Water Facts

 Northern Colorado Water Facts

  • On average in Northern Colorado, each person uses 160 gallons of water daily (inside and outside the house)
  • The water from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project originates in the headwaters of the Colorado River
  • If Horsetooth Reservoir was filled with soda pop instead of water, it would take 548 BILLION 12-ounce cans
  • More than half of all the water used in and around the home goes to keep lawns green
  • The average annual precipitation in Northern Colorado is about 15 inches

Colorado Water Facts

  • Four major rivers – the Colorado, South Platte, Arkansas and Rio Grande – originate in Colorado
  • Most of Colorado's precipitation falls on the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains
  • An estimated 80 percent of Colorado's water supply originates as snowpack
  • Blue Mesa Reservoir near Gunnison is the largest water body in Colorado 
1 percent of water suitable for drinkingOnly 1 percent
About 1 percent of the Earth's water is suitable for drinking.
Some Other Interesting Water Facts
  • Water is the most common substance found on Earth
  • A gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds
  • Cold water freezes faster than hot water, but when hot water is used to make ice, the ice is clearer
  • Water becomes lighter when it freezes
  • The total amount of water in the world remains constant – only its elemental form changes
  • An average shower uses 25 to 50 gallons of water
  • About 1 percent of the Earth's water is suitable for drinking
  • Water is the only substance found naturally in all elemental forms - solid, liquid and gas