River Report Summer 2002 Individual Issue – Growth is inevitable part of living in the Western United States. Numerous water projects were created around the Colorado River Basin after the turn of the 20th Century, primarily to sustain irrigation for the thousands of settlers enticed to farm the region. However, as population centers including Phoenix, Denver and Los Angeles have exploded in the past 50 years, so has the need for water to meet urban demands. This River Report examines the shift in water use from agriculture to municipal and industrial via several case examples including the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, the Salt River Project and a proposed water transfer in southern California.