Tapped: The Denver metro region sits at the center of one of the American West’s most complex and consequential water challenges. This series examines the interconnected systems that determine how the region secures, stores, and conserves its water while navigating the competing demands of fast‑growing urban communities and the increasingly unpredictable mountain snowpack that underpins the entire system.
With snowpack feeding Clear Creek described as “pretty abysmal,” Golden officials are enforcing stricter outdoor watering limits and preparing for the possibility of several consecutive dry years.
Golden gets most of its water from direct flow rights in Clear Creek, which runs through the city. The water is then stored in the Upper and Lower Urad reservoirs and the Guanella Reservoir…