[gshubert17]

Rain and snow which fall on the western slope do not inevitably flow westward.

There are a number of trans-mountain diversions of Colorado River water eastward under the continental divide.

Denver Water alone collects 50% of its drinking water from the tributaries of the Colorado River on the west side of the continental divide.

Water diverted from the Colorado River Basin, through trans-mountain diversions, makes up 60-70% of the water used by Colorado Springs.

For example, see https://www.denverwater.org/your-water/water-supply-and-plan...

Much of the water used by Fort Collins and Greeley comes from the western slope through the Adams Tunnel under Rocky Mountain National Park.

https://www.northernwater.org/

[dghlsakjg]

Wow. I knew about the straws, but I didn't know just what a large percentage of the water was coming from Dillon, etc...

Still though, the original point stands. The front range where everyone lives has a lot less to worry about than downstream users like Nevada and California.