Aspinall Unit update: Estimated target of 6,800 cfs high flow regime in the Gunnison Gorge and Black Canyon
May 31, 2011
Here’s the high-flow regime planned for the Black Canyon and Gunnison Gorge this week from email from Reclamation (Dan Crabtree):
Reclamation will be operating the Aspinall Unit to allow the one day Black Canyon water right peak target flow of 6,800 cfs to be met during the next two weeks. Releases from Crystal Reservoir will ramp up from the current release of 3,500 cfs beginning Friday, June 3rd. Crystal Reservoir should begin to spill sometime Saturday June 4th. While spilling, natural fluctuations will be seen in the river system making it difficult to predict and control downstream flows. However, below is a table showing estimated flows in the Black Canyon and Gunnison Gorge below the Gunnison Tunnel. These flows should reach a peak of about 6,800 cfs on June 8th and return to about 3,200 cfs around June 13th. During this operation, combined flows of the mainstem Gunnison, North Fork and other tributaries may result in flows of around 13,000 cfs in the Delta area. Again, this schedule is an estimate and may be modified due to changing hydrologic conditions in the Gunnison basin. Further updates will be conveyed as changes occur…
Estimated
Date: Flow below Gunnison Tunnel (cfs)
June 3: 3,000
June 4: 3,500
June 5: 4,500
June 6: 5,500
June 7: 6,900
June 8: 6,900
June 9: 5,900
June 10: 5,000
June 11: 4,300
June 12: 3,750
June 13: 3,150
Here’s an article from a couple of years ago explaining the high flow regime, from Mark Jaffe writing for The Denver Post. From the article:
The stronger flow is intended to mimic natural spring runoff, removing sediment and algae and helping to break down riffles and whisk away vegetation encroaching on the riverbank, Dale said…
“This has been one of the longest, most complex water-right battles in Colorado,” said Drew Peternell, an attorney for the sportsmen’s group Trout Unlimited. To win that right, the concerns of hydropower agencies, ranchers and farmers — and downstream towns fearful of flooding — had to be addressed.
Say hello to the Water Center at Mesa State. Thanks to Hannah Holm for the link. From the website:
The Mission of the Water Center at Mesa State College is to perform and facilitate interdisciplinary and collaborative research, education, outreach, and dialogue to provide citizens, scholars, and policy makers with the information they need to address the water issues facing the region. The Water Center will foster communication and collaboration among the college, agencies, local governments, industry and non-profits with water expertise and stakeholder interest among the many water-relevant disciplines. The geographic focus of the Water Center will be the Colorado River and its tributaries in Western Colorado and the Upper Colorado Basin.
More Colorado River basin coverage here.
From the Glenwood Springs Post Independent (John Colson):
Garfield County and from Pitkin and Eagle counties and the tiny hamlet of Marble, which is in Gunnison County but located at the upper end of the Crystal River valley south of Carbondale. In recent months, Maynard continued, South Canyon has been reducing the amount of septage it will accept…
Garfield County normally operates three treatment ponds at the county landfill near Rifle, where trucks could regularly deliver material gathered from residential and commercial septic systems. But two of those treatment ponds were recently shut down at the state’s request, due to concerns that the ponds were leaking into the soils surrounding the county landfill site. The one pond still in operation has filled up and can no longer accommodate further deliveries of septage, according to Garfield County public works director Betsy Suerth. That means septic tank service companies must truck tons of the stuff to landfill locations as far away as Delta County or Denver, according to Warren and Maynard.
Trucking septage loads to distant facilities is a hassle and expensive, said Maynard. She said it can involve trip costs of up to $150 per hour that must be passed on to the customer. “That’s more than some of them will pay to have their septic pumped,” she noted. “That makes it very expensive to pump out a septic tank,” said Warren. “When some people get problems, they just pump it out themselves, onto a field or something.”[...]
He said unincorporated areas of Garfield County have some 5,000 septic systems in operation, as well as 20 or more drilling rigs with associated septic tanks and innumerable portable toilets in a variety of locations, all being regularly pumped out. Rada estimated that Pitkin County has as many as 3,000 septic systems, the waste from which comes to Garfield County facilities.
More wastewater coverage here.
From The Denver Post (Jason Blevins):
Beyond the expected deluge, there is widespread worry about just how big the runoff could be. Lengthy stretches of hot temperatures could yield a tempest of whitewater that will swamp entire riverside regions. A healthy weather mix of cool and cloudy with warm and clear could stagger the surge, prolonging the season and keeping rivers roiling deep into July, August or even September. While no one knows what’s to come, at least one factor that has plagued Colorado’s runoff in recent years seems to not be playing as prominent a role this spring. For the last decade, windblown dust from the Colorado Plateau has painted Colorado’s peaks a reddish hue, absorbing sunshine and hastening snowmelt. This year is no different, with snow watchers counting nine significant dust events in Colorado. But unlike recent years, the density of the dust seems less this season…
But the lack of deeply darkened layers doesn’t necessarily exclude a deluge, warns Chris Landry, the executive director of Silverton’s Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies who has studied the impact of desert dust on Colorado’s snowpack since 2003. Dust layers merge as the snow settles and melts, creating incrementally darkening layers of snow that, once exposed to sunlight, accelerate the melt, Landry said. When warmth and sunshine reache that final layer, especially if it’s resting atop lots of water-laden snow, expect a deluge. Landry has recorded nine dust events across the state this spring but with “substantially less dust,” he said, especially in the northern and central ranges of the state. And “while every year is different,” Landry said, “there is an inevitability that at some point that final consolidated dust layer will come into play.”
From KJCT8.com (Dann Cianca):
The Loma boat launch ramp was crowded on Memorial Day as rafters and kayakers hit the Colorado River. The flow of the river is quite high, however and those waiting to launch watched as large pieces of trees floated by in the rapid, silty water…The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for the stretch of river along the Utah/Colorado border as the river is at bankfull and could go higher in the next few days.
From 9News.com (Jeffrey Wolf):
The National Weather Service is predicting that by Wednesday or Thursday, the runoff in north-central Colorado will begin in earnest. Its latest report indicates, “Drainages most susceptible to snowmelt flooding this spring include the Cache La Poudre, Big Thompson and Laramie Rivers in Larimer County; the North Platte, Illinois and Michigan Rivers in Jackson County; the Blue River in Summit County; the Colorado River in Grand County; and Clear Creek in Clear Creek County.”
From the Associated Press via The Columbus Republic:
Areas along the Green and Colorado rivers in eastern Utah are under a flood advisory. Forecasters say about two inches of rain have fallen since Friday. More than a foot of snow fell in higher elevations.
From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Kevin Duggan):
A spike in temperatures forecast for later this week could launch what is expected to be a massive spring runoff on the Poudre River. The result could be flooding in areas with a history of problems during times of high water, including the McConnell Subdivision and County Road 5 near Timnath, said Erik Nilsson, emergency manager for Larimer County. Historically, runoff on the Poudre hits its peak around Father’s Day. This year, given that snowpack in the mountains is more than double of average for the time of year, the peak may come later, Nilsson said…
Flood stage at the mouth of Poudre Canyon is 7.5 feet or about 5,000 cubic feet per second, or cfs, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Through Fort Collins, flood stage is 12 feet or 10,500 cfs. As of Monday afternoon, the river was running at 4.13 feet at the canyon mouth and about the same in Fort Collins.
From The Denver Post (Bruce Finley):
But as bad as the damage is, community watershed groups, mining companies and even state agencies contend they cannot embark on cleanups for fear of incurring legal liability. Under the Clean Water Act, parties who get involved at abandoned mines and accidentally make matters worse — even over the short term — could be vulnerable to federal prosecution for polluting waterways without a permit.
Obama administration officials two years ago promised to break gridlock on this issue, spurring a legislative fix to enable “good Samaritan” cleanups and devoting “significant resources” for watershed restoration. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last week acknowledged there is still gridlock and that more must be done to deal with tens of thousands of leaking abandoned mines nationwide…
State records show:
• Colorado’s 7,300 abandoned mine sites contain about 17,000 point sources of pollution, such as open mine shafts and tunnels.
• At least 150 abandoned mines “significantly affect” surface water directly. Storm and snowmelt water running over slag heaps at another 300 abandoned mines measurably harms surface and groundwater.
• The abandoned mines are scattered widely — including Jamestown west of Boulder and the headwaters of the Mancos River in the southwestern corner of the state.
More water pollution coverage here.
More Good Samaritan exemption coverage here.
Conservation: The Pipe Springs Ranch near Springfield wins the 2011 Leopold Conservation Award
May 30, 2011
From the Ag Journal Online:
The Wisconsin-based conservation organization Sand County Foundation, in partnership with the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, the Colorado Agricultural Land Trust, Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. and Peabody Energy; is proud to name Pipe Springs Ranch of Springfield, Colo. as the recipient of the 2011 Leopold Conservation Award in Colorado.
“The McEndree siblings and their families have a strong connection to, and a great sense of responsibility for, the natural resources that are in their care,” said Brent Haglund, president, Sand County Foundation. “Their commitment to pass these values on to the next generation, through a remarkable amount of agricultural education and outreach, is truly exceptional.”
Siblings Jo Ann McEndree, Kaye Kasza, Steve McEndree and Cathy Tebay are fourth generation ranchers who are committed to leaving a sustainable operation for their descendants. A large part of their land stewardship involved placing pipelines to distribute water across their 14,737- acre ranch. As a result, they created smaller pastures and were able to plant two windbreaks to offer protection for both livestock and wildlife. This allows for shorter grazing periods, which increases the productivity of the soil and plants. This has also resulted in an increase in wildlife. A herd of deer makes its home on the ranch, along with a few elk, foxes and the occasional bear. The population of songbirds and pheasants has also increased dramatically.
Future plans for the ranch include more water lines and fencing to create even smaller pastures, and shorter, more intense grazing periods. By purchasing temporary fencing materials the family will be able to split a section into quarters for grazing purposes. The 4-5 days of grazing per year in each quarter section allow for adequate regrowth of natural grasses during the remainder of the year.The $10,000 Leopold Conservation Award will be presented to Pipe Springs Ranch on June 21 at the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association’s Annual Convention in Steamboat Springs.
More conservation coverage here.
From Steamboat Today ( Luke Graham):
The Yampa River Festival featured a bit of everything Saturday. The day began off the water with 5- and 1-kilometer running races. There was a stand-up paddleboard race at Fetcher Pond, the cult-like raft race, the crowd-pleasing Crazy River Dog contest, an inner tube rodeo, and finally the kayak rodeo, where vintage crafts were the main show. The raft race, which began at Fetcher Pond and ended at the D-Hole in front of the Depot Art Center, featured competitor of all stripes. There were serious rafters, first-timers and people dressed in only their underwear…
The stand-up paddleboard race was a new event. Todd Givnish, who organized it, said he wasn’t expecting much. But by 12:45 p.m., people already were lining up to give the burgeoning sport of paddleboarding a try…
As one of the only events on the calm waters of Fetcher Pond, the paddleboard event brought out newbies and experienced paddlers for a timed race. Racers had to paddle the length of the pond and navigate around designated markers…
The Paddling Life Pro Invitational starts at 11 a.m. Monday with an extreme kayak race on Class IV-V Fish Creek followed by kayak rodeos at the D-Hole from noon to 5 p.m.
More Yampa River basin coverage here.
Here’s the link to the gage reading Yampa River below Soda Creek at Steamboat from the USGS via the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Here’s a report from Tom Ross writing for Steamboat Today. From the article:
“We see a big warmup as a ridge of high pressure settles over Colorado next week and we’re projecting a strong chance that the Yampa there exceeds flood stage by next week,” Greg Smith said. “Temperatures could be 10 degrees above average, and if that forecast verifies, we could see a lot of rivers off to the races.”[...]
Mike Chamberlain, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said he foresees daily highs in the range of 75 to 77 degrees settling in by the middle of the coming week. He cautioned that the forecast could change, particularly if a southeast flow brings more clouds to Northwest Colorado than currently anticipated. Smith said a change of 4 to 5 degrees in temperature could significantly change the rate of snowmelt…
Strautins said that given the amount of snowpack held this late into the year, it’s not unreasonable to think Steamboat might set a new record for the peak flow. NOAA’s forecast for the Yampa River in Steamboat assigns a 90 percent change that the river will exceed 5,200 cfs, a 75 percent chance that it will exceed 5,500 cfs, and a 50 percent chance that it will exceed 6,000 cfs. The chances of peak flows exceeding 7,000 cfs are 25 percent, and there remains a 10 percent chance the river could exceed 8,000 cfs. The U.S. Geological Survey and NOAA differ on the all-time peak flow in the Yampa. The latter puts it at 5,870 cfs, but the USGS shows the Yampa peaking as high as 6,820 cfs (a gauge height of just 6.64 feet) on June 14, 1921. It’s almost a certainty that the channel of the river in the town stretch has changed during the intervening 90 years. The highest peak in recent years was 5,310 cfs (7.65 feet) on June 3, 1997…
The snowpack at the Tower measuring site at 10,500 feet on Buffalo Pass actually increased at times during the week that just ended. The snow depth jumped from 178 inches on May 20 to 194 inches the next day after a 16-inch snowstorm, according to automated gauges operate by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The snowpack there gave up 23 inches of depth due to settling and possible melting by May 25, then added a fresh 8 inches on May 26. The 79.3 inches of water stored there is 171 percent of average. At the base of Buffalo Pass at Dry Lake Campground, the 27.8 inches of water is 772 percent of the typical 3.6 inches of water for this date. That measurement is influenced by the fact that snow at Dry Lake’s 8,400-foot elevation is usually all but melted by this date.
Meanwhile Clear Creek is coming up some since yesterday. Here’s the link to the stream gage Clear Creek at Golden. Flows are still under the median for this date by 70-80cfs.
From 9News.com (Lori Obert/Will Ripley):
9NEWS meteorologist Marty Coniglio says the flooding threat this week is very high and flood-prone areas, including Clear Creek, could be at-risk…
“It’s probably a good idea to get together with your neighbors and start making a plan,” Coniglio said. “Because we’re going to start seeing water running very high and it’s going to happen fast by the end of the week.”
From The Denver Post (Joey Bunch):
Metro temperatures could soar to the 90s by midweek…
Western Colorado has a 40 percent to 50 percent chance of above-average temperatures through August, according to the Climate Prediction Center. The Front Range, southeast plains and northern mountains has a 33.3 percent to 40 percent of above average readings, while the outlook for northeast Colorado is still uncertain. Whether Colorado receives more or less rain over the next three months is still undetermined, however.
From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
I just happened to be awake when our hydrologic engineer sent out the water order [early Monday morning]. So, please be aware we are bumping releases from Olympus Dam to the Big Thompson River upwards of 200 cfs. The resulting flow below the dam through the upper part of the canyon will be about 450 cfs.
Sunday was the first day it really started to warm up. As a result, some of the snow pack is melting. This made inflows to Lake Estes via the Big Thompson River start to rise. Travel times typically have snow run-off hit Estes after midnight. As a result we are bypassing, sending on down, that native flow. Most likely, we will probably curtail releases during the day on Memorial Day. But if the weather holds and we have more sun and pleasant temperatures, it is also likely releases will bump up again about 24-hours from now following a pattern similar to what we are seeing tonight. It all depends on how warm the holiday winds up being.
More Colorado-Big Thompson Project coverage here.
Click through and read the whole column from Ed Quillen writing for the The Denver Post. Here’s an excerpt:
McInnis blamed his researcher, retired water engineer Rolly Fischer of Glenwood Springs, and even faxed a confessional letter for Fischer to sign, which Fischer didn’t. Now the state Attorney Regulation Council has decided McInnis can keep his law license because at some point he advised the Hasan Foundation that he was getting some help from Fischer, even though he was supposed to be doing the work himself. You’d think he could have pointed that out in the summer of 2010, when it might have mattered.
More 2010 Colorado elections coverage here.
From the Glenwood Springs Post Independent (John Colson):
Most officials contacted for this story now predict that peak runoff, which normally would be happening in late May, will not arrive until the latter part of June. “The water’s peak should have been about a week ago,” said Tanny McGinnis, spokeswoman for the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. Now she expects it to fall in the middle of June…
She said free sandbags are available at the county’s road and bridge facility near the Garfield County Regional Airport, where they were delivered a week ago…
In general, however, she said the county is expecting to get some warning from its neighboring counties upriver once the snow begins to melt in earnest. “The high water will hit Routt County and Eagle County before it gets to us,” she predicted. “We’ll have several hours of notice, at least.” The confluence of the Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers, she said, “are the areas they’re really keeping an eye on right now,” because the confluence area has been known to flood in the past…
Estimates of the snowpack in the mountains above the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys range as high as 400 percent of normal, according to recent news reports. But such numbers can be deceptive, according to Mike Gillespie, snow survey supervisor for the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service in Colorado. He explained that the “percent of normal” statistics relate to comparisons of the current snow depth to the average depth of the snow at a certain point in time. But as time passes, the average historical snow depth decreases sharply, so that in a year such as this one, the percent of normal increases to really high values simply because it’s being compared to a much lower number that is more typical for late May. But, he said, “That’s still a lot of water, a lot of snow.”
From the Summit County Citizens Voice:
“In spring, creeks and streams can be particularly dangerous as flows are often higher and faster than they are during the summer months and the water temperature is just above freezing,” said county emergency manager Joel Cochran…
“The rivers are deceptively dangerous this time of year,” said Sheriff John Minor. “During spring runoff, there is an incredible amount of debris in the water, and some of it is just under the surface” he said.
From the National Weather Service via the Cortez Journal:
Spring snow melt has caused high flows on many rivers and creeks in western Colorado and eastern Utah. However, cooler weather this spring has delayed the snow melt and kept copious amounts of snow at higher elevations especially in northwest and west central Colorado, as well as in northeast Utah. Therefore, river flows have not yet peaked. At higher flows, river banks can quickly become saturated and unstable. Caution is urged near waterways, as river banks can erode or collapse unexpectedly. Do not let children play near high flowing rivers, creeks, and canals.
From the Sky-Hi Daily News (Reid Armstrong):
The weather should start clearing Monday as the jet stream dips down over California, causing it to bow above Colorado, pulling warm dry conditions into the mountains, according to the Weather Service’s La Niña guru Mike Baker. Grand County could see temperatures start to warm up pretty fast with nighttime temperatures remaining above freezing for most of the week, Baker said. This is good if you’re a river raft guide, but maybe not so great if you’re a town manager worried about flooding…
As La Niña weakens in coming weeks, the jet stream should begin moving north, Baker said, leaving Colorado out of its path.
From the Loveland Reporter-Herald (Pamela Dickman):
“We’re looking at all-time-high flows,” said Brian Werner, spokesman for Northern Water. “Our minimum (estimate) would be an all-time record.” That means plenty of water for farmers and residents, the danger of possible flooding and both highs and lows for outdoor recreation…
Water and safety officials are worried about flooding if record snowpack disappears quickly, along with rain runoff. The snowpack is at 254 percent of average for this time of year, when snow typically already is melting…
Both Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir will be full by the end of June.
From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Bobby Magill):
The Poudre River is expected to remain low for most of the next week with almost no risk of flooding, but after that, all bets are off. “The next few days are fine because the temperatures are going to remain cool,” said hydrologist Treste Huse of the National Weather Service in Boulder.
From the Vail Daily (Scott N. Miller):
“If we can get through the Fourth of July we’ll be really pleased,” said Lisa Reeder, operations manager for Eagle-based Timberline Tours. “This year we’re pretty much guaranteed to get there, and we could see good water on the Eagle until Aug. 1.”
From the Cañon City Daily Record (Carie Canterbury):
The Natural Resources Conservation Service reported May 1, snowpack statewide was 135 percent of average, the highest since 1995, and the snowpack in the Colorado River basin was 151 percent of average, the highest since 1993…
John Van Oort, district 14 and 15 water commissioner for the Colorado Division of Water Resources, said the snowpack started to make its way downhill a couple of weeks ago, but stopped because it turned cold again. He said only Mother Nature knows when the frigid water will make its way down to the Arkansas River.
From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Pat Ferrier):
Snowpack near the top of Poudre Canyon is more than 2½ times greater than last year when water ran higher and faster than it had in almost two decades…
A delayed, steady runoff – like manna from heaven – can sustain a rafting season well into August, and sometimes until Labor Day, said Pat Legel, owner of A Wanderlust Adventure, celebrating its 30th year of rafting the Poudre. Current conditions are similar to 1995 when spring was cool and rain fell 60 out of 61 days, Legel said…
Conservation: Northern Water is offering landscaping and irrigation seminars through July 27
May 29, 2011
From The Greeley Tribune:
In its second year, the series will focus on water efficiency. That includes irrigation scheduling and budgeting, selecting grass types and plants, and the seven principles of Xeriscape. The sessions are open to homeowners and professionals and will be conducted in Northern Water’s Conservation Gardens at the district’s headquarters north of Berthoud…
The 90-minute seminars will start Wednesday and continue every Wednesday through July 27, with the exception of July 6. Each will be offered at 3 p.m.. and some are repeated at 6:30 p.m. While walk-ins are welcome, registration is available [by email] at registration@ncwcd.org or by calling (970) 622-2220. Those attending will be given handouts and have the possibility of winning a rain gauge.
More conservation coverage here.
From The Durango Telegraph (Will Sands):
“Unfortunately, it’s not looking so good for the Animas,” said Bill Simon, coordinator of the stakeholders. “We were making really good progress through remediation efforts. However, the metal loading in Cement Creek has radically increased in the last five years. The loading has overcome the gains we’ve made, and the pollution is back to where we were when we started off.” Simon explained that pollution levels between Silverton and Baker’s Bridge are as bad as they have been since 1990. Last fall, the stakeholders conducted a fish survey at the Animas River’s confluence with Cascade Creek. In just a few years, three species of fish had disappeared from the section, and only hardy brook trout remained. “I assume that we can expect these impacts to find their way to Durango as well,” Simon said.
Ironically, the culprit behind this pollution was an attempt to fix mine drainage. In 2004, Sunnyside Mining heeded a court decree and plugged its American Tunnel at the head of Cement Creek. However, the tainted water backed up, found its way to other openings and is now leaching out into the creek and running downstream to the Animas. “The water’s now coming out of a bunch of other mines, and it’s nasty,” said Simon. “The new discharges are leaching presumably because of the bulkhead that was placed in the Sunnyside Mine.”
More Animas River watershed coverage here.
Whitewater news: Still waiting for runoff
May 29, 2011
From The Denver Post (Jason Blevins):
That record-breaking snowpack — with the Colorado, Yampa and White river basins nearing 200 percent of their 30-year average and several others near 150 percent — harbors both a blessing and a curse for Colorado’s commercial rafting outfitters, who last year hosted more than 507,000 paddlers. When the weather warms, that initial surge of cascading snowmelt will certainly close stretches of steep and swollen rivers for commercial rafting and elevate the difficulty of traditionally mellower stretches. But that same bountiful snowpack also promises raging rafting deep into summer…
The last time the Eagle River ran deep into summer, in 2008 with the Colorado River Basin 146 percent of average in early June, the upper portion of the river hosted more than 4,300 commercial rafters. Last year, with a sudden early surge stealing all the flows and whittling the Colorado River basin to 57 percent of average in early June, the upper Eagle saw fewer than 1,100 commercial rafters.
More whitewater news here.
Good luck Bill Jackson
May 29, 2011
I didn’t get a chance to meet Mr. Jackson in person but his articles have been cited on Coyote Gulch (both the current weblog and in the archives) nearly a hundred times over the years. He is moving on and I’ll miss his work. Here’s his goodbye from The Greeley Tribune. He writes:
The big events come to mind easily — the farmer protests and tractorcades of the 1980s when interest rates were sky high and commodity prices bottomed out; the attempt by sugar beet farmers to buy the bankrupt Great Western Sugar Co.; the day Kenny Monfort called and said he’d just sold Monfort of Colorado, and would I like to come up to his office and discuss the sale (ya think?); the rumors leading up to the final announcement by the city of Thornton that bought some 100 farms in northern Weld and Larimer counties for the water on those farms; the purchase of the Western Sugar Co. by a farmer-owned cooperative from Tate & Lyle that had outbid farmers.
Then there were the drought years of the early 2000s and the shutdown of irrigation wells along the South Platte River that remains a point of contention for many yet today.
And there’s the ongoing process of trying to build more water storage, which will be critical to the future of agriculture in northern Colorado — and which, it feels like at times, has been going on for centuries.
While those events are important, the most important part of my job over the years has been the people — the farmers and ranchers of Weld and northern Colorado, who have been the stewards of the land since the start of agriculture in the area. Those are way too numerous to name because as sure as the crops come up in the spring and are harvested in the summer and fall, way too many would be skipped.
Good luck to y’all. Vaya con dios.
Drought news: Southeastern Colorado still in drought
May 29, 2011
From the Associated Press (Sheila V Kumar) via The Durango Herald:
Mark Svoboda, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, said about 30 percent of Colorado has been classified as experiencing severe drought conditions. Seven percent of Colorado has been experiencing extreme drought conditions: Baca, eastern Las Animas, most of Bent and Prowers, parts of Otero, Crowley and Kiowa counties. “An extreme drought means these conditions happen about once every 20 years. One way to equate it is if I had 100 years of data, in 95 of those 100 years (we) are better off than we are now,” Svoboda said…
Bruce Fickenscher, a range and livestock agent for the southeast area, said rain gauges scattered around counties indicate there has been less than 2 inches of rain in the area since October. The little bit of green growth they saw has since died and withered away. “Range conditions for pastures are way past serious. Livestock has started to leave because there are no range grasses to speak of. And hay is becoming very hard to find,” Fickenscher said.
From EstesParkNews.com:
The Historic Fall River Hydroplant, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built by F. O. Stanley to provide electric power to the Stanley Hotel when it opened in 1909. It not only provided electric power to the Stanley Hotel, but was the exclusive source of electricity for the Town of Estes Park until the 1940s. Visit the Hydroplant to learn the details of its fascinating story. Located at 1754 Fish Hatchery Road, it will open for the season on Tuesday, May 31. Hours are 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. daily except Mondays. Admission is free. Private tours are available for a small fee by calling 970-577-3762. For more information, visit www.estes.org/hydroplant.
More hydroelectric coverage here.
Colorado Division of Water Resources: Third meeting for Division 1 Well Measurement Rules set for May 31
May 29, 2011
From email from the DWR (Jonathan Hernandez):
The Greeley meeting has been set for May 31, 2011 at 6pm:
Greeley – May 31st, 6pm
Island Grove – 4-H Building
525 N 15th Ave (Approx.)
Greeley, CO
More groundwater coverage here.
Arkansas River basin: The Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District approves funds for water quality study
May 29, 2011
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
The U.S. Geological Survey monitors the entire Arkansas River in Colorado from Leadville to the Kansas state line through a series of stream gauges and testing stations. The Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District board voted [May 18] to continue funding of a water quality station below John Martin Reservoir and seven stream gauge stations for $31,500. The USGS picks up $18,100 of the cost.
The major water quality issue on the Arkansas River remains salinity, which increases from less than 100 parts per million at Granite, near the headwaters in Lake County, to more than 3,000 ppm at the state line, said David Mau of the Pueblo USGS office. “We also have 120 wells to monitor groundwater levels and look at changes in the aquifer,” Mau said. “That gives us information as there are changes in water and land use.”
More Arkansas River basin coverage here.
San Juan Basin: ‘My water comes from the San Juan Mountains’ water curriculum in use for third to fifth graders
May 29, 2011
From The Durango Herald (Emery Cowan):
The program, designed for third- through fifth-graders, is called “My Water Comes From the San Juan Mountains” and includes a storybook, lesson plans and activity kit. The project was a collaboration between the Mountain Studies Institute, San Juan Public Lands, the University of Colorado at Boulder and Fort Lewis College. The books and activity kits were introduced into classrooms last August, said Randy Boyer, executive director of the San Juan Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which helped get the curriculum into schools. In all, teachers in 15 elementary schools from Pagosa Springs to Dove Creek were given the book, lesson plans and a tub of the supplies needed to produce about 30 hands-on experiments for students. The experiments allow students to explore topics such as life in local creeks, how water runs through the San Juan Mountains and the dynamics of the Animas River, said Marcie Demmy Bidwell, executive director of Mountain Studies Institute…
One of the most effective resources in the kit was a relief map of the San Juan Mountains that students could pour water on to simulate rainfall and the way water runs through the mountains, [Linda Wilkinson a teacher at Park Elementary School] said.
More education coverage here.
From the Valley Courier (Ruth Heide):
The mechanism that keeps the water flowing when it should and contains it when it shouldn’t is a tower only accessible by a cable and gondola across the water. Although a tramway engineer inspected the cable and said it was safe, he and the folks who operate it would like to see some improvements for safety purposes.
As part of a first rehabilitation phase, the Sanchez Ditch & Reservoir Company sought funding this month from the Rio Grande Roundtable to perform a gondola and tramway feasibility study, make operational and safety repairs and install an automated hydraulic system. The district requested $10,000 from local basin funds and $85,000 from state water funds, which will go before the Colorado Water Conservation Board for ultimate approval. The reservoir company is putting $33,160 of its own money into the project as well…
He described the 150-foot-high tower in the reservoir that controls, through a series of valves and gates, the flows in and out of the reservoir. The tower was designed in 1910. Robinson said the system currently is labor intensive, and the reservoir company would like to make upgrades that would make it more efficient. For example, if the company had an automated system, adjustments to water levels could be made without physically going to the tower. Cutting down the trips back and forth to the tower would decrease the safety risks of using the cable and tramway system, he added…
The budget for this phase includes: $6,160 for cylinder repair/upgrades; $4,600 for gondola/tramway evaluation; $22,400 for gondola repairs/upgrade; $10,000 for feasibility study; $40,000 for the hydraulic system; $25,000 for solar system for alternative power to the generator that is currently used for power; $5,000 for vandalism prevention; $9,600 for supervision/administration; and $5,400 for contingency.
More Rio Grande River basin coverage here.
I’ve been watching Clear Creek at Golden and the Cache la Poudre at Fort Collins via the text message service, USGS Water Alert. You choose a threshold for either gage height or flow in cubic feet per second along with a frequency for notification. Notification is via text message or email.
The USGS also runs an online application Water Watch. If you select by state, say Colorado, you can mouse over your favorite gage and read the current stats. The application shows a graphical representation of all reporting gages across the state as well.
Click on the thumbnail graphic above and to the right for a screen shot from this morning. The dots represent current streamflow as compared to average at the location. The legend is at the bottom.
Update: The state website is now back up.
The state’s website is not responding this morning so I’ll point you to it when the link will work.
Wow, Flood DSS is also down. That can’t be good if you’re depending on it for information to use for flood response or emergency response this weekend.
The outage is widespread. The governor’s and state legislature’s websites are not reachable .
From the Sky-Hi Daily News (Reid Armstrong):
But this is only the start of what is setting up to be a historic season on the river — unlike anything seen since the 1980s. The betting types are beginning to cast their wagers on when and at what level the river will peak this year. Some are saying that, with the right combination of dam releases and warm weather, the flow past the Kremmling gauge could double yet again in the next few weeks, possibly even breaking the 13,600 cfs record set in 1984. Even conservative betters are estimating that the Upper Colorado will be running at around 9,000 cfs by the second week in June.
Meanwhile, Larimer County is gearing up for flooding at Laporte according to Monte Whaley writing for The Denver Post. From the article:
Fears of flash flooding of the Cache La Poudre River near Laporte has prompted the Larimer County sheriff to call for a public meeting to map out a strategy. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the Cache La Poudre Elementary School, 3511 West County Road 54G, in Laporte.
Sheriff Justin Smith said a similar meeting may be held in the Big Thompson River area. On July 31, 1976, the Big Thompson flash flooded, killing 139 people.
From the Cortez Journal (Reid Wright):
After being postponed for fish spawning and dreary weather, Dolores Water Conservancy District Manager Mike Preston said the water release will begin gradually below the McPhee Reservoir and should reach 1,000 cubic feet per second by Friday afternoon…
After this weekend, the water district plans to reduce the flow to a navigable 800 cfs. Depending on water supply, the 800 cfs could last until June 6 or beyond, Preston said. Recent high-altitude snowstorms provided enough water for a release for recreational boating on the Lower Dolores River…
“Last year, because of all the monsoon rains, people weren’t irrigating as heavily,” Preston has said. “We ended up about 25,000 acre-feet in the reservoir higher than the previous year, and that’s what we’re going to spill. Water managers are always trying to hold on to as much carry-over storage as possible.”
From the Colorado Independent (David O. Williams):
Denver District Judge Brian Whitney sided with the Telluride-based Sheep Mountain Alliance, which contends the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) may have violated various state and federal laws in issuing a permit for the mill. The lawsuit can now move forward. The state and the project developer, Toronto-based Energy Fuels, had argued that the court had no role in reviewing the radioactive materials license for the proposed mill or jurisdiction in the case.
“For too long, state radiation regulators and the uranium industry has had a cozy relationship that has caused long-term contamination to continue unabated here on the Western Slope and on the Front Range,” said Hilary White, executive director of Sheep Mountain Alliance.
“That questionable relationship continues today as both Energy Fuels and the state try to argue Colorado residents have no seat at the table in trying to protect our clean air and water from uranium mining and milling. Thankfully, the court has rejected those arguments.”[...]
In his ruling on Wednesday, Whitney wrote that Sheep Mountain Alliance “members’ property interests, monetary interests, recreational interests, agricultural interests, and ecological interests are adversely affected by the issuance of the license” and that their “interests are those of an organization whose members are or will be injured, not an organization with mere interest in a problem.”
More coverage from Katie Klinsporn writing for The Telluride Daily Planet. From the article:
In early February, SMA filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in the wake of the agency’s decision to grant a radioactive materials permit to Canadian company Energy Fuels. The suit argued that Colorado regulators violated state and federal laws when they issued the license, which allows Energy Fuels to move forward on plans to build and operate a uranium mill in the remote and beautiful Paradox Valley near the Utah border. The CDPHE and Energy Fuels both shot back, filing motions urging the court to dismiss SMA’s suit, alleging that the environmental organization lacks standing in the case…
The judge determined that Sheep Mountain Alliance has legal standing in the matter and has properly established that the property, monetary, recreational, agricultural, and ecological interests of its members are affected by the issuance of the license. “To dismiss at this juncture would deny [SMA] the opportunity to present the Court with their evidence concerning improper procedure for review and would prevent the Court the opportunity to fashion appropriate relief if [SMA’s] claims have merit,” the filing reads…
“It’s good that we’re going to get a review of the decision and the decision-making process by someone other than the folks who wrote the permit,” said Travis Stills, the Durango attorney representing SMA. “This [judicial review] will be the first outside look into whether or not they actually did what they said, which is to protect health, protect the water and protect the air.” Stills said one of the biggest takeaways from the ruling is that “there’s a lot of time and effort wasted by the state trying to tell its citizens that they have no business in reviewing its actions.
Clear Creek is still running at less than 50% of the historic mean as of this morning. Click on the thumbnail graphic to the right for a screen shot from the USGS gage earlier today.
