Fountain Creek: The federal appeals court in Denver refuses to grant a rehearing for Pueblo DA’s lawsuit over Springs’ sewage spills

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Robert Boczkiewicz):

In a petition for rehearing, Thiebaut’s attorneys listed several reasons why he thought the decision was wrong. Judges of the Denver-based appeals court were not persuaded and last week denied the petition. In accord with their standard practice, they gave no reason in their three-sentence order. Thiebaut wanted to have October’s decision overturned on rehearing so he could revive a 2005 lawsuit he filed against Colorado Springs. It alleged the city violated the Clean Water Act numerous times from at least 1998 by discharging raw sewage, nonpotable water and excessive chlorine into the creek.

More Fountain Creek coverage here and here.

CWCB: Colorado River Water Availability Study mapping tool should be ready at the end of December

From email from the Colorado Water Conservation Board (Ray Alvarado):

The CWCB has been demonstrating a prototype of presenting StateMod modeling results as part of CRWAS…The final version will be available, along with all data results at the end of December.

Here’s a report about the prototype demonstration at last week’s Arkansas Basin Roundtable meeting, from Chris Woodka writing for The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

The interactive map also lets users know what kinds of data are available at any of 2,200 points throughout the watershed, said Ray Alvarado, of the CWCB staff. He demonstrated a model for the Arkansas Basin Roundtable last week. “Using the historical data, it can give you scenarios out to 2040 or 2070,” he said.

The information is important to water users in the Arkansas River basin who rely on imports of water from across the Continental Divide. Each year, about 130,000 acre-feet of water is imported to supplement municipal and agricultural supplies in the Arkansas River basin…

The model allows predicted changes in climate to be applied to historic river operations for similar years to understand how much water might be available, Alvarado said. The problem is that the climate models show a wide range of results, particularly as precipitation levels increase. While most of the climate models agree that temperatures will rise and snowpack will decrease over the next 50 years, they are uncertain about the additional amount of precipitation from rainfall and how a longer growing season would affect natural water consumption.

“I see this as working with the portfolio tool,” Alvarado said, referring to the Interbasin Compact Committee’s attempt to understand how supply projects, conservation and alternative agricultural transfers can work together to meet urban water needs.

More Colorado River basin coverage here.

IEA: ‘Without a bold change of policy direction, the world will lock itself into an insecure, inefficient and high-carbon energy system’

More from the release:

…”Growth, prosperity and rising population will inevitably push up energy needs over the coming decades. But we cannot continue to rely on insecure and environmentally unsustainable uses of energy,” said IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven. “Governments need to introduce stronger measures to drive investment in efficient and low-carbon technologies. The Fukushima nuclear accident, the turmoil in parts of the Middle East and North Africa and a sharp rebound in energy demand in 2010 which pushed CO2 emissions to a record high, highlight the urgency and the scale of the challenge.”

In the WEO’s central New Policies Scenario, which assumes that recent government commitments are implemented in a cautious manner, primary energy demand increases by one-third between 2010 and 2035, with 90% of the growth in non-OECD economies. China consolidates its position as the world’s largest energy consumer: it consumes nearly 70% more energy than the United States by 2035, even though, by then, per capita demand in China is still less than half the level in the United States. The share of fossil fuels in global primary energy consumption falls from around 81% today to 75% in 2035. Renewables increase from 13% of the mix today to 18% in 2035; the growth in renewables is underpinned by subsidies that rise from $64 billion in 2010 to $250 billion in 2035, support that in some cases cannot be taken for granted in this age of fiscal austerity. By contrast, subsidies for fossil fuels amounted to $409 billion in 2010.

More coverage from James Herron writing for The Wall Street Journal. From the article:

To prevent long-term average global temperatures rising more than two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels—seen as the maximum possible increase without serious climate disruption—immediate, drastic changes to energy and industrial policies are needed, the IEA said in its World Energy Outlook.

Such a shift looks unlikely given current global economic problems and the move away from low-carbon nuclear power in some countries after the recent nuclear disaster in Japan, the IEA said. Promises to invest to curb carbon dioxide emissions have in many cases failed to acquire legislative urgency.

Meanwhile, Science Daily reports that 99.5% of conservation scientists that participated in a recent survey are concerned about the imminent massive decrease of species biodiversity on the horizon. From the article:

“As with climate change the large level of investment needed if loss of biodiversity is to be stopped will result in an increase of public and political scrutiny of conservation science,” said study author Dr. Murray Rudd from the Environment Department at the University of York. “That makes it important to show how much scientific consensus there is for both the problems and possible solutions.”

583 individuals who had published papers in 19 international journals took part in Dr Rudd’s survey via email. The survey sought to gather opinions on the expected geographic scope of declining biological diversity before posing 16 questions to rank levels of agreement with statements that explored authors’ values, priorities, and geographic affiliation and their support of potential management actions.

“The survey posed the key questions facing conservation science: why people care, how priorities should be set, where our efforts should be concentrated and what action we can take. Scientists were also asked about a range of potentially controversial statements about conservation strategies to gauge shifting opinions,” he said.

The results revealed that 99.5 per cent of responders felt that a serious loss of biological diversity is either ‘likely’, ‘very likely’, or ‘virtually certain’. Agreement that loss is ‘very likely’ or ‘virtually certain’ ranged from 72.8 per cent of authors based in Western Europe to 90.9% for those in Southeast Asia.

Tropical coral ecosystems were perceived as the most seriously affected by loss of biological diversity with 88.0 per cent of respondents who were familiar with that ecosystem type gauging that a serious loss is ‘very likely’ or ‘virtually certain’.

More climate change coverage here and here.

The Greenway Foundation scores $1.7 million from the Natural Resource Trustees of Colorado

Here’s the release from the Greenway Foundation:

The Natural Resource Trustees of Colorado recently announced that they have awarded $1.7 million in natural resource damage funds to The Greenway Foundation on behalf of the Overland Park Neighborhood Association to help restore water quality, habitat and riparian areas along a two-mile stretch of the South Platte River in south Denver.

The planned improvements will result in a vastly improved riparian and wildlife ecosystem corridor along this section of Denver’s South Platte River as well as create new boat launch sites, fishing platforms, nature trails, and enhanced access points to the River.

The award of the funds will be contingent on The Greenway Foundation procuring matching funds for its projects at Grant Frontier Park, Pasquinel’s Landing and Overland Park. The construction of the various improvements, planned in conjunction with Denver Parks and Recreation and Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, is expected to be initiated in 2013.

“The Greenway Foundation is honored to be the recipient of these funds,” said Jeff Shoemaker, Executive Director of The Greenway Foundation. “We are excited to move forward with the efforts to obtain the needed matching funds. This is just one of several collaborative efforts between the Foundation and the City of Denver to fund and construct the recommendations within this section of the River Vision Implementation Plan.”

“This really shows the strength and commitment of our dynamic community,” said Councilman Chris Nevitt, District 7. “The Overland neighbors tirelessly pursued this opportunity and the entire area will benefit from their efforts. The South Platte River Greenway serves as a recreational highway in our backyard, leading to miles of trails and parks in all directions. This funding will go a long way in continuing to make the Southern Platte Valley THE place to live, play and work.”

“One of the features that makes this project so attractive is the way it connects with a larger and still-expanding network of greenway and riparian trail corridors along the South Platte River and its tributaries,” said Mike King, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “This endeavor further leverages the great work of The Greenway Foundation and others over many years in linking Coloradans to the natural beauty right outside our doors.”

Colorado received $1.5 million when it settled its natural resource damages case against the Shattuck Chemical Company in 2002. Since that time, the money has earned nearly $200,000 in interest, bringing the total amount available for restoring natural resources near the Shattuck site to $1.7 million.

The Colorado Natural Resource Trustees are the Attorney General, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources or their designees. The trustees are responsible for litigation of the state’s natural resource damages claims under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or the Superfund law) and administering funds received from such litigation.

Cheyenne: The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Annual Convention, November 18-19

From email from the RMFU (Mick McAllister):

This year, the RMFU Annual Convention will be at Cheyenne Little America. The convention opens at 8 a.m. on Friday, November 18, and continues through Saturday afternoon when election results will be announced.

This year’s convention program features keynote speaker Bill Patrie, an internationally recognized leader on cooperative development, who will speak Friday morning on the convention theme, The Power of Cooperation. In keeping with the theme and in recognition of the approaching International Year of Cooperatives ~ 2012, RMFU will present its first Cooperative Achievement Award to James B. Dean, distinguished attorney and advocate for cooperative businesses.

Friday afternoon panels will address forming state Health CO-OPS in accordance with the Affordable HealthCare Act, producer strategies for direct marketing of local foods, conservation challenges in estate transition planning, and the successes and plans of the RMFU Foundation, home of the Cooperative Development Center, the Renewable Energy Center and the RMFU Education Center.

All events are open to registrants and the press.

Urban residents do not want future water supplies to be taken from agriculture, according to CSU study

From The Greeley Tribune (Eric Brown) via Windsor Now!:

Referring to a study conducted by students and peers last year, [James Pritchett an] associate professor of agriculture and economics at Colorado State University told the crowd that taking water from farmers is the last thing residents of the Western United States want to do in efforts to secure their water futures. That survey was based on responses from 6,250 individuals with varying backgrounds and living across 12 states. During his “Irrigated Agriculture in the South Platte Valley in 2050” presentation Thursday at Randy’s All-American Grill, Pritchett said buying water from farmers finished far behind other water security alternatives, like constructing pipelines, requiring in-home conservation, limiting growth of cities, building reservoirs and reusing water in private homes and on private lawns and public landscapes. Municipalities have frequently bought agriculture land for water rights in efforts to meet their future needs, as Pritchett mentioned during his presentation…

That same study showed that people were also willing to also pay an extra monthly fee to fund efforts that would help keep water in agriculture, with respondents saying, on average, they’d pay $16 more per month for that cause. “I think that myself, and probably many others, always believed that people in cities were saying ‘go out and get more water for us and we don’t care how you get it,’ ” said Weld County Farmers Union president Ray Peterson. “It was good to hear that people are actually thinking about where their water is coming from.”

More South Platte River basin coverage here.

The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union is hosting a discussion of oil, gas, and water issues November 15 in Elizabeth

From email from the RMFU:

The Elbert/Lincoln Farmers Union and FUSA Insurance agents Teri Coulter, Kyle Bradley, and Ian Kean invite interested public to participate in a discussion of the effect of oil and gas development on water rights and quality.

The gathering will be on Tuesday, November 15, at the Creekside Community Church, 36100 County Road 13 in Elizabeth. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30-8:30 p.m. Special guests will be Colorado Representative Marsha Looper and Jill and Jim Duvall, coordinators of the Elbert Oil and Gas Interest Group.

The meeting is open to the public.

More oil and gas coverage here and here.

2012 Colorado legislation: The State Legislature’s Water Resources Review Committee approved five bills and one resolution for committee sponsorship during the 2012 legislative session

From the Colorado Water Congress’ current newsletter:

he Water Resources Review Committee approved five bills and one resolution for committee sponsorship during the 2012 legislative session. Bills are identified by letter until formal introduction after the session is convened January 11.

Bill A eliminates the requirement for drinking water treatment facilities to obtain a certificate of designation from local government as a solid waste site.

Bill B exempts water taken up by plants from calculation as part of a hardrock mine’s augmentation requirement.

Bill C extends until 2015 the requirement for replacement of stream depletion due to pumping from the Dawson aquifer and replacement for pumping from Denver basin aquifer only if necessary to compensate for depletions causing injury.

Bill D consolidates various funds within the Water Resources Division to provide for flexibility and efficiency in administration.

Bill E eliminates the three year waiting period to obtain replacement of a lost share certificates in mutual ditch company and allows a lienholder of a share certificate to request replacement.

Resolution A calls upon the legislature to avoid diverting severance tax revenues intended for water infrastructure to balance the state budget and to instead use the money for its statutorily intended purpose.

For a copy of the Interim Committee Bills click here.

Proposed bills on requirements for low-flow toilets, graywater re-use, and medication disposal failed to receive sufficient committee votes for interim committee sponsorship; however it is likely that those bills may be introduced by individual legislators once the session convenes.

More 2012 Colorado legislation coverage here.

The Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District October 17 board meeting — lots of questions about the JV Ranch purchase

Here’s the link to the Q&A session at the meeting. Here’s an excerpt:

Why did the Board decide on revenue bonds instead of voter-approved general obligation bonds?

Through several meetings with the JV Ranch sellers, the District and the Sellers negotiated the terms and conditions of the contract. Throughout that process the District determined that the Sellers would not enter into a contract with Woodmoor if the sale was contingent on a general obligation bond vote. Ultimately, the Board has the authority to issue revenue bonds and set rates to repay those bonds. The Board, when presented the merits and value of the JV Ranch, decided to proceed with revenue bonds in order to finalize the purchase of this unique asset for the District.

What is the timeline and current cost estimates for delivery of the JV Ranch water?

Phase I of Woodmoor’s Renewable Water Plan is to acquire the renewable water asset. Until the District is ready to embark upon construction of the delivery infrastructure, the JV Ranch will continue to operate as a cattle ranch. It is critical for Woodmoor to own and control its renewable water rights, and acquiring senior renewable water rights has always been the Board and staff’s first priority.
After the District closes on the JV Ranch water rights and completes the necessary water court processes, the water rights will be available for the District to use. The District will continue to refine all available options for the infrastructure portion of its Renewable Water Plan. These options include pump stations, pipeline and water-treatment facilities. This infrastructure can be viewed as Phase II of our plan.

The District staff anticipates updates to the Long Range Planning documents in 2012 that will continue to explore and evaluate all options and alternatives available for delivering the JV Ranch water to our customers. Some of the alternatives to be evaluated will include continued discussions with neighboring water districts and entities including Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) to share in the cost of water delivery, storage, and treatment facilities or the potential to utilize CSU infrastructure for water delivery instead of Woodmoor constructing the necessary infrastructure on its own.

Cost estimates for water delivery have ranged from $30 million to over $100 million. At this point, it would be premature to assign any further cost estimates to Phase II. Every option that is evaluated during current and future planning processes will have specific costs, benefits, and drawbacks. The Woodmoor staff will perform the same level of diligence for this planning as it did on the JV Ranch water rights to ensure that District customers are provided with the most cost effective and reliable option for its renewable water infrastructure. Current estimates for when Phase II would be needed indicate sometime between the years 2020 and 2030.

What happens if the water court does not approve the transfer of water from agricultural use to municipal use?

Changes of water rights have been denied by the water courts only if the applicant does not have actual end users for the water or if the water rights proposed to be changed have not been historically used for their decreed purposes. The District has end users for the water – its customers – and the District’s due diligence has confirmed that the JV Ranch water rights have historically been used for their decreed agricultural purposes. In addition, the historical use of the majority of the JV Ranch water rights has already been quantified in previous water court proceedings. Under these circumstances, it is not likely that the water court would completely disapprove the transfer of the water rights from agricultural use to municipal use. However, if that were to occur, the District would take the steps needed to remedy any deficiencies noted by the water court and then file another application to change the water rights.

What is the reliability and quality of the water from JV Ranch?

The JV Ranch water is diverted from Fountain Creek, south of Colorado Springs. The District and its water quality consultants have reviewed the water quality along Fountain Creek and have determined that treatment technology is available to treat this water to meet all State and Federal drinking water regulations.

More Denver Basin aquifer system coverage here and here.

The Larimer County Agricultural Advisory Board unanimously supports findings on the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP)

From a release from the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (Brian Werner):

The Agricultural Advisory Board to the Larimer Board of County Commissioners has reported that the Northern Integrated Supply Project will not dry up farms in Northern Colorado as represented in the Save the Poudre’s “Farm Facts” report. The AAB’s general conclusion was that NISP will help slow down the rapid and accelerated dry up of farms throughout Northern Colorado.

In an October 26 memo to the Board of County Commissioners (see link to memo in Reporter-Herald story), the AAB said, “It’s better for agriculture for future municipal and domestic water supplies to come from the combination of conserved water and from new stored supplies (such as NISP) derived from available undeveloped water rather than from additional agricultural dry-up. Population growth will occur with or without NISP. Water conservation alone will not provide adequate future water supplies.”

The County Commissioners thanked the AAB for their input and study of NISP and it’s agricultural related impacts. As reported in the Loveland Reporter-Herald, Commissioner Steve Johnson said to the three board members who attended the elected board’s meeting, “You guys are the ones that are experts. You are the ones dealing with this every day. It’s not just debate. It’s your livelihood.”[...]

The AAB memo disputes the Save the Poudre claim that free river opportunities will be greatly diminished if NISP is built. “Currently, this undeveloped water is leaving Colorado without being beneficially used within the state … water for NISP will not be diverted unless and until all water rights senior to NISP have been fully satisfied,” the AAB report said. The report added “Glade will not curtail in any way the rights or the abilities of ditch companies to fully utilize their senior ditch water rights…”

Save the Poudre’s “Farm Facts” were also disputed by Alamosa rancher and Colorado Farm Bureau President Don Shawcroft last April. In a press release Shawcroft said, “Save the Poudre does not speak for Colorado agriculture, an industry forthright and vocal in its support for NISP. Colorado farmers and ranchers support the NISP project. If we support the development of a water project, you can bet it will help keep irrigated farmers on the land.”

More Northern Integrated Supply Project coverage here and here.

‘Source to Fontenelle’ is the title of Will and Zak’s first video chronicling their journey from ‘Source to Sea’

Update: I just realized that I didn’t include the link to the video in yesterday’s post.

“For some reason we’re starting this in October,” (Will or Zak) says, standing down valley from the headwaters of the Green River. The video shows some of the country and critters they’ve passed by in the first leg to Fontenelle Reservoir.

You can follow Will and Zak down the river on their blog source to sea down the colorado river: following the river from wyoming to mexico.

Their journey is in conjunction with Colorado College’s State of the Rockies Project. The theme this year is The Colorado River Basin: Agenda for Use, Restoration, and Sustainability for the Next Generation. Student and faculty research revolves around the entire basin, environmental assessment, climate change, water law and interstate compacts, supply, distribution and historical Native American claims.

The next Speakers Series get-together is December 5 where Beth Conover will moderate a panel of environmental experts — working throughout the Colorado River Basin — in a discussion of Environmental Perspectives and Actions.

Here’s the link to a short video of October’s event featuring Justice Gregory Hobbs and University of Wyoming professor Larry MacDonnell.

More Colorado River basin coverage here.

WaterSMART Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program Construction Grant Funding Opportunity Now Available

Here’s the release from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Peter Soeth):

A Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program grant funding opportunity is now available through WaterSMART. The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking sponsors of congressionally authorized Title XVI projects to request cost-shared funding for the planning, design or construction of those projects. The funding opportunity announcement is available at www.grants.gov using funding opportunity number R12SF80050.
In response to feedback received, Reclamation has updated the application process to ask project sponsors to describe the benefits of the entire authorized project and to communicate funding needs for the next two years.

Through the Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program, a water reuse project reclaims and reuses municipal, industrial, domestic or agricultural wastewater and naturally impaired ground or surface waters. Reclaimed water can be used for a variety of purposes, such as environmental restoration, fish and wildlife, groundwater recharge, municipal, domestic, industrial, agricultural, power generation or recreation. Water reuse is an essential tool in stretching the limited water supplies.

In 2011, Reclamation funded 12 projects for $20.1 million through the Title XVI Program.

The WaterSMART Program focuses on improving water conservation, sustainability and helping water resource managers make sound decisions about water use. It identifies strategies to ensure that this and future generations will have sufficient supplies of clean water for drinking, economic activities, recreation and ecosystem health. The program also identifies adaptive measures to address climate change and its impact on future water demands.

Proposals must be submitted as indicated on www.grants.gov by January 17, 2012, 4:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. It is anticipated that awards will be made this spring.

More reuse coverage here.

A collection of starlings is called a murmuration

This video posted to Vimeo by Sophie Windsor Clive has gone viral across the Internet. It captures a murmuration — a collection of starlings in flight. Click through and watch it.

The Culebra Range Community Coalition, et. al., are working on a protection plan for the Purgatoire River watershed

From The Trinidad Times (Steve Block):

The Culebra Range Community Coalition brought together Colorado Watershed Assembly officials and representatives of environmental engineering consulting firm Tetra Tech at Trinidad State Junior College. Tom Perry, executive director of the coalition, said the group hopes to deepen stakeholders’ involvement in protecting the watershed. In a [November 4] phone call, Perry talked about working more closely with the members of Trout Unlimited, the Purgatoire River Watershed Coalition, the Trinidad Community Foundation and other local partners to make the watershed as healthy as possible…

Some key findings from the initial monitoring season showed water quality protects the Purgatoire River for such beneficial uses as agricultural irrigation, livestock and wildlife watering. Clean water also benefits aquatic life and municipal water systems.

Monthly data is collected at 27 sites along the Purgatoire and its tributaries upstream of Trinidad Lake. Streamflow and water quality data are communicated in near real-time using satellite telemetry from nine of the sites’ monitors and can be viewed at purgatoirewatershed.org, a potential resource to better understand surface water quality influence for ranchers, farmers and recreation industry employees.

More Purgatoire River watershed coverage here and here.

La Niña conditions strengthen across the east-central equatorial Pacific Ocean, but the models favor a weak-to-moderate strength La Niña during the Northern Hemisphere winter

Here’s the latest discussion from the Climate Prediction Center. Click through for the cool graphics. Here’s an excerpt:

A majority of the models now predict La Niña to continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter (Fig. 6) and then gradually weaken after peaking during the November – January period. The models are roughly split between those that predict La Niña to remain weak (3-month average in the Nino-3.4 region less than -0.9°C) and those that predict a stronger episode. Over the last half-century, La Niña events that were preceded by ENSO-neutral conditions during the Northern Hemisphere summer (May-August) were less likely to attain strong amplitude (less than –1.5°C) the following winter. This observation, in combination with the model forecasts, favors a weak-to-moderate strength La Niña during the Northern Hemisphere winter.

During November 2011-January 2012, there is an increased chance of above-average temperatures across the south-central U.S. with the odds favoring below-average temperatures over the north-central U.S. Also, above-average precipitation is favored across the northern tier of states, excluding New England, and drier-than-average conditions are more probable across the southern tier of the U.S. (see 3-month seasonal outlook released on 20 October 2011).

Meanwhile it’s was warmer than normal in October across most of the U.S., according to Bob Berwyn writing for the Summit County Citizens Voice. From the article:

Eighteen states reported monthly temperatures readings above their long-term averages, while 11 states reported readings below the monthly average. In the Pacific Northwest , in the central and southern plains, and parts of the Midwest reported near average temperatures for October. Most of the states with below average readings were in the Southeast, which was the coolest region for the month, according to the monthly report from the National Climatic Data Center.

For the August-October period, readings across the U.S. were well above the historic average, ranking as the 10th warmest such period on record, especially across the West, where 10 states reported near-record readings…

As of Nov. 1, about 9 percent of the country was categorized as being in exceptional drought, with some improvement across the southern plains, which recorded near-normal precipitation for the month.

‘Forest to Faucet’ partnership may serve as a funding model for watershed restoration

Here’s an interview with Harris Sherman from Catharine Tsai writing for the Associated Press via The Denver Post. From the article:

The Forest Service in past years has persuaded Vail Resorts Inc. and other companies, along with Denver Water and other utilities, to commit dollars and employees to restore watersheds that provide much of Colorado’s drinking water. “As state governments and the national government have budgetary problems, we have to be much more focused on how we spend our money,” said U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary Harris Sherman. “We have to reach out and develop new partnerships and foster collaboration.”[...]

The agency has reached out to the recreation industry and private companies to contribute. Vail Resorts Inc. and MillerCoors have had employees work on restoration projects. More than 20 ski areas have asked customers to pay a lift-ticket surcharge that benefits the National Forest Foundation, the congressionally created nonprofit partner of the Forest Service. In an era of tight budgets, Sherman said, the Forest Service also is talking with utilities and insurance companies, which have an interest in preventing devastating wildfires that could damage power lines or homes.

Sherman’s comments came the same day the Forest Service launched interactive “Forests to Faucets” maps [ed. Microsoft only technology] that show important water resources nationwide, how they overlap with forests, and threats to those resources from development, fire, disease and pests like bark beetles. The idea is to provide data for cities to prioritize spending on water resources.

Find the time today to thank a veteran for their service

And while you’re at it, think about what you can do to get the congress to take care of these men and women properly when they finally get to come home.

Yesterday’s jobs vote in the Senate (94-1) may help.

The Dolores Water Conservancy district reaches the half-century mark November 20

Here’s a report from Shannon Livick writing for the Cortez Journal. Click through for the photos of construction of the tunnel that brings water from the Dolores River watershed into Montezuma and Dolores counties in the San Juan basin. Here’s an excerpt:

The Dolores Water Conservancy District will host a 50th anniversary of the formation of the district and the 25th anniversary of water deliveries to farms and towns from McPhee Reservoir at the Dolores Community Center with a barbecue dinner at noon, followed by a brief recognition ceremony.

The star of the show will be McPhee Reservoir, a project that some say was more than 100 years in the making. “They have been talking about the McPhee dam site since the 1900s,” said Mike Preston, general manager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District. It has been said that the McPhee Reservoir site was seen as so ideal for a reservoir that President Teddy Roosevelt chose the site for the dam in 1906 during a hunting trip here.

“The Dolores Water Conservancy District was formed to try to get the dam built,” Preston said. The project was authorized in 1968 and the project began in 1977, after voters in Montezuma and Dolores counties within the Dolores Water Conservancy District approved a repayment contract by a unheard of 95 percent favorable vote. The McPhee Dam project cost an estimated $403 million…

The project doubled the amount of irrigated acreage in the area and gives the towns a 100-year supply of water. “This water project is something most communities would die for,” Preston said.

Since the water started to be delivered 25 years ago, the number of irrigated acres in Montezuma and Dolores counties has gone up from 35,000 irrigated acres to 70,000, some of those as far away as south of Towaoc…

The $403 million project also saw the construction of the $11.6 million Dolores tunnel that was dug underneath the landscape for more than one mile. It also saw the construction of pumping plants, numerous canals and two major recreation areas named McPhee and House Creek. It also saw the flooding of the old lumber town, McPhee, and countless archaeology sites, bringing in archaeologists from around the world who excavated the areas. Those artifacts are housed in the Anasazi Heritage Center, also built as part of this project.

More coverage from Reid Wright writing for the Cortez Journal. From the article:

According to information from the Dolores Water Conservancy District, an average of 351,000 acre feet of water flows into the McPhee Reservoir annually. Not including spring spillover, an average of 31,798 acre feet of water is released down the Lower Dolores River.

With a storage capacity of 381,000 acre feet of water, the project essentially doubled the amount of irrigated land in the area and extended the irrigation season for most farmers by nearly three months to mid October — allowing farmers to produce substantially more.

With current crop values, Mike Preston, DWCD general manager, estimates Dolores Project lands will generate $20 million in income for the area this year.

More coverage from Kimberly Benedict writing for the Cortez Journal. From the article:

Beyond the obvious recreation benefits of the reservoir, the Dolores Project also provided recreation opportunities through the creation of Joe Rowell Park in Dolores and enhanced flows on the Lower Dolores River, below the McPhee dam.

“The other thing that McPhee provided, is a means of managing the flows below the reservoir,” said Dolores Water Conservation District General Manager Mike Preston. “Usually we were in drought early and the flows would trail off. But now, those flows are managed to provide rafting flows in and around Memorial Day and so on. It gave us the ability to manage recreation opportunities in regards to recreational boating.”

The flows from the reservoir into the Lower Dolores also provide additional fishing opportunities, particularly for those interested in fly fishing.

Additionally, the presence of the reservoir has benefited wildlife. Three native fish species call the Lower Dolores home, including the flannelmouth sucker, the bluehead sucker and the roundtail chub. All three benefit from the managed flows from the reservoir, according to a report from the Lower Dolores Working Group. And according to the bureau of reclamation’s website, land acquired and managed for wildlife conservation has provided habitat for a variety of wildlife species.

More coverage from Kimberly Benedict writing for the Cortez Journal. From the article:

“The Anasazi Heritage Center was built by the (U.S.) Bureau of Reclamation as a repository for the artifacts gathered during the DAP,” said center Manager Marietta Eaton. “The Heritage Center is here because of the DAP, and that in and of itself is full of ramifications for the area.”

The Heritage Center’s creation was a unique aspect of the Dolores Archaeological Program. Most archaeological programs see collected artifacts shipped to larger repositories, often far from the actual sites. The creation of a local repository allowed the local community to retain a sense of ownership of their history.

“The fact that the Bureau of Reclamation saw the importance of a local repository is significant,” said Tracy Murphy, assistant curator at the center. “With the presence of the center, the artifacts and research are here for the people of this area.”

More coverage from Dale Shrull writing for the Cortez Journal. From the article:

Finding a good water storage solution for Montezuma County was discussed as far back as the 1880s. Today, looking at the massive McPhee Reservoir, it’s impossible to comprehend a lack of water. But [John Porter] remembers. The 78-year-old Lewis native spent 23 years as the Dolores Water Conservancy general manager, retiring in 2002. “Everyone was looking for more water but there was never enough,” he says. “Every time there was a drought, all people would talk about was we need a dependable supply of water…

Even though a dam on the Dolores was thought to be the solution, Porter wasn’t surprised it took so long to complete. “Anything you do with water, it takes time. There’s regular time and there’s water time. Water time goes very slow,” he says…

As early as 1884, plans were made and projects developed to take water from the Dolores, Porter explains. A tunnel was bored and canals were used to get water to the south, while the Great Cut Dike and canals were developed to flow water to the west. And they sucked the river nearly dry. “Back then, the Dolores River was basically a dry river during the summer,” Porter says. To store water in the early days, three small reservoirs were dug: Groundhog, Totten and Narraguinnep…

Remnants of old wooden flumes, which were used to transport water around the region, can still be spotted around the area. Most of the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company canal system are still used today, Porter says…

Porter says he thinks the water rights of the Ute Mountain tribe helped save the project. The tribe needed water and made the argument that future development was dependent on water from the Dolores Project.

More McPhee Reservoir coverage here and here.

After a five year review the EPA has approved the remediation plan for the Standard Mine superfund site

From The Crested Butte News (Alissa Johnson):

The two-phase plan would control the flow of water through the mine to reduce contamination, and if needed, use passive water treatment to further treat runoff.

The record of decision, signed in September, has the support of the local nonprofit Standard Mine Technical Advisory Group but still needs to be selected for federal funding. It could take until 2013 before the plan is implemented, complementing remediation work already done from 2007 through 2009.

The Standard Mine, which is about five miles west of Crested Butte and drains into Elk Creek, was added to the National Priority List in 2005 because of elevated levels of metals in the soil and the creek. Elk Creek flows into Coal Creek, which is the site of the municipal water intake for Crested Butte.

“We were really fortunate that when the EPA first came in 2006, they had the funding to do some surface cleanup first,” said Anthony Poponi, executive director of Coal Creek Watershed Coalition and grant administrator for the advisory group. That work included building a repository for mine tailings that included waste rock and tailings rich in pyrite, a metal that creates acid mine drainage when exposed to air. After removing waste rock and tailings from Elk Creek, the EPA also reconfigured the creek.

“The miners had produced a creek channel around and through the mill site, which was not the natural orientation, so once we took the tailings out, we dropped the creek back to its natural alignment,” explained EPA superfund project manager Christina Progess. That alignment includes small wetlands and riparian areas and has led to a measureable reduction in metals in Coal Creek and Elk Creek…

“There are three connected mine levels,” said Poponi, “and the EPA knew water coming in at the highest level was in pretty good condition and by the time it came out at level 1 [at the bottom] it was really bad, so they did some investigations and what they came up with was the proposed plan.” The first phase of the remediation plan proposes filling the entrance at level 3, toward the top of the mine, with a flowable fill and foam. That fill, a concrete mixture, would seal off the entrance to the mine so that clean water could be prevented from entering mine workings and would reduce the amount of water coming out of level 1…

A flowthrough bulkhead would be installed at level 1 to control the water flowing out of the bottom of the mine. The bulkhead would allow for what Progess calls the “metered release” of water from the mine…

Residents interested in learning more about the plan are invited to attend an EPA-hosted community meeting on November 30, at 1 p.m. in Town Hall.

More Standard Mine coverage here and here.

West Elk Mine environmental impact statement affirmed by U.S. District Court

From the Delta County Independent:

The lawsuit, filed over a 2008 decision, alleged that the Forest Service failed to analyze alternatives that would mitigate the effects of methane, a greenhouse gas that is released from the mine into the atmosphere to meet Mine Safety Health Administration requirements. WildEarth Guardians claimed that the Forest Service analysis, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for flaring of methane and capture of methane was insufficient. The plaintiffs also challenged the agency’s evaluation of the effects of methane on global warming.

After a thorough review of the documents associated with this case and hearing the arguments of the parties, the judge found that the Forest Service had satisfied its legal obligations under NEPA in analyzing the environmental effects of this project.

Forest supervisor Charlie Richmond stated, “We are always pleased when a federal judge rules in our favor, especially on such an important case that helps to preserve the economic future of the area.

More coal coverage here.

The EPA green-lights the tailings pond at the proposed Piñon Ridge uranium mill in the Dolores River watershed

From The Durango Telegraph (Missy Votel/Tracy Chamberlin):

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a conditional permit for a tailings pond at the proposed Piñon Ridge uranium mill in Paradox Valley. The approval comes on the heels of a federal court ruling that ordered environmental impact statements for uranium mines throughout the West. The conditional approval requires Vancouver-based Energy Fuels Inc. to submit a comprehensive ground and surface water-monitoring plan, subject to additional EPA review and approval.

Area environmental groups, which oppose the mill, expressed doubt over whether Energy Fuels’ plans will pass muster. “Our concern with the 40-acre tailings impoundment and 30-acre evaporation pond at the Piñon Ridge Mill continues to be a great risk to the Dolores River and ground water in Paradox Valley,” said Hilary White, executive director of Sheep Mountain Alliance. “Energy Fuels still has not submitted final, detailed construction plans for the tailings ponds to any agency and hasn’t demonstrated that they can prevent leaks and radioactive, toxic chemical and heavy metal contamination of the watershed.”[...]

The EPA’s approval came a week after a federal judge ordered an environmental impact statement on many of the leased mines expected to supply Piñon Ridge. Energy Fuels must still obtain air emissions and groundwater permits from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

More nuclear coverage here and here.

The Environmental Protection Agency has released an outline of planned review of hydraulic fracturing

From the Associated Press (Michael Rubinkam) via The Durango Herald:

Investigators will try to determine the impact of large-scale water withdrawals, above-ground spills of drilling fluids and the fracturing process itself on water quality and quantity in Colorado and other states where tens of thousands of wells have been drilled in recent years…

The industry has long contended that fracking is safe, but environmentalists and some residents who live near drilling sites say it has poisoned groundwater. The EPA study, mandated by Congress last year, is the agency’s first look at the impact of fracking in shale deposits. EPA will examine drilling sites in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Dakota and Texas. The earliest results will be available in 2012…

“The industry has taken the lead in working with state regulators to constantly improve operations, industry practices and guidelines as well as improve communications with local communities,” said Stephanie Meadows, a senior policy adviser at the American Petroleum Institute…

The new EPA study will look at the entire water life cycle of hydraulic fracturing in shale deposits, beginning with the industry’s withdrawal of huge volumes of water from rivers and streams and ending with the treatment and disposal of the tainted wastewater that comes back out of the wells after fracking. Researchers will also study well design and the impact of surface spills of fracking fluids on groundwater.

The EPA has taken steps recently to boost federal regulation of fracking, announcing it will develop national standards for the disposal of the briny, chemical-laced wastewater and proposing for the first time to control air pollution at oil and gas wells, particularly where fracking is used.

More oil and gas coverage here and here.

Cotter Corp hopes to sell uranium that is being collected from groundwater sump pumps at the Schwartzwalder Mine

From The Denver Post (Bruce Finley):

The uranium west of Denver “is not as concentrated as yellowcake” but “is considered source material for licensing purposes,” Cotter vice president John Hamrick said, estimating the value at around $50 a pound. Cotter would like to sell the uranium, Hamrick said. He said the uranium poses little risk. For anybody trying to obtain uranium illegally, “there would be easier low- hanging fruit than us,” he said.

The uranium was collected from tainted groundwater by 10 sump pumps Cotter installed along Ralston Creek, below the mine. The uranium and other captured contaminants are removed before water is pumped into the creek, which flows into a Denver drinking-water-supply reservoir for 1.3 million metro residents.

In an Oct. 11 letter to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Cotter officials said 1,440 pounds of uranium had been removed as of Sept. 16 and was stored at the mine. They also disclosed “elevated concentrations of uranium in alluvial groundwater near the Old Emergency Discharge Pond” near the mine.

State mining regulators ordered Cotter to pump out and treat contaminated water in the mine shaft. Cotter challenged the state orders, and Denver District Court Judge Robert Hyatt recently ruled in favor of the state. Cotter officials now contend they can clean Ralston Creek simply by relying on their newly expanded pumping system. “Cotter has utilized intensive monitoring efforts and data evaluations to aggressively develop and implement measures to expand capture/treatment of alluvial groundwater in order to improve water quality in Ralston Creek as soon as possible,” the company’s letter said. The sump system has been effective, “significantly increasing capture and generally reducing levels in the creek.”

The system relies on an ion-exchange process using resin beads that the uranium gloms onto to remove it from water. Cotter switches out the loaded resin beads and uses the tanks the resin arrives in to store extracted uranium.

More nuclear coverage here and here

The Pueblo Board of Water Works drops proposed 2012 water rate increase to 3.5% due to a reduction in anticipated electrical costs

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

Even though there still are a lot of floating pieces in the puzzle, the water board directed staff to prepare a budget that would increase rates 3.5 percent, rather than the 5 percent anticipated last month. As recently as September, the water board had looked at an 8 to 9 percent increase, but made internal budget adjustments to hold the rates lower. A public hearing on the budget and rate hikes will be at 2 p.m. Nov. 22 at the water board’s offices, 319 W. Fourth St.

“This has been a challenging year not only because of the economy, but because of the Black Hills Energy increases,” Executive Director Alan Hamel told the board at a workshop Thursday. “We’ve been an intervenor in several Black Hills rate increases.”

To save costs, the water board teamed up with the Fountain Valley Authority and city of Pueblo to intervene in rate cases.

“We want dependable electric service,” Hamel said. “We are trying to spread the impact over more years, so we don’t get more rate shock.”

More Pueblo Board of Water Works coverage here.

Colorado Water Trust: Heavy lifting is complete at the CCC Ditch Project Site

Here’s the announcement from the Colorado Water Trust:

From inception to coalition building to planning to fundraising to materials harvest to construction, this project has been over ten years in the making. This project could not have occurred without the cooperation, patience, and stick-to-it-iveness of myriad stakeholders.

FlyWater, inc., our contractor for the project, worked in the San Miguel River through the month of October to recreate and reconnect the river bed. The last piece of heavy equipment rolled out of the river last week as the major construction phase came to a close. The San Miguel River now runs over the CCC diversion dam and down through the constructed “modified Newbury riffle,” re-wetting approximately 1500 feet of riverbed.

The stretch of river below the CCC diversion dam has been dry during periods of low river flow—when river flows were at or below 150 cfs—for the forty years since the CCC diversion dam was built. In mid- and late-summer, for example, the entire flow of the river would be diverted by the CCC diversion dam through the CCC Ditch. River water in excess of the decreed water rights would be returned to the riverbed 1500 feet downstream of the ditch headgate. This arrangement de-watered only 1500 feet of riverbed, but it completely severed the river ecosystem, preventing fish passage through that dry stretch. Now, fish populations are expected to thrive in their restored riparian ecosystem.

And best of all, this physical solution not only benefits the riparian ecosystem, fish populations, and recreationists, but it also does so without compromising a single drop of water that has historically been delivered to water users under the CCC Ditch. As this project comes to a close and the stakeholders celebrate their shared successes, we are delighted by the fact that everyone, fish included, can win when smart water projects are brought to fruition.

Check out pictures from CWT’s October 21st site visit.

More coverage from the Norwood Post (Ellen Metrick):

The stretch of river below the CCC diversion dam has been dry during periods of low river flow — when river flows were at or below 150 cubic feet per second (cfs) — for the 40 years since the CCC diversion dam was built. In mid- and late-summer, the entire flow of the river has been diverted by the diversion dam through the CCC Ditch.

Any water diverted that exceeded the decreed water rights would be returned to the riverbed 1500 feet downstream of the ditch headgate, an arrangement which completely severed the river ecosystem, preventing water and fish passage in that 1500 feet of river.

FlyWater, inc. — the contractor for the project — worked in the San Miguel River through the month of October to re-create and reconnect the river bed. The last piece of heavy equipment rolled out of the river last week as the major construction phase came to a close.

More San Miguel watershed coverage here and here.