From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
Inflows to Ruedi Reservoir have started to drop off. As a result, today [June 22] we will start decreasing releases from the dam to the lower Fryingpan River.
The first change will be made this evening around 6 p.m. We will decrease by 50 cfs. The resulting release from the dam will be about 673 cfs.
With the Rocky Fork still contributing upwards of 60 cfs, the gage below Ruedi Dam has been reading around 783 cfs. After the change this evening, it will read closer to 730 cfs.
I have a new graphic of reservoir fill timing on the website. I’m having a little Internet glitch, right now, but should have the updated website available later tonight or first thing in the morning.
Once the updated site is live, you will notice I have included some information towards the bottom of the page regarding upcoming public meetings. Although the schedule is not firm yet, it looks like we will be having our annual Ruedi Operations Public Meeting on Wednesday, July 13. At this meeting, we will give a quick overview of this year’s run-off and look towards the projections for Fryingpan flows in late summer and early fall.
Also, it is most likely we will host another public meeting on Thursday, July 28 as part of our public involvement process under the National Environmental Policy Act for a draft Environmental Assessment on Ruedi’s participation in the Upper Colorado River Endangered Species Recovery Program. I’ll have more details on that meeting as we get closer to firming up the date and the draft EA. But, if all scheduling goes as planned, both meetings will be at the Basalt Town Hall, starting at 7 p.m. So, please mark your calendars.
From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
We are diverting a full Boustead Tunnel from the upper Fryingpan Basin to Turquoise Reservoir on the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project–around 900 cfs.
We continue to balance Fry-Ark, and other project, imports with native inflow at Turquoise Reservoir. As a result, we are releasing approximately 265 cfs–all native snow-melt run-off from local mountains we have to pass downstream–from Sugarloaf Dam to Lake Fork Creek.
There are currently some municipal exchanges going on that have adjusted the releases from Twin Lakes to Lake Creek. On June 22, releases from Twin Lakes Dam dropped to about 192 cfs. Currently, no Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water is being released to Lake Creek. Once the municipal exchanges are completed, Fry-Ark project releases will resume. As a result, we anticipate that releases from Twin Lakes to Lake Creek will be back to over 600 cfs by noon on Friday, June 24.
More Fryingpan-Arkansas Project coverage here.
Conservation: Vail watering restrictions
June 23, 2011
From the Vail Daily:
The regulations prohibit outdoor water use on Mondays and require customers to adhere to an odd/even watering schedule on Tuesday through Sunday. Also, watering must occur before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. to minimize losing water to evaporation. Property owners may water up to three days per week; those with a street address ending in an odd number can water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Those, with a street address ending in an even number may water on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
More conservation coverage here.
Water Center at Mesa State College: Call for abstracts for the October 31 ‘Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum’
June 23, 2011
From email from the Water Center at Mesa State College (Hannah Holm):
The Water Center at Mesa State is planning a one-day Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum on October 31. I’ve attached the call for abstracts for the event…
We’re more interested in fresh ideas than polished projects, and this is intended to be primarily a networking event: No keynote speaker, just people sharing ideas and making connections. We’d love to have practitioners as well as academics present, and we’re interested in shining the spotlight on research people feel needs to be done as well as projects already completed.
More Colorado River basin coverage here.
Municipal Deliveries of Colorado River Basin Water: New Report Examines 100 Cities and Agencies
June 23, 2011
Here’s the release from the Pacific Institute:
The Pacific Institute’s Municipal Deliveries of Colorado River Basin Water documents population and water delivery information and trends for 100 cities and agencies that deliver water from the Colorado River basin. Since 1990, the number of people in the United States and Mexico who use Colorado River basin water has increased by more than 10 million – but their overall per capita water use declined by an average of at least one percent per year from 1990 to 2008.
The new report provides – for the first time – real numbers on the extraordinary population growth among cities that depend on water from the basin and on changing water delivery rates by these cities. The report documents the substantial water-efficiency gains made over the past twenty years by agencies delivering water from the Colorado River basin – even by agencies and cities such as Flagstaff that already had relatively low per capita delivery rates in 1990.
Download the full report here.
Water taken from streams and rivers and pumped from the ground within the nearly quarter-million-square-mile Colorado River basin now meets some or all of the needs of almost 35 million people, including fast-growing cities within the basin such as Las Vegas and Phoenix and St. George, Utah. Some cities, especially in Arizona and Utah, have more than tripled in size since 1990. But more than 70% of the people receiving such water live outside the basin, in cities such as Cheyenne, Denver, and Albuquerque to the east and Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Tijuana to the west of the basin.
From 1990 to 2008, total municipal water deliveries from the Colorado River basin increased by more than 600,000 acre-feet, at a rate much slower than population growth. In fact, the new study shows that if water deliveries had increased at the same rate as population growth, they would have grown by almost two million acre-feet – assuming that much additional water was even available for delivery.
From 1990 to 2008, per capita water delivery rates declined dramatically in Albuquerque (38%); Southern Nevada (31%); Phoenix (30%); and San Diego County (29%). Southern California agencies delivered 4% less water in 2008 than they had in 1990, despite delivering water to almost 3.6 million more people. In fact, 28 water agencies in five different states delivered less water in 2008 than they had in 1990 despite population growth in their service areas, evidence that water deliveries do not simply track population.
Municipal deliveries – which include deliveries to the residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors, but do not include deliveries to agriculture, energy producers, or mining – comprise about 15% of total Colorado River use (agriculture uses more than 70%). But as the fastest-growing sector, municipal use drives demands for additional water supplies and places pressure on a river system that is over-allocated and facing a supply-demand imbalance, as well as the prospect of long-term declines in run-off due to climate change.
Municipal Deliveries of Colorado River Basin Water shows that projecting future water demands should take into account the successes achieved in cities where there are many examples of water conservation in practice that could be adopted or emulated by the less water efficient providers.
The Pacific Institute has also posted the data used for the report, available as a spreadsheet here.
Data were generally reported by the agencies themselves. Email crbwater [at] pacinst.org if you have any corrections to the data, or would like any additional information.
More coverage from Joe Hanel writing for The Durango Herald. From the article:
The Pacific Institute report, to be released today, shows cities in the Colorado River Basin saved 2 million acre-feet a year compared with their per-person consumption rates in 1990. “That’s a huge amount of water, so that’s a lot of savings for the system,” said Michael Cohen, author of the report…
Durangoans use an average of 209 gallons of water a day, above the 2008 Colorado average of 176 gallons. The Durango City Council adopted a water-efficiency plan Monday night with the goal of further reducing waste in the system…
The Colorado River serves as the main water supply in the Southwestern United States, from Denver to Los Angeles. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation found this year that the average demand on the river has begun to exceed the average supply. Farms still consume 70 percent of the river’s water, but cities present the fastest-growing demand, the report says. The basin’s population has boomed to 33.5 million, an increase of 10 million since 1990, according to the report. But the increase in water use was far below the population increase, and some cities – including Los Angeles and Albuquerque – used less total water in 2008 than in 1990, despite growing populations.
More coverage from Gary Harmon writing for The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article:
“This is a significant achievement, demonstrating that water demand can be successfully delinked from growth,” study author Michael Cohen of the Oakland, Calif.,-based Pacific Institute wrote in its report: “Municipal Deliveries of Colorado River Basin Water.” While the notion that water can be used more efficiently is not a new one, the study illustrates there is plenty of room for improvement, said Gigi Richard, director of the Water Center at Mesa State College.
“There is the potential for leaps and bounds of water savings” through more efficient use of water, Richard said. “I think we still have a long way to go” to make maximum use of water…
Had water agencies from the Front Range of Colorado to the Pacific Coast delivered water to their customers in 2008 at the same rate they were in 1990, they would have piped about 8.5 million acre-feet into homes and businesses. Instead, the amount delivered was about 6.5 million acre-feet…
Cohen, who began his study in August, carefully avoided trying to draw policy conclusions. “I’m trying in this report to be unbiased,” he said. “I hope other people use the data and draw their own conclusions.” The study, however, “certainly raises the question” as to how much water remains in the Colorado River for appropriation, he said.
More conservation coverage here.
From the Sky-Hi Daily News (Tonya Bina):
Adding to flows will be increases from Lake Granby, which should top out at 2,400 to 2,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) by Monday to keep pace with runoff. “We’re on our way up to 2,500 cfs,” said Kara Lamb, spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the Colorado-Big Thompson water delivery system. About 430 cfs will be released through the dam gates, the rest by way of the spillway, she said. As of Thursday, Lake Granby releases were up to 1,400 cfs, a large increase over the day before.
Meanwhile Willow Creek flows, which peaked last week, should see 960 cfs out of Willow Creek Dam. Especially at the confluence of the Colorado River and Willow Creek, flooding is expected for low-lying areas next week. “We’re not willing to say we’re past all ideas of flooding,” said Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District spokesperson Brian Werner, although due to mild June temperatures, 2011 has been an “ideal water runoff year,” he said.
Northern’s forecast was that 400,000 acre feet (an acre foot is enough to cover one acre with one foot of water) would run into Lake Granby this year — considered an all time record. So far, about 150,000 acre feet of that has made it to the lake. And at Lake Irene near the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park, measurements this week showed an equivalent of 21 inches of water in the snowpack, whereas about 5 inches would be considered normal…
On the main stem of the Colorado River, water forecasters are predicting the Kremmling gauge to show a secondary peak of about 9,000 cfs during the June 24-25 weekend…
Meanwhile, Denver Water has decreased its diversions through the Moffat Tunnel, meaning more water is flowing in the Fraser River. “But we’re not planning on turning (Moffat diversions) off,” said Denver Water’s Manager of Raw Water Supply Bob Steger, on Thursday. On Monday, June 13, water being diverted to Gross Reservoir through the tunnel was at a rate of 800 cfs, but by Thursday, that rate had dropped to a goal of about 400 cfs…
According to water forecasters, the Fraser River will remain at about 1,100 cfs, then peak next week at about 1,700 cfs.
From The Denver Post (Karen Crummy):
It’s unclear whether Dyer resigned or was fired as the Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater Authority continues to grapple with the fallout from problems with the deal first revealed by The Denver Post in March. Two board members recently resigned because of conflicts of interest. Dyer declined to discuss the circumstances surrounding his sudden departure May 31 as government-relations director. But he left two weeks after The Post requested 4 1/2 months of Dyer’s e-mails to and from a number of individuals, including Robert Lembke, head of the United Water and Sanitation District…
Lembke and United are an integral part of the water deal, in charge of building a reservoir and delivering water rights to the ACWWA. Lembke is considered a divisive figure in Colorado water, using the power of his special district to buy and sell water up and down the Front Range.
Click through for more details and to read some of Dyer’s email correspondence.
More ACWWA coverage here.
The Pueblo Board of Water Works is looking at micro-hydropower to offset electrical operating costs
June 22, 2011
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
The water board spends about $2.2 million on electricity each year, or about 7 percent of its $30 million budget. Energy costs could increase by $1.2 million annually with proposed rate increases, said Terry Book, deputy executive director. The water board has a 20-year-old plan to retrofit its water line from Pueblo Dam for hydroelectric generation, but it was not economical to build it in the past. The cost to install it in 1990 was $4 million, and the price of selling it to the power company at the time wasn’t high enough to make a deal worthwhile. Hydro would generate only 0.3-1.2 megawatts of electricity, which would only supply a fraction of the water board’s needs.
The water board also could look at solar panels and wind generation.
More Pueblo Board of Water Works coverage here.
From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
Starting today [June 19], we’ll be doing a little work on one of the hydro-electric generating units at the Green Mountain Power Plant on Green Mountain Dam. As a result, releases from the dam to the Lower Blue began cutting back late last night/early this morning. By early afternoon today (June 19) we anticipate having releases down to around 750 cubic feet per second.
Releases are scaling back in 100 cfs increments. The first change was at 10 p.m. last night, then 1 a.m. this morning, and again this morning at 6 a.m. Early this afternoon, when the unit is removed from service for maintenance, we will drop the last 100 cfs. That last change will leave about 750 cfs going through the other generating unit and flowing down the Lower Blue.
Right now, we are estimating the work will complete by Wednesday. Once the unit is returned to service, we will start ramping releases up again. However, with new snow in the mountains lately, we are not yet sure how high the releases will go later this week. I will update you once we have a better idea.
As for the reservoir, it is currently at a water level elevation of 7930 feet. That’s about 20 feet down from full. The reservoir has been filling pretty steadily for the last two weeks. It has gone up half a foot since midnight.
More Colorado-Big Thompson coverage here.
Here’s a release from the Environmental Working Group (Lauren Pagel/Leeann Brown):
The Obama administration today took an emergency measure to bar new mining claims on a 1-million-acre area around the Grand Canyon until December. At that time, administration officials indicated they hope to come up with a more comprehensive solution to protect one million acres around Grand Canyon National Park from new mining claims for the next 20 years.
The million-acre area has been off limits to mining for the past two years. That moratorium, issued by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is set to expire July 20.
“The 26 million Americans who rely on the Colorado River for drinking water have some breathing room,” said EWG senior counsel Dusty Horwitt. “Now we need to work to ensure the Interior Department follows through” with a permanent ban on new mining claims.
“This decision will help protect our most famous natural landmark and the lifeblood of the Southwest,” Horwitt said. “Congress must ensure that this land is permanently put off-limits to new mining claims.”
“The Grand Canyon is an American icon and part of a water network that provides the most basic need of a vast area of the Southwest,” said Lauren Pagel, policy director of Earthworks, an international mining reform organization. “The Canyon and the Colorado River deserve permanent protection from uranium mining.”
A study by Environmental Working Group and Earthworks published last week called uranium mining near the park “a gamble with our most treasured national park and the drinking water for 26 million Americans” who rely on Colorado River water.
Thirty-five hundred uranium mining claims lie within the protected area. The White House cannot legally nullify existing claims, but barring new claims makes mining on existing claims more difficult.
Sixty-one of these claims are held by Karen Wenrich, a mining industry consultant whose analysis of mining impacts on the Colorado river was used by the Bureau of Land Management in an environmental impact analysis released earlier this year. The BLM relied on Wenrich’s research to downplay risks to the river, but did not disclose Wenrich’s status as a claimholder or that she stood to make $225,000 by selling her claims to a uranium mining company if the Interior Department left the million-acre area open to new claims.
EWG and Earthworks’ recent report highlighted this conflict of interest in addition to other concerns surrounding mining in the area, including the fact that foreign companies hold hundreds of claims near the park. Under the current mining law, written in 1872, companies do not have to pay any royalties to the U.S. government for mining on public lands.
More coverage from David O. Williams writing for the Colorado Independent. From the article:
Speaking at Grand Canyon National Park today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims as the “preferred alternative” in an ongoing federal review of hardrock mining on the 1 million acres of public lands surrounding the Grand Canyon.
Salazar immediately issued a “temporary emergency withdrawal” through December of this year as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management prepares an environmental impact statement on mining around the Grand Canyon that’s expected to be released this fall.
Other alternatives include leaving all 1 million acres open to new mining claims, withdrawing 300,000 acres, withdrawing 650,000 acres or withdrawing the full 1 million acres.
In announcing the full withdrawal as the preferred alternative, Salazar cited water quality concerns and the economic benefit of the more than 4 million visitors a year and $3.5 billion in tourism and outdoor recreation spending in the Grand Canyon region of northern Arizona.
Click on the thumbnail graphic to the right for a screen shot of the rainfall out of yesterday’s end of spring rainstorm in the Denver Metro area from the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District. Rainfall near Gulch Manor (Little Dry Creek at 64th) was nearly an inch.
Pueblo County received good moisture as well, ending 26 days without precipitation. Here’s a report from Gayle Perez writing for The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The National Weather Service reported approximately 0.94 of an inch of rain fell at the Pueblo Memorial Airport by Monday afternoon from a storm that brought much-needed moisture to the region. The last time Pueblo had any measurable precipitation was May 24. That’s when 0.04 of an inch of rain was reported at the airport. A trace of rain was reported June 1 and again June 17…
North of Pueblo there was 0.80 inches of rain reported, while 0.60 was reported in University Park and 0.38 inches in Pueblo West, according to weather spotters.
Here’s the link to the precipitation reports from the Community Cooperative Rain Hail and Snow Network.
More coverage from Chris Woodka writing for The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
“We’ve had anywhere from 0.8 to 1.5 inches along the ditch,” said Manny Torrez, superintendent of the Fort Lyon Canal, which stretches 113 miles from La Junta to Lamar. “It’s the first big rain we’ve had since last July over such a big area.” Coupled with the third week of a big runoff in the Arkansas River as snow melts — levels have been above 3,000 cubic feet per second at Avondale — the rain is a welcome relief…
On the High Line Canal, which irrigates farms in Pueblo and Otero counties, rain measured 1-2 inches Monday, helping to offset dry conditions, said Superintendent Dan Henrichs…
The call on the Arkansas River was at the Colorado Canal’s 1890 appropriation date on Monday, a relatively junior water right, and releases from Pueblo Dam were increased to reflect more water coming into the system upstream. Flows in the Arkansas River at Parkdale still are hovering around 3,500 cfs, where they have been for the past two weeks. High-water advisories for Pine Creek, the Numbers and the Royal Gorge continued this week for rafters in the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area…
“We got 2 inches of new snow last night,” said Roy Vaughan, the Bureau of Reclamation’s manager for the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. “There is still a lot of snow on both sides in the deep valleys and on the northern slopes. There is still quite a bit up there.” So far, the Fry-Ark Project has brought more than 39,200 acre-feet of water across the Continental Divide, about 40 percent of what is ultimately expected this year.
From 9News.com (Brooke Thacker):
[Monday] Sections of the Cherry Creek bike path in downtown Denver are closed off due to high water. The Creek is swollen with water and is overflowing onto its banks in places. On Monday morning, the City of Denver sent out crews to clear debris out of drains such as trash, branches and tree limbs.
Much of the rainfall in the Denver Metro area runs off into the storm sewer system and ends up in the South Platte River. Click on the thumbnail graphic to the right for a hydrograph of the the South Platte at Denver gage from the Colorado Division of Water Resources.
From The Greeley Tribune:
Because of recent heavy rains, the National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for Poudre River in the Greeley area and South Platte River near Kersey. The advisory is in effect until Wednesday afternoon for the South Platte and Saturday afternoon for the Poudre.
From the Associated Press via The Denver Post:
The National Weather Service is warning of minor flooding after advisories were issued for rivers in northern and central Colorado. The flood advisories were issued for the Cache La Poudre, South Platte, the Colorado, the North Platte, Eagle and Elk rivers.
Durango: City council adopts new water management plan to raise efficiency in the system
June 21, 2011
From The Durango Herald (Jordyn Dahl):
According to information provided by the Department of Public Works, Durango has seen more efficient water delivery. While the population has increased by more than 40 percent in the last 30 years, the city treated the same amount of water in 2010 as it did in 1980. But water is consumed in Durango at a total rate of 209 gallons per capita daily, which is higher than the Colorado average.
The Water Efficiency Management Plan was originally developed in the fall of 2010, and city staff members say the plan will not directly affect the city’s 2011 budget. Eventually, implementation of the plan will cost about $75,000 a year.
The first step will be a systemwide audit to determine how to conduct new meter testing and develop more efficient repair and installation activities.
More infrastructure coverage here.
Drought news: Governor Hickenlooper requests drought assistance for Baca, Prowers and Otero counties
June 20, 2011
From the Colorado Independent (Scot Kersgaard):
“Colorado’s southern counties are experiencing significant drought resulting in failed grain crops as well as the loss of forage for livestock,” the governor’s letter said. Baca, Crowley and Otero counties asked Hickenlooper to seek the federal assistance and be declared primary drought disaster areas. The declaration, if approved, would allow farmers and ranchers to apply for emergency loans if they are unable to obtain credit elsewhere.
More drought coverage from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
Emergency grazing of Conservation Reserve Program acreage has been approved for eight Southern Colorado counties: Baca, Otero, Crowley, Kiowa, Prowers, Bent, Pueblo and Las Animas. “This authorization provides relief for many Colorado livestock producers who have suffered through severe drought conditions,” said Trudy Kareus, state executive director of the Colorado Farm Service Agency. “The drought has depleted hay supplies and affected the growth of hay and pasture in parts of Colorado. Many livestock producers cannot maintain their current herds without implementation of . . . emergency grazing,” Kareus said. Emergency grazing is allowed through Sept. 30.
The authorization calls for participants to leave at least 25 percent of each field or contiguous reserve program fields ungrazed for wildlife, or graze not more than 75 percent of the stocking rate. And all livestock must be removed by the end of this grazing period.
From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Gary Harmon):
Energy Fuels Resources Inc. will spend about $1 million during the next 18 months on mines, drilling and other activities aimed at getting ready for feeding ore to the mill, the company said. “Energy Fuels is quietly assembling an impressive array of properties on the Colorado Plateau,” Energy Fuels President and Chief Executive Officer Steven P. Antony said.
While pursuing construction of the $150 million mill, Energy Fuels is taking steps to ascertain the value of its current holdings and seek new sources of uranium and vanadium, possibly in other mines that Energy Fuels might consider acquiring. “Our ultimate goal is to bring these proven and formerly producing mines back into production and process the material at the Pinon Ridge Mill,” Antony said.
Plans include drilling, resource verification and the preparation of technical reports to reflect the size and grade of resources in compliance with Canadian reporting standards, company spokesman Gary Steele said…
Meanwhile, it is seeking U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval of a state air-quality permit and construction of the tailings impoundment.
More coverage Katharhynn Heidelberg writing for the Montrose Daily Press. From the article:
“What we’re doing is acquiring more property that has uranium, that might eventually be made into mines in the future, in Southwest Colorado and southeastern Utah,” said spokesman Curtis Moore on Friday. “We’re not increasing any mill capacity.”
The proposed Piñon Ridge mill’s permits and licenses allow for 500 tons per day of uranium and vanadium to be processed. Although Energy Fuels wants to expand mine properties by acquiring leases and mineral rights, the mill itself is not expanding, Moore said. “The mill cap of 500 tons per day, that’s what we’re permitted for. That’s not changing,” he said.
Energy policy — coalbed methane: Water Court Division Seven judge dismisses BP America and others applications
June 20, 2011
From the Associated Press via The Denver Post:
The Durango Herald reports BP America Production Co. and others had sought claims to nontributary groundwater, which isn’t considered connected to surface streams. Water Judge Gregory Lyman said last month that state law gives landowners the right to such water under their property, so companies need landowners’ consent first.
Runoff news: Summit County cancels voluntary evacuation order for Montezuma, Peru Creek water levels falling
June 20, 2011
From The Denver Post:
Minor issued the evacuation order after a partially blocked culvert threatened to flood homes on Montezuma Road at Peru Creek, according to the sheriff. The creek dropped between two and three feet last night [June 17], said Tracy LeClair, spokeswoman for the Summit County Sheriff’s Department.
FIBArk Festival recap: Flying Ligers win raft rodeo
June 20, 2011
From The Mountain Mail (Kevin Hoffman):
A panel of judges chose the best rafts loosely based on spectator reaction and criteria such as biggest flip and most creative pirating attempt. The Ligers were steered by Boulder residents Gary Lacy, Spencer Lacy and Shane Sigle along with Mark Poindexter of Austin, Texas. The crew had several passengers throughout the tournament, but Spencer Lacy won the crowd’s attention with several flips off the raft into the wave…
In second place the Black Sheep, a Raft Masters guide known as B.L., captained his boat solo. Two unidentified men steering a green craft aptly called the Leprechaun took third place in the event.
Click through for a photo of the event.
More whitewater coverage here.
CWCB: Next board meeting will be in Walden on July 12-13
June 20, 2011
Here’s the meeting notice from the Colorado Water Conservation Board:
Notice is hereby given that a meeting of the CWCB will be held on Tuesday July 12, 2011, commencing at 8:00 a.m. and continuing through Wednesday, July 13, 2011. This meeting will be held at the Antlers Inn, in Walden Colorado…
Complete information about these activities can be found on CWCB’s Website:
www.cwcb.state.co.us.More CWCB coverage here.
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Matt Hildner):
Valley snowmelt peaked on Wednesday and the region’s stream flows are dropping, while windy and dry conditions continue…
Federal agricultural officials, meanwhile, are considering whether to request a disaster designation that would make valley producers eligible for relief funds and other programs.
The U.S. Drought Monitor lists Alamosa and parts of Conejos and Costilla counties as being in extreme drought. The remainder of Costilla and parts of Conejos, Rio Grande and Saguache counties are in severe drought, according to the monitor. Kevin Reeves, executive director of Alamosa County’s Farm Service Administration office, said he and other FSA officials were seeking to set up a joint meeting of the valley’s county emergency boards. Those boards, which include other FSA and federal land management personnel, would have to send a request for the designation to the state FSA office, which would then be forwarded to the governor. The governor, in turn, would have to request the designation from the U.S. secretary of agriculture.
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
The Northern El Paso County district would purchase the 3,500 [acre] JV Ranch southeast of Fountain for $25 million-$31 million, with the final price dependent on how much water is available through a Water Court decree. The application for the decree has not been filed. Water rights on the ranch would total 2,500-3,500 acre-feet annually, and would include Calhan Reservoir, a 70-acre storage site with a 1909 decree. The purchase would complement its other plans to buy water on three ditches in the Lower Arkansas Valley, which have been announced over the past two years, not replace them, according to a letter to customer by manager Jessie Shaffer…
This week, a trial date for June 2013 was set in Division 2 Water Court for Woodmoor’s application to exchange water rights it is attempting to purchase in the Lower Ark Valley…
The trial will come after the Pueblo Board of Water Works rejected Woodmoor’s attempt to negotiate a settlement through stipulations before the Water Court referee, which is a common way to settle water cases in the state. Water board members and staff argued that the removal of water from the Arkansas River basin to a water system that enters another basin is too serious an issue to compromise on.
More Arkansas River basin coverage here.
Runoff news: Heavy rain has Peru Creek running high
June 18, 2011
From TheDenverChannel.com (Wayne Harrison):
Sheriff’s officials said heavy rains Friday prompted warnings to residents to be ready to leave. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Tracy LeClair said Peru Creek has been running high with melting snow and the area is getting heavy rain. LeClair said the sheriff’s office will decide whether mandatory evacuations are necessary. Montezuma in central Colorado is about eight miles east of the Keystone resort and about 10,000 feet in elevation.
From the Delta County Independent (Kathy Browning):
“In the state of the river address with plotted snow pack for the North Fork, we are down below our peak snow pack. . . We are down far enough that even if it turned really hot or rained, we wouldn’t have any problems here,” [Paonia mayor Neal Schwieterman] explained. “Now the snow packs on Grand Mesa and above Crested Butte are nowhere near having the peak [snow pack] being drained off. Delta has more issues. Based on our potential for flooding, we are pretty sure we are beyond it up here.”[...]
Mike Owens, Hotchkiss public works director, also agrees there is no danger in Hotchkiss of flooding. The river is running well below levels back in the 1990s when equipment was placed on the Highway 92 bridge to lift out debris from the water.
From the Summit Daily News (Janice Kurbjin):
Silverthorne, Dillon, Buffalo Mountain, Mesa Cortina and Dillon Valley are all partners in the [Joint Sewer Authority's Blue River Waste Water Treatment Plant]…
This year’s high flows didn’t affect the plant’s ability to treat water, but officials were keeping a close eye on inflow and infiltration levels to make sure it wouldn’t exceed capacity. At the same time, they were taking a look at the 80 to 100 miles of sewer line and manholes to identify cracks, holes and joints that needed fixing to prevent groundwater from entering the system and overflowing its capacity. “We don’t know it until the water’s high,” [Silverthorne utilities manager Zach Margolis] said, explaining that high groundwater tables allow officials to see the problems that aren’t otherwise visible…
In addition to spot fixes, the clay pipes installed in the 1970s have been almost entirely relined, he added.
From the Summit Daily News (Janice Kurbjin):
The FIBArk Whitewater Festival takes place Thursday through Sunday in and around Salida, where boaters gather for races, freestyle competitions, live music and beer from New Belgium Brewery and more. The Pine Creek race is the first competition for the weekend. Because commercial rafting cutoff for the section is at 1,200 cubic feet per second and as of Wednesday it was running at about 3,000 cfs, officials decided to move it downstream. “Safety first,” FIBArk Board president Samantha Lane said. “We might scare everyone away if we held it in Pine Creek because it’s so big.”
Southern Delivery System update: Colorado Springs Utilities is at odds with some of the landowners along the route
June 18, 2011
From NewsFirst5.com (David Ortiviz):
The billion dollar pipeline project will transfer water from the Pueblo Dam to Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security and Pueblo West. The issue–the pipeline will intersect more than a hundred properties. Land owners are being compensated, but some say they’re not being offered enough money. “I’m not going to let them bully me and take my property and give me peanuts for it,” said [Lavetta Kay]. Kay was offered $5,300 for her easement, however she wants triple that amount. Kay points out land owners won’t be able to build any permanent structures above the pipeline. “(Realtors) said my property won’t be able to be sold. It’s stigmatized,” said Kay…
Rummel says they’ve reached an agreement with most property owners, but they’re at an impasse with about ten of them like Kay who think they’re being ripped off. Rummel says SDS will still get to use the land through eminent domain. “The court will come in decide what we should pay these property owners and they will be compensated,” said [Janet Rummel, a spokesperson for SDS].
More coverage from NewsFirst5.com (David Ortiviz):
Construction is underway on a massive underground pipeline designed to meet future water needs in Southern Colorado…
From the reservoir the pipeline will run north through Pueblo West up to Colorado Springs. Phase one, which includes pump stations and a water treatment plant should be finished by 2016…
Phase two of the project is to build two new reservoirs in El Paso County. Rummel says construction on the reservoirs should start around 2020. Although it’s a lengthy and expensive project, Rummel says it gives communities a reliable water system for years to come. “It’s really an investment in our future, for future generations,” said Rummel.
Colorado-Big Thompson Project update: 1400 cfs and rising in the Upper Colorado River below Lake Granby
June 17, 2011
From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
The gates at Granby Dam have been cracked open above the spillway so that water is pushing over the spillway. While the reservoir is still about 20 feet down from full, water is pushing over the spillway gates because the lip of those gates is also about 20 feet down from a full water elevation.
Consequently, we are seeing releases to the Colorado River below the dam steadily increase as run-off inflow increases. As the run-off inflow comes up, we are seeing the original plan we at Reclamation and Northern Water introduced back in April materialize.
We had originally forecasted that releases from Granby could get as high as 2500 cfs–and that is what we anticipate will happen come the top of next week, around Monday or Tuesday June 20 and 21. Today, releases from Granby Dam got upwards of 1400 cfs. They will continue to increase through the weekend.
Inflows to Shadow Mountain Reservoir, which releases to Granby, and other inflows to Granby, are on the rise. They bump up especially at night, when melted snow that has traveled down from high mountain elevations reaches the reservoirs. Today, Shadow Mountain was releasing about 2600 cfs.
Willow Creek Reservoir, whose drainage basin sits at a slightly lower elevation, has possibly seen its snow melt run-off peak (although I wouldn’t say that is certain). Inflow to the reservoir has dropped off since last week when it was as high as 1300 cfs. It is now steadily bypassing about 960 cfs of run-off inflows.
Next week, when Granby’s releases reach their high mark, the Colorado River below its junction with Willow Creek will likely have flows upwards of 3300 cfs.
From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
Just a quick note that elevations are still on the rise for Horsetooth Reservoir, which will be above its average water level elevation for the coming Father’s Day weekend. And, Carter Lake remains full!
Fryingpan-Arkansas Project update: 850 cfs in the Fryingpan River below Ruedi Reservoir
June 17, 2011
From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
Last night [June 15], we saw inflows to Ruedi Reservoir bump up. As a result, we increased releases today. The increases were in 50 cfs increments, one at noon and one in just a few minutes. The total 100 cfs increase will put the discharge from the reservoir at about 775 cfs. With another 75 cfs still coming down the Rocky Fork, flows by the Ruedi Dam gage should soon read about 850 cfs.
More Fryingpan-Arkansas Project coverage here.
Runoff news: Many eyes are still on the Cache la Poudre, there is a lot of water yet to come off
June 17, 2011
From The Greeley Tribune (Sharon Dunn):
With 60 percent of the snowpack still pinched into the mountains up the Poudre Canyon, there’s always the chance of something going wrong. If the mountains receive a lot of rain, for example, state water officials have said, “all bets are off.”
Local officials are paying heed to such concerns. “We respect what this can do,” said Joel Hemesath, public works director for Greeley. “Snow is a dangerous thing, and rain on snow, things can change real quick. We’re not letting our guard down by any means and we’re not going to empty the sandbags.”[...]
At the mouth of the canyon, water levels have only slightly risen in the past couple of days. On Thursday, the river registered 2,860 cubic feet per second, not quite as high as last week, but up since Monday’s low. The slowing flows prompted state water officials to declare the Poudre had peaked. Cooler-than-expected temperatures and a tight snowpack have made runoff slower than officials had expected. Even if extra water comes down, Poudre River water commissioner George Varra said, local irrigation ditches that should be running at full speed could help ease off 1,800 cubic feet per second…
“We look at both Upper Colorado and Poudre (basins), and from both we figured we’ll have somewhere around 400,000 acre feet of runoff this year, and it’s run off roughly 150,000 acre feet so far.”
