Leadville: First ‘Water Aware’ session May 4
May 2, 2011
When it comes down to water rights, it’s not just enough to be at the top of the hill, you had to the one or have acquired the right, that put the water to work watering hay or some other beneficial use. Here’s the announcment from the Leadville Herald Democrat:
The Lake County Watershed Advisory Council will host the first in a three-part series of water-education seminars, starting at 6 p.m. on the evening of May 4, in the Longyear Auditorium at the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum. Doors will open for registration and informal discussion at 5:30 p.m.
The first session will focus on Colorado Water Law and its impacts on Lake County’s ability to provide a dependable source of water to support sustainable growth.
According to Mike Bordogna, Lake County commissioner, many people in Lake County aren’t aware that we don’t own the water passing through our community and are therefore of the false impression that we have all the water we will ever need to support our current and future needs…
The discussion of Colorado Water Law will be led by Steve Kastner, assistant division engineer for the Colorado Division of Water Resources, who will outline the state laws and regulations that all Colorado communities and individuals must abide by in securing water for their own use.
This will be followed by a presentation by David Hallford of Balcomb and Green, PC, Lake County’s water attorney, who will apply the principles and constraints of Colorado Water Law to the specific needs of Lake County, and discuss the steps needed to determine the county’s water future.
Time will be allowed for questions and answers. The session is free to the public, and refreshments will be served.
For information, go to www.wateraware2011.com
More education coverage here.
Storage in the Parkville Water District’s raw water supply reservoirs is very low due to a combination of events. Here’s a report from Ann E. Wibbenmeyer writing for the Leadville Herald Democrate. From the article:
Most years, said Greg Teter, general manager, runoff begins filling two upper reservoirs by April 15. Evan’s Creek, which fills those reservoirs was still dry early this week. To add to the issue, a water main broke on the 500 block of East 8th Street near the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at about 10 p.m. April 22. It was discovered at about 6 a.m. the next morning. The cause of this break is speculated to be connected to the ditch dug for the sanitation project last summer, which was parallel to the water line. The dirt began washing away and the water line went with it, said Teter. This caused a loss of about 500,000 gallons of water. “I’ve never seen it lower than this,” he said…
The issues facing the water district are all physical, he said, not legal. The district owns plenty of water rights, but is needing to find better ways of accessing the water. “There are ways to fix the issues that all involve money,” he said.
More infrastructure coverage here.
Leadville: Parkview Water District to raise rates
December 26, 2009
From the Leadville Herald Democrat:
The increase will amount to about 10 percent across the board for residential and commercial customers for all meter sizes. For most residential customers, this will translate to an extra $3 per month on their bills since most customers stay below the 3,000-gallon minimum each month. For the customers who use more than the monthly minimum of 3,000 gallons, there will also be an increase of 30 cents per thousand gallons above the minimum. Even with the increase, the average monthly water charge for Parkville residential customers will still be substantially less than the Colorado statewide average water charge of $37.20 per month, Teter said. Being too far below the state average for water rates has had a negative effect on recent grant applications for Parkville. Both state and federal grant agencies are reluctant to award grant money to districts with rates that are too low to sufficiently cover operating and capital costs.
With Parkville’s line-replacement program, water loss and waste in the system have been reduced substantially. Total water through the system is half what it was ten years ago even though with more customers. Less water loss means less pumping costs, a major cost component of Parkville’s operation. Several large capital projects are carried over from year to year for lack of funding, in the hopes that increased revenue and reduced expenses will eventually allow Parkville to add more money to additional capital improvements.
More infrastructure coverage here.
Here’s a report from Chris Woodka writing for The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
“We both share a strong, deep commitment when it comes to the Leadville drainage tunnel,” Udall said. “We need for someone to step in and take responsibility,” Lamborn added. The lawmakers are sponsoring the legislation to avert disaster if the blockage in the Leadville tunnel were to give way under pressure and release a toxic flood into the Arkansas River. It will also improve the water quality of water from the mines that is returned to the river, Udall said. [ed. the toxic flood scenario was debunked by Reclamation last year].
In response to the emergency, a relief well was added to remove water backed up in the Leadville tunnel. The water was pumped to Reclamation’s treatment plant north of Leadville…
The bill would give Reclamation the authority to continue operating the relief well and to take steps toward a long-term solution. Previously, Reclamation claimed it lacked specific authority to treat water behind the blockages in the tunnel, a federal facility built to drain mines as a way to improve production in World War II and the Korean War. Reclamation and the EPA have been unable to reach a long-term solution.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Lake County: Moving forward with augmentation plan?
April 25, 2009
From the Leadville Chronicle:
In 1998, the Lake County commissioners started the process of applying for a water augmentation plan, which was case number 173 in water court that year. This process was never completed, and since that time, the county has changed water attorneys and their direction for dealing with water in Lake County. Now, the county is revisiting the case to find the cost of completing it.
