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.