Sens. Bennet and Udall and Rep. Tipton are on board with Pueblo County’s application for Fountain Creek funds

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

Plans for flood risk management on Fountain Creek through Pueblo have gained more federal support. U.S. Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, both Democrats, and Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., sent a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers last week to support any federal efforts to remediate levee conditions on Fountain Creek through the East Side. The letter supports the Pueblo County commissioners’ request for a $3.5 million Army Corps project that could be applied to the levee for strengthening banks, planting native vegetation, improving wetlands and creating riparian buffer zones.

The project would stretch from Eighth Street to the confluence of Fountain Creek.

“Ironically, where we had a fire a few days ago could be turned into a beautiful riverside community park,” said Commissioner Sal Pace. “It’s about time Pueblo got its fair share.”

Vegetation on Fountain Creek near the East Fourth Street bridge caught fire Tuesday. The lower section of Fountain Creek is occasionally subject to flooding as well when rainfall upstream in the watershed is heavy.

The project was given high priority in a Corps study of Fountain Creek needs in 2009.

In January, commissioners requested congressional support for the project, also mentioning projects in El Paso County that could benefit Pueblo County as well. The letter highlighted cooperative efforts of the two counties through the Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District.

A local match of 35 percent would be required for the project. Local money for the project is $1.225 million, which would come out of the remaining $1.9 million Colorado Springs Utilities paid to Pueblo County for dredging Fountain Creek under the 1041 permit for Southern Delivery System. Another $300,000 of those funds was spent earlier on a Fountain Creek demonstration project for side detention ponds and in-stream dredging.

More Fountain Creek coverage here.

Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority is seeking funding for a cooperative plan that leads to efficiencies

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

El Paso County water providers are banding together to study how their systems could work together more efficiently in the future. A $242,000 study would include Colorado Springs Utilities and the Southern Delivery System as possible delivery sources of water for other communities, as well as ways to integrate the assets of other water systems. The Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority is seeking a grant of $75,000 from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, while kicking $88,500 in cash and $78,500 in in-kind contributions. Colorado Springs and El Paso County are included in the in-kind contributions.

Those groups have been aggressively pursuing water development for more than 30 years to meet rapid growth. Some past projects have been undertaken collectively.

The Arkansas Basin Roundtable approved the state grant this week, because it would help fill the greatest part of the municipal gap identified in the Statewide Water Supply Initiative. “I think this addresses the gap in a way that goes beyond individual projects such as SDS,” said Betty Konarski, who represents El Paso County on the roundtable.

Roundtable member Jeris Danielson, a former state engineer, asked if the study would include new sources of supply as well.

Sean Chambers, manager of the Cherokee Metropolitan District, said the main purpose of the study would be to look at how current supplies could be better managed for the mutual benefit of other communities.

The gap in El Paso County is projected to be 22,000 acre-feet annually — enough water for about 60,000 homes — by 2050. Of that, 13,000 acre-feet will be to replace nonrenewable groundwater and 9,000 acre-feet will be needed for growth.

The gap is the vast majority of the shortfall identified by SWSI.

More Arkansas River Basin coverage here.

Salida: FIBArk recap — Andy Corra wins the Downriver race for the ninth time

From The Mountain Mail (Calley McDermott):

For the ninth time, Andy Corra, 52, Durango, crossed the finish line first in the 26-mile FIBArk Classic Downriver Race, with a time of 2 hours, 20 minutes, 55 seconds. The seasoned racer won his first Downriver in 1985.

Racers in the Classic Downriver Race travel from the Salida Whitewater Park to Cotopaxi.

Despite flows that had “dropped a bunch” since Thursday, Corra said, “It was a nice flow, with good clean lines in the rapids. It sure was a treat over last year.” He said the medium flow of about 1,500 cubic feet per second resulted in a “medium time.” Corra finished the race in 1:58:07 in 2009, the fastest recorded time since 1995.

With nine wins under his belt, he admitted he would like to win at least one more because “there is something perversely satisfying about the number 10.” However, he said he plans to “pass it on to Wiley.” Wiley Corra, 10, took third place in the 10-mile Cadet Downriver Race.

Jeremy Rodgers, Boulder, finished second overall with a time of 2:26:50. Rodgers flipped in the Cottonwood Rapid, east of Coaldale, and struggled to resurface.

Ben Morton, a safety boater, assisted in turning him back over. “At this water level you have to be decisive, and I hesitated. Cottonwood punishes. It’s great when the water level is lower and higher, but it’s tricky at 1,500 (cfs),” Rodgers said.

Last year Rodgers finished fourth.

About Corra, he said, “Andy sure shows up every year. He shows us younger paddlers what experience does for you.”

Steve Holmes, Salida, finished third overall with a time of 2:29:04.

First woman finisher was Lisa Adams, Durango, in a C2 boat. Adams finished fourth overall. Her teammate was not listed.

Some of the later downriver competitors paddled through rain, thunder and some lightening in Bighorn Sheep Canyon.

For the first time, organizers had the rafts leave 1½ hours before the classic race started, to allow the rafters to run the course without slowing the other boaters. Volunteer June Gober, Salida, said the early raft start “worked out well.”

“Mark Mattson’s Crew” from Salida won with a time of 1:40:27.

“Holly Harz and Crew” from Buena Vista entered two rafts; one finished second with a time of 1:42:37.

The other raft, with two more people than paddles, finished third with a time of 1:59:47.

Watching the race from the sidelines, Larry Zuk, 90, said it was his first time watching “from the road.” He competed in the race 10 times and was a slalom race champion in both K1 and C2 in 1976. “I’m writing a book about early canoeing in the Rockies,” Zuk added. Zuk was inducted into the FIBArk Hall of Fame this year.

Corra said, “It’s good to keep the tradition (of the Downriver Race) alive.”

From The Mountain Mail (Calley McDermott):

The 65th FIBArk Whitewater Festival kicked off with induction of Larry Zuk and Steve and Eric Frazee into the FIBArk Hall of Fame during Business After Hours Wednesday at Salida SteamPlant.

FIBArk board member Christopher Kolomitz introduced FIBArk Hall of Fame inductee Eric Frazee, who also accepted the award on behalf of his late father, Steve Frazee. Steve Frazee was born in Salida in 1909 and served as the 1959 FIBArk commodore. His son Eric, a longtime paddler, represented the United States in the 1954 International Slalom Competition in Germany. “I think it’s a great honor. I’m happy to accept it. I’m also happy to accept for my father, who is long gone now, who worked his rear-end off to make kayak competitions in the United States a success here in Salida,” Eric Frazee said.

“Right here in Salida we have the top international kayakers come from around the world. All I had to do was get in my little truck and drive my boat down to the river and compete. That was pretty cool.”

Kolomitz said Larry Zuk, another 2013 FIBArk Hall of Fame inductee, was unable to attend the event. Zuk first raced in FIBArk in 1954, earned the national championship in the K1 slalom race at FIBArk in 1956 and competed in the 1976 Olympics. Zuk is also the founder of the Colorado Whitewater Association. He recently published the book “Stories of a Century of Canoeing and Canoes” and is in the process of writing a second book titled “Early White Water Canoeing and Kayaking in the Rocky Mountains 1949-1969.”

Kolomitz introduced 2013 FIBArk Commodore Ed Loeffel, who congratulated FIBArk organizers for the success of FIBArk over its past 65 years. “FIBArk and I both qualify for Medicare this year,” Loeffel joked. “I’m now looking forward to my next duty as commodore – no public speaking is going to be required – only drinking the first pour of Eddyline beer tomorrow afternoon at 4. Hope to see you all there.”

Loeffel also cast the winning bid in a live auction for a signed print of this year’s FIBArk poster, designed by Lindsay Sutton. He bid $630.

“We’ve got great weather, great water, and we’re looking forward to a great FIBArk,” Kolomitz said.

More whitewater coverage here.

US Rep. Scott Tipton is pushing small scale hydroelectric generation

From The Greeley Tribune (Eric Brown):

Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., for the past couple years has pushed for a bill that would allow hydropower development on irrigation ditches in Colorado and across the West.

Joshua Green — press secretary for Tipton, whose 3rd Congressional District covers nearly all of southern and western Colorado — took time out of his schedule recently to discuss Tipton’s “Hydropower and Rural Jobs Act” and how the bill is moving along in Washington.

Below are portions of those conversations:

Q — First of all, what exactly is this bill aiming to do?

A — This would lift restrictions on hydropower development for irrigation districts, specifically on Bureau of Reclamation conduits, so they could use that water to generate electricity. The bill eliminates duplicative environmental analysis on these existing pipes, ditches, canals, etc., that have already received a full review under the National Environmental Policy Act. This bill asks that small-scale hydropower projects, five megawatts or less, can be put in place without having to go through further federal processes. The bill streamlines the federal regulatory process, and it reduces administrative costs for these ditch managers to install small hydropower projects.

Q — This is the second year Tipton has introduced the bill aimed at hydropower development on irrigation ditches. Why is this bill so important to him?

A — Costs are increasing to repair these aging water-supply systems, and making them more energy-efficient would save the ditch managers money. The electricity from these projects could also be sold to bring in money and help cover their expenses. The bill would also add clean electricity to the grid to power homes and communities. And this is a rural job creator; we would need people to build and then maintain these hydropower projects.

Q — What is the driving force behind this bill? Is hydropower development on irrigation canals something that Tipton’s constituents have been talking about for a while?

A — There’s absolutely an interest in Colorado and throughout the West. The Interior Department has identified at least 28 Bureau of Reclamation canal sites in Colorado, and 373 nationwide, that could be developed for hydropower purposes. These are small hydropower projects we’re talking about, and would cost relatively little to construct. However, with the way things are now, the federal permitting costs add up to be more than the construction itself, and that’s deterring people from going forward with these hydropower projects

Q — How are the discussions in Washington coming along?

A — Things are going very, very well. The bill passed the House 416-7 in April. Obviously we have the support and have had it for a long time. Rep. Tipton’s hydropower bill had passed the House last year, but we ran out of time to push it all the way through before the session was over. A companion bill from the Senate recently passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, so things are going well over there, as well. Now, we’re just waiting to get all of this pushed through and see this become law.

Q — I read recently where there’s a similar hydropower bill in the House being pushed by Rep. Steve Daines of Montana. How are the two bills different?

A — Our bill amends the Reclamation Project Act of 1939, which authorized the vast majority of projects on Reclamation facilities. The Water Conservation and Utilization Act of 1939, on the other hand, authorized 11 Bureau of Reclamation facilities. Unlike the Reclamation Project Act of 1939, which our bill amends, a statute under the WCUA allows for only the federal government to develop hydropower on these 11 facilities. Daines’ bill seeks to address that statute in the WCUA and remove those hurdles, so private hydropower development in those facilities can move forward.

More hydroelectric coverage here and here.

Greeley Water is piloting an online water conservation tool

From The Greeley Tribune:

In another effort to conserve water, Greeley officials have launched a pilot program that pinpoints residents’ water use though an online program. The WaterSmart program will allow 2,600 Greeley residents to personalize their water use online based on things like family size and the age of their toilets and sinks, according to a news release. It’s a new tool to complement the water budget, which city officials rolled out to all residential water customers this year, said Ruth Quade, a Greeley water conservation coordinator.

The water budget accompanies Greeley residents’ water bills each month, showing how much each household used compared to what was needed based on historic averages. Randomly selected residents in the WaterSmart program can now compare their household water use with neighbors, and the program will suggest targeted conservation techniques.

The pilot program will also allow residents to create a water savings plan and update their information for more accurate savings suggestions — all for free.

If the program is successful, it may go citywide.

In a test program for the water budget, city officials found that most Greeley residents are conservative with their water use, with about 18 percent using far more than necessary.

Jon Monson, Greeley’s water and sewer director, said before the program was rolled out to all residents this year that if every household in the city that exceeds the budget could bring use down to what the city recommends, Greeley could save 700 acre-feet of water, or about $70 million worth of new water, each year.

More conservation coverage here.

Buena Vista: Cottonwood Creek project improves fishery

From The Mountain Mail (Nancy Best):

Trout Unlimited, a national conservation organization, is active in the local area through its Collegiate Peaks Anglers chapter. The chapter serves the Upper Arkansas Valley from Leadville to Cotopaxi and boasts some 300 members. Despite its name, Trout Unlimited is not a fishing club; indeed, there are members who do not fish. However, what is common among them is a love of the outdoors and natural settings.

One project that TU spearheaded was the creation of the Buena Vista Wildlife Area on CR 361 just off CR 306, from what was an inaccessible marshy meadow and a section of Cottonwood Creek that was too straight and shallow for fish to thrive in.

Local TU member Bob Gray explained what was involved. A year was spent writing and presenting a grant to the federal program Fishing Is Fun. A wetland mitigation plan was submitted, and many different aspects of the project that needed to be coordinated were put in place. Then, it took only the month of August 2006 to actually construct the BV Wildlife Trail and rebuild the section of Cottonwood Creek running alongside it.

Led by TU, it truly was a town effort. ACA Products donated gravel and boulders. Town trucks hauled gravel, local graphic designer Sherry York researched and wrote informational signs, and Weston Arnold and Zeke Farber, two students in the high school metal shop program, constructed a handicapped guardrail to make fishing accessible to those in wheelchairs. The Department of Corrections heavy equipment program, led by Tom Foreman and Tom Bowen, provided machines and labor.

Rod van Velson, before his retirement from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, mapped out a new stream, designing where rocks should be placed and how they should be oriented in order to direct the water flow, create holding pools, undercut banks, speed up or slow down the creek and stabilize banks, all to make an inviting home for brown trout.

The concerted effort of those mentioned, plus other businesses and many volunteers, led to the rewards of having a trout stream close to town and a trail with interpretive signs that has the potential to expand. Gray said, “I think of the future of this area and how spectacular it would be to one day see open space and a trail all along Cottonwood Creek.”

The brown trout living in other parts of Cottonwood Creek have realized what a nice home this specifically designed area is and have migrated to it, increasing in size and number, making this a naturally reproducing brown trout fishery.

For fishermen, what makes for an ideal habitat for the trout also makes for technically challenging fishing. At the same time, the area has been improved for animals and birds, with elk wintering in the town-irrigated meadow and bluebirds nesting in the locally made birdhouses.

Members of TU continue to monitor and maintain the area. Some members, like Boys & Girls Club Board President Karen Dils, pick up trash, while others transplant willow trees to keep the shoreline as it should be.

More Arkansas River Basin coverage here.

Barr Lake/Milton Reservoir Watershed Association Public Stakeholder Meeting June 25

Click here to read the agenda.

Metropolitan State University
OWOW Center Student Success Building
Room 400
890 Auraria Parkway

More South Platte River Basin coverage here.

Yuma: EPA Q&A on Spill Prevention and Control Countermeasures June 26

From email from US Representative Cory Gardner:

UPCOMING EVENT: Q&A on Spill Prevention and Control Countermeasures

In conjunction with the Colorado Farm Bureau, we will be hosting an informational session for farmers and ranchers regarding the Spill Prevention and Control Countermeasures (SPCC) on Wednesday June 26 at 9am at 529 N. Albany Street in Yuma.

A representative from the Environmental Protection Agency will be on hand to discuss what is expected under new SPCC guidelines for storing fuel and petroleum products. SPCC regulations apply to any agricultural operation that stores over 1,320 gallons of oil, and it went into effect on May 10, 2013.

Anyone with questions concerning SPCC is encouraged to attend this informational session.

WHO: Congressman Cory Gardner’s office and Colorado Farm Bureau

WHAT: Informational session and Q&A with EPA representative on SPCC guidelines

WHEN: Wednesday June 26 at 9am

WHERE: 529 N. Albany Street, Yuma in the gymnasium

Parachute Creek spill: Recent testing (June 8-11) finds benzene in the creek #ColoradoRiver

From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Dennis Webb):

Benzene has again been detected, but at barely detectable levels, in Parachute Creek at the site of a natural gas liquids leak.

The carcinogen was measured at 1.4 to 1.5 parts per billion at a single location in the creek in daily samples between Saturday and Tuesday, according to updates from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Williams, the company responsible for the leak.

Benzene hadn’t been detected for more than two and a half weeks in the creek after previously having been measured at levels that briefly and barely topped 5 parts per billion. That’s the drinking water standard for the contaminant, although the creek isn’t regulated as a drinking water source by the state.

The contamination resulted from a leak from a faulty pressure gauge on a pipeline leaving Williams’ natural gas processing plant northwest of Parachute. Williams believes about 10,000 gallons of natural gas liquids contaminated soil and groundwater, with benzene also eventually reaching the creek.

The weekend benzene detections were at just the one location where benzene in groundwater has been sporadically entering the creek. Samples up and downstream aren’t currently showing any benzene contamination, and no hydrocarbon sheen has ever been seen on the creek, CDPHE says.

It says the sampling shows the size of the groundwater contamination plume remains stable, with benzene concentrations at the plume’s end staying constant.

Williams continues to operate a groundwater aeration system to remove benzene, and work continues on construction of a new facility to remove and treat contaminated groundwater so it can be returned to the watershed. The system’s major components are on site, and work is being completed on plumbing and electrical systems and on obtaining state water discharge and air emission permits.

More oil and gas coverage here and here.

Drought news: Hydraulic fracturing competes with crops for water #COdrought

From the Associated Press (Garance Burke) via the Longmont Times-Call:

Hydraulic fracturing, or the drilling technique commonly known as fracking, has been used for decades to blast huge volumes of water, fine sand and chemicals into the ground to crack open valuable shale formations. But now, as energy companies vie to exploit vast reserves west of the Mississippi, fracking’s new frontier is expanding to the same lands where crops have shriveled and waterways have dried up due to severe drought. In Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, the vast majority of the counties where fracking is occurring are also suffering from drought, according to an Associated Press analysis of industry-compiled fracking data and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s official drought designations.

While fracking typically consumes less water than farming or residential uses, the exploration method is increasing competition for the precious resource, driving up the price of water and burdening already-depleted aquifers and rivers in certain drought-stricken stretches. Some farmers and city leaders worry that the fracking boom is consuming too much of a scarce resource, while others see the push for production as an opportunity to make money by selling water while furthering the nation’s goal of energy independence.

Along Colorado’s Front Range, fourth-generation farmer Kent Peppler said he is fallowing some of his corn fields this year because he can’t afford to irrigate the land for the full growing season, in part because deep-pocketed energy companies have driven up the price of water. “There is a new player for water, which is oil and gas,” said Peppler, of Mead. “And certainly they are in a position to pay a whole lot more than we are.” In a normal year, Peppler said he would pay anywhere from $9 to $100 for an acre-foot of water in auctions held by cities with excess supplies. But these days, energy companies are paying some cities $1,200 to $2,900 per acre-foot. The Denver suburb of Aurora made a $9.5 million, five-year deal last summer to provide the oil company Anadarko 2.4 billion gallons of excess treated sewer water…

In Colorado’s Weld County, home to Peppler’s farm and more than 19,000 active oil and gas wells, some officials see selling unneeded portions of their allotments from the Colorado River as a way to shore up city budgets. The county seat of Greeley sold 1,575 acre-feet of water last year to contractors that supply fracking companies, and made about $4.1 million. It sold farmers nearly 100 times more water but netted just $396,000.

More oil and gas coverage here and here.

Drought/runoff news: Dillon Reservoir is close to filling, Standley Lake operationally full as of last Tuesday #COdrought

Standley Lake is the supply bucket for Westminster and Northglenn. Thornton also has storage in the reservoir. Staff from all three cities were breathing easier last week after the reservoir reached 95.5 feet and was declared operationally full by the dam tender. Clear Creek streamflow looks to have peaked on June 12 (click on the thumbnail for the hydrograph from the middle of May to today).

From the Summit County Citizens Voice (Bob Berwyn):

After a big weather turnaround in April and May, Dillon Reservoir is well on its way to filling, with the water level reaching an elevation of just about 9,008 on June 13, just nine feet below capacity. The last time the water level was this high was July 26, 2012. “We think it’s likely we’ll fill or at least get within a few feet of full elevation,” Denver Water spokesperson Stacy Chesney said.

Peak inflow into the reservoir was June 10, with the mainstem of the Blue River and the rest of the basin tributaries combining to deliver 1,754 cubic feet of water per second. The inflow hovered around that level early in the week, and started to drop a little bit by Thursday and Friday as the snowpack at higher elevations dwindled. By June 14, most of the automated SNOTEL sites had melted out, making it more difficult to assess how much runoff is still to come…

Chesney said Denver Water projects releasing between 50 and 100 cfs down the Lower Blue the next few months and will also divert water through the Roberts Tunnel to the South Platte, currently flowing at a rate of about 150 cfs.

Overall, Denver Water’s storage in the South Platte system is nearing capacity. Antero Reservoir just two feet below full and Eleven Mile Reservoir is at capacity, holding more than 98,000 acre feet. On the West Slope, Williams Fork Reservoir, Denver Water’s other big bucket, is about five feet below full, holding 89,000 acre feet, with a capacity of 97,000 acre feet.

Green Mountain Reservoir, administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, has also bounced back from what looked like it was going to be a woeful summer. As of mid-June, Green Mountain was about 76 percent full and still rising, according to BuRec spokesperson Kara Lamb.

From The Denver Post (Ally Marotti):

Northern Water officials aren’t waiting for the the [Big Meadows Fire] to be out to develop a protection plan. “It’s obviously a concern,” Northern Water spokesman Brian Werner said. “We’ve been talking for a couple years now about our watershed — what happens if and when it goes up in smoke. We’re gonna have some impact when the rains come.”

Northern Water partially supplies water to 860,000 people in 33 northern Colorado towns and cities. The company brings water to the Front Range from the Western Slope, and Grand Lake — 5-miles south of the fire — is the main reservoir.

Werner and his colleagues are worried all the debris from the fire will be washed into the lake when the summer rains come. “It’s anyone’s guess when that’ll happen,” Werner said. “It will happen.”

The sludge cannot be prevented from washing into the lake, Werner said. Northern Water has stepped monitoring, putting out extra sensors to keep track of the debris. The utility also is talking about preventative measures, such as anchoring debris booms in the lake to catch some of the sludge if the debris hits hard. But Werner said the fire, which was considered 30 percent contained as of Friday morning, isn’t as bad as it could be. Most likely, any debris washed into the lake will dissipate, settle on the bottom, and won’t harm the water supply.

From The Denver Post (Kieran Nicholson):

Twelve Colorado counties qualify for federal disaster relief because of drought conditions. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper was notified this week by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack about the designation, according to a Governor’s Office media release…

The primary counties are Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Montezuma, Ouray and San Miguel. The contiguous counties are Archuleta, Gunnison, Mineral, Montrose, Saguache and San Juan.

The federal disaster relief includes Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for emergency loan assistance. FSA will consider each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses, security available and repayment ability, the release said.

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Matt Hildner):

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared two San Luis Valley counties as natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought. Agricultural producers in Mineral and Saguache counties will now be eligible to apply for low interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Farmers have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.

The declaration, issued Tuesday by the agency, also named 10 other counties in Southwestern Colorado. This year all but three Colorado counties, including Rio Grande County in the valley, have received the designation.

From the Albuquerque Journal (John Fleck):

Flows on the river are measured in cubic feet per second (cfs), an arcane but commonly used water flow metric on U.S. rivers. Normally at this time of June, the Rio Grande at Albuquerque’s Central Avenue Bridge is flowing at a bit more than 2,000 cfs. As I’m writing this, the river’s flowing at 527 cubic feet per second. But it will soon begin dropping significantly. Because of the drought, there is very little natural flow in the river. Most, if not all, of the river’s flow currently is water being released from storage behind dams on the Rio Chama. Without that, water managers say the river would be nearly dry by now in Albuquerque.

Since 2003, rules adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow required water managers to maintain a flow of 100 cfs at the USGS Central Avenue streamflow measurement gauge. But with supplies of supplemental storage water nearly exhausted, the river’s managers, with the concurrence of the FWS, have agreed to let the river drop to 50 to 60 cfs this summer.

The last time the river dropped below 100 cfs was late September and early October of 1989. The last time the river essentially went dry completely at Central was September of 1981.

From the CoCoRaHS blog:

New Mexico has become ground zero of the drought that has been in progress over the western U.S. the past two years. A little over 82 percent of the state is in Extreme to Exceptional Drought according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. That’s the highest percentage of any state currently affected. Conditions have significantly worsened over the last three months. At the start of the calendar year about 32 percent of the state was in Extreme to Exceptional Drought, and by March it was up to 50 percent.

CoCoRaHS observers have been documenting the drought impacts, and some of the descriptions sound like they could have come from the Dust Bowl. Here are two excerpts.

Santa Fe County
We are noticing that wild animals, birds and mammals, are increasingly desperate for water and therefore losing some of their instinctive fear of humans and other predators. The combination of severe drought and smoke from two wildfires nearby is making some mammals panic at times and come toward us rather than flee us when we are outside.

Luna County
Because we’ve had so little moisture fall from the sky and we’ve had daily winds from 20 to 65/70 mph at least 80% of the population is suffering from “allergies” we didn’t know we ever had! No one around here has a “lawn” of grass…instead we all measure just how deep the sand is now…the folks with the least amount of sand are considered lucky because they have less dusting/sand clean up to do on the inside of their homes. We’ve been told by a local farmer that he is now having to pay $20.00 for a bale of hay so he is going to have to sell all of his live stock next week – he can’t afford to feed them any longer. And, we’ve heard that the local rancher spent over $100,000.00 in the last nine months trying to keep his cattle heavy enough to get them to market. We know that we haven’t seen any of his cattle in our immediate area in the last 4 or 5 months…which means his heard head count is way down. Would you like us to start measuring the sand in our rain gauge rather than waiting for some moisture to land in it?

From jfleck at inkstain:

There was a round of press coverage last month (including from me) when Mike Connor, head of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, told reporters that internal Bureau modeling suggested as much as a one-in-three chance that Lake Mead would drop so low by 2016 that the federal government would make the first ever formal shortage declaration on the Colorado River.

New data out yesterday suggests that may have been too optimistic. The latest operational report from the Bureau now suggests a good chance of hitting the shortage trigger by mid-2015. Arizona and Nevada take the hit, and it’s a small hit initially, but it grows as Mead drops further. The latest monthly modeling report (the Bureau’s much-read 24-Month Study) now suggests Lake Mead’s surface elevation could drop to 1,075 feet above sea level – the level at which a formal shortage declaration is required – as early as June 2015. As I understand the rules, this would likely mean a reduction in water deliveries (initially, a small reduction) beginning in the fall of 2015.

Actually, it doesn’t exactly say we’ll be under 1075 in June 2015. The 24th month of the study (remember the name – it’s a 24-Month Study) is May 2015, at which point the Bureau figures Lake Mead’s elevation will sit at 1,075.28 feet above sea level. That’s 3 inches – the wake of a slow boat – above the drought trigger.

From The Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):

The three-month outlook appears dry and hot. The federal government on Wednesday declared six counties, including La Plata, as primary natural disaster areas because of ongoing severe drought conditions. A couple of events that don’t bode well are happening, said Mark Svoboda. The drought has definitely shifted to the West, Svoboda said, referring to his office’s color-coded map that shows Southwest Colorado in red (extreme drought) but not the purple of exceptional drought that is choking Colorado’s plains counties. Southeast Colorado is in the third year of drought. Six months ago, the map showed a lot of the east in red, Svoboda said…

A map produced by the Climate Prediction Center, an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows all of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California and Wyoming and parts of Texas, Kansas, Idaho and Oregon as areas where drought can continue or intensify…

The possibility of a summer with continuing drought and its effect on water supply hasn’t caused Durango city officials to panic, spokeswoman Sherri Dugdale said Wednesday. The level of water in Terminal Reservoir, which stores the city’s water supply, is at stage 1, which requires no action, Dugdale said.

Hey monsoon fans – we're starting to see the precursors coming up the Sierra Madre from southern Mexico: http://t.co/SHl9m5Zfyl #nmwx

— jfleck (@jfleck) June 16, 2013

The June Water Conservation newsletter from Greeley Water is hot off the press

Click here to read the newsletter.

Reclamation Seeks Public Input on Ruedi Contracts Draft EA

Here’s the release from the Bureau of Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

The Bureau of Reclamation is accepting public comment on a draft Environmental Assessment that analyzes site specific effects of proposed contracts for water out of Ruedi Reservoir as well as an administrative amendment of existing contracts.

Written comments will be accepted until close of business, Mon., July 1. To obtain a copy of the Draft EA, please visit: http://www.usbr.gov/gp/nepa/sopa.html#ecao.

Ruedi Reservoir is part of the federal Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. The reservoir helps compensate Colorado’s West Slope for project diversions made further upstream in the Fryingpan River Basin and also provides storage for West Slope use. Reclamation began marketing Ruedi water to the West Slope in 1982. In 2012, Reclamation received requests from 17 West Slope entities for the remaining 19,585.5 acre-feet of available contract water in the marketable pool.

Reclamation is preparing an Environmental Assessment in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act on site specific effects of the proposed 17 West Slope contracts along with the administrative action of amending 31 existing Ruedi Round I and II contracts to remove the expiration date and confirm their status as perpetual repayment contracts. Comments received will help Reclamation identify issues relevant to the proposed contracts and elements of the environment that could be affected.

Please send written comments via regular mail, fax or e-mail to:

Bureau of Reclamation
Attn: Lucy Maldonado
11056 W. County Rd 18E
Loveland, CO 80537
Fax: 970-663-3212
lmaldonado@usbr.gov

More Fryingpan-Arkansas Project coverage here.

The US Supreme court decides in favor of Oklahoma in Tarrant v. Herrmann

From the Associated Press via The Denver Post:

Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s opinion for the court made plain that the justices did not find this a close case. “We hold that Tarrant’s claims lack merit,” Sotomayor said.

The case arose from a federal lawsuit the district filed in 2007 against the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and the Oklahoma Water Conservation Storage Commission that challenged the state’s water laws and sought a court order to prevent the board from enforcing them. Lower courts ruled for Oklahoma, including the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It found that the Red River Compact protects Oklahoma’s water statutes from the legal challenge.

Legislation adopted by the Oklahoma Legislature in 2009 said no out-of-state water permit can prevent Oklahoma from meeting its obligations under compacts with other states. It also requires the Water Resources Board to consider in-state water shortages or needs when considering applications for out-of-state water sales.

The Obama administration backed the Texas district at the Supreme Court, saying Oklahoma may not categorically prohibit Texas water users from obtaining water in Oklahoma. But the administration took no position on whether the Texans ultimately should get the water they are seeking in this case.

More coverage from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

The ruling holds implications for a large swath of North Texas because TRWD serves an 11-county area that includes the cities of Fort Worth, Arlington and Mansfield and gets thirstier as its population continues to grow rapidly.

Sotomayor noted that the population of Dallas-Fort Worth increased 23 percent from 2000 to 2010 (from 5.1 million to 6.4 million). “This growth has strained regional water supplies, and north Texas’ need for water has been exacerbated in recent years by a long and costly drought,” she wrote. TRWD has estimated that its clients will need an additional 400,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2060, which makes increasing the supply imperative…

…for more than six years, the water district also has been trying to tap up to 130 billion gallons from a Red River tributary through a decades-old agreement.

Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana signed the Red River Compact in 1978, and Congress’ approval in 1980 made it federal law. But since 2007, TRWD and Oklahoma have been fighting in court over whether the pact allows states or their agencies to cross borders to get their share of water. Oklahoma said no because its state laws block any transfer past the river. The water district argued that the compact’s silence on cross-border movement allowed it to buy the water and that the Oklahoma laws unconstitutionally interfered with interstate commerce. The U.S. solicitor general sided with TRWD’s view that it could get water north of the river to secure its equal share, but the justices weren’t persuaded.

“States rarely relinquish their sovereign powers, so when they do we would expect a clear indication of such devolution, not inscrutable silence,” Sotomayor wrote. “Adopting Tarrant’s reading would necessarily entail assuming that Oklahoma and three other states silently surrendered substantial control over the water within their borders when they agreed to the Compact. … we find this unlikely to have been the intent of the Compact’s signatories.”

Sotomayor, though an East Coaster through and through, showed some appreciation for the long-running southern rivalry. “The Red River has lent its name to a valley, a Civil War campaign, and a famed college football rivalry between the Longhorns of Texas and the Sooners of Oklahoma,” she wrote. “But college pride has not been the only source of controversy between Texas and Oklahoma regarding the Red River. The River has been the cause of numerous historical conflicts between the two States, leading to a mobilization of their militias at one time, and the declaration of martial law along a stretch of the River by Oklahoma Governor ‘Alfalfa Bill’ Murray at another.”[...]

Water is essential. But getting enough to where it’s wanted won’t ever be simple.

More Tarrant v. Herrmann coverage here.

James Eklund named director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

James Eklund, senior deputy legal counsel for Gov. John Hickenlooper and a former assistant state attorney general, has been selected as the new director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board. Eklund was selected by the CWCB’s governing board and Mike King, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources this week. He will lead the state’s water policy and planning efforts, including the development of a statewide water plan as outlined in a recent executive order by Hickenlooper. He replaces Jennifer Gimbel. “James is the right leader at the right time to take on this critical project,” said King. “He brings experience, purpose and a clear-sighted approach that’s vital as Colorado addresses the ever-tougher challenges of natural resource protection and water allocation in an ever-growing state.”

While serving as senior deputy legal counsel to Hickenlooper, Eklund was deeply engaged in key legislative and legal matters, often pertaining to water and natural resources including state water rights, the reorganization of state wildfire responsibilities and groundwater concerns in the South Platte River Basin.

More coverage from the Northern Colorado Business Report:

Gimbel, whose last day at the water board was Monday, said in an email that she took a job as counselor to the assistant secretary for water and science at the U.S. Department of Interior. She will advise Assistant Secretary Anne Castle on water issues in the West.

State Department of Natural Resources Mike King told Gimbel that Hickenlooper “wanted his own person in that job.” Gimbel started as director during former Gov. Bill Ritter’s administration and had served as director for five years. She reapplied for the job when Hickenlooper took office and served in the position as an “at will” employee, meaning the governor could replace her at any time.

“I’d been told I was doing a great job by the governor’s office,” she said. “It was a shock.”

Gimbel made a variety of accomplishments despite cuts to the state’s water fund during her tenure. In Northern Colorado, she advanced the Windy Gap Firming Project by freeing up $2 million in state money for infrastructure. The project by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District proposes to build Chimney Hollow Reservoir west of Carter Lake near Loveland…

While at the attorney general’s office from 2006 to 2010, Eklund provided legal expertise on water policy and planning issues. He represented the water board, Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and the State Engineer’s Office in compact negotiations with other western states, the federal government and Mexico. He provided counsel on the Endangered Species Act and water quality laws and worked in several roles to protect state interests on the Colorado River.

The water board was created 75 years ago to provide policy direction on water issues. Governed by a 15-member board, the agency’s responsibilities range from protecting Colorado’s streams and lakes to water conservation, flood mitigation, watershed protection, stream restoration, drought planning, water supply planning and water project financing. The water board also works to protect the state’s water apportionments in collaboration with other western states and federal agencies.

Here’s the release from the Department of Natural Resources (Todd Hartman):

James Eklund, senior deputy legal counsel for the Governor and a former assistant state attorney general, has been selected as the new director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board.

Eklund, selected by the CWCB’s governing board and the executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, will lead the state’s water policy and planning efforts, including the development of a statewide water plan as outlined in a recent Executive Order from Governor John Hickenlooper.

“James is the right leader at the right time to take on this critical project,” said Mike King, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “He brings experience, purpose and a clear-sighted approach that’s vital as Colorado addresses the ever-tougher challenges of natural resource protection and water allocation in an ever-growing state.”

While serving as senior deputy legal counsel to Governor Hickenlooper, Eklund was deeply engaged in key legislative and legal matters, often pertaining to water and natural resources including state water rights, the reorganization of state wildfire responsibilities and groundwater concerns in the South Platte River Basin.

While at the Attorney General’s office from 2006 to 2010, Eklund provided legal expertise on many issues central to water policy and planning in Colorado. He represented the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, CWCB and the State Engineer’s Office in compact negotiations with other western states, the federal government and Mexico. He provided counsel related to compliance with the Endangered Species Act and water quality laws, and worked in several roles to protect state interests on the Colorado River.

“The Board is excited to have such a capable leader as James. His resolve will be crucial as we take the next step on completion of a statewide water plan,” said Alan Hamel, Colorado

Water Conservation Board chairman. “James’ lifelong connection with Colorado’s rich and often intricate water culture will serve him well as he guides us forward.”

Eklund is a fifth-generation Coloradan from the Western Slope. “I look forward to working with water leaders statewide to solve our significant water challenges,” Eklund said. “We are positioned to do so as a direct result of outstanding work by CWCB staff and former director Jennifer Gimbel.”

The Colorado Water Conservation Board was created 75 years ago to provide policy direction on water issues. Governed by a 15-member board, the agency’s responsibilities range from protecting Colorado’s streams and lakes to water conservation, flood mitigation, watershed protection, stream restoration, drought planning, water supply planning and water project financing. The CWCB also works to protect the state’s water apportionments in collaboration with other western states and federal agencies.

More CWCB coverage here.

Vote on sale of shares in the Excelsior Ditch to Two Rivers postponed

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

A vote among shareholders of the Arkansas Groundwater Users Association on whether to approve the sale of its Excelsior Ditch shares has been postponed.

Two Rivers Water and Farming Co. wants to purchase the Excelsior shares for $3.5 million, making the water and use of the ditch available to AGUA. Two Rivers plans to build reservoirs on the Southwest Farms site and lease space to cities in exchange for water to apply to fields it owns on Bessemer Ditch. It needs the ditch to ensure the water can reach the reservoirs.

AGUA owns about 53 percent of the ditch. The remainder of shares belong to Stonewall Springs LLC. At shareholder meetings this week, AGUA members were uncomfortable with the details of a contract approved by its board in May. Two Rivers also requested more time to work out some of the missing pieces. So, a shareholder meeting to approve or reject the contract scheduled for Tuesday has been cancelled.

“It could be up to four months until all the details are worked out,” said Scott Lorenz, AGUA manager. “We’re going to take it slowly.” Under the agreement, Two Rivers planned to lease water from the ditch back to AGUA shareholders at $1 per year over a 10-year period, give the ditch group 10 percent of storage space up to 2,500 acre-feet, provide a portion of “toll” water to AGUA and allow AGUA to use the ditch for its recharge ponds. Two Rivers also would pay $3.5 million, paying off a state loan of $1.5 million that AGUA obtained when it purchased the ditch.

AGUA provides augmentation for well water for about 250 farms on the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek.

Two Rivers has purchased farm ground and other reservoir sites in Huerfano and Pueblo counties, with the goal of raising high-dollar vegetable crops.

More Arkansas River Basin coverage here and here.

Coyote Gulch outage

I’m heading to the hills today with Mrs. Gulch to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Stand up paddling is catching on

From The Telluride Daily Planet (Heather Sackett):

While whitewater kayaking can be limiting because of its difficulty, stand up paddling is accessible to anyone. If you can stand up, you can SUP.

“It’s so appealing to so many demographics,” head buyer for Paragon/Bootdoctors and water sports enthusiast Galena Gleason said. “It’s for everyone really.”

Paddlers stand up on a large, hard foam surfboard and use a long-handled paddle (usually about 6-10 inches taller than the paddler for the best leverage) to propel themselves through the water. Between one and three removable fins jut out from the underside of the board, depending on whether paddlers want better tracking or better maneuvering. The body position is similar to skiing with eyes, knees and toes aligned forward…

Andy Bagnall, manager of Telluride’s Four Corners Whitewater, said SUP’s popularity has spiked, particularly over the last two years. Four Corners bought just one board for the guides to use four years ago, and is now up to a fleet of 14. In addition to tours of local waterways, the company also offers multi-day trips on the Gunnison River and the Ruby-Horsethief section of the Colorado River.

One of the most appealing parts of SUP is the sense of freedom that comes from paddling. Unlike rafting or kayaking, there are relatively few rules and little equipment. You can kneel, sit down, lay down, practice yoga poses or take your dog along on a SUP adventure. And it offers a new perspective. The scenery looks different from a standing vantage point than it does from water level in a boat.

“The one rule about paddle boarding is there are no rules,” Bagnall said. “You can’t just hop out of a kayak but you can with a paddle board. It’s a great way to go swimming.”

More whitewater coverage here.

Drought news: 12 Colorado Counties receive disaster declaration #COdrought

Here’s the release from Governor Hickenlooper’s office:

Gov. John Hickenlooper was notified this week by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack that 12 counties qualify for federal disaster relief because of drought conditions. Six counties were declared primary natural disaster areas due to a recent drought and an additional six were declared as contiguous disaster counties.

The primary counties are Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Montezuma, Ouray and San Miguel. The contiguous counties are Archuleta, Gunnison, Mineral, Montrose, Saguache and San Juan.

The federal disaster relief includes Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for emergency loan assistance. FSA will consider each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses, security available and repayment ability.

Local FSA offices can provide farmers with more information.

Aspen: The city and the Colorado Water Trust work out a non-diversion agreement that will leave water in the Roaring Fork River

From the Colorado Water Trust via the Aspen Business Journal:

For decades, large water diversions have reduced the amount of water flowing in the upper Roaring Fork River; only a fraction of the native flow reaches the City of Aspen. At times, more than ninety percent of the native flow of the Roaring Fork is diverted from the river for transmountain delivery to the Front Range and many local water diversions serving various beneficial uses. To begin exploring long-term streamflow solutions for the Roaring Fork, the City of Aspen is leading local efforts this year by using one of its senior water rights to benefit flows through a critical reach of the Roaring Fork River. On Monday, the Aspen City Council authorized a nondiversion agreement with the Colorado Water Trust to bypass some water that Aspen would otherwise divert from this reach of the Roaring Fork.

The agreement was the result of an effort last March when Aspen water officials analyzed the City’s water rights with the help of the Colorado Water Trust, a nonprofit organization with expertise in restoring and protecting streamflows. Aspen saw that it could increase flows through the City by adjusting the amount of water it takes from the Roaring Fork River at the Wheeler Ditch, one the three most senior water rights in a critical 2.5 mile reach of the Roaring Fork from just above Aspen to Castle Creek. Aspen determined that it can reduce its Wheeler Ditch diversions when the river falls below the 32 cfs instream flow. This could add as much as 8 cfs to the river. This water will help maintain parts of the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s six mile long instream flow water right which extends from Difficult Creek to Maroon Creek.

Aspen has a longstanding commitment to streamflow protection, as well as to providing both treated and untreated water for a wide range of municipal uses. In the summer, amenities such as Aspen’s parks, mall fountain, and ditch system contribute greatly to the beauty and tranquility of Aspen’s mountain community. To accommodate this project, Aspen will lease less water to third parties than it has in the past, reduce outdoor water use, and redirect other water supplies to meet the City’s critical needs. City Council agreed to pursue these actions and enter into a nondiversion agreement with the Colorado Water Trust, who will help monitor flows in the reach and help oversee the project. The nondiversion agreement specifies how Aspen will adjust the amount of water it takes from the Roaring Fork at the Wheeler Ditch.

“The City has long considered ways to add flow to the river, but was not finding a way to make an appreciable difference. Our [Roaring Fork] water rights are small in comparison to the amount of water that would flow through the stream under natural conditions,” said Dave Hornbacher, Aspen’s Director of Utilities and Environmental Initiatives. “After seeing the river suffer a hard year in 2012, a brainstorming group was formed in March to review the City’s water rights and to explore options for using those rights to benefit the Roaring Fork.”

“Leaving some of the City’s water in the Roaring Fork through this short-term nondiversion agreement will allow us to understand the benefits additional water can provide to the natural habitat,” added Hornbacher. “We see this project as a first step in crafting a broader, long-term solution for rewatering the Roaring Fork, an effort that will require the help of our entire community. This agreement allows Aspen to meet its water needs while providing as much water as possible to our river this year.”

Last year, during severe drought conditions, reaches of the Roaring Fork were nearly dry in parts of June, July, August, and October. While the outlook for this year is not as dire, Aspen is interested in temporarily changing its operations to improve flows through town and benefit the environment in the short-term as Aspen continues to look for long-term strategies to bolster the Roaring Fork River. Because of Aspen’s innovative thinking, commitment to the community, and leadership in improving streamflows, the river will be better off in 2013.

“Aspen was enthusiastic about weighing the options and pursuing the best strategy for putting its water rights in the Roaring Fork to benefit the river this year,” says Amy Beatie, executive director of the Colorado Water Trust. “Thanks to its pioneering attitude and incredible leadership, this agreement gives Aspen a mechanism for adding water to their river with both flexibility and accountability. It is inspiring to see a decade of discussions put into action, and we’re eager to see how this agreement benefits flows in the stream.”

By entering into a nondiversion agreement with the Colorado Water Trust, Aspen will be partnering with an organization that has a proven track record conducting water transactions for environmental and streamflow benefits in voluntary partnerships. Aspen hopes the anticipated benefit to the Roaring Fork from its nondiversion agreement with the Colorado Water Trust will help the City further its stream protection goals while still maintaining the summertime ambiance that makes Aspen such a great place to be.

More Roaring Fork Watershed coverage here and here.

Big Meadows Fire: Hard to fight with the potential to impact Colorado-Big Thompson facilities

From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Bobby Magill):

The team, which assumed command of firefighting efforts Thursday morning, can be only so aggressive because the Big Meadows Fire is burning through a “jacklegged” forest, he said. That’s the term foresters use for trees that have fallen on each other and are propped up by other trees, both living and dead. When the forest burns and the jacklegged trees shift, they fall, potentially crushing firefighters on the ground. The Big Meadows Fire is burning through a forest on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park that is 80 percent dead and fallen trees. It was hit early in the region’s bark beetle epidemic. The trees there died long ago, and many have been standing dead for nearly a decade. The roots have rotted away and the trees have fallen on each other, forming layer after layer of dead trees and creating a “ladder” of wildfire fuel from forest floor to canopy, Bobowski said.

If the fire spreads, it will be extremely hazardous to stop. And that means the town of Grand Lake and the reservoirs on the Colorado River that supply Fort Collins with nearly half of its water supply are threatened. “Even at 600 acres, we will see some impacts from this,” said Brian Werner, spokesman for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, the manager of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, of which Horsetooth Reservoir is a part.

Tonahutu Creek spills directly into Grand Lake, which is where water the city takes from Horsetooth Reservoir is pumped beneath Rocky Mountain National Park. Small amounts of silt, ash and debris are likely to wash into Grand Lake and affect the level of sediment in the lake…

“This is not a panic situation,” Werner said, adding that Northern Water staff have met daily to assess how the Big Meadows Fire will affect the C-BT system, which is the supplemental water supply to more than 800,000 people on the Front Range.

‘Super Ditch has no contracts on either side, no end user and no firm supply’ — Terry Nelson

Terry Scanga from the Upper Arkansas River Water Conservancy District called the Super Ditch the “Mother of all change cases” a couple of years ago. Here’s an update on a water court filing by objectors from Chris Woodka writing for The Pueblo Chieftain:

Water users on the eastern end of the Lower Arkansas Valley want water judge Larry Schwartz to dismiss a court case that would allow the Arkansas Valley Super Ditch to exchange water upstream. The motion to dismiss was filed last month in Division 2 water court.

The Super Ditch envisions exchanging water upstream under leasefallowing programs that would allow farmers to sell water to cities temporarily while keeping ownership of the water rights.

But several large water interests below John Martin Reservoir say the proposal is speculative and claims too much water — the entire flows of six canal companies that amount to 58,000 acre-feet per year. Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, the Lower Arkansas Water Management Association, District 67 Ditch Association and the Amity Canal filed the motion to dismiss the application by the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District and Super District on May 22. The exchange is being sought before water rights on the canal have been changed to allow other uses, they say.

At the same time, the Lower Ark District and Super Ditch have sidestepped water court by lobbying for changes in state law that allow water to be moved under state water officials without court adjudication, they said. Two bills were passed by the state Legislature this year — HB1130 and HB 1248 — that give the state engineer or the Colorado Water Conservation Board direct authority over water transfers. The Lower Ark District backed HB1248, and Rocky Ford area farmers involved with the Super Ditch testified in favor of HB1130. The bills were actively opposed by Tri-State lobbyists.

“It scares the hell out of us that multiple thousands of acres could be dried up and the state’s the policeman,” said Colin Thompson, who farms near Holly and is a member of the Amity Canal board. “I don’t want to have to run up and down the valley and police 2,000 fields.”

“Super Ditch has no contracts on either side, no end user and no firm supply,” said Terry Nelson, a Tri-State executive. “They’ve taken every effort to sidestep the court process. They’re setting it up to make it easier for the municipalities to take water out of the Arkansas Valley.”

Jay Winner, manager of the Lower Ark District, defended the Super Ditch proposal, saying it protects water in agriculture. “What we’re trying to do is enhance the water options for agriculture,” Winner said. “The state now has a gap in municipal supplies. Super Ditch provides an alternative to permanent transfers.”

More Arkansas Valley Super Ditch coverage here and here.

James Eklund named to take over for Jennifer Gimbel to lead the Colorado Water Conservation Board

James Eklund, senior deputy legal counsel for the governor, chosen as new director of Colorado Water Conservation Board

— Catherine Tsai (@ctsai_denver) June 14, 2013

From the Boulder Daily Camera (Joe Rubino):

The 15-member board and the executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources named Eklund to the post.

A fifth-generation Coloradan, Eklund will lead state water policy and planning efforts, including establishing a statewide water plan, as outlined in a recent executive order from Hickenlooper.

As part of the governor’s administration, Eklund has worked on legislative and legal matters pertaining to water, including state water rights and groundwater concerns in the South Platte River Basin.

While with the attorney general’s office from 2006 to 2010, Eklund represented the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the Water Conservation Board and the state engineer’s office in compact negotiations with other Western states.

More CWCB coverage here.

The Colorado Water Trust’s ‘RiverBank 2013′ event is just 5 days away

From the Colorado Water Trust website:

Join us for both live and silent auctions, appetizers, an open (beer & wine) bar, good company, and the presentation of the David Getches Flowing Waters Award. Come help us celebrate our successes over the past year and help us raise funds for our future efforts. We hope you’ll join us for a fabulous, fun evening!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013
5:30 – 8:30pm
McNichols Civic Center Building
Civic Center Park
144 West Colfax, Denver, Colorado

- See more at: http://www.coloradowatertrust.org/campaigns/riverbank-2013#sthash.IroBtGnn.dpuf

Drought/runoff news: The latest climate briefing from Western Water Assessment is now available #COdrought

Click here to go to their dashboard and read the update. Here’s an excerpt:

Highlights

The region is heading into summer with long-term drought conditions comparable to or worse than early June 2012 in nearly all areas; significant drought impacts (water supply, agricultural, wildfire) can be expected

May precipitation was above average in central Colorado, far northern Wyoming, and portions of eastern Utah, and below-average in northern Utah, southeastern Wyoming, and southern and eastern Colorado.

Snowpacks have melted out except at the highest elevations; snowmelt occurred 1-3 weeks earlier than the median in most basins.

The latest (June 1) runoff forecasts continue to call for below-average or well-below-average spring-summer streamflow over nearly all of the region; observed flows in April and May were generally well below average

The NOAA CPC seasonal climate outlooks show a dry “tilt” for summer precipitation for southeastern Colorado, but no tilt elsewhere. The “SWcast” for July–September shows a slight wet tilt over eastern Colorado, and a dry tilt over north-central Colorado and northern Utah.

From the Albuquerque Journal (John Fleck):

New Mexico’s drought conditions remain the worst in the nation, according to the weekly federal Drought Monitor, with 45 percent of the state, including the populous Rio Grande Valley, in “exceptional” drought.

From the Fort Collins Coloradoan:

Thanks to high temperatures and the late-season snows, the Poudre River is running about 1,800 cubic feet per second near the mouth of the canyon, normal for this time of year. The Poudre’s flows typically peak around this time of year, depending on the snowpack, mountain rains and air temperatures.

In Fort Collins, some bike path underpasses have been temporarily closed due to high water, although that’s normal for this time of year. And safety officials have warned area residents to use extra care around the fast-flowing Poudre and irrigation ditches, because water levels are high and the water temperature remains low.