The fourth lecture in the series Wringing Water from the Rocks rocked the Imax theatre last night.
Ed Means started off the show with an overview of water issues nationwide. He says that the west has the fastest population growth rate in the nation. Other slides showing impaired waters, education trends and population projections painted a pretty challenging future for water customers ($1 Trillion).
Mr. Means was upbeat though. Maybe that comes with the territory in 2005 if you're a water consultant. 
I did not know that costs are dropping for operating and maintaining a desalination plant. Now there's a solution to the supply problem. That's the beauty of this lecture series - the varied opinions and diverse topics.
Mr. Means drove home the importance of communicating with customers. Expectations are often not understood well. That could lead to a costly gap in service delivery.
Douglas County Commissioner Steven Boand tried to communicate the point of view of Douglas County, looking down on Denver, wishing that a local had been claiming water from the Fraser River and Williams Fork an hundred or more years or so ago, as was Denver.
He is advocating using agricultural water to solve the county need. He also mentioned that the county is just getting underway in cooperation with Parker to build the Rueter-Hess reservoir. I did appreciate his mentioning that any development of Denver Water water rights after they reach buildout should be gentle on the current rate-payers.
Mr. Means talked about the concept of Total Water Management. The American Water Works website says that total water management, "recognizes the paradigm shift from considering water available in unlimited quantities to understanding water supply as a limited resource."
Coyote Gulch recommends a hike over the Waterpocket Fold if you have any doubts about the water supply being a limited resource.
The Museum is saving the best for the last. There will be a roundtable discussion on Tuesday Septermber 27th.
Category: Colorado Water
6:37:40 PM 
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