Fountain Creek
Here's a short article on water conservation from the Ft. Collins Coloradan. They write, "In the past, Colorado's successful future has been linked to mining, the high-tech industry and energy, but the genuine determining factor of what Colorado will look like in a decade or a century remains water."
Colorado Springs is forming a Stormwater enterprise, and it's about time, according to this Pueblo Chieftain editorial. They write, "We are somewhat heartened by the fact that some Colorado Springs Council members admitted that city's obligation to control flooding is long overdue. Flood control on Fountain Creek has become ever more important after various floods have endangered and even damaged Pueblo properties as well as communities to the east along the Arkansas River. Three large spills of raw sewage made their way into the Fountain this year, capping off a series of spills which since 1999 have seen more than 73 million gallons of raw sewage flowing into the Fountain."
Here's an article about Colorado Springs' water needs and how they will effect flows in Fountain Creek from the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "The largest increase in flows will come from return flows from imported water. Colorado Springs gets about 80 percent of its water from non-native sources, either imported from the Western Slope or exchanged upstream from lower points along the Arkansas River. Colorado Springs last year estimated return flows will increase from 32,000 acre-feet this year to nearly 79,000 by 2040. The city is working on a revised estimate which is still under internal review, Gracely said. In the future, even more water could come from rights Colorado Springs holds in the Eagle River Basin under the long-delayed Homestake II Project. Colorado Springs does not need to buy more water rights to increase its use, but would simply use more of the rights it already holds, Gracely said. Over time, the city could import more water from the Western Slope under its existing rights. In wet years, Colorado Springs may forgo transmountain imports because it has no place to physcially store the water, Gracely explained. He said that's a key reason why the city is exploring increased storage in Lake Pueblo, both through a temporary storage contract with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Preferred Storage Options Plan."
Some in Pueblo are arguing that Colorado Springs should reuse wastewater before building the Southern Delivery System, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "A Pueblo County consultant's plan to combine Fountain Creek flood control and reuse of water in Colorado Springs is sparking comment as the Bureau of Reclamation prepares an alternatives report for the Southern Delivery System. Reclamation expects to complete the report early next year, after wrapping up a series of meetings in October and completing a 30-day period for written comments on SDS. SDS is a $1 billion proposal by Colorado Springs, Security and Fountain to build a 66-inch diameter pipeline 43 miles north from Pueblo Dam, as well a two new reservoirs east of Colorado Springs. It would provide up to 78 million gallons of water daily and meet project needs of the cities through 2046. Reclamation is preparing an environmental impact study on the project, which includes alternatives. Ray Petros, a Denver water lawyer serving as a consultant for Pueblo County, in October proposed adding a flood control reservoir to Colorado Springs' plan to recycle wastewater return flows into drinking water."
Here's an article about Delph Carpenter from the Rocky Mountain Collegian. Carpenter was the water attorney most responsible for the Colorado River Compact (1922). From the article, "Growing up on a Greeley farm in the late 1800s, Delph Carpenter knew water's life-sustaining power. Later in life, he discovered a knack for law. Those two basic elements, combined with unwavering determination, made Carpenter a legend in water politics who sorted out several western states' claims to the mighty Colorado River. Now, the star water attorney's papers are available at CSU, unveiled at Morgan Library earlier this month after more than a year of restoration work. 'We consider this our flagship collection,' said Patricia Rettig , archivist at CSU's Water Resources Archive, which consists of about 30 collections. 'It's a key to water history in the state.' The massive 127-box collection includes newspaper clippings, photographs, artifacts, speeches, legal briefs and more that shed light on Carpenter, who was also a river commissioner and state senator."
Here's a nice retrospective on the Rio Grande River from the Dallas News. They write, "Here at the Continental Divide, more than 12,000 feet above sea level, the water whispers from beneath patches of melting snow. Drops bead together into tiny trickles that grow into bubbling rivulets and pass through purple, yellow and red flowers. The Rio Grande River starts as a trickle from melting snow high on Stony Pass at 12,588 ft. along the Continental Divide near Creede, Colorado. Coaxed by gravity, the trickles become streams that flow down the hillsides below Colorado's Stony Pass. They rush around rocks and shrubs and cut paths through snow caves. They spill over rocky cliffs and crash to the ground below: waterfalls. In the valley below, the waters merge in a symphony: This is the Rio Grande, legendary river of books, movies and controversy. It roars as it forges ahead on its journey to the sea."
Colorado Water
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