Estes Park: Students learn about water quality while participating in ‘River Watch’ program
October 17, 2009
From the Estes Park Trail Gazette (Juley Harvey):
The students became involved after participating with Merrill in the CloudSat program last year, where they collected data on clouds and precipitation. Merrill found the River Watch program and asked the trio to participate this summer. In the River Watch program, they analyzed samples and stored data on the Internet, to be reviewed and evaluated by the Department of Wildlife. They performed tests for pH levels, alkalinity, hardness, temperature, dissolved oxygen, metals and nutrients. Next, they will train their peers. They hope to test more rivers and headwater streams. They started out monitoring Fish Creek, but the project ended quickly, because “the water was like THAT wide. There was not good data.” “The cool parts,” they said, “were learning about and working with chemicals, collecting stuff and knowing we`re collecting our own data. We feel like we definitely made a difference. We learned how to test…and how rivers interact with the ecosystem and how important they are, and how streams are important to the ecosystem. There is only a little bit of streams left. We need to do what we can to keep them clean and healthy.”
More education coverage here.
Big Thompson River Revival
September 27, 2009
Here’s a recap of yesterday’s waterway cleanup sponsored by the city of Loveland and the Big Thompson Watershed Forum, from Pamela Dickman writing for the Loveland Reporter Herald. From the article:
The city of Loveland and the Big Thompson Watershed Forum jointly hold two waterway cleanups per year. This one, the fall cleanup, was called the Big Thompson River Revival. Volunteers found all sorts of debris in the river from flip-flops to alcohol bottles to a traffic cone to measuring tapes and more…
Alexander Alden, 7, and Jasmine Kristjansdottir, 10, stuck to the banks of the river with family members and friends. Alexander’s Boy Scout troop encouraged members to participate, but that is not the only reason he decided to pick up trash. Alexander said he was out at Fairgrounds Park “for the waterways.” “The water is what we drink,” he said. “It comes in all sorts of liquids we drink.” Jasmine added, “I’m here to help the world.”
Horsetooth Reservoir operations update
August 31, 2009
From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
Today, Horsetooth Reservoir is sitting at an elevation of 5400 feet. To put some perspective on this, looking back about 20-years, our average elevation at Horsetooth this time of year is usually around 5385.
Right now, we are sending just over 200 cfs into Horsetooth. About 354 cfs is going out. This is a relatively slow draw on the reservoir. If demands remain about the same, I anticipate we will see an elevation in the mid-upper 5390s for Labor Day weekend. That should be plenty of water for all boat ramps.
Boulder: 3% Water and sewer increase?
August 27, 2009
From The Denver Post:
According to a memo being presented to the City Council during a Tuesday night study session, the Boulder Water Resources Advisory Board is recommending an increase in water, wastewater and stormwater rates. The proposal calls for an increase of 3 percent on water bills, 2 percent for wastewater and 1 percent for stormwater. Together, the increases would mean most residential customers would pay $1.40 more each month — or about $17 more annually. Water bills for businesses, such as restaurants, would increase about $162 per year, while heavy industrial users would see bills go up by $5,100.
More infrastructure coverage here.
Big Thompson Watershed Forum 11th annual meeting September 22
August 25, 2009
From The Greeley Tribune:
The Big Thompson Watershed Forum will host its 11th annual meeting — Protecting Our Watershed, Preserving Our Future — on Sept. 22. It will be at the Drake Center in Fort Collins and is scheduled for 8 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
The Big Thompson River Watershed, an area of about 900 square miles, provides drinking water to numerous cities in northern Colorado including Estes Park, Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland. The Big Thompson River Watershed is vital to more than 800,000 people as it carries water from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project and is used for residential, commercial, agricultural, recreation and wildlife habitat purposes. The mission of the forum is to protect and improve water quality in the watershed through collaborative monitoring, assessment, education and restoration projects.
This year’s topics include a volunteer monitoring program water quality update; the future of the watershed movement in northern Colorado; Colorado’s source water assessment and protection program; what a changing climate means for the West’s water; Clean Water Act and proposed nutrient amendments; a model to plan, build and live water-smart; and an education and outreach panel discussion for the forum and local watershed groups.
State Rep. Randy Fischer, D-Fort Collins, will provide opening remarks. Cost is $15, which includes a continental breakfast and lunch.
For more information, e-mail Zack Shelley at zshelley@btwatershed.org.
1976 Big Thompson Flood 33rd anniversary
July 31, 2009
Today is the 33rd anniversary of the Big Thompson Flood. According to the Fort Collins Coloradoan there will be a ceremony tonight at to reflect on the tragic events of that day and the loss of 140 lives. From the article:
At 7 p.m. tonight, members of the Big Thompson Canyon Flood Memorial board of directors will again host a ceremony to recognize the devastation of the flood and share memories of tragedy and triumph. During the ceremony, four college students who lost their grandparents in the flood will be presented scholarships in memory of their loved ones…
For many Colorado residents, the memories of that devastating day in 1976 remain forever etched in our minds. For others, the impact of that tragic day does not truly resonate until they see the roadside memorial or read excerpts of books made available by people dedicated to ensuring the flood will never be forgotten.
As I remember it (highly unreliable), Mrs. Gulch and I had spent a week or so swimming through all the rain up in the Flat Tops Wilderness and were holed up that night in Steamboat Springs.
Estes Park: Water quality report available on town website, water quality passes with flying colors
July 11, 2009
From the Estes Park Trail (Kate Rushch):
The Water Quality Report is available on the Town’s website at www.estes.org/lightpower/waterdefault.aspx. Copies are also available at the following locations: Town Hall at 170 MacGregor Avenue; Town of Estes Park Water Department at 577 Elm Road; Estes Park Medical Center at 555 Prospect Avenue; Larimer County Health Department at 1601 Brodie Avenue.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Colorado-Big Thompson Project: Reservoir status
June 18, 2009
From email from Reclamation (Michael Odle):
- Estes Powerplant will have 250 acre-feet of water available for power generation on Friday. That is an increase of 50 acre-feet from previous days.
- The Adams Tunnel diversion od 200 cfs will continue until tomorrow night. That means that the Marys Powerplant will have water available for power generation the entire day tomorrow.
- Olympus Tunnel flow will continue set at 500 cfs tomorrow.
- The Dille Tunnel flow will be adjusted to 68 cfs tomorrow morning.
- The Big Thompson Powerplant flow will be increased to 394 cfs tomorrow morning.
From the Berthoud Recorder (Sandy Barnes):
April samples taken at seven locations throughout the district also showed levels of chemical compounds higher than the maximum contaminants the EPA has set for stage two monitoring of drinking water. Hibbard explained that water is being assessed on the basis of EPA standards that go into effect in 2013. “In reality, we’re not out of compliance,” he said. Stage two monitoring requires measurements in parts per billion of disinfection byproducts resulting from the use of chlorine, which include trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, according to information on the EPA’s Web site. Mike Cook, district engineer for the Little Thompson Water District, said the stage one sample, which allows an average calculation of samples taken at various sites, is the critical one for the present time. Stage two monitoring is site specific, requiring the reporting of measurements at each location. Cook also said that water sampling results can vary by as much as 25 percent at different labs used for the analysis. Adding to the challenge of complying with EPA standards is that the state requires water disinfection with chlorine, said Hibbard. In order to address the problem, it would be necessary to work with staff at the Carter Lake filter plant where the water is treated and with Weld County, he noted.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
From the Greeley Tribune (Bill Jackson):
[Luke Shawcross, a water resources engineer with Northern] is developing the model on how that water will be tracked, and if you think that’s complicated, you’re certainly right. The model is designed to catch return flow information from irrigated areas, delivery areas and municipal areas. Once that’s done, Shawcross will develop a flow chart to accurately track the water as it moves through the system.
A return flow is any water that returns to a river or to groundwater. And while C-BT return flows is property of the residents of the eight counties, rain fall runoff to rivers and streams is property of those rivers and streams, which just adds more complications. Andy Pineda, Northern’s water resources manager and Shawcross’ boss, said it’s estimated that return flow to rivers and groundwater from the C-BT could be as much as 100,000 acre-feet. “We need to quantify who got it and how it’s used. But, more importantly, we need to protect it and make sure it stays here,” Pineda said at Northern’s recent spring water users meeting.
Reclamation scores $1 billion for infrastructure, Colorado-Big Thompson to get $14 million
April 18, 2009
The stimulus dough from the American Recovery and Investment Act keeps flowing. Here’s a report from Kelly King writing for the Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article:
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced Wednesday that the Bureau of Reclamation will use $1 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to repair water infrastructure across the country, including a $14 million upgrade to water-delivery pipes at the Flatiron Hydroelectric Plant west of Loveland…
The Flatiron Hydroelectric Plant is stationed at Flatiron Reservoir, one of several facilities used by the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, or C-BT, to deliver water from the Colorado River on the Western Slope for use as supplemental water on the Eastern Plains…
Dubbed one of the larger infrastructure improvements in the overall national upgrade, the $14 million will be used to recoat 50-year-old linings on the interior and exterior of water-delivery pipes called penstocks. The dual water pipeline is one mile long and drops water down more than 1,000 feet from the Pinewood Reservoir to the Flatiron Power Plant, creating the most electricity in the C-BT system, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. The C-BT Project was built from 1938 to 1957 and features equipment from 60 to 70 years old that spreads across 250 miles to store, regulate and divert water. The project also generates enough electricity to power 58,300 homes for one year, equal to 759 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. The C-BT project provides supplemental water to 800,000 people in Northeastern Colorado.
