Aurora, Colo., took a big step to avoid becoming a dry city with the fall completion of Prairie Waters, a $653-million pump, pipeline and purification project.
During the drought of 2002, Aurora, a suburb at the eastern edge of Denver, saw its reservoirs plummet to 26% of capacity, a critically low level the city is unlikely to suffer again, even in future dry spells, thanks to the $1.1-billion, 10-year capital improvement project. The city water-system upgrade adds 3.3 billion gallons (10,000 acre-ft) annually to the available supply—a 20% increase.