HB 10-1006 killed in committee on Friday, HB 10-1327 marches on
February 15, 2010
From the Sterling Journal Advocate (Marianne Goodland):
The appropriations committee voted Friday morning to kill [HB 10-1006] (pdf), sponsored by Rep. Kathleen Curry, I-Gunnison. The bill would have moved funding from the Division of Wildlife, under the Department of Natural Resources, to fund four vacant water commissioner positions in the Division of Water Resources. HB 1006 came out of an interim committee last summer on water resources. It would have moved $409,000 from a severance tax fund in the Department of Natural Resources to fund 5.3 full-time equivalent employees in the Division of Water Resources. According to Curry, four of those positions would be field positions held by water commissioners who monitor water rights. The bill moved the Division of Wildlife into a different funding tier (Tier II), and moved the Division of Water Resources into Tier I, thereby freeing up the severance tax money. The House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources committee, however, previously amended the bill to put the DOW back into Tier I…
[State Representative Kathleen Curry] argued that the bill would cash fund the water commissioners and that the interim water committee had found another way to do it.
[State Representative Jerry Sonnenberg] argued for funding the positions. “The state engineer is charged with administering state waters,” he said. “When it comes to setting priorities we’ve found money for this priority. It’s important to have people watching the head gates, to make sure Denver gets the water it needs and farmers on the East and West slope get the water they’re entitled to.”
Without the water commissioners who monitor the head gates, Sonnenberg said, people will change the head gates and there will be no one to watch it. “This is law enforcement as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
Meanwhile here’s the lowdown about HB 10-1327 from the same article:
Under [HB 10-1327] (pdf), which is sponsored by the Joint Budget Committee as part of its budget-balancing package, the CWCB would lose $19.6 million in its construction fund that gets money from federal mineral lease revenue. CWCB Director Jennifer Gimbel said this week anything that has already been approved and under contract would be okay. In 2009, the CWCB provided $1.494 million in loan funding for a pipeline project for the Fort Morgan Reservoir and Irrigation Company. The CWCB is scheduled in March and May to hear funding requests totaling $4 million for four projects, but that money is now gone, Gimbel said. The construction fund also covers other CWCB projects, such as maintaining a satellite monitoring system and funding a stream-gauging program to support more than 500 operated and maintained gauges through the state. According to a CWCB review of the projects, the gauges “are critical for administering thousands of water rights for municipal, industrial, agriculture, domestic, recreation and environmental uses,” as well as vital for state compact administration, dam safety, and flood monitoring and warning. Losing the funding for the gauges, about $250,000, would “cripple state and local efforts to utilize the state’s water resources,” and hamper collection of data used for assessment of climate change and to address future water shortage.
HB 1327 is scheduled to be heard Tuesday by the House Appropriations Committee.
I have to say that I have been enjoying Ms. Goodland’s legislative analyses since things got rolling on Capitol Hill.
More 2010 Colorado legislation coverage here.
Wet Mountain Valley: Round Mountain Water and Sanitation District board meeting recap
February 14, 2010
From the Wet Mountain Tribune (Nora Drenner):
Engineering firm Crabtree Group was invited to the table to discuss RMW’s projects over the last year. Those projects included the construction of the new Gallery Well south of town and the installation of a booster station in Silver Cliff to increase water pressure…In a separate matter, [RMW chairman Darrell Niles] asked why a drainage system had not been installed near the booster station.
From The Aspen Times:
The alliance gets involved in issues that affect life in western Garfield County. It has a membership of 168 area residents, and is a chapter in the broader Western Colorado Congress. The Hidden Gems plan has evolved into a controversial battle between Wilderness advocates and forest user groups that want to preserve existing access to public lands. The proposal would place a special designation on about 400,000 acres in Pitkin, Eagle, Garfield, Summit and Gunnison counties. About 1,600 acres targeted by proponents are located in Garfield County.
More Hidden Gems coverage here.
Energy policy — nuclear: CWCB and BLM file statements of opposition to Energy Fuels’ water rights application for Piñon Ridge Mill
February 14, 2010
From The Telluride Watch (Karen James):
The Colorado Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management also filed individual statements of opposition against the applications. The CWCB is concerned that an instream flow water right it owns on the Dolores River could be adversely affected by water rights sought by Energy Fuels, and noted the company’s lack of augmentation plan in its statement of opposition. Additionally, the application presents insufficient information to fully evaluate the extent to which the CWCB instream flow rights may be injured, the statement notes. Linda Bassi, chief of the CWCB’s Stream and Lake Protection Section, said that the filing was not unusual for her agency. “We participate in Water Court cases to get protective terms and conditions,” she continued. “It’s not to stop the application but to ensure that it’s done in a way that will protect our water rights.”
Similarly, the U.S. government holds four water rights on public lands that are adjacent to the groundwater rights being sought by Energy Fuels that the BLM is concerned may be injured, “If the application is granted without terms and conditions related to monitoring and mitigating the impacts associated with the proposed wells,” the agency’s filing states. As a result, the BLM, “Seeks to incorporate similar water rights monitoring and mitigation measures as part of the water rights decree in this case,” as those Energy Fuels has already committed to as part of a limited-term land use authorization granted by Montrose County.
Energy Fuels Chief Executive Officer George Glasier called the statements of opposition filed by the existing water rights holders “fairly standard,” and not unexpected. “It’s a process you see all the time in Colorado,” he said…
Glasier said he anticipated a series of conferences over the coming months to see if the differences with the objecting parties can be worked through. “It will be a long process over the next year at least to sort out things with the water rights,” he said.
CWCB delays until January 2011 the instream appropriation on San Miguel River to allow time to study more storage off the mainstem
February 14, 2010
From The Telluride Watch (Karen James):
The decision represents and effort to find a middle ground between groups seeking an immediate appropriation of the water right and others who are opposed to it. “The board agreed to table it for a year, but expressed concern about progress being made” on plans for storage, said Linda Bassi, Chief of the CWCB’s Stream and Lake Protection Section. As a result, the CWCB will expect a progress report on the storage plan effort when it meets in Durango in May, she said. “They sent a strong message that they are very supportive of this instream flow, but they are willing to hold off to allow these different communities to determine their needs and come together, “ said April Montgomery, who represents the San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan Rivers on the CWCB…
The instream flow being considered for the lower San Miguel River would designate minimum flows in a 16.5-mile stretch of the river in Montrose County that reaches from Calamity Draw west of Naturita to the Dolores River confluence. It has been recommended by both the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, primarily to prevent three dwindling species of native fish: flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker and roundtail chub, from being listed for federal protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. “The board members did acknowledge the need to protect an instream flow to prevent a federal listing of any of the sensitive species,” said Bassi…
The CWCB vote honored recommendations made to it by the San Miguel and Montrose County Commissioners and the Southwest Water Conservation District Board. “The two counties and the Southwest Water Conservation District Board asked the [CWCB] to do that so they could work together on assessing water user needs,” Bassi explained.
Sterling: The city council is struggling to raise the dough necessary for water treatment plant upgrades
February 14, 2010
From the Sterling Journal Advocate (Forrest Hershberger):
Sterling has been in violation of state health department and Environmental Protection Agency water contamination standards. The city is now under a time deadline to show progress on constructing a new water treatment plant that will remove uranium and a byproduct of water purification processing, trihalomethanes.
The debate Tuesday hinged how the new fees will be structured. The proposed fee structure would be tiered according to the size of tap and how much water is consumed. Councilman Patrick Lawson questioned if a tiered system is the best option. He said he isn’t convinced the tiered system would result in the conservation the city needs to achieve. Councilman Rocky Joy said he is concerned the council doesn’t have time to go back and restructure the fees. He added that he recalls the council not choosing the uniform volume rate plan because it could result in a significant loss in funding during low-use years. “My own personal opinion is it’s a little late to look at restructuring (water fees),” said councilman Jerry Haynes.
Snowpack news: Lower South Platte reservoir levels higher than last year at this time
February 14, 2010
The Sterling Journal Advocate is running a nice graph showing water levels over the last year at the three big reservoirs on the lower South Platte, Prewitt, North Sterling and Julesburg.
From the Wet Mountain Tribune (Jacque Keller):
“South Colony is really good,” said district conservationist James Sperry of the NRCS office in Silver Cliff. “We’re carrying the Arkansas Basin.” The South Colony water equivalent is at 12.1 inches which is 106 percent of long term average for the year so far, said Sperry. An average year is 11.4 inches based on the last 30 years.
Precipitation from storms so far this year is 14 inches which is 89 percent of average…
While most ranchers watch the South Colony Snotel site, some use Medano Pass numbers to get an idea what the mountain is holding. Medano drains into the Rio Grande river drainage on the west side of the mountains. The water equivalent at Medano is 2.7 inches or 56 percent. The average is 4.8 inches. Medano precipitation is at 5.6 inches or 98 percent. The average is 5.7 inches.
Colorado snow pack numbers from around the state, as of early February, are as follows: White and Yampa–73 percent, North Platte–75 percent, South Platte–80 percent, Colorado–75 percent, Gunnison–91 percent, Delores, Animas, San Juan–104 percent, Rio Grande– 108 percent and Arkansas– 88 percent.
From the Leadville Herald-Democrat:
Colorado’s statewide snowpack was 86 percent of average as of Feb. 1, and is only 73 percent of last year’s snowpack totals on this same date. The increased snowpack totals across southern Colorado were essentially offset by the decreases in percentage across the central and northern basins and has resulted in the same statewide snowpack percentage for two consecutive months. Once again, this month’s percentage is the lowest since 2003…
The greatest decreases were measured in the South Platte basin, which decreased by 18 percentage points from the Jan. 1 readings. Other basins seeing sizable decreases include the North Platte and Colorado basins, decreasing by 10 and 9 percentage points, respectively.
Energy policy — oil and gas: Carbondale to chip in $7,000 for the Thompson Divide Coalition’s watershed study
February 14, 2010
From The Sopris Sun (Jeremy Heiman):
Carbondale officials were interested in supporting the study, initiated by the Thompson Divide Coalition (TDC), in part because contamination from gas drilling in those areas has the potential to enter ground water and pollute town water wells. Carbondale’s Crystal River wells, which are relatively shallow, could be threatened by such contamination, said Mark O’Meara, Carbondale’s utilities director. O’Meara said the risk presented by chemicals from gas drilling in the Thompson Divide area is difficult to calculate. “If it gets into the groundwater, I don’t think there’s any model to predict where it’s going to go,” he said.
He compared underground geology to a sandwich, with multiple layers, sloping toward the Crystal and Roaring Fork valleys. Contamination released by drilling activities could enter groundwater between any of those layers and follow the slope to the valley bottom. The Crystal wells are a secondary source of water for the town, but are nevertheless used on a regular basis for domestic drinking water for residents, as are another series of wells in the Roaring Fork drainage. Carbondale’s primary source of water is Nettle Creek, south of town.
TDC has budgeted almost $79,000 for the study, which is intended to establish baseline data on the purity of streams and underground water in the Thompson Divide area, where gas drilling companies hold leases. The largest share of the cost has been paid for by grants from Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, the Aspen Skiing Company Environment Foundation and Patagonia, and grants expected from two other sources. Carbondale’s trustees offered to pay half the remaining budget shortfall of $13,970. The study has been under way since last fall, and will involve sampling at several sites during each season through this summer.
From the Crested Butte News (Mike Horn):
If the transaction goes through between the Colorado Water Trust, the CWCB, the Skyland Metropolitan District, and Verzuh Ranch, Inc., Skyland residents will likely have a little more drought-protection as well. After being used for instream flows in the rivers, the acquired water will be diverted into Skyland Metropolitan District’s system, namely Grant Lake reservoir. The diversion point would be just upstream of the Hwy. 135 bridge that crosses the Slate River…
According to Skyland Metropolitan District Manager Mike Billingsley, “The transaction is under contract but not closed; we’re about halfway through the 180-day diligence period. The CWCB approved their contribution during their January meeting, but we don’t have it in hand yet.” Billingsley said they’ve been working on the water right acquisition for four to five years. “It’s been pretty hot and heavy since I started a year-and-a-half ago,” he said. “The water right itself is important for Skyland to complete our water portfolio,” explained Billingsley. “In drought years, the reservoir goes low, the golf course goes dry, and it’s a struggle.”
As Billingsley said, “It’s still far from being closed.” But if the arrangement goes through, there’ll be more water in the rivers, the wetlands will get recharged, and Skyland will be hydrated, even if drought conditions arrive.
More CWCB coverage here.
Pagosa Springs: PAWSD revises water and sewer fees
February 14, 2010
From the Pagosa Sun (Chuck McGuire):
Of particular concern to most consumers, monthly water and sewer services fees remained unchanged. The base rate for in-district water service is still $12 per equivalent unit (EU), while the base rate for wastewater service is $23 per EU. The number of EUs is determined by water meter size, with a 5/8-inch meter being one EU. The board also maintained existing charges for water use by volume. The use of 1-8,000 gallons in the district still costs an additional $4.20 per 1,000 gallons over the base rate. For 8,001 to 20,000 gallons, the fee adds another $8 per 1,000 gallons, and anything over 20,000 gallons is assessed an extra $9.45 per 1,000 gallons.
During dry periods when available water is low and mandatory water conservation requirements are in effect, an additional in-district, drought surcharge will be imposed as follows: 0-8,000 gallons usage (per 1,000 gallons), no additional charge; 8,001 – 20,000 gallons usage, $2.18 per 1,000 gallons; Over 20,001 gallons usage, $2.40 per 1,000 gallons…
Those building a new home, or involved in the construction industry, will be happy to know the district has held Capital Investment and Water Resource fees to last year’s levels. The water CIF is still $3,579 per EU, while the wastewater CIF remains at $4,252 per EU. Last year’s $5,617 WRF will continue, with a five-year, 5-percent per annum amortization available again this year.
Perhaps the most significant changes to the fee schedule were the additions of an equipment-replacement fee and labor charge for repairing damage to the district’s automated meter reading equipment. The “FireFly,” which relays water meter readings to the district’s central database, is located either on the lid of the water meter, or attached to a post next to the meter pit. Upon discovering evidence of someone tampering with, damaging or destroying the FireFly, the district will charge the respective customer $104 — plus an hour of labor — for repairs, as necessary. Should a customer inadvertently damage a FireFly or its wiring, he or she may still be subject to the charge.
Here’s Part two of Bill Hudson’s series from the Pagosa Daily Post, Three Districts, Two Dilemmas. Here’s Part three.
More infrastructure coverage here.
Coyote Gulch running on WordPress turns one year old
February 13, 2010
I switched blogging software a year ago yesterday. One year posting on WordPress. The software is really good and much faster than the old software, Radio Userland.
I started Coyote Gulch in 2002 and caught some rhythm covering the 2003 Denver municipal election. Politics and technology issues dominated until I found my “beat” with Colorado water issues during the fall of 2003. Thank you Governor Owens for Referendum A. I haven’t looked back since.
There are now 2,117 posts here on WordPress and 13,426 posts still archived at the old Coyote Gulch — now hosted by the WordPress gang. I’m so happy that they are still available for research and background.
For example, here’s a post about Frank Jaeger and Parker Water and Sanitation’s Rueter-Hess reservoir. It was based on a newspaper article from The Pueblo Chieftain (no surprise there) and probably written by Chris Woodka (the most prolific reporter I’ve ever known) although the link back the the Chieftain is dead so I can’t say for sure. The post highlighted Jaeger’s efforts to keep Parker from going dry. Some things mentioned have changed however. From the post:
On Wednesday, Jaeger voiced complete support for Aaron Million’s plan to build a pipeline from Flaming Gorge, if it would help fill Reuter-Hess reservoir.
I guess Mr. Jaeger has decided that Million’s pipeline will mainly serve irrigators.
My biggest day for hits was 5,446 on November 2, 2004 in the heat of President Bush’s landslide victory over John Kerry. Towards the end my old blog was getting around 300 hits a day normally.
Once I switched software last year my hit counts started rising. The big day so far was Wednesday of this week when 760 readers came by to check out the water news. WordPress tracks total hits and so far we’ve seen 133,790.
Thanks so much for the words of encouragement. It keeps me going. And thanks for indulging me this trip down memory lane.
If you click on the thumbnail graphic at the top of this post you can get an idea about the beauty in those Colorado River system canyons in southeast Utah. That’s Mrs. Gulch on my left. The photo was taken sometime around the turn of the century in Coyote Gulch.
CWCB: Governor Ritter re-appoints three to board
February 12, 2010
From the Grand Junction Free Press (Wyatt Haupt Jr.):
The governor reappointed two Grand Junction residents, John D. Redifer and Barbara J. Biggs, this week to the Colorado Water Conservation Board. Geoff Blakeslee of Hayden was also reappointed to the 15-member board. The board is charged with aiding in the “protection and development of the waters of Colorado,” the governor’s office said. The appointments require confirmation by the state Senate.
More CWCB coverage here.
FromThe Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Dave Buchanan):
The board acquired 5.45 cubic feet per second of water in the Breem Ditch water right for instream-flow use in Washington Gulch and the Slate River, two highly visible, water-short streams north and east of Crested Butte. According to the board, irrigation demands often completely dry up Washington Gulch by the middle of July and significantly deplete flows in the Slate River. The acquisition will allow Washington Gulch to flow year-round, even during dry summers, and it will help fix flow shortages to the Slate River…
A portion of this latest acquisition was purchased using funds authorized in 2008 for instream flow water acquisitions while the Colorado Water Trust donated a portion of the water. The acquisition will protect water through Washington Gulch and about two miles of the Slate River below the confluence with Washington Gulch.
More CWCB coverage here.
Southern Delivery System: Colorado Springs Utilities briefs CDOW about potential fish and wildlife impacts
February 12, 2010
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
The draft plan was presented Thursday at a Colorado Wildlife Commission workshop. It includes aquatic wildlife research and monitoring throughout the life of SDS and working with the Division of Wildlife to improve habitat and expand fish stocking operations during the second phase of SDS, when reservoirs in El Paso County would be created. The plan also incorporates mitigation measures that have been included as conditions for other permits that would benefit wildlife.
Colorado Springs has been in discussions with Division of Wildlife staff for years in developing its fish and wildlife mitigation plan, said Tim Monahan, attorney for the state agency. In the past year, the details of the plan have been worked out and were presented to the public for the first time. During the next month, the plan will be finalized, and the public will have the opportunity to comment on it in the next month, Monahan said. Colorado Springs is asking the Colorado Wildlife Commission to approve the plan at its March meeting. The plan would then be referred to the Colorado Water Conservation Board and Gov. Bill Ritter for final approval, Monahan said…
The most important parts of the mitigation, in the state’s view, would be the impacts on the fishery at Lake Pueblo once Colorado Springs begins storing water in its proposed Upper Williams Creek reservoir, said Greg Gerlich, aquatic section manager for the DOW. “We spent a considerable amount of time looking at the littoral zone, the shallow water in Lake Pueblo,” Gerlich said. “Also the Upper Williams Creek reservoir would be highly productive as it comes on line.”[...]
A few examples:
- Wetlands are minimally affected because the original terminal site at Jimmy Camp Creek was scrapped in favor of Upper Williams Creek.
- Construction will be broken into segments that allow for wildlife corridors.
- A new district on Fountain Creek would get $50 million in funding from Colorado Springs, which could be used to improve habitat.
- Work at Clear Springs Ranch, south of Fountain, will create wetlands and improve river health.In addition, there would be fishing and recreation activities at the Upper Williams Creek reservoir. Colorado Springs Utilities plans to post the draft plan on its SDS Web site today.
Energy policy — hydroelectric: Delta County is getting a new micro-hydroelectric plant powered by irrigation flows
February 11, 2010
From the Delta County Independent (Hank Lohmeyer):
Five cubic feet-per-second of decreed irrigation water which has been irrigating crops for more than a century along Sawmill Mesa Road on the pioneer family Obergfell farm will one day soon be producing electricity as well. The water, which flows in the Uncompahgre Water Users Association F&F Lateral, falls 105 feet from atop California Mesa to the irrigation works of Sandra Tarr, who uses it to water 100 acres of corn and hay along the Gunnison River. At the bottom of that 105-foot fall, Sandra, her husband Pete, and her daughter Janell Dawson are planning to install a small electricity-producing turbine. The turbine will generate electricity, an estimated 15 to 30 kilowatts – more than they expect can be used by three nearby homes of family members. The Tarrs said they are currently in discussions with DMEA for purchase of their excess homemade electricity which, they estimate, will be available 24 hours per day during the eight months of the farm’s irrigating season.
The turbine will be installed on the farm’s headwater. Since the farm has a senior right and is located at the lateral’s end, the water will flow — creating electricity — throughout the irrigating season, even when Sandra is using it for her crops.
More hydroelectric coverage here.
Yuma: City council raises sewer rates
February 11, 2010
From The Yuma Pioneer (Tony Rayl):
The council went ahead and moved forward with the proposed sewer rate increase. Sanchez again offered a 33 percent increase, going from the current rate of $12.50 to $16.60. It would raise approximately $90,000 per year in new revenue. Ebert said the increase definitely is needed due to the new sewer truck and some other work that needs to be done. He made a motion to approve the first reading of the ordinance, including making it effective May 1. It was passed on a 6-1 vote with Seward voting against…
The council will have a public hearing regarding this proposed increase at its March 16 meeting, after which it will vote on the second reading of the ordinance.
Sam Houston State University has developed a new bio-reactor water treatment plant
February 11, 2010
From Sam Houston State University:
The United States Army has taken delivery of the first two units of a “revolutionary” waste-water treatment system that will clean putrid water within 24 hours and leave no toxic by-products, according to scientists at Sam Houston State University. “The system is based on a proprietary consortium of bacteria – you can find them in a common handful of dirt,” said lead scientist Sabin Holland. “In the right combination and in the right medium, they have the capability to clean polluted water with a very high efficiency very quickly. It truly is a revolutionary solution.” Holland said the physical systems themselves – called “bio-reactors” – use little energy, are transportable, scalable, simple to set-up, simple to operate, come on-line in record time and can be monitored remotely. The first two units, housed in standard 20-foot ISO shipping containers, are being deployed by the Army to Afghanistan.
“The science and engineering technology behind this process have both military and civilian applications,” said Holland. “The technology was developed for remote applications where little infrastructure exists, such as remote military operations, disaster relief and nation-building situations.” “These systems would be immensely useful right now in Haiti,” Holland said. “One of the most pressing threats to public health in the aftermath of the recent earthquake is contaminated water and the lack of infrastructure to clean it up. This technology is an ideal application to mitigate that urgent need.” Holland has managed the research and development of the systems and works for the Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies at Sam Houston State. “We have gone from basic research into the bacteria to actual construction and deployment of the systems in seven years…
“The technology is scalable,” Holland said. “We can make the units as large as required for large scale treatment applications, or as small as a single home unit.” The research has been funded over the last three years by U.S. Department of Defense. The Army’s systems will be deployed in rugged terrain and transported by the Army’s standard heavy trucks using a standard pallet loading system.
More water treatment coverage here.
Montrose: Prescription drug drop off at health fair March 13
February 11, 2010
From the Telluride Watch:
Think of it as an annual physical for your medicine cabinet. The public is invited to drop off expired prescription drugs and medicines at the Montrose Memorial Hospital Health Fair on Saturday, March 13 at the Montrose Pavilion.
To help encourage proper disposal of prescription drugs, the Montrose Underage Drinking/Drug Task Force (UDDTF) will host the drug take back as its final public event. The UDDTF has served the Montrose region for seven years and closes its offices in February. MMH staff will provide a pharmacist on site to receive the expired medications and proper disposal will take place thereafter…
The March 13 Montrose Health Fair is open to the public from 6:30 a.m. to noon, offering a multitude of health screenings and blood testing. For more information about the Health Fair, contact the MMH Marketing Department at 970/240-7344.
More water pollution coverage here.
Delta: Seminar on reducing selenium concentrations in local waterways
February 11, 2010
From the Telluride Watch:
The Gunnison Basin and Grand Valley Selenium Task Force is hosting a free educational workshop on how land and water users can reduce selenium impacts to local waterways while taking advantage of economic opportunities and agricultural incentives. The “Climbing the Selenium Summit” is scheduled for Feb. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bill Heddles Recreation Center in Delta…
The workshop will feature a host of experts who will present study results that examine the interaction of land, water, development, and wildlife as they relate to selenium. Attendees will learn about the potential effects of growth and development on selenium loading, and about exciting opportunities that exist for landowners, planners and growers to minimize impacts on the environment while taking advantage of economic opportunities and incentives. The agenda includes presentations by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the Selenium Task Forces. Interested members of the public, local growers and land use decision makers are encouraged to attend. Lunch and refreshments will be provided and no registration is required.
Craig: Willow Creek cutthroat habitat expansion planned for August
February 11, 2010
From the Craig Daily Press (Brian Smith):
Currently there is a pure, core conservation population of trout located in northern sections of the creek, but as the river winds toward Moffat County Road 38, the DOW found a mixed population of Brook trout and Yellow trout hybridizing with the cutthroat, DOW representative Boyd Wright said. “We have a conservation strategy for Colorado River cutthroat trout with an agreement between multiple state and federal agencies with the goal to not only protect those populations, but also to expand them where there are opportunities,” Wright said.
The DOW will start the project in August when the water is at its lowest flow. A barrier will be installed first to prevent other trout from entering the area. The project is estimated to cost $15,000. Willow Creek, a catch and release, fly and lure only stream, will see no change in fishing regulations as result of the project.
More endangered/threatened species coverage here.
Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District board meeting recap
February 11, 2010
Arkansas Basin roundtable recap
February 11, 2010
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
The Arkansas Basin Roundtable had a frank talk about water sales at its monthly meeting Wednesday after Tom Brubaker, a retired gravel business operator from Rocky Ford, told the roundtable in November that most of its members have a poor understanding of the dilemma farmers face. “The economy of the Lower Arkansas basin is in decline,” said Brubaker, whose great-grandfather homesteaded on 160 acres in Bent County. All of the family has left the farming business because it takes increasingly more ground to support a family, he added…
“I’ve farmed on the low end of the High Line for 50 years,” said Don Scofield, a 70-year-old farmer who is talking to a water broker working for the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District in El Paso County. “I’ve got to make a decision.” Scofield has no members to leave the farm to, and would like to retire. “Farming’s a hard life, but it’s a good life,” he said…
Ron Aschermann, a Rocky Ford farmer who now works for Aurora’s revegetation program after selling his farm, talked about a changing landscape farmers on the Rocky Ford Ditch faced. First, they tried to save the sugar beet business when it began to flounder in 1974. A depressed farm market prevented the local purchase of 5,000 acres once owned by the sugar company when it went on the open market. Aschermann helped organized farmers who did not sell to Aurora in 1983, but finally sold to Aurora in 1999. “Our group said ‘no,’ ” Aschermann said. “In those years in between we thought things would get better, but they did not.”[...]
John Schweizer, a Catlin Canal farmer, said his grandfather started farming, his son is taking over the business and two grandsons are also interested. “I have never been interested in selling my water,” Schweizer said. “Then, lo and behold, here comes the Super Ditch. I can lease the water and still own the water rights. It was just what I was hoping for.”
More coverage from The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
The roundtable got an update on a $3 million upgrade to water and sanitary sewer systems in Las Animas, which received a $300,000 grant through the roundtable at its monthly meeting Wednesday. “This is the kind of project they envisioned when they created the roundtables,” said Jeris Danielson, a La Junta water consultant who represents the roundtable on the state Interbasin Compact Committee…
“We need more projects lined up for when there is money available,” Winner said. The roundtable learned that the Joint Budget Committee is looking at taking $25 million from the Colorado Water Conservation Board construction fund, and is scheduled to take up the issue today. Thursday…
CWCB Director Jennifer Gimbel, in a letter to roundtables, said the transfer of $25 million from the fund now would leave it about $6 million in the hole. In order to be viable, the fund needs to have a balance of $7.2 million at the end of the fiscal year in June. “Continuing to divert CWCB cash funds to the general fund will reduce the state’s ability to meet water supply needs,” Gimbel said. “CWCB estimates that Colorado’s population will double by 2050 and it will take over $2 billion of projects to help meet the associated water supply needs of that population.” In addition, the proposed water projects bill (HB 1250) is at risk and may have to be withdrawn, Gimbel said. The bill includes funds for satellite monitoring, flood plain mapping and response, weather modification program and the watershed restoration program. “Combined these programs leverage at least $6 million of federal and other nonstate funds,” Gimbel said.
More IBCC — basin roundtables coverage here.
Snowpack news: Colorado River Basin declines 9% since January 1
February 11, 2010
From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Dave Buchanan):
Allen Green, state conservationist with the National Resources Conservation Service, is the latest snow surveys show slightly above average totals in the southwestern mountains while snowpack percentages decreased elsewhere across the state. Green said Colorado’s statewide snowpack was 86 percent of average as of Feb. 1, which is 73 percent of last year’s snowpack totals on this same date. He said this month’s percentage is the lowest since 2003. Snowpack in the Colorado River basin declined by 9 percent since the Jan. 1 snow surveys…
The greatest increase in snowpack percentages was found in the Rio Grande and the combined San Juan, Animas, Dolores and San Miguel basins. “The remainder of the state continued to stagnate with only minor increases during the latter half of January,” Green said. As the winter progresses, the outlook for water supplies continues to point toward below normal runoff volumes, especially in the river basins across northern Colorado, Green said. “The outlook for runoff in the Upper Colorado, North Platte, Yampa, White and South Platte rivers continues to call for well below average flows,” Green said.
During the recent Aspinall Unit Operations meeting in Montrose, the Bureau of Reclamation reported that as of Jan. 20, snowpack in the Gunnison Basin is 79 percent of average and 83 percent of average for the basin upstream of Blue Mesa Reservoir. Blue Mesa Reservoir is expected to fill this spring, said Dan Crabtree, chief of the Water Resources Group in Grand Junction. He also emphasized that with so much of the snow year ahead, the forecast may change between now and May 1.
The Town of Fowler plans to study the use of algae in the sewage lagoons instead of mechanical aeration components
February 10, 2010
From the Fowler Tribune (Elaine White):
According to Town Manager, Wayne Snider, the technology will allow Fowler’s current system to meet regulatory requirements with far lower cost, far lower power consumption, lower odor and lower environmental impact. It is even possible the current need for nine lagoons could be significantly reduced.
“Our current system is very efficient,” says Snider. “But, new restrictions on selenium and ammonia will continue to rise, and by using the algae system, Fowler could meet those requirements even more effectively at a lower cost.”[...]If implemented, the system would utilize power from a future 600 watt solar installation near the lagoons. While electric consumption would be minimized, a small amount of power would still be needed to maintain an on site greenhouse as well as a mixing system to effectively disperse algae throughout the water.
More wastewater coverage here.
Report: Five Case Studies on the Effects of the SWANCC and Rapanos Supreme Court Rulings on Colorado Wetlands and Streams
February 10, 2010
While national politicians argue and do nothing about the recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have muddied enforcement of the Clean Water Act, Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited and the National Wildlife Federation have been doing the science around the issue(s) here in Colorado. Here’s a report from Chris Woodka writing for The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
“These are islands of moisture,” said Dennis Buechler, author of the report released Tuesday (pdf) by the National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited and Trout Unlimited. The wetlands are important to wildlife. While covering less than 2 percent of the land, they are home to 75 percent of the state’s wildlife species. “A lot of these little streams are ephemeral (flowing intermittently) and off the radar. I like to call them the Rodney Dangerfields of the aquatic world. They don’t get enough respect.”
Buechler, a former U.S. Fish and Wildlife employee who now is a wetlands consultant, looked at five types of wetlands in the South Platte watershed to see how regulatory confusion has set back preservation. The Corps has authority over projects on streams, rivers and lakes in the United States under Section 404 of the 1972 Clean Water Act.
Conflicting U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006 cases have led to regulatory confusion. “The result was the effective removal of regulatory oversight and protection of the fish and wildlife habitat and other important functions on 20 million acres of so-called geographically isolated wetlands in the lower 48 states,” Buechler wrote in the report. Under one interpretation, the Corps has jurisdiction only in “navigable waters” or tributaries. That leaves fens (mountain bogs), playas (shallow basins) and intermittent streams at risk, Buechler said.
The groups support federal legislation, S.787, which was introduced last year to clarify the Corps role in enforcing the Clean Water Act, said Jim Murphy of the National Wildlife Federation. The bill, as introduced, would give the Corps permit authority over habitats like those of concern to the wildlife groups…
Buechler looked at fens near Fairplay, a lake in a residential development in Westminster, a playa wetland in Washington County, a dry creek subject to flooding near Broomfield and a creek with urban and industrial encroachment near Aurora…
“We all live downstream. Watersheds are connected systems, and if degradation of wetlands and discharge of pollutants and fill material are allowed in headwater areas, those impacts will over time migrate downstream to mainstream reaches and effect drinking water as well as fish and wildlife habitat,” Buechler wrote in the report.
