From the Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Scott Condon):
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said it released water purchased from Ruedi by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when the agency demanded or “called” it in August. “We don’t have a lot of flexibility there,” said reclamation bureau spokeswoman Kara Lamb. “That’s their water. They can call for it when they want.” The Fish and Wildlife Service is running a recovery program for four species of native fish in the Colorado River: The pikeminnow, razorback sucker, bonytail club and humpback chub. Water is needed during dry times to enhance habitat in what’s called the 15-Mile Reach, a stretch of the river in the Grand Valley near Grand Junction.
The reclamation bureau’s data shows there were 33 days with flows at or above 300 cubic feet per second on the Fryingpan River between Aug. 5 and Sept. 24, when the water was needed for the recovery program. The flows exceeded 400 cfs on 21 days and topped 500 cfs on eight days. Anglers prefer flows below 250 cfs. Wading into the river is nearly impossible at higher flows and fishing the gold-medal trout stream is difficult when it exceeds that level…
[The Ruedi Water and Power Authority] , along with Basalt town government, invited the reclamation bureau to a meeting to discuss the operations. Lamb said the bureau accepted the invitation and is waiting for the local governments to set a time and place. “These are important concerns and we know that,” Lamb said. But she also stressed that the reclamation bureau doesn’t have a lot of control over the issues that upset anglers, fly shops and the local governments. The Fish and Wildlife Service has contracts for Ruedi Reservoir water. It can use 5,000 acre feet annually, and an additional 5,000 acre feet four out of any five years. There is also a special agreement that allows the federal agency to use an additional 10,825 acre feet for the endangered fish recovery program. All told, the Fish and Wildlife Service can call up to 28,825 acre feet of Ruedi water per year for the recovery effort. It’s not unusual for that entire amount to be demanded, but the timing varies. The tendency is for the water to be called in late summer and early fall, Lamb said. This year was different because the water was demanded earlier.
Work at the Shoshone Power Plant created lower flows on the Colorado River at the endangered fish habitat at the same time that hot, dry weather was reducing flows, Lamb said. As a result, the Ruedi Reservoir water was required earlier.
Precedent-Setting Decision Made by Colorado Water Conservation Board; First-of-Its-Kind Relationship Built Between Board and Pitkin County for Local Streamflows
November 18, 2009
Here’s the release from the Colorado Water Trust:
There will soon be more water for the fish who call the Roaring Fork River basin home. This boon is the result of collaborative efforts among Pitkin County, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (“CWCB”), and the Colorado Water Trust (“CWT”). Pitkin County has agreed to allow numerous water rights it owns to stay in local rivers, rather than be used for irrigation or other uses. It will do this by placing those water rights into a trust to be managed by the CWCB for use in Colorado’s Instream Flow Program. If all of the water rights in the trust agreement are used for instream flows, the Roaring Fork River basin could see up to a 19 c.f.s. increase in flows during the summer months (although that figure is only a raw estimate and does not consider needs of Pitkin County or changes that may be required in the water court process).
The State of Colorado has a long history of recognizing the importance of instream water uses in addition to more traditional water uses. The placement of an Instream Flow Program in the hands of the CWCB in 1973 was its clearest pronouncement. As of now, Colorado’s Instream Flow Program stewards more than 1,500 defensible water rights protecting nearly 9,000 river miles. But the CWCB has been working to increase the water available to that program. Pitkin County owns various water rights in the Roaring Fork Basin it has acquired through its Open Space and Trails Department and through its Airport Enterprise Fund. Pitkin County, with its location in the Roaring Fork Basin and significant portfolio of water rights, was a natural partner.
The trust agreement, formally approved by the CWCB today, is governed in part by House Bill 08-1280, groundbreaking bill passed by the Colorado legislature in 2008 that provides protections to and removes penalties that might accrue to water users who loan or lease their water to the CWCB for use in the Instream Flow Program.The project is a groundbreaking project for the state’s instream flow program. Here’s why:
This project is the first use of House Bill 1280.
The trust agreement provides a model for all other water users in the state that have water rights that are not currently being used, such as municipalities that have developed water supplies beyond their immediate needs.
If this transaction is approved, more than thirty additional water rights will be submitted by Pitkin County for acceptance into the CWCB’s instream flow program. Furthermore, Pitkin County will add water rights to the trust agreement that it will acquire by using the proceeds from its new Healthy Rivers and Streams Fund. Thus, the trust agreement will form the foundation for a long-term, perhaps perpetual relationship between Pitkin County and the CWCB to increase the water available to your local streams.
The trust agreement was fought by the Basalt Water Conservancy District, Starwood Metropolitan District, the Willow Creek Ditch and Herrick Ditch Company, and the Roaring Fork Land and Cattle Company. Those parties requested the hearing before the CWCB that, today, settled the matter. After an almost five-hour hearing, the Colorado Water Conservation Board voted unanimously to approve the trust agreement.
“We’re very pleased with the arrangement. Today is the beginning of a long-term relationship with the CWCB to improve streamflows in Pitkin County and everybody benefits, from the local fish to our local businesses dependent upon healthy streams in our County,” says John Ely, Pitkin County’s attorney. Speaking for the CWCB, Linda Bassi, Chief of the CWCB’s Stream and Lake Protection Section adds: “This is a great project for a critical area of the state. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with Pitkin County under this long-term, win-win arrangement.”
Contacts: John Ely, Pitkin County Attorney, at (970) 920-5190; Chief, CWCB Stream and Lake Protection Section, at (303) 917-5916; Amy W. Beatie, Executive Director, Colorado Water Trust, at (303) 525-4736
More HB 08-1280 coverage here.
Reclamation: Fryingpan summer flows concern for fishermen
November 15, 2009
From The Aspen Times:
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is preparing a response to a letter of concern about summer water releases from Ruedi Reservoir, and it should be available to the public next week, an agency spokeswoman said. The Basalt town government and Ruedi Water and Power Authority asked the reclamation bureau for a detailed review of the water releases. The releases from the dam created a six-week “disaster” for anglers on the Fryingpan River, says a letter from the entities. Copies of the letter were sent to members of Colorado’s congressional delegation and state legislators. The reclamation bureau received the letter Monday and is collecting information for the response, said spokeswoman Kara Lamb.
More Fryingpan-Arkansas Project watershed coverage here.
Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District hatches plan to accelerate the Arkansas Valley Conduit
November 13, 2009
Hoping to alleviate building delays due to the vagaries of federal funding the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District is shortening the timeline for the environmental (NEPA) reports. Here’s a report from Chris Woodka writing for The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District Thursday approved a plan to wrap up major parts of an Environmental Protection Agency grant by next March, allowing the Bureau of Reclamation to begin work on an environmental impact statement by April. “The NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) piece of this needs to get started,” said Phil Reynolds, project manager. In order to do that, an EPA grant that was going to take 27 months to complete will be pushed ahead of schedule. The work also includes identifying the route of the pipeline and looking at rights of way. The parts affecting the EIS, however, need to be completed so Reclamation can begin work.
At a meeting this week with the Bureau of Reclamation officials in Billings, Mont., the district received assurances that the $5 million appropriated by Congress for 2010 will be spent in this fiscal year, Executive Director Jim Broderick told the board. “Between now and March 31, we will enter into a third-party agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation,” Broderick said. “If we had not done that, the intent was to spend $2 million this year, and encumber $3 million for the following year.” That would make it difficult for the district to ask for more money in the following year, Broderick said.
Meanwhile, here’s the SECWCD budget news, from Chris Woodka writing for The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
“We are not looking at a huge shortfall,” said Kathie Fanning, chief financial officer. “So many things are coming to fruition.” Most of the district’s revenues – $12 million – go toward repayment of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, including $5.3 million for the Fountain Valley Conduit. The district began repaying $132 million on the Fry-Ark Project in 1982, and still owes $68 million on the 50-year loan. This year’s payments toward the project are about 6.5 million. Other payments toward operation of the winter water program, operation and maintenance. The largest expenses in the operating fund go toward employees, $1 million, and legal work, $515,000. Both figures are essentially unchanged from 2009. The district also has budgeted nearly $3 million for its enterprise fund, which includes an accelerated payment schedule for an Environmental Protection Agency grant for the Arkansas Valley Conduit. The budget includes property tax collections of 0.944 mills for parts of nine counties. El Paso County contributes 72 percent, while Pueblo County contributes almost 16 percent. Counties west of Pueblo contribute almost 9 percent, while those east of Pueblo make up the remainder.
From The Aspen Times (Scott Condon):
The Basalt town government, Ruedi Water and Power Authority, and fishing guides want a detailed review and explanation of the reclamation bureau’s releases from Ruedi Reservoir. The releases created water levels that were too high for fishing in the gold-medal trout habitat of the Fryingpan River from late July to early September. The water level in Ruedi dropped too low to allow use of the Aspen Yacht Club docks on Labor Day weekend. “In short, the six weeks between approximately July 26 and Sept. 6 was a disaster for water-related recreation in the Fryingpan Valley,” says a letter from Basalt and the Ruedi Water and Power Authority. The latter entity operates a small hyrdo-electric project at the reservoir and closely monitors Ruedi water issues for local governments. The letter was released to the public at a Basalt Town Council meeting Tuesday night. The Bureau of Reclamation office in Loveland, which manages Ruedi releases, was closed for Veterans Day so no immediate reaction was available.
Mark Fuller, director of the Ruedi Water and Power Authority, said the releases were handled differently this year than over the last decade or so. The flow in the Fryingpan River is generally maintained at 250 cubic feet per second during summer months. It has rarely exceeded 300 cfs during summers and if it did, it was only for a day or two, he said. This year the flow in the Fryingpan topped 250 cfs the week of July 29 and kept climbing. It topped 400 cfs by Aug. 12 and 500 cfs by Aug. 19. Flows didn’t drop below 250 cfs until the week of Sept. 9…
[Bruce Gabow] quizzed reclamation officials about the flow and was told a “perfect storm” of circumstances affected the releases. Ruedi is one of a handful of reservoirs used to meet the demands of downstream users who purchase water. A variety of factors affected releases this summer when there were “calls” for water. There was a brief shutdown of the Shoshone Power Plant on the Colorado River, which affected water required from Ruedi; there was a delay in declaring a surplus of water from Green Mountain Reservoir, requiring more water releases from Ruedi while Green Mountain couldn’t answer the calls; and there was the usual contribution by Ruedi to a program to benefit endangered fish species on the Colorado River east of Grand Junction. The reaction of the federal agency to concerns in the Fryingpan Valley have been frustrating Gabow for years. Officials hold the necessary public hearings to collect input and they act concerned about the points raised by local residents, Gabow said, but they don’t alter their operations. “They do whatever they want,” he said. “They’re not really accountable to anyone here. They’re the government.”
More Fryingpan River watershed coverage here.
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District will have a hearing next month on its proposed 2010 budget, which totals $14.5 million. The hearing will be at 1 p.m. Nov. 12 at the district’s offices, 31717 United Ave., Pueblo, in the Airport Industrial Park…
About $5.3 million would repay the Fountain Valley Pipeline and is assessed only in El Paso County. The pipeline, built in the 1980s, serves Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security, Stratmoor Hills and Widefield. About $6.5 million would repay the costs of building the Fry-Ark Project itself. Personnel costs are about $1 million, while legal fees are a little more than $500,000. The overall amounts would not change significantly from the 2009 budget.
More Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District coverage here.
From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
The Bureau of Reclamation already is clearing space in mountain reservoirs – Turquoise and Twin lakes – by flowing water to Lake Pueblo, said Roy Vaughan, manager of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. Reclamation is expecting to clear out 65,000 acre-feet of space in anticipation of making room for 2010 imports from the Fryingpan River through the Boustead Tunnel. If snowpack and runoff were average this year, and no other adjustments made, about 14,000 acre-feet of water in some accounts would spill next spring, Vaughan said. The first 10,000 acre-feet is in a controversial account in Lake Pueblo under a long-term contract to Aurora. Other accounts holding non-project water within the basin also could be at risk as well.
However, as in the past two years, water planners are figuring out ways to use the water rather than lose it, Vaughan said. “The entities that know this is coming are finding a way out of it,” Vaughan said, noting that he is on the phone weekly to most of them as projections and water levels change. Water can be moved downstream to other reservoirs, which are far from full, either as part of water management plans or under low-rate sales to the Division of Wildlife. “Leasing water gets cheap when things get full,” Vaughan said.
More Arkansas Basin coverage here.
Runoff news: Fryingpan-Arkansas yield
August 29, 2009
It’s been a pretty good water year overall. Reservoirs are looking good heading into harvest time. Last week the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District finalized this year’s yield from the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. Here’s a report from Chris Woodka writing for The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District Thursday finalized its allocations from the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project at about 50,000 acre-feet for municipal and agricultural water users, with some left over to meet past and future obligations. “The water was more than our projected imports in May, so we have more than average available,” Bob Hamilton, engineering supervisor, told the Southeastern board…
By the end of July, however, more than 82,000 acre-feet had come through the Boustead Tunnel, which empties into Turquoise Lake. Water is imported from the Fryingpan River in the Roaring Fork watershed on the West Slope. Even with repayment of last year’s loan of 5,000 acre-feet from the Pueblo Board of Water Works, a payment of 3,000 acre-feet to Twin Lakes to meet West Slope needs, evaporation and transit loss, about 63,000 acre-feet were available for allocation. Rather than make a second allocation, as has happened in the past, staffers and members of the executive committee decided to meet other needs, including: Setting up a 5,000 acre-foot reserve account. Repaying 1,458 acre-feet of 7,139 acre-feet still owed to Colorado Springs for releases to draw down Lake Pueblo in the safety of dams program in 1998. Holding a little more than 5,700 acre-feet until next spring in case new shortages arise.
Ruedi operations update
August 17, 2009
From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
Several of you have been calling, so I thought it best to let everyone know that it looks like releases from Ruedi will stay up and the Fryingpan flows will remain around 500 cfs for the time being. After the inspection up on the Colorado River at Shoshone last week, the Fish and Wildlife Service maintained their call for their contracted Ruedi water for the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. Flows in the Colorado remain lower than anticipated there. Contracted water from Ruedi is being used to help boost those flows.
Ms. Lamb is also pointing to the website for the reservoir operations.
More Roaring Fork watershed coverage here.
Runoff news: Ruedi Reservoir update
July 28, 2009
From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
This evening, we are bumping up releases from Ruedi by about 30 cfs. We anticipate inflows might rise slightly over night. As a result, later this evening, flows in the Fryingpan will be around 275 cfs.
