President Obama nominates Jonathan Jarvis to lead U.S. National Park Service

From the Jackson Hole News & Guide (Cory Hatch):

Conservationists and National Park Service veterans alike have hailed President Barack Obama’s pick for Park Service director as a visionary who will protect resources while reaching out to a younger generation. Obama announced the nomination of Jonathan Jarvis on Friday.

Over his 30-year career, Jarvis worked his way up the ranks from a seasonal ranger to director of the agency’s Pacific West Region. If confirmed, Jarvis would follow Bush appointee Mary Bomar. The nomination comes as the Park Service faces challenges that include a multibillion-dollar maintenance backlog and operational budget shortfalls. Divisive issues such as the appropriate role of snowmobiles in Yellowstone and the regulation of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon also face him.

S.796, Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009

From MineWeb (Dorothy Kosich):

As environmental special interests congratulated themselves for U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s declaration Tuesday that mining law reform is a top priority for the Obama Administration, lost among the rhetoric and news coverage was Salazar’s equally important declaration. “In my view, our own security depends on maintaining a viable domestic mining industry,” Salazar told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Tuesday. “Minerals are also needed to support development of renewable energy,” he added. Nevertheless, Salazar remained firm in his belief the U.S. mining industry must come to grips with meaningful reform of the 1872 Mining Law, patent reform, and addressing the environmental consequences of modern mining practices “in meaningful and substantive ways.” “In addition, the American taxpayer should receive a fair return for the extraction of these valuable resources and should expect the federal government to develop a reliable process providing for the cleanup and restoration of lands where the responsible party is unable or unavailable to do so, including a Good Samaritan provision,” he advised. Salazar speaks from first-hand experience as much of his Colorado regulatory career was devoted to overseeing and/or participation in the cleanup of the Summitville Mine Superfund site in his state.

Here’s the full text of Secretary Salazar’s statement yesterday:

Introduction

Thank you, Chairman Bingaman, Senator Murkowski, and Members of the Committee. I am here today to discuss with you reform of the General Mining Law of 1872, a complex matter and one that engenders passionate views. Along with most of you, I have spent much time working on various aspects of such reform. I am committed to working with you to develop legislation that will accomplish the following: provide industry with the regulatory certainty needed to make the investments that produce mineral resources vital to our economy; provide a fair return to the public for mining activities that occur on public lands; protect the environment; and result in the cleanup of abandoned mines.

Balance – Energy Development

Before I turn to Mining Law reform, I want to thank the Committee for its work in reporting bipartisan energy legislation. I look forward to working with the Members of the Committee in the days ahead to address the challenges of energy and climate change.

The last time I appeared before the Committee, I spoke about President Obama’s agenda for energy development on the public lands and the Outer Continental Shelf. While we have a lot of work ahead of us on that front, we have made great strides at the Department under our existing authorities as key steps on a comprehensive energy plan for the Nation. We are balancing the responsible development of conventional energy sources, while protecting our treasured landscapes, wildlife, and cultural resources, with the accelerated development of clean energy from renewable domestic sources.

With regard to conventional resources, since January the Department has offered more than 2.3 million acres on our public lands for oil and gas development in 17 lease sales, with over 780,000 of those acres going under lease and attracting more than $60 million in bonus bids and fees. We have plans for another 20 sales in the next six months, onshore.

Concerning the Outer Continental Shelf, during the third week in March, I traveled to New Orleans with the Minerals Management Service to attend the Central Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale 208, which attracted over $700 million in high bids, with 70 companies submitting 476 bids on 348 tracts comprising over 1.9 million acres offshore the States of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

On the matter relating to oil shale, we will announce a second round of research, development, and demonstration leases in Colorado and Utah in the near future.

We continue working on a plan for the Outer Continental Shelf. I extended the public comment period on the Draft Proposed 5-year Plan produced by the previous Administration until September 21, 2009. At that time I also requested from Departmental scientists a report that detailed conventional and renewable offshore energy resources and identified where information gaps exist. I held regional meetings with interested stakeholders to review the findings of that report and gather input on where and how we should proceed with offshore energy development. I also crafted an agreement with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Wellinghoff clarifying jurisdictional responsibilities for our respective agencies for leasing and licensing renewable energy projects on the OCS, which will help facilitate the development of wind, solar, wave, tidal and ocean current energy sources. Several weeks ago I announced the issuance of five exploratory leases for renewable energy production offshore of New Jersey and Delaware.

We are also moving rapidly to implement the President’s renewable energy strategy onshore. During the last week in June the Senate Majority Leader Reid and I announced a plan to expedite development of solar energy projects on BLM lands in six western states. The two dozen Solar Energy Study Areas will be evaluated for their environmental and resource suitability for large-scale solar energy production, providing a more efficient process for permitting and siting, and could ultimately generate nearly 100,000 megawatts of solar electricity.

Balance – Mining Reform

Balance is also an important concept as we discuss reform of the Mining Law of 1872. While the responsible development of our mineral resources is critical to both our economy and our environment, this statute has not been updated in 137 years. In those years, much has changed. As I previously noted, it is time to ensure a fair return to the public for mining activities that occur on public lands and to address the cleanup of abandoned mines. We must find an approach to modernize this law and ensure that development occurs in a manner consistent with the needs of mining and the protection of the public, our public lands, and water resources. It is time to make reform of the Mining Law part of our agenda of responsible resource development.

Much has been said about the role the General Mining Law of 1872 played in settling the western United States, how it provided an opportunity for any citizen of the country to explore public domain lands for valuable minerals, to stake a claim if the mineral could be extracted at a profit, and to patent the claim. Numerous commodities are mined, under the authority of the General Mining Law, to provide the raw materials essential for the manufacturing and building industries. According to the BLM, the 5-year average for new mining claims staked annually under the law is approximately 76,000, with a current total number of claims at nearly 400,000. These claims generated almost $60 million in federal revenue– mostly from the fees collected by BLM — in fiscal year 2008.

Our domestic gold mining industry alone directly or indirectly creates more than 66,000 jobs and nearly $2 billion in earnings annually. The United States is the second largest producer of gold and copper in the world, and the leading producer of beryllium, gypsum, and molybdenum. In my view, our own security depends on maintaining a viable domestic mining industry. Metals and minerals are also needed to support development of renewable energy.

As the United States Senate undertakes reform of the 1872 Mining Law, patent reform, and the environmental consequences of modern mining practices must be addressed in meaningful and substantive ways. In addition, the American taxpayer should receive a fair return for the extraction of these valuable resources and should expect the federal government to develop a reliable process providing for the cleanup and restoration of lands where the responsible party is unable or unavailable to do so, including a Good Samaritan provision.

Conclusion

Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, for giving me the opportunity to present you the Administration’s thoughts on this important topic. We look forward to working with the Committee and all interested parties as this process moves forward.

More from the MineWeb article:

Cathy Carlson, policy advisor for Earthworks, urged the committee to include the following principles in its update of the mining law including:

•1. Eliminate patenting of federal lands
•2. Establish a royalty for mineral production and a fee for use of federal lands for mineral activities
•3. Enable land managers to say “no” to a mining project on federal lands when conflicts exist with other resource uses
•4. Adopt comprehensive reclamation requirements, with particular emphasis on protection of water resources
•5. Ensure that a financial assurance is in place and adequate to cover the cost of mine reclamation
•6. Create an abandoned mine program with adequate funding to address a backlog of public safety and pollution from old mines

In her testimony, Carlson claimed that S.796 “falls short in its consideration in the water related impacts of mining. …Congress should go further and deny mining operations that will become permanent sources of pollution on federal lands in the West.”

More coverage from the Denver Daily News:

A group of 20 state Democrats have written to U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, supporting two pieces of mining reform legislation. It is the first time since 1993 that federal mining reform legislation has been introduced in both the House and Senate. “I urge you to join as a cosponsor to signal your strong interest in reforming this outdated law and creating a new legal framework that will protect Colorado communities and taxpayers while allowing for responsible mining and the accelerated cleanup of abandoned mines,” wrote the lawmakers to Udall and the rest of the Colorado Congressional delegation. Environmental groups say mining has left a “lasting legacy of pollution” throughout the state. Citing the Environmental Protection Agency, they believe 40 percent of all Western watersheds have been impacted from mining pollution. “We’re going back to the future on 1872 mining reform,” said Garrington. “This legislation is long overdue.”

More coverage from Mother Jones (Josh Harkinson):

Who says the arcane job of rewriting the laws that govern hard-rock mining isn’t of interest to Joe Sixpack? Certainly not Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who in testifying before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today, deftly linked the reform of the nation’s mining laws to the production of better beer. “Relative to the water that was used for Coors beer,” the former Colorado Senator said, “we know that Clear Creek comes off the headwaters. . .where we have thousands of abandoned mines.”

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

South Platte River: High flows this spring are helping with recovery

From The Denver Post (Karl Licis):

n a year of abundant rainfall on the heels of a decent winter snowpack, river flows up and down the South Platte have been above the long-term average. Below brimful Cheesman Reservoir, the volume approached 800 cubic feet per second the past few weeks, but has been gradually receding. The higher flows are expected to benefit the river and its fishery, and some of their effects may already be evident…

…after the Schoonover and Hayman wildfires in 2002. Rain in the burned areas produced a series of flash floods and caused extensive erosion. Untold tons of sand, gravel and other sediment were washed into the river. Massive deposits of unstable gravel settled out along the river bottom, filling in many of the pools, riffles and deep runs that gave the river its character and were vital to the fishery. Both the river’s productivity and fishing appeal were greatly diminished, but at last the South Platte has begun to heal itself…

Though the process may be slow, higher flows, including the recent surge, continue to scour sediment deposits from the river bottom. “We have the evidence that they’ve helped push a lot of sediment downstream from Schoon-over (Gulch, in Cheesman Canyon) downstream to about Trumbull,” Spohn said. “The higher flows have benefited the river above Deckers, but below Trumbull, where the river loses some gradient, we’re still seeing sediment depositing.”[...]

Elevenmile Canyon on Tuesday was flowing around 175 cubic feet per second…Flows in the “dream stream” segment of the South Platte had come down to about 146 cfs on Tuesday…[the Fryingpan] River…has been flowing around 220 cfs…[the] Blue River below Dillon Dam has been flowing around 700 cfs and continues to drop…[the] Poudre River…has dropped and cleared, and was flowing at 750 cfs at the canyon mouth on Tuesday.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

New reservoir for Pueblo West?

From The Pueblo Chieftain (James Amos):

Most of the district’s water comes from Twin Lakes, a project that brings water from the western side of the Continental Divide. Pueblo West already leases space in Lake Pueblo, but its water there can be dumped if the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation needs the space for other water.

[Tom Mullans, attorney for the Pueblo West Metropolitan District] said the proposed reservoir is located near the Arkansas River in a side canyon. The roughly 3,800 acres of land is owned by a limited liability corporation. The Pueblo West board voted to give notice of its intent to buy the land, the first step in both beginning the process of negotiating with the owner and getting access to the land to study it. If the land is suitable for a reservoir but a deal can’t be reached with the owner, Pueblo West may condemn the land and forcibly buy it. Steve Harrison, Pueblo West’s director of utilities, said the site may hold about 20,000 acre-feet of water. That would be much more than the roughly 9,000 acre-feet the district leases each year in Lake Pueblo. The proposed reservoir may take more than a decade to acquire and build.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Ruedi Reservoir update

From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

Tonight at 6 p.m. we will scale releases from Ruedi Dam to the Fryingpan River back some more. As snowmelt runoff continues to drop, so have our releases. Starting this evening, flows in the Fryingpan should be around 190 cfs. Meanwhile, we are storing a little bit more water in the reservoir. We are just about full with a water level elevation of 7765.

Silverton: New mercury monitoring gear

From The Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):

The monitor – atop an 8-foot-high platform – consists of a glass jar enclosed in a metal box, the roof of which retracts when a sensor detects precipitation. The sensor notes when it stops raining or snowing and the roof slides back to protect the jar from contaminants. Hydrochloric acid in the jar binds with the mercury to prevent it from evaporating. The jars are collected weekly and sent to Frontier GeoSciences in Seattle for analysis.

“After the mercury study by the Mountain Studies Institute in 2007 and 2008, we felt we should take a closer look,” [Bureau of Land Management hydrologist Kelly Palmer] said. “After all, we’re charged with protecting the pristine quality of Class 1 airsheds such as Mesa Verde and the Weminuche Wilderness.” Scientists suspect the main source of mercury is power plants in the Four Corners.

Over time, data on weekly and total mercury accumulation will give scientists a good picture of the situation in the San Juan Mountains and allow them to compare results with 120 similar sites in the country, including two in Alaska, Palmer said…

Later this summer, the Environmental Protection Agency will install an apparatus next to the mercury monitor to measure gaseous mercury, an airborne form of mercury that reacts rapidly with precipitation or particulate matter and can be deposited in wet or dry form. Roger Claybrooke, a meteorologist with the NADP, and a half-dozen BLM and Forest Service seasonal employees did the hands-on work June 30. In addition to installing the mercury monitor, they replaced an old rain gauge on a separate platform a few yards away. A third platform holds a monitor that measures sulfur, nitrogen and organic content in precipitation. The Claybrooke team also wired the instruments on the three stations to talk to one another. The rain gauge data should correlate with that of the mercury monitor on the amount of precipitation and when it fell.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Southern Delivery System: Pueblo County Commissioner Jeff Chostner speaks out on Pueblo West and the Pueblo Flow program

From The Pueblo Chieftain (James Amos):

Chostner told the Pueblo Rotary 43 group on Monday that when the county debated a permit for the pipeline, Colorado Springs was negotiating on behalf of all the pipeline participants. That means the city was speaking for Pueblo West as well as itself, Fountain and Security. “They have a contract that basically established an agency relationship, like a real estate agency,” he said. Pueblo West didn’t complain until March, Chostner said, which was years into the negotiations and debate about the pipeline. Saying that Colorado Springs had originally wanted to reroute almost all the water in the river through the pipeline, Chostner said Colorado Springs agreed to the flow program to preserve some of the river as it flows through Pueblo. Pueblo West can’t think that a dry riverbed between Lake Pueblo and the confluence with Fountain Creek can be acceptable to anyone, he said. Even Pueblo West residents use the river and trail beside it for recreation.

The commissioner, one of three who represent Pueblo County, said Pueblo West wouldn’t have to give up much water. The district has about 4,600 acre-feet of water a year and would have to give up only 20-30 acre-feet most years. That could increase to 100-125 acre-feet a year, he said, under certain conditions. But he said that isn’t much compared with the 1,500 acre-feet being given up by Colorado Springs.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Aurora (along with the Climax molybdenum mine) to buy Columbine Ditch

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

Aurora City Council Monday gave the green light for the deal, which would match an offer of $30.48 million from Ginn Development for a private ski resort at Minturn. The council’s action was final because a waiver of reconsideration was included in the initial motion. Pueblo City Council Monday approved the sale on first reading, a requirement under the city charter any time an asset is sold. Council’s final approval will be on the July 27 agenda.

Aurora was able to match the offer because of a clause in a 1997 lease agreement with the Pueblo water board that gave it a right of first refusal if Pueblo sold any of its transmountain water rights. The contract specifies that only water brought into the Arkansas Valley from the Western Slope can be used in the Aurora leases. “Aurora’s concern was that if we sold any of our assets we would not have the ability to supply water for the lease,” said Alan Hamel, executive director of the Pueblo water board. “At the time we had no plans to sell any assets.”[...]

Aurora and Climax formed a partnership called the Fremont Pass Ditch Co., with Aurora controlling two-thirds of the company and holding an option to buy the entire Columbine Ditch in the future, said spokesman Greg Baker. Aurora earlier bid $30.5 million on the Columbine, but wanted to spread out payments over five years. The city reallocated its resources to offer the full amount this year, as Ginn Development had in its bid. “This is high-quality mountain water, and you don’t see that for sale too often,” Baker said. “The fact that it comes into the basin above Twin Lakes makes it perfect for us.” Since the Arkansas River does not flow directly into Twin Lakes – where Aurora removes water from the Arkansas Valley through the Otero Pipeline and Pumping Station – Aurora would have to exchange water from the Columbine Ditch into its accounts. But the exchange opportunities are greater near the headwaters and Aurora has other ways to use the water in the Arkansas Valley, Baker said.

Climax mine, owned by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., is located on Fremont Pass and could use the water directly. Last year, the company said it is still revamping the mine with the intention of reopening, but timing could be delayed by a weak economy.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Arvada: Stormwater utility update

Here’s a look at Arvada’s stormwater utility, including some insight into using GIS to measure impervious areas, from Jeff Liedtke and Sandra McDonald writing for WaterWorld.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Aurora city council to decide fate of Columbine Ditch

From The Denver Post (Carlos Illescas):

Developer Bobby Ginn had entered a contract with the Pueblo water board to purchase 1,337 acre-feet of water from the Columbine Ditch near Leadville. But Aurora has a right-of-first refusal, and the city is partnering with the Climax molybdenum mine to purchase the water for a total of $30.4 million, said Greg Baker, spokesman for Aurora Water. Climax will pay about a third of that…

Paul Fanning, spokesman for the Pueblo Board of Water Works, said he had not yet heard of Aurora’s intentions to purchase the water. He said that when Ginn signed a contract to purchase the water, Aurora had 60 days to match it. “I know Aurora has been working on it,” Fanning said. “But until that happens, we have an accepted approved contract with the Ginn organization.”

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

1000 posts on WordPress

The post below is number one thousand since I came over here to WordPress. WordPress is good, productive, software.

It’s appropriate that the thousandth post here would be about wastewater since I spent so many years at Denver Wastewater. I’ve switched careers recently and now I’m at the upstream end of a house.

Thanks to all you water nuts that read Coyote Gulch my hits are way up over the old Radio Userland weblog.

Fruita: City Council moves on funding new wastewater treatment plant

From the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Le Roy Standish):

on Tuesday, funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were tapped to help get construction going on the wastewater treatment plant, 1480 U.S. Highway 6&50. The federal dollars are making a low-interest — 3.5 percent — loan of $5 million available to Fruita, which will allow construction to start as the 2013 deadline to have the new plant online looms. “This is the single largest construction project in the history of Fruita and it is mandated by the federal government,” Fruita Mayor Ken Henry said. The low-interest loan is being provided by the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority. An injection of stimulus money from Washington is allowing the authority to offer the low-rate loan, said City Manager Clint Kinney…

The longer-term loan will be in the neighborhood of $25 million and have a 2 1/2 percent interest rate, Kinney said. Before the influx of stimulus money, the interest rate was close to 5 percent, he said.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Precipitation (storage) news: San Juan River seeing increased flows

From The Durango Herald:

[Wednesday, July 8] Declining river flows in the San Juan Basin are leading the Bureau of Reclamation to increase water releases from Navajo Reservoir to 800 cubic feet per second…The increase goes into effect today at 4 a.m…”We’re releasing what’s required for irrigation,” about 610 cubic feet per second, [Vallecito Reservoir Superintendent Hal Pierce] said. Lemon Reservoir was releasing water at 175 cubic feet per second Tuesday.

From the Cortez Journal (Kristen Plank):

McPhee Reservoir is sitting at an active capacity of 217,000 acre-feet, with a maximum capacity of 229,000 acre-feet. The result is an approximate 12,000 acre-feet decrease, or an almost 3-foot drop in elevation, said Mike Preston, general manager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District…

In June, McPhee sat completely full until the 10th. Last year, the reservoir stayed full until July 19. “The reservoir did not stay full as long (this year) because we didn’t have the snowpack that we did in 2008,” Preston said. “But since the water usage was more moderate because of the cool, cloudy weather, we are only about six days ahead of where we were in 2008.”[...]

“The good news is that we filled this year for the second year in a row,” Preston said. “We are in good shape to meet all of our allocations for 2009…

Jackson Gulch Reservoir is also in good shape for the season, said Mancos Water Conservancy District Superintendent Gary Kennedy. The reservoir’s active capacity sits at 10,000 acre-feet and is roughly 200 acre-feet from full now. The reservoir was very close to full for July 4, which Kennedy said is unusual for this time of year.

Colorado Weed Awareness Week July 12-18

From the Craig Daily Press:

Gov. Bill Ritter declared this week as Colorado Weed Awareness Week in an effort to raise awareness about the issue. “Noxious weeds threaten the integrity of Colorado’s lands,” said Kelly Uhing, Colorado state weed coordinator. “Together, we can effectively and appropriately control weed infestations and minimize the threat weeds pose to agriculture, Colorado’s natural heritage and our quality of life.”

There are 71 weeds on Colorado’s noxious weed list. The most aggressive and widespread weeds are Canada thistle, field bindweed, leafy spurge, Russian knapweed and yellow toadflax…

To protect Colorado’s lands, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has helped communities form partnerships and coordinate weed management activities. Uhing also has distributed $350,000 in grants each year to assist counties, municipalities and others in their weed management efforts. Moffat County recently received a grant to pay for 85 percent of the cost to hire a two-man crew to eradicate yellow starthistle, a weed that is particularly poisonous to horses. For more information on CDA’s noxious weed management program, including photos and lists of noxious weeds, visit www.colorado.gov/ag/csd.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

CWCB: July 21-22 meeting in Crested Butte

From email from the Colorado Water Conservation Board:

The Colorado Water Conservation Board is meeting on July 21-22, 2009, at the Elevation Resort, 500 Gothic Road, Crested Butte, Colorado. The agenda is now available on the CWCB website. CWCB Staff memos and other materials will be available July 17, on our website. The meeting will be “streamed” via the internet through the CWCB’s website. Click on the “Listen to the meeting LIVE!” link, found on our home page…If you need more information about this Board meeting, please contact Lisa Barr at lisa.barr@state.co.us.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Pueblo Board of Water Works is trying to work out the details to finance Bessemer Ditch water rights acquisitions

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Dennis Darrow):

Nick Gradisar [board chair], addressing the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon at the Pueblo Convention Center, said the utility is considering a combination of rate hikes, outside water leases and the sale of Pueblo’s interest in the Columbine Ditch on the Western Slope. The increase in local water rates could amount to 10 percent a year for two years, Gradisar said. The extra revenue would go toward repaying a $22 million bond issue the utility is considering as the last piece needed to finance the deal.

The water board recognizes the hardship an overall 20 percent rate hike could cause on low- and fixed-income homeowners in particular, Gradisar said. To further emphasize his point, he shared census statistics about Pueblo’s high poverty rates and low household income levels. Accordingly, the board welcomes public feedback on how to possibly limit the rate hikes, particularly for low-income people, Gradisar said. One idea he wants studied is a so-called “lifeline” discount rate that some utilities charge their poorest customers, Gradisar said…

Overall, though, the board views the rate hike is justified by the long-term value of the water the utility would acquire, Gradisar said. The deal would keep the Bessemer water at home, lessen the utility’s reliance on Western Slope water and aid the recruitment of businesses, Gradisar said. Also, local water rates are currently among the lowest in the state and other communities such as Colorado Springs are spending at even higher levels to strengthen their water resources for the next half-century, Gradisar said…

The rate hike would be in addition to the utility’s continued reliance on water leases and also the sale of the Columbine Ditch, Gradisar said. The ditch sale – either to the city of Aurora or, if that city declines, to a Minturn resort developer – is expected to generate about half of the needed money for the deal, or about $30 million cash, he said. On water leases, Gradisar said the lease program, including a lease deal with Aurora that is the target of criticism by some in Pueblo, currently makes up a significant portion – about 19 percent – of the utility’s current revenues. If not in place, local water rates would need to rise another 19 percent to keep the books balanced, he said. One Aurora lease that nets $550,000 a year is set to expire by 2011.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Durango: City is moving to get a voice on Animas-La Plata board

The city of Durango is hoping to get a voice on the governing board for the Animas-La Plata project. Here’s a report from Dale Rodebaugh writing for the Durango Herald. From the article:

In addition to helping craft decisions as the Animas-La Plata Project moves forward, the city also wants a say in other projects involving the river. “It makes sense because Durango has invested significant money to have enough Animas River water to operate a whitewater boat park at Smelter Rapid,” Mayor Leigh Meigs said Friday. “We need to be at the table.” Meigs was speaking about a 2007 negotiated settlement signed by water court judge Gregory Lyman that ended three years of wrangling between Durango and 50 other water users or interested parties and averted a trial.

As for A-LP, in 2005, the city put up slightly more than $1 million to cover the installation of equipment that will transfer A-LP water to a city treatment facility. The city share of construction costs was estimated at $5 million…

City Manager Ron LeBlanc said a seat on the water district board is necessary in order to plan confidently. “We need to protect water interests of 16,000 residents and up to 19,000 visitors daily who ride the train or come to town to bank,” LeBlanc said. “Since water district board members aren’t elected, the city has no guarantees. We’re used to electing representatives.” Durango also is scheduled to annex the property on which the A-LP pumping plant sits. The pumping plant, located on the banks of the Animas a short distance downstream of Smelter Rapid, draws water from the river for Lake Nighthorse, the human-made reservoir over the ridge from Bodo Industrial Park.

As matters now stand, Durango can’t count on having a designated seat on the water district board. The district has three zones – the outlying Shenandoah and Rafter J subdivisions (three seats), the so-called Dryside around Breen and Marvel (seven seats) and incorporated Durango (five seats). The five Durango members are residents of the city but don’t speak for it. Bob Wolff is chairman of the water district board, a resident of Durango and a member of the city’s water commission, said Barry Spear, legal counsel for the water district. Wolff knows city positions well, but doesn’t represent it, Spear said…

Otherwise, statutes governing board membership don’t allow for special-interest appointments, Spear said. When there is a vacancy, the opening is advertised for 30 days and anyone who owns property and has lived for a minimum of one year in a district may apply. Judge Lyman considers applicants on the basis of knowledge of and/or participation in water issues, Spear said. An applicant backed by City Council wouldn’t automatically be accepted or rejected for either reason, he said. A case in point: One of the seven Dryside board members has moved out of the area. Applications to replace him will be accepted until July 26. Interested parties, however, must meet all requirements, which include being a resident of the district.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Log Lane Village: Water and sewer rates to rise

From the Fort Morgan Times (John La Porte):

Members of the town’s board of trustees said Wednesday that while funds were sufficient to keep up with payments on loans on the systems, more reserves are needed to have money available when repairs are needed. Currently the monthly base rates are $60 for water and $45 for sewer; owners of vacant homes pay a $25 monthly fee for fire protection, said Town Clerk Kim Alva. “We don’t have that rainy day fund,” said town attorney Bo Chapin…

With the age of the town’s pipes, money should be set aside for maintenance and replacement, said board member Martha Manion. Five valves in the water system are not operational, and any leaks in areas controlled by them would mean shutting water off all over town for repairs, said board member Chuck Lakatos. A reserve fund could be established for pipe and valve repair and replacement, salaries for town staff and outside contractors and repairs to streets when pipe work is finished, Hotchkiss said.

23rd Annual Poudre River Festival recap

Here’s a recap of the festival from Molly Armbrister writing for the Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article:

Families with young children, Colorado State University students and senior citizens turned out to enjoy the water and sunshine, along with picnic cuisine provided by Avogadro’s Number and music by the river. Gary Kimsey, a founder of Friends of the Poudre, the organization that sponsored the festival, said, “It’s a day to celebrate the river.” Friends of the Poudre is Colorado’s oldest river-protection nonprofit group and also sponsors the Poudre River Ball in the fall to raise money and awareness for its cause.

Save the Poudre hosted a booth at the event to provide information about its mission to oppose the proposed Glade Reservoir. The Poudre Paddlers, a canoe and kayak club, also had a booth, while the city of Fort Collins had a booth highlighting the natural areas surrounding the city. Musical acts Slim Pickens, The Horsetooth Mountain Rangers and Chuck Pyle were also at the event to add to the festivity. Still, the main attraction of the day was the river itself, providing cool refreshment through swimming, rafting and tubing.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Surf’s Up

I’m a land-based mammal and do not kayak. However this video from Charles Newcomb (via the Salida Citizen) may change my ways.

Northern Integrated Supply Project and Windy Gap Firming Project update

From the Loveland Reporter Herald:

McInnis, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, sent a letter Friday in support of the project to the Larimer and Weld county commissioners and to the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District…

Last week, more than 200 people attended a rally in support of the project on a Weld County farm. They said the project would relieve pressure on farmers to sell their water, thereby preserving farmland. McInnis agrees, according to his letter, which says the reservoir project would prevent a “buy and dry” atmosphere that could turn Northern Colorado into a dust bowl.

Meanwhile, here’s an update on the proposed Glade and Chimney Hollow reservoirs from Shari Phiel writing for the Berthoud Recorder. From the article:

Despite the economic downturn, Colorado — and especially the Front Range — will continue to grow, creating greater and greater demand for water. But, of course, there is only so much water available through the C-BT. In response to this demand, the [Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District] has proposed two separate reservoir projects. One being the Windy Gap Firming Project which would create Chimney Hollow Reservoir and the other is the Northern Integrated Supply Project which would create Glade Reservoir through the construction of dams in both valleys.

Jeff Drager, project manager for the proposed Chimney Hollow Reservoir, says the project is needed to provide for more storage during wet years when Lake Granby is often full. “If the Colorado-Big Thompson is full or if the Adams tunnel is full of water … there’s no room to put Windy Gap water in and that’s turned out to be a bit of a constraint over the last 20-some years of operation.” Per the NCWCD, Chimney Hollow would only use the same Colorado River water rights granted in the 1960s and 70s, and is expected to deliver a “firm annual yield” of up to 30,000 acre feet of water by 2010 at a cost of $270 million. The dam would be constructed just west of Carter Lake.

The other, and certainly more controversial project, is the NISP project and construction of 170,000 acre-foot Glade Reservoir. The NISP project is expected to bring 40,000 acre feet of water to 15 communities “without drying up the Poudre River or our agricultural communities,” says the NCWCD. The water district also sees the project as the answer to the question of how to meet the demand for more water without drying up either the Poudre River or agricultural lands in the process. The NISP project plan includes construction of Glade Reservoir, which will require relocating nearly seven miles of U.S. Highway 287, a pumping facility, a pipeline to deliver water for exchange with two irrigation companies, and necessary improvements to an existing canal to fill the reservoir. Water woud be diverted from the Poudre River north into Glade Reservoir. Total cost for the entire NISP project is anticipated to reach $426 million.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Energy policy — geothermal: Upper Ark looks at proposed development near Buena Vista

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

Mount Princeton Geothermal LLC is investigating whether a $30 million-$40 million, 10-megawatt geothermal electric generating system could be built in the Chalk Creek area…

Envisioned are up to six production wells that would remove heated water from the ground, convert some of the heat energy to electric power and return cooled water to the same aquifer from which it is remove through four reinjection wells, said Fred Henderson, chief scientist for the project. “We still have to spend millions of dollars to see if the project is possible,” Henderson said…

There are roughly 500 homes in the area, and one of those residents, Steve Glover, an engineer, made a presentation to the Upper Ark board Thursday with his concerns about the proposal. “These fissures could go down 10,000-15,000 feet. If they model it wrong, then what are we stuck with?” Glover said. Glover also asked the Upper Ark board whether it could intervene with the Division of Water Resources in determining whether water used in the project – up to 23,000 acre-feet a year would circulate through the plumbing of a geothermal plant – is tributary to the Arkansas River basin…

The state’s role is to issue a well permit, but only after determining that the water does not impact existing water rights. “The application for a well permit would trigger the state engineer’s involvement,” said Julianne Woldridge, the Upper Ark’s water attorney…

It’s not known whether the project is possible because of the nature of the aquifer in the Buena Vista area. Formed by geologic uplift, the underground structure of rock is a spider’s web of intersecting fissures, Henderson said, overlapping his fingers at diagonal angles to illustrate the point.

The idea of a geothermal electric plant is to take water out of the ground at 2,000-3,000 feet, where it is near boiling temperatures, and use it to run a turbine and generator. The cooled water must then be re-injected into the same aquifer. There are questions about whether the water would need to be injected higher, lower or at the same depth in the aquifer, as well as where on the surface the injection wells should be located. Henderson said the first determination of whether deep production well sites are connected to injection well sites can only be determined for sure by deep drilling, which is scheduled to begin later this year as the third phase of the Mount Princeton project.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Custer County: Review of Upper Ark’s augmentation plan for county on tap

From the Wet Mountain Tribune (Nora Drenner):

The county commissioners are hiring a water attorney to review the proposed water augmentation plan the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District filed in court late last month. The commissioners have also decided to file an objection to the proposal, which if approved, would bring a blanket water augmentation plan to Custer County. The attorney wasn’t identified…

All three commissioners—Lynn Attebery, Jim Austin and Carole Custer—said they did not necessarily think the proposed water augmentation plan was a bad one, however, it was in the best interest of the county to have it reviewed by an independent expert. Also, in order to stay in the loop during the water court process, said Austin, it was necessary to file a written objection to the plan. Attebery and Custer agreed.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Estes Park: Water quality report available on town website, water quality passes with flying colors

From the Estes Park Trail (Kate Rushch):

The Water Quality Report is available on the Town’s website at www.estes.org/lightpower/waterdefault.aspx. Copies are also available at the following locations: Town Hall at 170 MacGregor Avenue; Town of Estes Park Water Department at 577 Elm Road; Estes Park Medical Center at 555 Prospect Avenue; Larimer County Health Department at 1601 Brodie Avenue.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Wiggins: Town council approves design and engineering funds along with update of master plan

From The Fort Morgan Times (Dan Barker):

[Council] approved a contract for Industrial Facilities Engineering Inc. to do an update on design work in order to have the engineering needed to apply for federal and state grants and loans; decided to hire a water lawyer; and have a contract in hand to buy a well site for the project. IFE Operations Manager Tim Holbrook said his company had done a water system master plan for Wiggins in 2006, but it will cost $17,000 to do an update to the plan for the specific Wiggins Water Project. Everyone is agreed that grants are better than loans by governmental agencies, but the town can make applications for various types of funding, he said. One route is to ask the state Department of Local Affairs for a grant from severance taxes, and the town should learn if that will happen in the next three months, Holbrook said. The town can also apply to the USDA Rural Development program, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority, he said.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.