Arkansas Valley Conduit update
February 20, 2011
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
“The fact that it’s in the president’s budget gives us the dollars to get us where we need to be,” Executive Director Jim Broderick told the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District board Thursday. The federal budget request, which still has to find its way through Congress, should provide enough money to finish an Environmental Impact Study that will determine the best route for the conduit. The conduit will be a mostly gravity-fed water line from Pueblo Dam to Lamar that would provide clean drinking water to more than 40 communities and 50,000 people along its 130-mile route. In the past, the district has requested more money to work on different parts of the project, such as preliminary engineering and land acquisition.
Snowpack/streamflow/storage/whitewater news
February 20, 2011
From Steamboat Today (Tom Ross):
It almost sounds sacrilegious to talk about spring runoff as Steamboat bears down on what could be its fourth 400-inch winter in six seasons. With seven weeks to go in ski season 2010-11, Steamboat already has surpassed 310 inches at mid-mountain, putting the tally ahead of the recorded-history average of 308 annual inches…
Risa Shimoda, of USA Freestyle Kayaking, has announced that for the first time, Steamboat’s Paddling Life Invitational freestyle competition will be added to the premier freestyle kayaking point series in North America. The Steamboat event on May 30 will come right after the Pro Rodeo in Buena Vista on May 27 and 28, ensuring the best in the sport will be in the Steamboat neighborhood.
If you like a dash of controversy with your water on the rocks, we’ve just learned that the Grand County Commissioners have applied for water rights on the Colorado River, both in Hot Sulphur Springs and below Gore Canyon, to ensure adequate flows for all forms of recreation. The recreational in-channel diversion rights would be attached to whitewater parks in Hot Sulphur and below the canyon near Pumphouse, Nathan Fey, of American Whitewater, reports. Fey said Grand County is seeking to protect 900 cubic feet per second of flow at Hot Sulphur and 2,500 cubic feet per second below Gore Canyon.
From the La Junta Tribune-Democrat (Bette McFarren):
…all reservoirs in the state are up with the exception of John Martin and Trinidad. The realtime streamflow in Fountain Creek is normal. Flow on the Arkansas River below Timpas and below John Martin Reservoir is lower than normal. Above Pueblo, there is 91 percent of the water present last year. The snow pack in the upper basin is at 80 to 90 percent of peak, with possible early spillage…
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts drought conditions in the lower Arkansas basin through March and April.
The Colorado Basin Roundtable and the Yampa/White Basin Roundtable release energy consumptive use assessment
February 20, 2011
Here’s the report, Energy Development Water Needs Assessment, from the Colorado River District website. From the introduction:
The Joint Energy Development Water Needs Committee reported that total demands can be seen in Table 13 of the Final Scenarios report. Maximum water demands are about 120,000 acre-feet per year, a substantial decrease from the 400,000 acre-feet per year in the Phase I study. The reduction stems from 3 primary factors:
1. It was assumed a portion of an in-situ oil shale industry would use some form of down-hole combustion process instead of electrical heaters, which results in reduced electrical generation requirements. We know that from Phase I, water for electrical generation for oil shale actually exceeded the water directly needed for oil shale production.
2. It was assumed combined cycle natural gas fired turbines would be used for electrical generation. These require approximately a third less water. If coal-fired generation was used to meet electrical demand, we believe the generating capacity would occur out of the basin.
3. With extensive input from industry, the committee fine-tuned the unit water demands for oil shale. It believes these revisions are a more realistic estimate of how water might be used in oil shale production. For example, the unit demand estimates reflect information from industry that the in-situ conversion process results in the molecular production of water from the organic compounds in the oil shale.
More Colorado River Basin coverage here. More Yampa River basin coverage here. More White River basin coverage here.
From Steamboat Today (Mike Lawrence):
Steamboat Springs attorney Tom Sharp has been named the new president of the Colorado River District’s board of directors. Sharp is the board’s former vice president, has served as a director of the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District since 1977 and has held numerous prominent, water-related positions in Northwest Colorado…
Sharp said much of his time leading the district will be spent in continuing negotiations with Denver Water and the Northern Colorado Water Con servancy Dist rict, two Front Range entities that are seeking to increase their usage of water from the Colorado River system to fill potential new storage capacity on the Front Range…
“Denver Water has agreed that it will not seek to acquire any new water right on the West Slope, including the Yampa River, beyond its existing supplies except with the cooperation from the (Colorado) River District and the county commissioners of the affected counties,” Sharp said Wednesday in his Fourth Street office. “What we’re principally going to be spending time on this year is finalizing the nuts and bolts of that agreement.”[...]
Colorado River District spokesman Jim Pokrandt said Sharp is more than qualified to guide the district through the challenging times ahead. “Tom is certainly an experienced water leader,” Pokrandt said. “He’s a veteran of serving on the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Colorado Water and Power Authority over the years. … It’s not his first time around the rodeo.”
More Colorado River basin coverage here.
CPDPHE and CWQD extend U.S. Energy’s Mt. Emmons mine water quality progress report until April 1
February 20, 2011
From The Crested Butte News (Mark Reaman):
U.S. Energy was sent a “Compliance Advisory Letter” at the end of December by the division. The letter advised the company of “possible violations of the Colorado Water Quality Control Act, its implementing regulations and permits, so that it may take appropriate steps to avoid or mitigate formal enforcement action.” U.S. Energy is the primary mining patent holder for the Mt. Emmons project, a proposed mine that would extract molybdenum from Mt. Emmons. Water quality sampling between 2008 and 2010 has shown that the water from the mine property exceeds water quality standards for Coal Creek, according to Dave Akers with the water Quality Control Division.
More Mt. Emmons mine coverage here.
Energy policy — geothermal: Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison Forests Supervisor Charlie Richmond signs ‘consent to lease’ for certain lands
February 20, 2011
From The Telluride Watch:
This decision does not authorize surface disturbing activities. Should the land be leased by BLM and subsequent development be proposed, additional environmental analysis would be required. [Supervisor Charlie Richmond] stated, “I carefully considered the information in the analysis and the extent of the required stipulations as I made my decision.” He went on to state that while there are some significant requirements to protect surface resources, some of the benefits of this decision include the potential to: provide an opportunity to develop renewable energy sources that can lead to clean sources of energy; reduce or off-set possible greenhouse gas emissions; and provide economic benefits to the surrounding communities.
NIDIS Weekly Climate, Water and Drought Assessment Summary of the Upper Colorado River Basin
February 19, 2011
Here are the notes from this week’s webinar.
Durango: City to expand water and sewer service north of town
February 19, 2011
From The Durango Herald (Gavin Wisdom):
Developer Wessman Holdings LLC will renew its contract with the city to continue with the original Utility Service Agreement, which expired in July 2010. “A few years ago, it was smart to do, and it’s smart to do it tonight,” Councilor Doug Lyon said…
City Planner Greg Hoch said the city has no intentions of annexing Riverside, and the city’s primary reason for extending its services is to avoid placing septic tanks along the Animas River. Hoch said 64 septic tanks lined up just off the bank of the Animas would be a hazard to a portion of the city’s drinking water, which is drawn only a few miles south of the development at 29th street. The developer also agreed to reserve 78 acres for open space in exchange for the Utility Service Agreement.
More infrastructure coverage here.
Whitewater business news
February 19, 2011
From the Aspen Daily News:
According to the annual “Commercial River Use in the State of Colorado” report issued by the Colorado River Outfitters Association (CROA), commercial rafting companies in the state hosted 507,392 user days during the 2010 season, up 16,500 user days, or 3.4 percent, from 2009. A “user day” is defined as a paying guest on a river for any part of a day. The visitor figures have exceeded a half-million for four straight years from 2005-2008 before taking a temporary dip in 2009 during the heart of the national downturn. The rebound was warmly welcomed…
As the CROA report indicates, every user day contributed much-needed revenue to state coffers and local businesses. The combined economic impact of commercial river rafting in 2010 was $150.3 million, up 4.9 percent, or $7 million, from 2009. That was the second-highest total since CROA began tracking these statistics in 1988, trailing only the banner year of 2007.
Over a season that runs from April to September, CROA’s outfitters collectively raft more than 20 rivers across eight major basins. The Colorado and Arkansas rivers saw the largest increases from 2009 to 2010 and still have excess capacity to allow for more visitors. Many other rivers in the state have limits to increased use and therefore have seen their numbers stabilize. Overall, notes Cantamessa, the diversity of opportunity means that most Coloradans – and many in neighboring states – are within an easy day’s drive of a rafting vacation that suits their tastes.
More whitewater coverage here.
Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District board meeting recap
February 19, 2011
From the Pagosa Daily Post (Bill Hudson):
The meeting began with a thoughtful and well-researched presentation by former Pagosa Post magazine editor Glenn Walsh, about the possible future of the [Water Resource Fee] — still under moratorium until April 1. Using input from the Water Supply Community Work Group (WSCWG), Mr. Walsh proposed at least three possible approaches to the WRF, including eliminating it entirely.
The WRF — a new fee charged against all new construction projects in the PAWSD district — was created in 2006 as, supposedly, the primary funding mechanism for a proposed 35,000 acre-foot reservoir in the Dry Gulch valley. As the Archuleta County construction industry began fading into a mere ghost of its former self, starting in 2007, the construction and real estate industries began pointing an accusing finger at the WRF and other PAWSD fees on new construction as one of the culprits in that decline.
More Pagosa Springs coverage here.
Chaffee County: Pueblo West asks commissioners to wave 1041 regulations for waterworks projects
February 19, 2011
From The Mountain Mail (Jessica Wierzbinski):
Proposed structures include an infiltration basin on the Frantz Ditch near U.S. 285 and three water level and/or flow measurement systems. The measurement systems would be installed on Gas Creek Ditch, at Willowdale Ditch headgate on Chalk Creek and on the Pioneer Ditch in Mesa Antero subdivision. The structures are required to allow Pueblo West to use water rights from the Hill Ranch. Pueblo West bought the rights in 2001 from Western Water Rights, LLP who acquired them from Hill Ranch owners in 1986. Commissioners directed Chaffee County personnel to review 1041 regulations to determine applicable requirements.
More Arkansas River basin coverage here.
Energy policy — hydroelectric: Accuracy of Pitkin County’s streamflow data in question
February 19, 2011
From The Aspen Daily News (Curtis Wackerle):
Boulder firm AMEC Earth and Environmental, hired by Pitkin County, found that the city may have overestimated stream-flows by as much as 30 percent at the diversion points where water would be taken out of Castle and Maroon creeks to feed the hydroplant. “If such an error exists and is ignored,” wrote Tim McFlynn, who has been organizing the mediation effort, “hydropower and revenue generation would be overestimated and healthy bypass flows in streams would be similarly impacted.”
The closed-door mediation session was scheduled for Feb. 8 in an attempt to bridge the gap between supporters and opponents of the project. But comments from the panel of experts hired by the county’s Healthy Rivers and Streams board for $50,000, which were submitted to the city two weeks ago, have prompted facilitators to take a time-out.
Huerfano County: Two Rivers Water Company acquires Orlando Reservoir storage and surface flow rights
February 19, 2011
Here’s the release from GlobeNewsWire.com:
Two Rivers Water Company (“Two Rivers”) (OTCBB:TURV), a company focused on acquiring and developing water and farming operations in Colorado, announced today it has acquired the Orlando Reservoir and associated surface flow water rights in Huerfano County, Colorado.
The Orlando Reservoir has an absolute decree to store 3,117 acre feet of water per year and the associated senior surface flow water rights have absolute decrees permitting the diversion of 9 cubic feet per second, or approximately 2,500 acre feet per year, from the Huerfano River for irrigation purposes.
John McKowen, Chairman and CEO of Two Rivers said, “The acquisition of the Orlando puts in place the final piece of the original large storage and surface flow system that was developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s to farm 20,000 plus acres of irrigated farm land. Two Rivers expects to acquire additional strategic water assets in 2011 to further expand its water portfolio in Huerfano County. Our best use of this water is within Huerfano County, to the extent that is available, and we are committed to restoring the historic uses of these rights.
“We love farming and we love irrigated farm land. We like the grain markets as a hedge against US dollar inflation. We also like grains because of the increased demand for protein from the emerging markets, such as China. We don’t see the recent increases in grain prices as a short term phenomenon. We see long term sustainable growth in demand for grains as a basic component of the world’s food supply. The United States is the world’s largest producer and exporter of grains. In the United States we grow grain crops better than anywhere else on the planet.
“The plains of Colorado provide a warm dry climate with excellent soils and renewable snow melt for irrigation. When renewable snow melt is also combined with reliable sources of ground water, a more balanced, sustainable and consistent environment for irrigated grain production is created. At Two Rivers, we have taken this opportunity to reassemble the historic Huerfano-Cucharas irrigation system and reintroduce its water in appropriate amounts back onto excellent farmland. That system, because of its potential 70,000 acre feet of storage capacity, allows us to time our irrigation of grain crops more efficiently. Additionally, because the system is advantageously located in the foothills of the Colorado Front Range, we are able to work with local communities and help balance their municipal water needs with our farm production.”
More Arkansas River basin coverage here.
From The Fairplay Flume (Jason Douglas):
Two of the tracts are adjacent to southwestern Park County’s Antero Reservoir, a major source of water for Denver and a gold medal trout fishery. The third tract is adjacent to the South Platte River – also a gold medal trout fishing location and part of the Denver watershed. The action was made at the request of the Denver Water Board, which owns Antero Reservoir…
The Land Board currently leases out to others somewhere between 65 and 70 mineral leases on a total of about 30,000 acres in Park County, according to Mark Davis, the Land Board’s mineral director. Davis said that about 100 tracts go up for auction each quarter and that this quarter, none of the tracts up for auction are “virgin,” or never- before-leased land…
Matt Bond, a community relations spokesman for Denver Water, said that Denver Water’s board asked the Land Board to remove tracts 66 and 67 in Township 12 south 76 west because it is concerned that oil and gas development there could have an adverse effect on water quality, not only from hydraulic fracturing fluids but also from runoff that could be created by platform and road construction. According to Bond, Antero has a dam that is more than 100 years old, and no one knew how it might have been affected by nearby oil and gas development.
Boulder: City council approves expanded authority for city manager in times of drought
February 18, 2011
From the Boulder Daily Camera (Heath Urie):
The city’s drought strategy calls for reducing the overall amount of water that Boulder uses — including residential, commercial and government uses — by up to 40 percent during the most extreme water shortages. A “moderate” drought, the lowest level of an official drought declaration, calls for citywide water reductions of 8 percent. Allowing the city manager to reduce water budgets during a drought is designed to be an easy way of reducing overall water consumption citywide. Other regulations that are still in the draft stages would impose additional fines on customers who repeatedly go over their water budget during a drought.
More South Platte River basin coverage here.
Pagosa Springs scores $4 million for wastewater treatment plant
February 18, 2011
From the Pagosa Sun (Jim McQuiggin):
Last Thursday, the Town of Pagosa Springs received notice from the USDA that it would receive the funds for the construction of the facility. The money includes $3,145,000 in loans (at 2 percent interest) and $787,000 in grants. Along with other funds secured two years ago (a $2 million loan from the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority and a $1.25 million grant from the Department of Local Affairs), the Town of Pagosa Springs has just over $7 million to construct the plant. “I’m relieved that we’re finally moving forward,” said Phil Starks, supervisor for the Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District. According to Starks, the town would most likely break ground on the project in May…
…timing for the funding award was more than mere providence: the town’s current wastewater treatment system occasionally exceeds ammonia levels in its discharge during the winter months, and also risks hydraulic problems and violations during the spring when snow runoff can overload the system. Those violations not only got the town sideways with the CDPHE (which in turn answers to the EPA), but put the town at risk of further sanctions at the state and federal level, severely hampering badly needed economic development in the area…
With the award of over $4 million in USDA funds, the Town of Pagosa Springs can breathe easier, not just in regard to meeting CDPHE mandates, but also in the knowledge that it will soon treat one of its most valuable resources — the San Juan River — with much-improved respect.
Snowpack news
February 18, 2011
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
Snowpack in the Upper Arkansas River basin is above average, particularly above 10,000 feet, but is far below average in the southern mountains. In the Colorado River basin, which provides supplemental water for the Arkansas River, more good conditions exist. “In the Colorado basin, we’re looking at 80-90 percent of the peak, which is good for this time of year,” [Pat Edelmann, head of the Pueblo office of the U.S. Geological Survey] said. Snow and streamflow forecasts are good in the Upper Arkansas.
Not everything is so rosy, particularly in the Purgatoire River basin and Lower Arkansas Valley. “NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is indicating the drought through April is likely to persist or intensify,” Edelmann said.
Southern Delivery System update
February 18, 2011
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
Pueblo West landowners who are unhappy with offers for easements as part of the Southern Delivery System have been unable to reach settlements with Colorado Springs. Next week, Colorado Springs Utilities is expected to report to City Council on the progress in dealing with holdouts on 15 of 133 properties it must acquire to build SDS…
Colorado Springs City Council told utilities to make another attempt to negotiate with Pueblo West property owners last month, and is scheduled to review progress at its meeting Tuesday. The city has offered residents payments for easements across part of their property. Landowners say the amount is too small for the inconvenience they expect to endure as SDS is being built…
Colorado Springs committed to use eminent domain only as a last resort in obtaining property or easements for SDS under its 1041 land-use permit with Pueblo County in 2009. Utilities wants to begin building the water pipeline from Pueblo Dam soon in order to meet a projected completion date in 2016. Last month, Dan Higgins, SDS construction delivery manager, said Colorado Springs will continue to work with landowners even if condemnation actions begin in court.
From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Gary Harmon):
Tipton’s 3rd Congressional District includes the world’s largest deposits of oil shale, a sedimentary rock that, when heated, releases a petroleum substance that can be refined into transportation and other fuels.
Across the state line, U.S. Rep. Scott Matheson, D-Utah, said he disagreed with the announcement by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Bureau of Land Management Director Robert Abbey to revisit the decisions made under the administration of George W. Bush.
Federal officials are looking over progress made in Utah, where a company with a research-and-development leases says it is producing petroleum with far less water than previous efforts.
“Because of advances made by Utah companies, the effect of oil shale development on water supplies may be greatly reduced,” Matheson said in a statement. “I am an advocate for a level playing field when it comes to access to leasing, so that these emerging technologies are able to compete.”
More coverage from the High Plains Midwest/Ag Journal. From the article:
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union President Kent Peppler praised Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s announcement that Interior will look closely at water issues and agricultural impacts as the discussion of oil shale development moves forward.
“Secretary Salazar described water use as an essential issue in the oil shale debate, and we couldn’t agree more,” Peppler said. “Most of the oil shale lands are on the Colorado River basin, which has been over-allocated from the beginning of the interstate compact. We need to know how much water oil shale developers need, where they expect to get it, and what condition it will be in when they are through with it. Agriculture is the cornerstone of Colorado’s economy and the basis for America’s food security. The secretary understands this, and we urge him to keep it in his thoughts as we move forward slowly on oil shale development.”
Energy policy — oil shale: Department of Interior policy update
February 17, 2011
From The Colorado Independent (David O. Williams):
“As we all know, the energy challenges our country faces are serious and have gone unaddressed for far too long,” U.S. Bureau of Land Management director Bob Abbey said Tuesday, “and therefore we believe we need to responsibly develop our oil and gas supplies to help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but we also must do so in a thoughtful and balanced way.”
Abbey was speaking the same day the BLM filed a settlement in federal district court in Colorado promising to revisit oil shale leasing rules approved in the waning days of the Bush administration in 2008. Those rules opened up 2 million acres of BLM land to commercial oil shale leasing and set a royalty rate of 5 percent. Several environmental groups filed two lawsuits in 2009 challenging those rules.
“The previous 2008 regulations made critical decisions such as royalty rate before the RD&D [research, development and demonstration] program had a chance to deliver information and answers,” U.S. Interior Secretary and former Colorado senator Ken Salazar said. “They put the cart before the horse, and in so doing they heightened the risk of speculation and bad decisions and yet another oil shale bust.”[...]
“From our perspective, oil is perhaps a scarce resource, but water is also pretty scarce here in the arid West, and fish and wildlife habitat and the hunting and fishing and outdoor recreation that habitat provides is a resource that has helped sustain rural communities in the West,” said Kate Zimmerman of the Rocky Mountain Regional Center of the National Wildlife Federation.
Bill Midcap of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) worries oil shale production could adversely impact his industry as well. “Every drop of water Mother Nature blesses Colorado with has the potential to run out of our state,” Midcap said. “How society chooses to use that water is a really good question. The dependence on agriculture in this state is huge; we are the second largest industry in the state. We can’t just keep doing more with less.”
Fort Morgan: New water code approved by the city council
February 17, 2011
From The Fort Morgan Times (Dan Barker):
In the past, the city expected any business which used significant amounts of water to purchase shares of Colorado-Big Thompson water to use, he said. However, sometimes a business needed just over an even amount of shares, and it was a burden for it to buy a whole new share, the council was told Jan. 4. Under a new internal policy, the city will round that off the water shares to the nearest half-share in order to be business friendly, Wells said.
Also, the city will decide on a case-by-case basis on how to convert inside water meters to outside water meters, but that will not be part of the code itself, he said. For the most part, changes to the water code are things the council has already done in the past by resolution, but were not included in the code itself, said Acting City Manager Jeff Wells.
2011 Colorado legislation: HB 11-1150 sponsor agrees to pull bill if new Department of Natural Resources agreement to fund water projects is adopted
February 17, 2011
From The Fort Morgan Times:
The agreement came from discussions with DNR and the newly formed Citizen’s Wildlife Advisory Council, a broad-based group of stakeholders that work on wildlife issues. CWAC was formed to open a dialogue to address the adversarial relationship between the sportsmen community and landowners. The group is bi-partisan and has worked to find common ground between various stakeholders.
The CWAC voted to support [Representative Jon Becker (R-Fort Morgan)] in his plan to pull the bill if the agreement with DNR is finalized citing that the compromise is of benefit to both sides. The major concern of the group was whether Federal Dingell-Johnson/Pitman-Robertson funds would still be available. Becker and DNR agreed that those dollars would still be utilized by the DOW and these water projects would benefit sportsmen as well as all the citizens of Colorado.
Here’s the release from the Colorado Division of Wildlife (Todd Hartman):
The Colorado Division of Wildlife is announcing a five-year goal to prioritize investments in water projects that benefit wildlife and wildlife recreation. The Division owns 104 dams and has a program to maintain existing facilities for safety, storage, and release. The Division has identified 17 dams and associated infrastructure in need of repairs and improvements and is seeking storage agreements, exchange-of-use agreements and other water projects with water providers and water users for this purpose.
“We have several critical water development needs, such as repairing the dam at Beaver Reservoir to allow us to store water again,” said Division of Wildlife Director Tom Remington. “We also have some great opportunities, such as reaching a storage agreement with Rio Grande Reservoir operators to store Division of Wildlife water critical to our needs in the San Luis Valley.”
In cooperation with Representative Jon Becker (R-Fort Morgan), the Division is exploring other opportunities that will first and foremost benefit wildlife and wildlife recreation, but will also help other entities and individuals who depend on water resources in the state. The Division intends to allocate at least $6 million for these types of projects over the next five years.
“I am glad to see the Division of Wildlife seeking additional opportunities for water development that will benefit both wildlife and sportsmen,” Rep. Becker said. “At the same time, the ancillary benefit to agricultural and other interests across the state is a win-win for all involved.”
“In the face of budget issues that are creating challenges throughout state government, it is especially challenging to plan for increasing water demand while protecting natural resources over the long term,” Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Mike King explained. “There is a lot of overlap between healthy wildlife habitat and what sportsmen and agricultural communities need. We welcome the opportunity to combine these goals and find ways to make limited state funding go further.”
More coverage from KRDO.com:
The division provided the following information on its new initiative: The division owns 104 dams and has a program to maintain existing facilities for safety, storage and release. The Division has identified 17 dams and associated infrastructure in need of repairs and improvements and is seeking storage agreements, exchange-of-use agreements and other water projects with water providers and water users for this purpose.
“We have several critical water development needs, such as repairing the dam at Beaver Reservoir to allow us to store water again,” said Division of Wildlife Director Tom Remington. “We also have some great opportunities, such as reaching a storage agreement with Rio Grande Reservoir operators to store Division of Wildlife water critical to our needs in the San Luis Valley.”
More HB 11-1150 coverage here. More 2011 Colorado legislation coverage here.
2011 Colorado legislation: HB 11-1083 (Hydroelectricity & Pumped Hydro) passes in state House of Representatives
February 17, 2011
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Patrick Malone):
The Colorado House on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill that would authorize the Public Utilities Commission to consider hydroelectric operations a renewable energy source. Sponsored by state Rep. Keith Swerdfeger, R-Pueblo West, HB1083 could open the door for a hydroelectric plant near Penrose. TransCanada’s proposed South Slope project would create up to 300 construction jobs and up to 30 permanent positions…
Also according to testimony, [pumped] hydro projects are an economical energy storage option that fits well with the emergence of wind and solar energy sources. That’s because hydro projects can fill gaps in wind and solar productivity. More than 120 hydro projects exist nationally. The barrier to more is the high up-front cost.
More 2011 Colorado legislation coverage here.
2011 Colorado legislation: HB 11-1066 — Due Process Prior To Gov Taking
February 17, 2011
Here’s a recap of a recent meeting where state Representative Wes McKinley discussed his bill, HB 11-1066, from Patrick Malone writing for The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
McKinley, D-Walsh, has introduced HB1066, which seeks to stop the government from taking property without due process. It seeks to buffer citizens’ livelihood from encroachment by government agencies and specifically targets infringement on airspace, water rights and livestock. Real-life problems facing residents of Southern Colorado inspired the bill, McKinley said. Noisy military flyovers, the seizure of livestock and state rule changes in how farmers can irrigate motivated McKinley’s proposal. About 25 people with firsthand experience in those areas — most of them from Southeastern Colorado — attended an informal meeting McKinley held Wednesday to talk about what has been taken from them.
Marvin Greenloh of Lamar said the state is taking his water rights through a shift in its interpretation of seep irrigation, which reuses water that seeps through the soil…
Greenloh said the state’s demand that he stop using seep water could be catastrophic to his and neighbors’ livelihoods. “Basically, it would be the end of our farm because we won’t have the water to carry on,” he said…
In Greenloh’s estimation, more populous parts of the state have forgotten where their food originates and put their own needs ahead of farmers’ with the state’s backing. “What I think it is, they’re trying to keep enough water on the Front Range and don’t care if it’s hurting farmers,” he said.
More 2011 Colorado legislation coverage here.
Energy policy — geothermal: Salida scores $50,000 from the Governor’s Energy Office to evaluate geothermal potential
February 17, 2011
From The Mountain Mail (Cailey McDermott):
A $50,000 geothermal energy grant for the city-owned Poncha Hot Springs was unanimously approved by Salida City Councilmen Tuesday. The grant from the Governor’s Energy office will be used to explore the site for geothermal potential.
