In 1960, the population of Arvada was 19,000 and Colorado 1.8M, according to census numbers. Today, Colorado has grown about three times to 5.8M, while Arvada has swollen six times to 124k plus. City growth plans are for 200k plus.

In the last century, droughts have occurred along the front range in the 1930s, 1950s, mid 1970s, 1980-81, 2002 and for the last two years. Aurora started sucking west slope water since it hadn’t been needed.

The Colorado river basin is at historic lows, 1922 Colorado River Compact negotiations have failed and CA, AZ, NV and UT aren’t backing down their own water demands, so the Feds are sending whatever’s left of west slope water downstream. Yet, for some insane reason, every other community along the front range is still building out…including Arvada.

So my question: Are the fine folks of the Arvada city council, planning and zoning facing facts and setting a maximum Arvada population that’s actually based upon Colorado’s water reality, or are they just a bunch of realtors and developers with their heads firmly planted in their sand who plan on a population that exceeds water availability, taxes infrastructure and imposes hardship on everyone else living here?

Dave Knutson, Arvada