Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program: Water providers are close to the 10825 solution

It looks like the four endangered fish species that are the focus of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program are going to be doing backflips soon in celebration of an imminent agreement to make sure that flows in the Colorado River through Grand Junction are adequate — the so-called 10825 solution. Here’s a report from Tonya Bina writing for the Sky-Hi Daily News:

As part of the federally initated Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, East and West Slope diverters committed to supplying 10,825 acre-feet of water in late summer. Responsibility for that amount of water is evenly split between West and East slope water providers. As a temporary solution, Denver Water has been releasing flows from Williams Fork Reservoir to comply, and The Colorado River Water Conservation District has been releasing from Wolford Mountain Reservoir for the West Slope’s share. But with a Dec 20, 2009, deadline looming to come up with a permanent 10,825 acre-feet solution, a coalition formed in 2007 to analyze how the water should be supplied annually. Out of those negotiations, a “preferred” solution has emerged, one concerning the release of about half the water from Granby Reservoir, and the other half from Ruedi Reservoir near Basalt. The plan also includes using excess storage capacity in the Green Mountain Reservoir.

A formal summary of this alternative released in January declares it the only solution on which water users reached a consensus, saying the alternative “will provide the most benefit to headwater streams in the Colorado River Basin, particularly in Grand County, while simultaneously meeting 10825 water obligations.” Grand County Manager Lurline Underbrink Curran, who originally championed this idea, finds this “kitchen-sink proposal” a positive one, and credits the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District for pursuing it. “The stretch from Windy Gap down to the confluence of the Blue River is always a huge issue for us at that time of year,” she said. “It’s when the flows are lowest and the irrigators have a hard time getting their water. So this will lift up their water and it will make the flow of the river higher at one of the more critical times for stream flows in the county.”

An added benefit, recognized by stakeholders, is the proposed solution uses facilities already in place. In theory, Northern, which owns the greatest percentage of Redtop Valley Ditch (located from Grand Lake to near Granby) shares, has agreed with irrigators to forward 2,700 acre-feet of Ditch water, affecting the Northern-owned and leased Miller-Hereford Ranch. Meanwhile, owners of the C Lazy U Ranch have offered to supply the remainder of the acre-feet. Denver Water and other East Slope water users would compensate Northern and partnering irrigators for the released recovery water. “By us being able to challenge the group to look at something different,” Underbrink Curran said, “and by them seriously taking on that challenge, it will help us to a huge degree at a time of year when we have no way to help ourselves.”

Poncha Springs: Stimulus dough and the wastewater tussle with Salida

From The Mountain Mail: “Salida City Council members Tuesday night approved having city employees negotiate with Poncha Springs officials for the next 30 days regarding how the compromise would be worked out. The town of Poncha Springs has applied for $1.4 million ranked by federal officials as a level two priority. Town officials approached Salida personnel Monday about a possible compromise. Salida and the town have been locked in a long-standing dispute regarding treatment of sewage from Poncha Springs at the Salida Waste Water Plant and associated charges. Officials from Salida filed a lawsuit five weeks ago in district court seeking to void a 2005 agreement and recover about $100,000 in back charges owed by Poncha Springs. By working toward a compromise to use the stimulus money, legal action would be suspended.”

S.B. 09-141, Fountain Creek Watershed

S.B. 09-141 which would authorize the Fountain Creek Watershed, Flood Control and Greenway District is awaiting Governor Ritter’s signature. Here’s a report from Chris Woodka writing for the Pueblo Chieftain:

The new district — officially named the Fountain Creek Watershed, Flood Control and Greenway District — has numerous boundaries with varying authorities. Its overall purpose is to address flooding, drainage, water quality and erosion problems within the creek’s basin.

Initially, El Paso County officials complained that the district included too much of northern county and not enough of Pueblo County. Pueblo County officials, meanwhile, argued that was because most of the creek valley is up north, and most flood or drainage problems naturally begin there. That’s why the 60-page measure includes four different boundaries, each with limited authority…

The last major battle over the measure came in how to define its boundaries. The full boundaries of the district include all of El Paso and Pueblo counties, but a fee and taxing area includes an area smaller than that, but larger than the actual Fountain Creek drainage. The last, and smallest boundary is the flood plain area, a narrow strip that extends from the south end of the city of Fountain to Pueblo’s northern edge. Only there would the district have powers over land-use issues. While the district will have the ability to address wastewater issues, the bill makes it clear that it would be unable to regulate that activity because the state already does that. The House had placed language in the bill to prevent it from addressing wastewater, but it was later taken out. “The amendments in the House were problematic, but they were stripped out, so basically it was the same version that came out of the Senate,” Tapia said. “I talked to the principal players, and they were very happy with how the bill came out. We have a document that we can be pleased that Pueblo is going to be taken care of, and Colorado Springs can buy into.”[...]

The bill also limits to 5 mills how much the district may ask voters to approve to pay for improvements. That amount would raise only about $30 million a year. The district, however, hopes to see more money come to it from a $50 million Southern Delivery System mitigation fund, which it would use to receive a $150 million matching federal grant. That’s where U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., is expected to come in.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

President Obama signs public lands bill which includes Arkansas Valley Conduit authorization

Here’s an update on authorizing legislation for the Arkansas Valley Conduit, from Chris Woodka writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

At a White House ceremony, Obama signed the bill, which has attracted national attention because it incorporates 170 separate bills and creates 2 million acres of wilderness designation on federal lands. Obama called the new law among the most important in decades “to protect, preserve and pass down our nation’s most treasured landscapes to future generations.” The bill represents one of the largest expansions of wilderness protection in a quarter-century by giving the government’s highest level of protection on land in California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia…

Wilderness areas at Rocky Mountain National Park and Dominguez Canyon near Grand Junction are set up and wildlife areas in the San Luis Valley are further protected under the omnibus bill. The bill also includes funds for rehabilitation of irrigation canals in Montezuma County. For Southeastern Colorado, however, the $300 million conduit would be the lasting legacy of the legislation. The conduit was a part of 1962 Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, but never was built because the communities of the Lower Arkansas Valley could not shoulder the entire cost. About 50,000 people live in the area to be served by the conduit, but many are on low or fixed incomes. The new legislation provides for a 65 percent federal cost share and a plan to repay the entire cost of the project using revenues from Bureau of Reclamation excess-capacity contracts.

“On behalf of the beneficiaries of the conduit, we’re happy that it was signed so quickly,” said Bill Long, president of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District and a resident of Las Animas, one of the 42 communities that could be served by the conduit. “Hopefully the rest of the project will move as fast.” Long, who also is a Bent County commissioner, has worked on the Southeastern committee trying to secure funding for the conduit for nearly a decade. He thinks the political climate to obtain funding is good since the federal government is looking for shovel-ready infrastructure projects as part of the economic stimulus plan. “This is a good infrastructure project, one that’s been well vetted,” Long said. “We are ready to start the next phase.”

Here’s a summary of the public lands bill proposals for Colorado, from the Associated Press via the Denver Post:

• Rocky Mountain National Park: Designates nearly 250,000 acres of the park as wilderness but allows the National Park Service to battle a bark beetle infestation and fight fires.

• Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area: Designates approximately 210,000 acres of federal land on the Uncompahgre Plateau as a conservation area, including 65,000 as a wilderness area.

• Arkansas Valley Conduit: Obligates the federal government to pay 65 percent of the cost of building the 130-mile water-delivery system from Pueblo Dam to communities throughout the Arkansas River Valley.

• Jackson Gulch: Authorizes $8.25 million to rehabilitate the Jackson Gulch irrigation canal, which delivers water from Jackson Gulch Dam to residents, farms and businesses in Montezuma County.

• Baca Wildlife Refuge: Amends the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act to establish the purpose of the nearby Baca National Wildlife Refuge as “to restore, enhance, and maintain wetland, upland, riparian and other habitats for native wildlife, plant, and fish species in the San Luis Valley.” The law establishing the park lacked a statement of purpose for the refuge.

• Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area: Designates a heritage area in Conejos, Costilla and Alamosa counties in the San Luis Valley. Authorizes up to $10 million in matching funds to protect historic, cultural, natural and recreational resources.

• Colorado Northern Front Range Study: Directs the U.S. Forest Service to study ownership patterns in the lands in the Front Range mountain backdrop, identify areas that may be at risk of development and recommend ways to protect them.

More coverage from Fort Collins Now:

“Folks in communities around this park know they don’t have to choose between economic and environmental concerns; the tourism that drives their local economy depends on good stewardship of their local environment,” Obama said. “Year after year, these communities have worked together with members of Congress in an attempt to ensure that Rocky Mountain National Park will forever remain as breathtaking as it is today. And that is what this bill does from coast to coast.”[...]

Water projects had been a concern for the bill’s detractors, who feared the wilderness designation would impact water infrastructure that predates Rocky, especially the Grand Ditch, which helps irrigate thousands of acres of farmland in Weld County. Larimer County Commissioner Steve Johnson said he supported the measure after hearing from water groups that it wouldn’t harm existing water infrastructure in the park. “Rocky Mountain National Park is the No. 1 environmental gem in our state, in my opinion,” he said. “Preserving that for future generations, I think, is a very, very wise investment.”[...]

Obama quoted Theodore Roosevelt, whom he called “our greatest conservationist president”: “I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.”

“This legislation guarantees that we will not take our forests, rivers, oceans, national parks, monuments, and wilderness areas for granted; but, rather, we will set them aside and guard their sanctity for everyone to share,” Obama said. “That’s something all Americans can support.”

Update: From the Fort Collins Coloradoan:

The law designates as wilderness about 250,000 acres of the park’s backcountry — 95 percent of the park. It also adjusts the boundaries of the Indian Peaks Wilderness by adding 1,000 acres from the adjacent Arapaho National Recreation Area. The park has been managed as wilderness, even though it lacked the formal designation. The designation won’t affect developed facilities inside the park, including roads and structures used to bring water from the Western Slope to the Front Range. Past efforts to get wilderness designation for the park were hung up by liability issues surrounding the Grand Ditch, which is owned and operated by the Fort Collins-based Water Storage and Supply Co. The designation won’t hamper the park’s efforts in firefighting or fighting the mountain pine beetle. It also won’t block maintenance on 350 miles of trails in the park’s backcountry.

Southern Delivery System: Colorado Springs public hearing April 9th

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka): “Council has set the hearing for 7 p.m. April 9 at Colorado Springs City Hall, 107 N. Nevada. Council intends to vote on the permit at its April 14 meeting. Pueblo County approved the conditions for the permit, which is issued under 1974’s HB1041 that allows cities and counties to regulate projects of statewide scope, following a March 18 public hearing…Written comments will be accepted at the Colorado Springs City Clerk’s office until 5 p.m. April 9.”

Eagle River Water and Sanitation hosting water supply workshop Thursday

From the Vail Daily:

Officials from Colorado’s Western Slope will gather in Eagle in Colorado’s Vail Valley on Thursday to discuss some of the state’s water supply.

The workshop will start at 9 a.m., Thursday and run until 12:30 p.m. The day will include presentations from officials that deal with problems involving water in the county and region and an overview of basic laws related to water.

Groups that will be at the workshop include the Colorado River Water Conservation District, Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority, Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, Northwest Colorado Council of Governments and the Office of the State Engineer.

The workshop is open to the public and the full agenda for the meeting is available at www.eaglecounty.us. For more information about the meeting, contact County Attorney Bryan Treu at 970-328-8685 or bryan.treu@eaglecounty.us

S.B. 09-165, Drinking Water Wastewater Small Grants

S.B. 09-165 passed the Colorado House on second reading last Thursday, according to a report from the Fort Morgan Times. From the article:

[State Senator Cory Gardner] was joined on the bill by Rep. Cathleen Curry (D-Gunnison), Sen. Isgar (D-Hesperus), and Sen. Penry (R-Fruita). The bill creates the “Small Communities Drinking Water and Wastewater Grant Fund” and directs up to $10 million a year to small communities across Colorado. The bill does not raise taxes or fees but instead utilizes existing severance tax dollars.

“The passage of SB 165 is a great victory for the people of rural Colorado,” Gardner said. “The funding of these water projects can be very difficult for a small community to bear on their own, and this grant fund will provide the assistance they need to provide clean water for their citizens.” Gardner’s bill will help offset the cost of unfunded federal and state mandates on drinking water and water treatment systems.

The House is expected to take up SB 165 on third reading this week, and if the bill passes it will be sent to the Governor’s desk to be signed.

More coverage from the Greeley Tribune:

Senate Bill 165, co-sponsored by Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, and Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, and sponsored in the House by Reps. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, and Cathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, creates the Small Communities Drinking Water and Wastewater Grant Fund and directs up to $10 million a year to small communities across Colorado. It passed on second reading in the House last week. The bill does not raise taxes or fees but instead uses existing severance tax dollars. Gardner said the funding would help offset the cost of unfunded federal and state mandates on drinking water and water treatment systems.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

President Obama signs public lands bill

Colorado Independent (David O. Williams): “Politicians and environmentalists alike were quick to sing the praises of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which President Obama signed into law Monday afternoon at a White House ceremony.”

Colorado Trout Unlimited Annual Dinner & Gala Friday night

Colorado Trout Unlimited:

Join Colorado’s “Angler in Chief” Governor Bill Ritter at the CTU Dinner & Gala for an evening of camaraderie, great food, live music (including Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet), lively auction bidding and a fantastic view of the mountains from the Grand Hyatt’s Pinnacle Club – 17th and Welton in Denver. Admission ($100) includes dinner and complimentary beer and wine. Click here for an auction item preview.

The auction is CTU’s most important fund raiser. You can play a key role in helping us Protect, Preserve and Restore Colorado’s Coldwater Fisheries and Their Watersheds.

Click here to purchase tickets

La Plata-Archuleta Water District: Looking for funding sources

From the Durango Herald (Garrett Andrews): “Members of the board of the La Plata-Archuleta Water District looked to see if residents were willing to pay for rural water needs in the face of countywide growth Thursday night at a public meeting put on by the newly formed water district. The meeting was the first in a series of public meetings intended to gauge support for a project board members feel has been needed for some time. Amy Kraft, a consulting engineer with Harris Water Engineering in Durango, discussed the district’s options with attendees. She said growth in the county is contributing to an increasing shortage of domestic water. Isolated agricultural consumers not currently part of other local water grids make up a large part of the district’s constituents. Attendees at the meeting were mainly rural county residents who currently truck water from pumping locations across the county or operate private wells.”

The Water Conservation Yardstick: Measuring success

Colorado Waterwise’s inaugural event — The Water Conservation Yardstick: Measuring Success — is on tap this week in Denver on Wednesday and Thursday.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Arkansas River Basin Water Forum starts tomorrow

Don’t forget the Arkansas River Basin Water Forum: Water to fuel our future starting tomorrow in Pueblo. It should be a hoot.

Fort Collins: Frog species survey

Amphibian species are a great indicator of environmental health and they’re fun to watch and catalogue. Here’s an invitation from the city of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program, from the Fort Collins Coloradoan:

The city of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program is seeking volunteers to help with its frog species survey. The survey will take place in natural areas April through July. Training will be provided 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lincoln Center, 417 W. Magnolia St. Participants will learn how to identify calls and record and report your findings. For more information or to register, visit www fcgov.com/naturalareas or you can call Susan Schafer at 416-2480 or send e-mail to sschafer@fcgov.com.

Snowpack news

It’s snowing pretty hard this morning at Gulch Manor. There’s a couple of inches on the lawn. Muddy Waters — official Coyote Gulch chocolate lab — came in looking like a sheep from her early morning romp in the yard.

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Nick Bonham): “In terms of moisture, Pueblo County received as much as 0.4 of an inch of precipitation, according to the Colorado Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. Otero County received 1 inch of precipitation; Bent and Prowers counties received as much as 0.9 of an inch; Las Animas, Huerfano, Chaffee and Fremont counties received as much as 0.75 of an inch of precipitation. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the mountain snowpack decreased in February and January as a result of below normal snowfall. This spring storm dropped between 6 inches and a foot of snow in the mountains. ‘While (the snow) helped the fields, the snow they got n the mountains helps shore up our snowpack that will supply our irrigation water,’ [Chuck Hanagan, a Swink resident and executive director of the Farm Service Agency for Otero, Crowley, Huerfano and Las Animas counties] said.”

Update:

From the Summit Daily News:

“Snowpack today is 99 percent of average in Colorado,” said Scott Hummer, water commissioner at the Colorado Division of Water Resources. “Even though we’ve had these storms — last week and continuing this week — we haven’t quite gotten back to normal.”

According to Hummer, it’s just barely above the 30-year historic average for snow levels in the Blue River Basin. The pendulum can swing either way through the month of April, so snowpack numbers that really count are the ones that come in on May 1. The Dillon Reservoir is one-fifth of Denver’s water supply. Snowpack above the Dillon Reservoir is above 100 percent.

South Park Heritage Area included in public lands bill awaiting President Obama’s signature

From the Fairplay Flume: “The bill would make South Park one of 49 National Heritage Areas across the country and one of three in Colorado. According to a March 26 press release from the Park County Office of Tourism and Community Development, a National Heritage Area is a ‘place where natural, cultural, historic and scenic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography.’ The designation means a great deal to the county, said Park County Tourism and Community Development Director Gary Nichols. ‘It’s something we can be known for nationally, if not internationally,” he said. “And at the same time, preserve our resources and quality of life.’ South Park will be listed with other national heritage areas, and be showcased by National Parks as a spot of interest.”

Snowpack news

From The Aspen Times: “The Aspen area’s snowpack has been above average since early December, but warm temperatures throughout February and March were rapidly eating it up. The overall snowpack for the Roaring Fork River basin increased from 12 percent on March 20 to 14 percent on March 27 thanks to the latest storm, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The federal agency measures snowpack in seven areas around the Roaring Fork basin, including the Crystal and Fryingpan valleys. The agency’s website shows the Roaring Fork basin’s snowpack is one of the largest in the state. The snowpack is below average in many parts of Colorado, the conservation service data indicates. The snowpack east of Aspen near Grizzly Reservoir increased to 17 percent above average from 15 percent above average one week ago, the conservation service data showed. In the Fryingpan Valley, the snowpack fell to 3 percent below average at the Kiln site, at an elevation of 9,600 feet. It remained 7 percent above average at Nast Lake and 13 percent above average at Ivanhoe. In the Crystal Valley, the snowpack remained beefy. It was 22 percent above average at Schofield Pass, 18 percent at North Lost Trail and 8 percent at McClure Pass.”

From the Associated Press (Dan Elliot) via the Sterling Journal Advocate: “Snowfall totals for Thursday included 16.2 inches in Boulder, 12 inches in Greeley, 11.5 inches in northwest Denver, and 17.3 inches in the Westminster/Broomfield area…Nearly 18 inches fell in the unincorporated community of Gothic, near Crested Butte about 120 miles southwest of Denver. The west Denver suburb of Broomfield reported more than 15 inches.”

Telluride: New water main progressing

From the Telluride Watch: “Proving that there is at least one upside to the current economic crisis, the Town of Telluride is in the process of signing a $429,095 contract with Telluride Gravel to complete the first of two construction phases that will replace the corroded and rupture-prone water main that lies below Colorado Avenue, according to Town Manager Frank Bell. The amount, proposed to the town by the company during a sealed bidding process, will pay for replacement of the line between Aspen and Willow streets and is about half of the $900,000 the phase was expected to cost when the project was originally engineered during much better economic times.”

Arkansas Valley: Sugar beets were once an economic driver

Here’s the fourth article in Chris Woodka’s series “Taming the Land” running in the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

“Since beets grown in the Arkansas Valley had the highest sugar content of any in the world, it was enthusiastically predicted that just as Cripple Creek had been noted the world over for its gold production, the valley would become celebrated for its unexcelled adaptability to sugar beets,” wrote Dena Markoff in a 1978 article about the National Beet Sugar Co., later the National Sugar Manufacturing Co., at Sugar City. National moved in at a time when Colorado Canal backers were trying to find homesteaders for 80-acre tracts in Crowley County. The company and the canal would be intricately linked in water matters and economics. The Sugar City mill opened in 1900, with a work force housed largely in tents for the first “campaign” – a non-stop operation of about three months that turned stacks of sugar beets into refined sugar.

A writer for the Irrigation Era, a Denver farm trade newspaper, wrote in 1901: “Big dirty beets are dumped in at one end of the factory, and quantities of beautifully white glistening sugar are poured out at the other.”

Nestlé Waters Chaffee County Project: Not that big a deal?

Ed Quillen weighs in on Nestlé Waters North America’s plans for the Hagen Spring, in his column in today’s Denver Post. He writes:

It’s pretty hard to portray Nestle as a benevolent force — do you recall its efforts to promote its baby formula in the Third World? — so I won’t even try. Nor is it easy to defend bottled water in general. I buy Hershey’s chocolate and drink tap water from an expensive but useful CamelBak “portable personal hydration system” that doesn’t spill when I accidentally tip it while reaching for the telephone. Those are personal decisions, although if everyone made the same ones, there wouldn’t be a Nestle controversy here or anywhere else. But bottled water is a legitimate business, whether I like it or not. Nestle plans to take about 200 acre-feet a year (about 125 gallons a minute) from the Arkansas River’s flow. That’s not enough to notice for floating or fishing purposes or any other perceptible environmental effect.

In Colorado water jargon, Nestle is a “consumptive use” from a “junior right.” Nestle will have to make that up so that downstream users with senior water rights are not injured — a process called augmentation…

…it now appears that Nestle is working on a deal with the city of Aurora, which also seems to have acquired more water than it needs, now that home construction is a dormant industry. Somehow, it doesn’t seem like “what’s best for Chaffee County” for Nestle to be cutting checks to Aurora to replace water it’s taking out of Chaffee County. But then again, every tanker truck of water that leaves is that much less for a developer here. And maybe that’s what is best for Chaffee County.

Northern Integrated Supply Project: Fort Collins keeping an eye on impacts

Last year the Fort Collins City Council voted to opposed the Northern Integrated Supply Project. They haven’t taken their eyes off the project, according to a report from Kevin Duggan writing for the Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article:

…the proposed reservoir, which would draw water from the Poudre River as part of the controversial Northern Integrated Supply Project, still raises many concerns that Fort Collins officials say must be addressed through an extended federal environmental review of the project…

Fort Collins officials are “pleased” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided to pursue a supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement for NISP based on issues raised by the city, as well as entities such as the city of Greeley and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “I think it’s a testament to the work we did before and the work of others that the Army Corps decided to go ahead,” Stokes said…

The study responding to the city’s issues was done for Northern Water by the engineering firm Black & Veatch, or B&V. Worries cited by the city included whether bringing water from Glade to Horsetooth Reservoir would affect the quality of water in Horsetooth by raising the level of total organic carbon, or TOC, in the reservoir. With Glade drawing on the Poudre during spring runoff, the amount of debris in the water is likely to be higher than what’s typically found in Horsetooth and would force the city to ramp up its treatment practices. The B&V study claims much less water would be transferred from Glade to Horsetooth than the city had assumed in its studies of the project and TOC levels would be significantly lower. The city didn’t have detailed data when preparing its comments on NISP, Stokes said. And it’s still looking for answers to some of its questions about how water transfers would be handled…

“We’re going to do all we can to alleviate the city’s concerns,” [Brian Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District General Manager] said. “We want to get to the bottom of their issues and make them as comfortable as possible with this project.” The process will be helped by a requirement of the supplemental EIS for the project that a “common technical platform” be used in evaluating proposed water projects that would affect the Poudre River, including the city’s proposal to expand Halligan Reservoir, Werner said. Everyone studying NISP and other projects will be using the same data and assumptions when drawing their conclusions, he said…

Other issues raised by Fort Collins on NISP include the affect the project would have on a plume of chemical contamination from a former missile silo near the mouth of Poudre Canyon and whether reduced flows on the river would force the city to make expensive upgrades to its wastewater-treatment facilities. The B&V study claims the city’s concerns about both issues are overstated. But, the information provided through the study and technical documents in the draft EIS do not answer all of Fort Collins’ concerns, said Kevin Gertig, water resources and treatment operations manager for the city.

McPhee Reservoir: Operations meeting April 15th

From email from Reclamation (Vern Harrell): “The Bureau of Reclamation has scheduled a McPhee reservoir Operations meeting in Cortez at 60 South Cactus on April 15, 2009 at 2:00 PM to present a 2009 proposed operating plan for releases to the Lower Dolores River. Reclamation has received comments/suggestions on downstream release options from various stakeholder groups and individuals concerning what they would like to see in downstream releases to the Dolores River this year. An agenda of topics to be discussed will be sent out via email April 8. Please…email [vharrell@uc.usbr.gov] or call Vern Harrell at 970-565-0865 with questions you may have.

America’s Infrastructure: 2009 Report Card

Need some great weekend reading? beSpacific is pointing to the American Society of Civil Engineer’s 2009 Infrastructure Report Card. From the beSpacific post:

“America’s infrastructure picture certainly looks bleak. In urban areas, roadway congestion tops 40 percent. The number of high hazard dams—dams that, should they fail, pose a significant risk to human life—has increased by more than 3,000 just since 2007. Thirty percent of America’s children attend school in overcrowded classrooms. However, a report released today by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) shows that with ingenuity and the right amount of commitment on the part of the nation’s leaders and the American people, the infrastructure crisis we face is a solvable problem.

On January 28, 2009, ASCE released the most recent grades from its Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, assigning the nation’s roads, bridges, water systems and other critical foundations a cumulative grade of D and noting a fiveyear investment need of $2.2 trillion. Today’s comprehensive Report Card examines the basis for those failing grades, while at the same time offering an array of solutions—national, local and personal—for how the nation can repair and revitalize the infrastructure systems it depends on. The report is accompanied by an in depth Web site that offers statelevel infrastructure data on a variety of subjects, including needed drinking water investment, number of deficient bridges and number of high hazard dams that lack an emergency action plan, as well as suggested ways for individuals to take action.”

Southern Delivery System: EPA still concerned over Colorado Springs’ Fountain Creek mitigation

The EPA is looking closely at Colorado Springs Utilities’ plans for mitigation of increased flows in Fountain Creek resulting from the proposed Southern Delivery System, according to a report from Chris Woodka writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

In a Jan. 29 letter, the EPA said most of its concerns over draft documents were answered in the environmental impact statement for the proposed $1.1 billion SDS pipeline project. However, it continued to raise the question of how Colorado Springs would deal with increased flows in Fountain Creek. The EPA estimates base flows in Fountain Creek would increase 40 percent and new development allowed by SDS would increase the intensity of storm flows. “EPA remains concerned about indirect impacts from induced growth resulting from SDS. EPA believes that the indirect impacts due to the increased flows from the (proposed Williams Creek exchange) reservoir and the additional developed flows from both an increase in impervious surfaces and landscape watering will cause greater water quality impacts than are currently identified in the EIS,” wrote Larry Svoboda, regional director of the National Environmental Policy Act. Reclamation refused to acknowledge the project would cause the impacts envisioned by EPA.

“Reclamation’s view is that growth is not a direct or indirect effect of the proposed SDS project, and effects associated with growth are disclosed with the cumulative effects section of the EIS. …There will be minor increases in peak flows and floodplains for Fountain Creek,” Michael Ryan, Reclamation regional director, replied in the document released this week. Reclamation argues that the increase in Fountain Creek flows is only 2 percent, and that a stormwater enterprise created four years ago would continue regardless of which alternative is chosen.

The internal federal struggle would be mostly a moot point if the proposed route of the pipeline from Pueblo Dam is chosen by Colorado Springs City Council. However, Reclamation’s response indicates it would require less in the way of mitigation if the SDS fall-back route through Fremont County is chosen…

Pueblo County commissioners are requiring $50 million for Fountain Creek projects aimed at reducing the effects of erosion, sedimentation and flooding. They also want to make sure Colorado Springs spends $75 million on planned sewer improvements by 2024. There are also other conditions pertaining to Fountain Creek improvements. If the Fremont County route is chosen, Colorado Springs would have to meet only Reclamation’s requirements. They include an adaptive management program, which the EPA endorses and which also is a part of Pueblo County’s conditions.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here, here, here and here.

S.B. 09-080, Precipitation Collect Limited Exemptions

State Senator Jim Isgar’s bill that would allow limited rainwater catchments for rural properties that have an “exempt” well has passed the Colorado House, according to a report from Charles Ashby writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

The measure, SB80, allows for the collection of rainwater from up to 3,000 square feet of roof, but only from a residence that is not connected to a domestic water system that serves more than three single-family homes. Additionally, the water can only be used for ordinary household purposes, fire protection, watering of livestock and irrigation up to 1 acre of gardens or lawns. “This is another historical moment in Colorado water law,” said Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan. “For over 100 years, the state engineer would tell you that it’s against the law to capture rainwater in rain barrels. This will allow us to relieve stress and pressure from our groundwater supplies and our stream systems.”

Under the bill, property owners who want to collect rainwater must get a permit from the engineer’s office, and pay a fee for it. The bill, which cleared the Senate early last month, requires a final House vote. Because of changes in the House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee, it will have to return to the Senate to agree to those changes before it can head to Gov. Bill Ritter’s desk.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

‘Green Summit: Blending business & the environment’ set for Fort Collins April 9th

From the Northern Colorado Business Report:

Green Summit ticket price: $49. [Registration] Sustainability – doing business in a socially and environmentally responsible way – provides abundant opportunities for companies to make money yet remain good environmental stewards. The Green Summit offers speakers and seminars to help us all become better stewards of this mission and learn how to be more “green.”

FREE. [Registration] The 2009 Climate Wise EnvirOvation Awards will be announced at a reception following the Green Summit. Climate Wise is a voluntary, city-run program that is dedicated to helping local business and the environment. Through environmental assessments and creative solutions, the city of Fort Collins Climate Wise Team helps businesses tackle modern-day business challenges that impact bottom lines and the quality of life in Fort Collins. Free with pre-registration.