Nebraska: Platte River Recovery Implementation Program update

From the Associated Press via the Bloomberg News:

The Central Platte Natural Resources District said it is nearly done with a plan to buy water rights for the Six Mile Canal near Gothenburg. The canal is being filled in with dirt and retired after 116 years of use. The canal’s closing will help Nebraska comply with a three-state agreement to improve wildlife habitat along the Platte. The project is expected to return an average of 2,377 acre-feet of water to the Platte River annually…

More than 30 land owners agreed to sell their rights to water from the canal and convert their farming operations over to groundwater irrigation. The farmers will benefit by being able to use modern irrigation technology to manage how much water they use…

The agreement requires the Central Platte Natural Resources District to restore about 3,400 acre-feet of water to the Platte River annually. After closing this canal, the Central Platte NRD will be returning about 3,000 acre-feet of water to the Platte.

More endangered/threatened species coverage here.

Precipitation/snowpack news

From The Pueblo Chieftain:

Wolf Creek Ski Area reported 12 new inches of snow Tuesday afternoon, bringing the storm total to 71 inches…Officials at Monarch Mountain reported 10 inches of new snow Tuesday, bringing the ski resort’s base to 60 inches of fluffy white stuff.

From The Aspen Times (Kristen Wyatt):

“We’ve had 22 inches of snow in the last 24 hours,” said Mark Esper, editor of the Silverton Standard. “It started out as a wet, slushy snow and now it’s all nice and fluffy.”[...]At Aspen/Snowmass, the Aspen Skiing Co. was reporting close to a foot of new snow at both Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk at about noon Tuesday. Both ski areas had 11 new inches, along with 8 inches at Snowmass and Aspen Mountain. The Skico was reporting 19 inches of new snow at Highlands in the past 48 hours, and 15.5 inches at Buttermilk over the same period. Snowmass had 13 inches over the previous 48 hours and Aspen Mountain picked up 10 inches, the company reported.

From Steamboat Today (Nicole Inglis):

Steamboat Ski Area has reported 3 feet of snow in the past seven days, and the city of Steamboat has received about 2 feet…Art Judson, an unofficial weather observer for the Na tional Weather Service, said he’s logged 18 inches of snow at his home on Anglers Drive since Friday. The National Resource and Conservation Center, which runs SNOTEL data sites, re corded 55 inches atop Buffalo Pass in the same amount of time. And this isn’t any Champagne Powder, Judson said. The snow at his house is about 11 percent water; Steamboat averages about 7 percent…

SNOTEL reports the snowpack about 6 miles north of Steamboat Ski Area at about 170 percent of average as of Tuesday.

Arkansas Valley Conduit: Reclamation record of decision could be ready in two years

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

developed for the conduit and a master storage contract being sought by the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. The report lays out a timetable to develop and analyze alternatives for the conduit and develop a draft EIS by the end of next year. Public hearings on the EIS are scheduled for early 2012. The record of decision, which will choose the preferred route for the conduit, would be complete by December 2012 or January 2013, under current plans…

The EIS will differ from past studies of water in the Arkansas River basin by taking into account cumulative impacts of water projects and the possibility of climate change over the next 50 years. Issues identified as important during public meetings in August include water quality, environmental justice, invasive species, wetlands and water conservation…

The 135-mile conduit could follow any of four alignments, and would provide between 14 million and 20 million gallons per day. The master contract for excess-capacity storage would be for 40 years, the maximum time frame under Reclamation policy. Between 28,000 to 32,000 acre-feet would be stored.

More Arkansas Valley Conduit coverage here and here.

Marc Reisner was dead on in his book ‘Cadillac Desert’

Reisner’s book is a must read for all of you water nuts. The stuff about Floyd Dominy is worth the price of the book.

It seems that many of the predictions in the book are being seen today. Here’s the link to the full report. Here’s the abstract:

Increasing human appropriation of freshwater resources presents a tangible limit to the sustainability of cities, agriculture, and ecosystems in the western United States. Marc Reisner tackles this theme in his 1986 classic Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water. Reisner’s analysis paints a portrait of region-wide hydrologic dysfunction in the western United States, suggesting that the storage capacity of reservoirs will be impaired by sediment infilling, croplands will be rendered infertile by salt, and water scarcity will pit growing desert cities against agribusiness in the face of dwindling water resources. Here we evaluate these claims using the best available data and scientific tools. Our analysis provides strong scientific support for many of Reisner’s claims, except the notion that reservoir storage is imminently threatened by sediment. More broadly, we estimate that the equivalent of nearly 76% of streamflow in the Cadillac Desert region is currently appropriated by humans, and this figure could rise to nearly 86% under a doubling of the region’s population. Thus, Reisner’s incisive journalism led him to the same conclusions as those rendered by copious data, modern scientific tools, and the application of a more genuine scientific method. We close with a prospectus for reclaiming freshwater sustainability in the Cadillac Desert, including a suite of recommendations for reducing region-wide human appropriation of streamflow to a target level of 60%.

Manifest Destiny and the westward expansion of European civilization in the United States during the 19th century were predicated on an adequate freshwater supply. The assumption of adequate freshwater in the western United States was justified by the prevailing view of hydroclimate, which included a theory that agriculture would stimulate rainfall, or “rain would follow the plow.” Early stewards of freshwater resources—like John Wesley Powell—warned that the American West was a desert, only a small fraction of which could be sustainably reclaimed. Notably, Powell remarked that irrigation would be required in the arid region west of the 100th meridian, to make the parcels provided by the Homesteading Act livable. Indeed, irrigation was necessary to create a sustainable society in the western United States. Today dams, irrigated agriculture, and large cities are the hallmark of western US landscapes. There are more than 75,000 dams in the United States, and the largest five reservoirs by storage capacity lie west of the 100th meridian. The storage capacity of US reservoirs increased steadily between 1950 and 1980—from 246 to 987 km3—and the beginning of these “go-go years” of dam building coincides with the US “baby boom” (roughly 1943–1964). Since that time, there has been an exodus from east to west: population of the 15 largest eastern US cities has declined by an average of 51% but increased by 32% in western cities. Similarly, although 74% of the cropland in the coterminous United States lies in the eastern United States, 68–75% of the revenue from vegetables, fruits, and nuts derives from western farms. Water—not rain—has followed the plow, exceeding the expectations of even the most zealous proponents of Manifest Destiny 150 y ago.

More coverage from Climate Central (Alyson Kenward). From the article:

Nearly 25 years later, a group of researchers has put Reisner’s assertion to the test, checking to see if there is any scientific truth behind it. Armed with modern data from across the Southwest, the group, led by ecologist John Sabo from Arizona State University, found that many of Reisner’s claims were legitimate, and still hold true today. “We asked, is it really as bad as [Reisner] said it is in the book, and are we still where we were in 1986?” explains Sabo, who assembled a group of experts to assess water, dams, fish, soil and crops across the Southwest using modern techniques. “Now we know the answer to both those questions: yes.” The findings from the new study have been published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

More education coverage here.

Upper Arkansas River Valley: Lake Fork restoration update

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

[Melissa Wolfe is] the assistant project manager of the Lake Fork Watershed Working Group, which is coordinating the cleanup in one of the old mining districts near Leadville with several state and federal agencies. “By working with the agencies, I’m able to do some hands-on work, and then share that information at several levels,” Wolfe said…

The Sugarloaf Mining District was heavily mined and logged from the 1880s-1920s. While the miners are long gone, the tunnels left behind drain water that is acidic and often contains elevated levels of heavy metals such as cadmium, copper or zinc. The Lake Fork drains into the Arkansas River, and it contains Turquoise Reservoir, the storage vessel of much of the water that is brought into the river basin through transmountain diversions. Blockages in the old tunnels can lead to water seeping out of the mountainsides in unpredictable places. Water flowing on the surface through old tailings piles can leach out harmful minerals as well…

The Lake Fork group has taken a different path [than the EPA cleanup of California Gulch]. The releases from the mining district have not been as dramatic, and the drainage enters the Arkansas River downstream of Leadville. The cooperative approach appears to be working, and could be a model for other watershed efforts, Wolfe believes. “We’re in the process of learning where the equilibrium is between cleaning up and preserving what this town (Leadville) was built on,” Wolfe said.

More Arkansas River basin coverage here.

Colorado Water Congress: 53rd Annual Convention January 26-28

From email from the CWC (Doug Kemper):

We now have at least 9 excellent speakers from Australia coming to the convention. Specific details on the sessions will be released as those speakers are slotted into the various panels over the next couple of weeks.

The format for the convention will be more interactive than any that we have ever done. Look for plenty of dialogue and exploring many diverse points of view as we compare Colorado’s and Australia’s water situations.

Discounted registration will continue through December 31. It will not be necessary to register for any of the six Wednesday Workshops individually. The Wednesday Workshops registration fee ($75 if attending the convention and $125 if not attending) will cover all of the workshops. Further registration and lodging details may be found on our website at CWC Annual Convention.

Here’s the outline (some items may change).

Fort Collins: 12th annual Big Thompson Watershed Forum Feb. 24

From The Fence Post:

The 12th annual Big Thompson Watershed Forum will be 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Feb. 24 at The Drake Centre in Fort Collins…Cost is $30 at the door. Reservations may be made to Zack Shelley at (970) 613-6163 or by e-mail at zshelley@btwatershed.org.

More Big Thompson watershed coverage here.

Central City: Water rates going up

From the Weekly Register Call/Gilpin County News (Lynn Volkens):

Per approved Ordinance 10-15, the City will require water meters on all water-using units within the City. The requirement does not endanger any of the City’s water rights, City Manager Alan Lanning told the Council, and the intent is to be able to pay for the water system that currently serves 457 water users in the City. There will be numerous meetings and other community outreach efforts to inform citizens of details. The City expects to pay $220,000 to purchase, up front, all residential meters needed. Installation is included in that amount. For commercial replacement meters and installation, the City will pay, also up front, $61,000. The cost to purchase and install each residential meter is $200. Property owners must pay half that cost, payable at $25 per quarter over the next year. That cost could be offset by paying less for their water, once the exact amount of use is determined by metering. A public hearing has been scheduled for this ordinance on December 21, 2010.

That same date will be the public hearing for Ordinance 10-16 which adopts water rates and fees for water services. The ordinance proposes an across-the-board 20% increase in all water rates. For residents, that means the 2011 quarterly rate will be $135.50 (up from $112.50). Senior citizen owner-occupants will see their rate go from $90 to $108 (achieving the reduced rate by showing proof of age 65 or over, and filing an application for it with the City Clerk). The increased rate for commercial users is $216 with additional charges for quantities that exceed 45,000 gallons per quarter. Hauled water will go up from $45 to $54 per thousand gallons. Adjustments will be made for seasonal water users, such as the Opera House Association. The rates are calculated to recover some of the cost of operating the water system and are estimated to generate $59,247 in additional revenue for the Water Fund. In 2012, the meter data will be reviewed and a tiered rate system developed.

More infrastructure coverage here.

Energy policy — hydroelectric: DARCA Low Head Microhydroelectric Workshop Feb 16, 2010

From the Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance website:

A Colorado State University engineering professor is collaborating with an engineering firm, Applegate Group Inc., to review the potential power that could be generated by “low-head” turbines in irrigation canals. Lindsay George, water resource engineer in the Glenwood Springs offices of Applegate, and Dan Zimmerle, a research scientist and adjunct mechanical engineering professor at Colorado State, received a $50,000 grant this year from the Colorado Department of Agriculture to study canals in Colorado. The grant is part of the Advancing Colorado’s Renewable Energy (ACRE) Program to promote energy-related projects beneficial to Colorado’s agriculture industry.

Zimmerle will speak about the project on Feb. 16 in Berthoud at a full-day workshop, “Low Head Hydroelectric Opportunities for Ditch and Reservoir Companies,” sponsored by the Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance. DARCA is a resource for networking, information exchange and advocacy among mutual ditch and reservoir companies throughout Colorado.

More hydroelectric coverage here and here.

Forecast news

From The Colorado Springs Gazette:

The National Weather Service says the top of the Grand Mesa and areas around Crested Butte above 9,000 feet could have 6 to 8 feet of snow by Thursday afternoon. The weather service news release says to expect snow of “epic proportions.”

From The Aspen Times:

Heavy snow is possible at times in the mountains surrounding Aspen, with accumulations of 4 to 8 inches, according to the weather service. West winds of 15 to 25 mph, gusting to nearly 50 mph, will reduce visibility.

From The Durango Herald:

According to the National Weather Service, a moderate La Niña cycle began developing in the ocean in late May and has gathered strength in recent months.

Here’s why predicting La Niña is so tricky:

“Colorado is sandwiched between the area to the south where odds favor below-normal precipitation and the area to the northwest that favors above-normal precipitation,” said Jim Pringle, the warning coordination meteorologist with the Grand Junction office of the National Weather Service, This is how we ended up with blockbuster snowfall in the winter of 2007-2008, despite it being a La Niña year.

From The Denver Post (Kieran Nicholson/Joey Bunch):

The highest snow totals are expected over the Grand Mesa and the Elk and San Juan mountains, the weather service reports. Residents in isolated towns, including Silverton and Crested Butte, should be prepared to stock up on food supplies and other necessary items, the weather service said.

From the Sky-Hi Daily News (Reid Armstrong):

Snowpack in the area [Winter Park] has already reached more than 125 percent of its 30-year average as of Friday, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service…

Snow is expected to increase later this evening with temperatures hovering around freezing, and snow will likely continue to fall on and off through Wednesday with a total storm accumulation in the northern mountains of 1-3 feet and accumulations of 15-30 inches in the central mountains. A winter storm warning for areas above 9,000 feet is in effect. “This is going to be a pretty good winter storm,” [Todd Dankers of the National Weather Service] said.

From the Vail Daily:

Three to six feet of snow are expected to fall above 9,000 feet by Thursday afternoon, with some areas getting 8 feet, the service said in its winter storm warning. The warning covers Vail, Aspen, Crested Butte and Telluride and lasts through Tuesday night. Snow is expected to be most intense from Sunday night until tonight. The highest amounts of snow are expected in places other than Eagle County — the Elk and San Juan mountains and the Grand Mesa. “If you reside in these areas, consider stocking up on needed supplies for the next days,” the warning said. For areas between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, total snowfall of 1 to 3 feet is expected, with a mixture of rain and snow possible at times. The town of Vail is at 8,150 feet. For areas between 7,000 and 8,000 feet, 6-12 inches are expected.

From Steamboat Today (Jack Weinstein):

After getting more than a foot of fresh powder this past weekend, forecasters say Steamboat Ski Area will get more — a lot more. “It’s going to be a heavy snow week,” said meteorologist Chris Cuoco, of the National Weather Service’s office in Grand Junction.

The Grand Junction office is forecasting 3 to 6 feet of snow by Wednesday morning at the ski area, Cuoco said. He said most of the snow would fall at elevations higher than 9,000 feet. “You can probably look at a lot of snow in the mountains, but it’s probably not cold enough to get a lot of snow accumulation in Steamboat proper or places like that until late Wednesday when it cools off,” Cuoco said.

Colorado-Big Thompson Project update

From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

Just in time for the holidays, annual maintenance on the east slope of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project is wrapping up. Today, Friday December 17, we started running water through the southern power arm of the C-BT. We will continue to “water up” the east slope portion of the system through next week.

Lake Estes, which has remained fairly static through our maintenance projects, will drop a few feet over the weekend as we begin delivering water to Pinewood Reservoir. The release from Olympus Dam to the Big Thompson River remains unchanged at about 20 cfs.

By Monday, December 20, Pinewood Reservoir should be back to a few feet below full capacity. We have completed our work on the Bald Mountain Pressure Tunnel and started moving water to Pinewood this morning.

We are still drawing some water from Carter Lake to generate at the Flatiron Power Plant, but anticipate that to end by Tuesday, December 21. At that time, we will begin to refill Carter for the 2011 water year.

Inflow to Horsetooth has remained around 100 cfs for the past couple of weeks. It will bump up slightly later next week to around 120 cfs. It is currently at a water level elevation of about 5387 feet.

More Colorado-Big Thompson Project coverage here.

Energy policy — hydroelectric: The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District is going to equip Colorado-Big Thompson facilities with additional hydroelectric generation capability

From the Loveland Reporter Herald (Pamela Dickman):

The water conservancy district, which distributes all Colorado-Big Thompson Project water, plans to build a hydroelectric power plant at Carter Lake to turn water flow into actual power on the grid. Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association is negotiating with Northern Water to buy the water-produced power to add to its mix from Tri-State Generation. “We’re definitely interested,” said Rick Johnson, a Loveland resident who serves on the board for the power company that serves portions of Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties…

If built, the plant could produce 2.6 megawatts of power, roughly enough to power 1,000 homes — a drop in the bucket for Poudre Valley REA, which serves more than 35,000 customers. But every little bit helps, Johnson said. “The water is going to go down the pipeline regardless of whether it becomes energy,” he said. “We’re always looking for opportunities…

If the two agencies can finalize an agreement, Northern Water will order the equipment in February, Brouwer said. Construction of the equipment and necessary building would take about a year.

More hydroelectric coverage here and here.

Energy policy — hydroelectric: Colorado State University, Applegate Group Collaborate on State Grant to Investigate Hydropower in Irrigation Canals

From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Trevor Hughes):

Zimmerle said generating power from the flowing canals hearkens back to the time when millers diverted streams to turn waterwheels to grind grain and power sawmills.

“I think there is a good picture of ‘back to the future’ here,” he said. Zimmerle added that even small hydroelectric projects can generate greater amounts of power than photovoltaic systems, and they generate power more consistently.

Zimmerle will speak about the project Feb. 16 in Berthoud at a full-day workshop, “Low Head Hydroelectric Opportunities for Ditch and Reservoir Companies,” sponsored by the Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance. DARCA is a resource for networking, information exchange and advocacy among mutual ditch and reservoir companies throughout Colorado.

For decades, projects such as these have posed a difficult challenge because even small hydroelectric installations have to undergo virtually the same permitting process as something on the scale of the Hoover Dam. But an agreement between the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Gov. Bill Ritter’s office is expected to speed up the process for such small projects, George said.

More hydroelectric coverage here and here.

Lake Mead: Mexico and the U.S. ink deal for storage

Here’s the release from Secretary Salazar’s office:

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Mexican Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada today announced the successful completion of an agreement, known as ‘Minute 318,’ to adjust water deliveries on the Colorado River to areas damaged by a devastating earthquake on April 4, 2010.

Following their meeting in Mexico City, the Secretaries also announced a commitment by the two governments to initiate, in January 2011, high-priority discussions on a comprehensive long-term agreement between the U.S. and Mexico on the management of the Colorado River.

“Through this water agreement, the U.S., Mexico, and the seven Colorado River Basin states are bringing resources together for our mutual benefit and for the benefit of our neighbors whose irrigation systems and livelihoods have been damaged by the Easter Sunday earthquake,” said Salazar, who is in Mexico City to discuss water, conservation, and natural resource issues with President Calderon and Mexican government officials. “Minute 318 is a remarkable achievement from a humanitarian perspective, but it also lays important groundwork for a much-needed comprehensive water agreement with Mexico on how we manage the Colorado River.”

“Water users and stakeholders up and down the Colorado River have a strong interest in a comprehensive water agreement that would enhance reliability, certainty, and efficiency of water deliveries,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael Connor, who coordinated with the seven Colorado River Basin States and the International Boundary and to reach the Minute 318 agreement. “The good faith negotiations that resulted in Minute 318 will help pave the way toward the comprehensive agreement for Colorado River management that is so needed on both sides of the border.”

Secretary Salazar and Secretary Elvira commended the work by the U.S. and Mexican Commissioners of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), Edward Drusina and Roberto Salmon, who led their respective nation’s negotiation teams for Minute 318.

Under Minute 318, Mexico will be able to temporarily defer delivery of a portion of its annual Colorado River water allotment while repairs are made to the irrigation system in the Mexicali Valley of Baja California as a result of an April 4, 2010 earthquake. This agreement is founded on the 1944 Water Treaty between the U.S. and Mexico.

Under the 1944 Water Treaty between the United States and Mexico, Mexico is allotted a guaranteed quantity of Colorado River Water each year. Absent surplus or extraordinary drought conditions, Mexico’s annual allotment is 1.5 million acre-feet (maf).

Minute 318 allows Mexico to defer delivery of up to 260,000 acre-feet of its annual allotment through December 31, 2013. Beginning in 2014, Mexico could begin recovery of the amounts of Colorado River water deferred during the three-year period, subject to the progress of reconstruction of the Mexican irrigation system and the status of Colorado River reservoirs.

In their meeting today, Secretaries Salazar and Elvira, Commissioner of Reclamation Connor, Director General of the Mexican National Water Commission Jose Luis Luege Tamargo, and IBWC Commissioners Drusina and Salmon discussed the need for a comprehensive agreement on Colorado River water management issues, particularly in light of ongoing drought conditions and the prospect of continuing declines in reservoir levels.

Secretaries Salazar and Elvira identified the negotiations on a comprehensive agreement as a top priority for 2011. The leaders said they would direct their representatives to begin negotiations of the comprehensive water agreement in January, 2011.

Commissioner Connor noted that a comprehensive agreement is of particular importance in light of ongoing, historic drought in the Colorado River Basin:

- Since 2000, Colorado River basin reservoirs have dropped from nearly full to approximately 55% of total storage.

- Lake Mead currently stands at 39% of capacity, lower than it has been since it was filling in the 1930s.

- The last 11 years have been the driest in a century of recorded history, and among the driest 1% of periods in over 1,000 years.

- Current projections show that if current drought conditions persist, the Lower Basin (Arizona, California and Nevada) may be subject to the first-ever domestic shortage declaration on the Colorado River as early as 2012; the likelihood of shortage conditions by 2014 is approximately 35%.

To read Secretary Salazar’s statement, click here.

Here’s a release from the Environmental Defense Fund:

A bi-national pact announced today to allow Mexico to store a portion of its annual allocation from the Colorado River—up to 260,000 acre-feet over three years—in the largest U.S. reservoir—Lake Mead—sets the stage for progress on environmental issues in ongoing talks between the two countries, according to Environmental Defense Fund.

“As Lake Mead water levels continue to drop, a bi-national agreement to store water there that Mexico can’t use—until it repairs the damage from last April’s earthquake to its irrigation systems—is the logical solution for both countries,” said Jennifer Pitt, director of EDF’s Colorado River Project. “Secretary Salazar’s announcement today proves that diplomacy deployed to create additional flexibility on the Colorado River has great potential. It can improve water supply reliability for water users in our country and Mexico, and protect our invaluable environmental resources.”

The water level of Lake Mead—located on the Colorado River about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas—has been dropping steadily for the last decade due to drought and now is nearing the elevation—presently at 1082 feet above sea level or 39% of capacity—that will trigger shortages in Arizona and Nevada.

This U.S.-Mexico accord, known as Minute 318, follows two previous deals between the two countries:

1. Under the terms of Minute 317, the United States and Mexico are exploring how to improve Colorado River management, including: water supply management in dry times, bi-national conservation and desalination projects, and the delivery of water for environmental flows in the Colorado River delta.

2. Under the terms of Minute 316, the United States and Mexico agreed to dedicate water to the largest wetland in the Colorado River delta—the Cienega de Santa Clara—during pilot operation of the Yuma Desalting Plant in Arizona. The treated water is intended for inclusion in water deliveries to Mexico, and preserving the like amount of water in Lake Mead.

“For the first time in decades, the United States and Mexico are working productively towards mutually beneficial changes on the Colorado River,” Pitt concluded. “Given dire predictions of drought in this region, today’s agreement is a critical step in building the mutual trust and confidence we need to craft additional agreements that deliver a more sustainable water supply for our communities and for the environment.”

More Colorado River basin coverage here.

IBCC strategy report

Here’s the release from Governor Ritter (Alexandra Davis/Eric Hecox/Todd Hartman):

Gov. Bill Ritter today praised the work of the Interbasin Compact Committee (IBCC) in making great progress toward outlining a path forward for Colorado to achieve a sustainable water future. In a letter and accompanying report to Governor Ritter and Gov.-Elect John Hickenlooper released today, the IBCC called for shared responsibility and varied approaches to ensuring our growing state can provide the water needed to support agriculture, cities and homes, industries, recreation and our natural environment.

“I applaud the hard work of the IBCC as it begins to tackle the difficult challenge of planning how to ensure increasingly scarce water supplies are available to meet Colorado’s diverse and numerous needs,” Gov. Ritter said. “The IBCC’s collaborative, common-ground method asking all interests to share in the responsibility to map out a way forward is crucial if Colorado is going to maintain its economic and environmental quality of life.”

The IBCC’s report includes a summary of the past five years work by the IBCC, nine Basin Roundtables and the support of the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The report results from a request by Gov. Ritter in January for the IBCC to add additional meetings in 2010 aimed at reaching agreements and report to him on its progress before the end of his term.

The report includes several key findings, including that a “status quo” approach to water planning will inevitably lead to the dry-up of significant agricultural land in Colorado and potential harm to the environment. To avoid this, the IBCC concluded that Colorado will need a mix of solutions, which include water conservation, the implementation of local water projects, agricultural transfers and the development of new water supplies.

The IBCC report also emphasizes that resources spent on various water interests fighting one another instead of working collaboratively will lead to further splintered, and ad-hoc decisions about water resources, one of Colorado’s most valuable assets. The IBCC considers the need for a mix of solutions an important part of this report, and understands that different stakeholders benefit from individual parts of this package and could take issue with other parts.

“We are looking for a more comprehensive policy approach through which to share the benefits – and burdens – across user groups,” said IBCC director Alexandra Davis. “This is the beginning of creating a framework within which more comprehensive decisions about water resources may be made. It’s a start to a broader grassroots conversation with roundtables and stakeholder groups.”

The report can be downloaded from the IBCC webpage. The Interbasin Compact Committee (IBCC) was established by the Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act in 2005 to facilitate conversations among Colorado’s river basins and to address statewide water issues. A 27-member committee, the IBCC encourages dialogue on water, broadens the range of stakeholders actively participating in the state’s water decisions and creates a locally driven process where the decision-making power rests with those living in the state’s river basins. For more information, click here.

I read the report over the weekend and a few things stand out:

- According to the recommendations it seems that recreation and the environment (non-consumptive needs) will get a seat at the table in the planning process:

…it is important that addressing non-­‐consumptive needs  becomes integrated into larger planning efforts on future water supply projects and processes, even though it may not be possible to protect and restore all environmental and recreational values. Providing proponents of water supply projects and processes with accepted methods to determine non-consumptive flow needs, sound information about stream flows in a larger geographic area, and reach-­‐specific data can help inform water supply project siting and design to facilitate the development of water supply projects and processes…

- The IBCC and all involved realize that ag to urban transfers are a way of life in Colorado’s water world. The goal is to minimize impacts to the ag sector and local economies from ‘buy and dry’ scenarios.

- The 800 pound gorilla in the room on the Front Range is the need to replace 35,000 acre-feet of non-tributary Denver Basin groundwater while also accommodating a few million more Coloradans.

- While being hard to quantify it is the IBCC’s hope that conservation make up a good share of the municipal and industrial water supply gap by 2050.

If only it was irrigation season so you could curl up under the cottonwoods down by the creek to read the report.

More IBCC coverage here and here.

Arkansas River Basin: A look at the history of water in the basin along with current challenges

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

Miles of irrigation ditches would be dug to create a carpet of fields on what once had been called The Great American Desert. There would not be enough water for all of them to operate as planned in the great vision of the time: a patchwork of family farms stretching to Kansas. There would be epic fights inside and outside of courtrooms to claim the water under Colorado’s constitutional provision that water first put to beneficial use has top priority. The rights to use the natural flows of the basin — other than spring runoff and floods — were pretty much spoken for by 1884.Water rights junior to that date are less often in priority, usually in times of high water. Ideas such as storage, importing water from the Colorado River and temporary sales of water have stretched the supply. There also would be a century-long tug-of-war between Kansas and Colorado over the amount of water that Colorado, the upstream state, was entitled to use…

As the region continued to grow, the pressure on its water resources would become ever greater and scarcity more evident. Several grand-scale projects — the Twin Lakes Tunnel, Homestake and the Fryingpan Arkansas Project — and many smaller transmountain diversions staved off the thirst by bringing new water into the basin.

But over time, even with the additional water, the cities and farms of the Arkansas River basin have had to stretch the supply. Incredibly, the booming city of Aurora in the South Platte basin, came hunting for water — and found it — in the Rocky Ford area in the 1980s, taking water from a basin that already had lived through a century of shortages.

More coverage from Chris Woodka writing for The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

Of the snow and rain that annually falls in the Arkansas River basin — 6.2 trillion gallons — less than 10 percent is used by man. “More than 90 percent is lost through evaporation or through transpiration,” [Pat Edelmann, who heads the Pueblo office of the U.S. Geological Survey] said…

Over the last 30 years, the need for good information about the river and its tributaries has increased. Cities and power companies have stepped up demand for water that once irrigated crops, and storage has shifted toward municipal needs. A rafting industry has been created on the Upper Arkansas River. Kansas sued Colorado over expanded use of water, prevailing in its U.S. Supreme Court claim that it was being shorted at the state line. “The USGS tries to provide the facts, as well as useful interpretation so the best decisions can be made,” Edelmann said.

Some of its current efforts include a basinwide water study for a water resources group formed under the 2003 Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District agreement with Aurora, a Fountain Creek flood control study and a better understanding of how snow melt affects streamflow in the Upper Arkansas. The agency also is involved in the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s decision-support system that will attempt to link numerous other investigations in an effort to describe what’s about to happen when you move the water from Point A to Point B…

Reservoirs constructed over the last 100 years capture that flow for use later in the growing season. The great majority of storage at high-mountain reservoirs, where it is most valuable, has been taken over by cities. At Lake Pueblo, the switching yard for water as it travels in the basin, cities are increasingly using the space they are entitled to each year.

Imports from the Western Slope add the greatest amount of water to the supply, increasing flows in the Arkansas River at Canon City by 25 percent, according to a study by the Bureau of Land Management in 2000…

Since 1990, there has been a voluntary agreement among water suppliers to keep flows higher during rafting season and optimal for fish at other times of year in the Upper Arkansas River basin.
The agreement is made possible by controlling when releases are made from Twin Lakes to Lake Pueblo each year in order to make space for the next year’s imports.

More coverage from Chris Woodka writing for The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

In a typical year, the flows of the Arkansas River are enhanced roughly 25 percent by water brought in from the Colorado River basin. The great bulk of the water is brought over by cities to supplement supplies they own within the basin.

Colorado Springs brings water from the Blue River in Summit County and as partners with Aurora in the Homestake Project in Eagle County. El Paso County’s largest city also is the largest shareholder in the Twin Lakes Reservoir and Ditch Company and receives 25 percent of the water brought over by the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. About 80 percent of its supply is imported…

Pueblo gets about half of its total supply from transmountain diversions. Over the years, the water board has formed working relationships with Colorado Springs, the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Aurora and, perhaps most importantly, the Western Slope. “Pitkin County and Aspen are more aware, so taking more water out of the Roaring Fork watershed is difficult,” [Bud O’Hara water resources chief for the Pueblo Board of Water Works], said. “I think we need more of a cooperative effort with the Western Slope. Storage will be a big factor, but it gets back to cooperation.”

The earliest water projects were largely a proposition to take water from one side of the mountains to the other. Over time, compensatory storage in the basins where water was delivered from became the typical mitigation. Today, there are social and economic issues that are rooted in the attitude that Colorado River users need their own supplies to meet future needs.

More Arkansas River basin coverage here.

Denver Water: Roberts Tunnel winter maintenance update

From the Summit County Citizens Voice (Bob Berwyn):

The trans-mountain Roberts Tunnel, which transports water from Dillon Reservoir to the South Platte drainage, will remain shut off until April while Denver Water does major maintenance on the valves at the east end of the underground aqueduct…

“We’re in the process of draining it right now,” Steger said. The original plan was to shut off the tunnel in early November, but after talks with Keystone Ski Area, which uses some of the water from the tunnel for snowmaking, Denver Water decided to hold off on the project until mid-December, toward the end of the snowmaking season.

More Denver Water coverage here.

NIDIS Weekly Climate, Water and Drought Assessment Summary of the Upper Colorado River Basin

Here’s the link to the Tuesday’s notes.

La Niña update

From the Summit County Citizens Voice (Bob Berwyn):

“It’s too big to fade,” said Klaus Wolter, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate researcher who has helped develop medium and long-range forecasts based on factors like the La Niña-El Niño cycles. Wolter said some of this year’s La Niña impacts are typical, including above-normal precipitation in the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies. The National Climate Prediction Center explained that water temperatures are below normal along the full lengths of the Pacific Coasts of both North and South America. The coolness extends up to 600-feet deep into the water, making it likely La Niña will persist well into spring…

“There’s a lot of discussion about that right now,” Wolter said. And while the Front Range is expected to be somewhat dry during a La Niña, this year has been one of the driest on record for parts of the region, including Boulder, which has only seen 2 inches of snow through mid-December, putting this season on track to be the driest in 117 years of record-keeping. Wolter said one of the big factors in the Front Range weather has been the absence of any Arctic air masses moving south to help trigger precipitation. For December, that means temperatures have running 4 to 6 degrees above normal in many locations in Colorado.

Snake River: Rising levels of zinc may be due to climate change

From Science Daily:

The study focused on the Snake River watershed just west of the Continental Divide near Keystone, Colo., where CU-Boulder researchers have observed a four-fold increase in dissolved zinc over the last 30 years during the lowest water flow months, said Caitlin Crouch. Crouch, a master’s degree student who led the study, said the high levels of zinc affect stream ecology, including deleterious effects on microbes, algae, invertebrates and fish. The team speculated the increased zinc concentrations may be tied to changes in groundwater conditions and stream flow patterns caused by climate change and the associated snowmelt that has been peaking two to three weeks earlier than normal in recent years, largely because of warming air temperatures. The result is lowered stream flows and drier soils along the stream in September and October, which increases metal concentrations, said Crouch. “While most of the talk about climate change in western waterways is about decreasing water quantities, we are evaluating potential climate influences on water quality, which is a whole different ball game,” she said…

The zinc in the Snake River watershed is primarily a result of acid rock drainage, or ARD, which can come from abandoned mine sites along rivers or through the natural weathering of pyrite in the local rock, said Crouch. Sometimes enhanced by mining activity, weathering pyrite forms sulfuric acid through a series of chemical reactions, which dissolves metals like zinc and carries them into the groundwater. McKnight, also a fellow of CU-Boulder’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, said there are nearly 2,000 miles of waterways in Colorado affected by ARD…

The elevated zinc in the Snake River comes from several ARD sources, said Crouch. Crouch’s study site — where an increasing trend in zinc concentrations is sustained by groundwater discharge — is above the Peru Creek tributary to the Snake River, where natural pyrite weathering is thought to be the main source of ARD. Peru Creek is largely devoid of life due to ARD from the abandoned Pennsylvania Mine and other smaller mines upstream and has been a target for potential remediation efforts.

McKnight said another factor involved in rising zinc levels in the Snake River watershed — which runs from the top of the Continental Divide to Dillon Reservoir — could be the result of the severe 2002 drought in Colorado. The drought significantly lowered waterways, allowing more pyrite to be weathered in dry soils of the watershed and in wetlands adjacent to the stream.

More Snake River watershed coverage here and here.

Energy policy — geothermal: Mount Princeton geothermal lease will be issued by the BLM January 1

From The Mountain Mail (Joe Stone):

The lessee, 3E Geothermal, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young Life, which owns Frontier Ranch, a Christian youth camp on land above a portion of the lease…

[Vanessa Delgado, bureau public affairs specialist] said bureau specialists resolved protest issues quickly because the issues were addressed Sept. 7 in the National Environmental Policy Act Determination of Adequacy. Therefore, she said, they didn’t require additional lease stipulations. The determination of adequacy cites federal and state regulations that protect water quality, “including the Mount Princeton Hot Springs domestic water supply,” and notes the regulations “are applied when (the bureau) receives an application for development of geothermal resources in the lease area.” Among requirements for geothermal resource development are an environmental assessment and public comment periods.

Delgado said 3E Geothermal will have 10 years to develop and make beneficial use of the geothermal resource, or the lease will be terminated. Because the lease is for commercial development, Delgado said 3E Geothermal will need to develop a commercial use of the resource to retain the lease beyond 10 years…

Young Life officials earlier made clear their intention to protect the camping experience at Frontier Ranch by protecting the natural beauty of the area.

More geothermal coverage here and here.

Firestone scores some CWCB dough for rebates

From the Carbon Valley Farmer & Miner:

The program provides a $125 rebate for any qualifying high water efficiency washing machine and a $75 rebate for any qualifying high water efficiency toilets. This rebate program applies to all eligible washing machines or toilets purchased after April 1. The total funds available are about $36,000…

Firestone is the first municipality to receive the water-efficiency grant from the board to automate the application process by using the town’s website. Go to www.ci.firestone.co.us and click on the Water Rebate icon on the left side of the home page. Contact Julie Pasillas, Firestone Water Department 303-833-3291.

More conservation coverage here.

Proposed Penley Dam Project reservoir update

From the Douglas County News Press (Rhonda Moore):

The county planning staff recommends the county approve two options for the developer to choose from, one of which could result in construction of a 22,500 acre-foot water storage reservoir on nearly 430 acres.

Neighbors decry the proposal, with concerns the dam poses a potential safety hazard and will destroy mountain views, natural habitat and property values…

Ventana Capital proposes Penley Ranch as a development of more than 35 five-acre lots surrounding a non-recreational reservoir, which can provide a water storage solution for area water authorities. They came to the county with two options, a smaller, 14,000 acre-foot reservoir covering 292 acres, or the larger reservoir covering about 430 acres…

The planning staff recommends approval of both options, allowing the developer to decide which of the two will move forward. Among the conditions of approval are recommendations to perform detailed geotechnical and geologic investigations, provide the appropriate federal and state permits and comply with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requirements for the Preble’s Jumping Mouse. The dam site is identified as a potential habitat for the endangered mouse, according to a referral response from the fish and wildlife service. Another referral agency, the Colorado Geological Survey (CGS), responded with concerns that the dam is proposed on a site underlain by a complex series of faults.

Karen Barry, geological engineer with the CGS, says while the existing geotechnical report addresses whether the site soil can support embankments, further investigation can address potential hazards. “It is likely that geologic hazards and soil constraints can be mitigated,” Berry writes in her Jun 16 referral agency response. “Currently the application does not adequately identify or provide plans to mitigate such hazards.”[...]

The planning commission public hearing for the Penley Dam application continues at 7 p.m., Jan. 10 in the commissioner’s hearing room at 100 Third St. in Castle Rock.

More Penley Dam Project coverage here.

Orchard City hires new water superintendent

From the Delta County Independent (Hank Lohmeyer):

During the Orchard city town Board’s regular meeting on Nov. 10, Town Administrator David Varley announced that Randy Haynes, a resident of Montrose who has been working in Mountain Village, has been named the town’s new water superintendent. The town’s former water plant operator and water system supervisor, Keith Peterson, had resigned earlier this year.

More Gunnison River basin coverage here.

Durango: St. Columba students participate in CDOW ‘River Watch’ program

From The Durango Herald:

DOW spokesman Joe Lewandowski said the program, which began in 1989, enlists help from schools, organizations and some local governments to gather samples and conduct tests on 300 rivers and streams throughout the state. About 4,000 samples are collected every year and tested for aspects such as acidity, temperature and mineral content.

More education coverage here.