and reservoir levels. Using historical data sourced from our meetings with Denver Water, we are looking to prove a correlation between snowfall amounts and available water supply. Research focuses on four reservoirs that supply water to Denver Water: Antero, Dillion, Cheseman, and Gross. How does decreasing precipitation and declining snowpack due to climate change across the mountain regions affect the Denver water supply? According to the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: "Water resources will become more difficult to predict in the Northern Hemisphere’s snow-dominated regions later this century due to the impacts of climate change.As snow accumulation recedes and fails to generate reliable runoff, the amount and timing of water resources in areas such as the Rocky Mountains will increasingly depend on rainfall." Approach to the Research As the effects of climate change grow more severe in both the present day and the future, the prospects of a stable water supply become less certain. With a growing population in the Denver metro area, coupled with the effects of climate change on the region, a multitude of issues have presented themselves in sourcing water for a growing region, that year after year is becoming more prone to drought. Climate change has greatly impacted the water supply to Denver Water in a multitude of ways including reduced annual precipitation rates (most notably snowfall), and an increased loss of water stored in reservoirs caused by evaporation. The sourcing of water mainly from snowmelt necessitates the use of reservoirs to store water to be available for municipal use year-round. Denver Water sources its water mainly from Western Colorado (the part of Colorado west of the Continental Divide) as snowfall and precipitation are much greater there (representing 80% of Colorado’s total annual precipitation). The city of Denver and many surrounding suburbs in the metro area get their municipal water supply from Denver Water, a public utility company.
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