2005 Colorado Water Year in Review
The 2005 water year was interesting, educational, contentious, productive and precedent setting. We mourned the passing of a western water icon. We spent the year Wringing Water From the Rocks and passing legislation (HB1177) that formed water roundtables focusing on the various river basins in Colorado. Fish, kayakers and tourism get to keep water in the streams now. Those of us that like big dams saw our hopes fade for the Union Park Reservoir. It's well understood now that the best hope for sustainable water supplies is surface water renewable from the winter snowpack. Of course we're looking at building new reservoirs, smaller than in the past, on the plains, nearer to the unbridled growth on the Front Range. The five year drought dropped off and reservoirs around the state filled and spilled for the first time in quite a while. The good news was tempered by some climate scientists predicting warmer winters (less snowpack) and water supply undpredictability. The Colorado Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision limiting water pumped from alluvial wells. Pueblo and Colorado Springs' water interests have sparked lawsuits, newspaper editorials, and ill will all around. Meanwhile the Denver Basin Aquifer system is drying up leaving thousands of suburbanites high and dry in a couple of decades or so. The year ended with news that Wyoming hopes to settle the issue of the benefits of cloud-seeding once and for all time. We're sliding into 2006 with a huge snowpack in the Northern Colorado mountains and with the possible early return of the drought to the south.
Worldwide concerns about water prompted the World Water Week meetings in Stockholm in August. The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization published their report Less Snow, Less Water: Climate Disruption in the West. The ever helpful Westword gives us some suggestions for handling the warmer wetter winters that climatologists are predicting.
Coyote Gulch ran across Colorado Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs' paper on Colorado Water Law (pdf). Justice Hobbs keeps showing up mainly due to his work with the court, but he is one of the most interesting players around, including his book of poetry, Colorado: Mother of Rivers.
Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, introduced the Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act (HB 1177) early in the legislative session. The law would eventually be passed and signed by Governor Owens. It's important for two reasons. Water officials now have an official forum to talk over problems and supply without having to go to court. In addition, the bill recognizes the existence of the separate basins regardless of the capricious application of political boundaries. It sets up a framework for the voluntary administration of moving water from one basin to another. HB 1177 passed the State House of representatives by 48-15 showing wide support. HB 1177 was considered by some to be just another water grab but it passed the State Senate anyway. Governor Owens signed the bill in June. Here's a primer on the bill. Interests in the success of the roundtables were summed up in December by Jeris Danielson, a consultant and a former state engineer when he was quoted in the Pueblo Chieftain as saying, "The reason we're here is that giant sucking chest wound we call Denver. As a state, we need to come together to talk about how we develop the only water we have left: the Western Slope."
Senator Dan Grossman sponsored legislation to create a South Metro water authority. The bill never garnered enough support to pass. Another bill, HB 1296, which would have required mitigation when water was moved from one basin to another, was defeated. Governor Owens vetoed HB 1070. The bill would have eliminated some restrictive homeowner association covenants to pave the way for low-water gardens and landscaping. HB 1039 went into effect and allows private water rights owners to lend water to rivers in order to maintain a steady flow.
The year started out with everyone in conservation mode. Memories of the recent drought were still fresh so Front Range cities decided to cooperate on conservation. Water customers took conservation to heart and reduced consumption to 1969 levels. By the end of 2005 Denver Water and other utilities would end up raising rates to cover the shortfall in revenues. Memories of the recent drought faded as water utilities relaxed watering restrictions as reservoirs filled and revenues dropped. Westword chronicled the adaptation of water users in a drought. The drought was all but forgotten by water users as utilities announced the best snowfall levels in years on April 1st. The Colorado Environmental Coalition published a new report, Facing our Future: A Balanced Water Solution on conservation and management. Southwestern Coloradans kept a watchful eye on the Front Range. Denver Water, to their credit, never stopped preaching the need for conservation.
The biggest user of water in the state is agriculture. The water needs from the growth along the Front Range and elsewhere in Colorado can easily be met by drying up the farms and economies across the state. Several organizations sought to do just that. Down on the Fort Lyons Canal Judge Maes prevented High Plains from switching their shares from agricultural to residential use. In September the Colorado State Supreme Court upheld Judge Maes ruling. Water watchers learned about Robert Lembke and his plans for the Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company, moving agricultural water to municipal use. The Denver Post taught us about water brokers in their series Liquid Assets: Turning Water into Gold, Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV.
In March the State Supreme Court ruled that the State Water Conservation Board could not limit water sought by Gunnison for a kayak course. More importantly the court affirmed that recreation is a legitimate, beneficial use of water. This paved the way for communities to apply for a recreation water right. SB62 would have capped the flows for whitewater parks at 350cfs but is was defeated. The high court then managed to worry many utilities across the state with their ruling in favor of in-stream flows in November.
Lake Powell fell to it's lowest levels since it started to fill in the 60's. The upside was that many sites long drowned had risen above the waters. The downside was that Colorado and the Upper Basin states might not have enough water in the reservoir to meet future calls from downstream on the over-allocated river. Some officials publicly worry that Lake Powell may never fill again.
Environmental concerns over Tamarisk started to surface, including eradication and management efforts from the Tamarisk Coalition. They're even doing some science around the issue. The rights of downstream users were starting to be heard during the year. Fish and other aquatic wildlife along with those effected by pollution gained support. Of course the U.S. Congress decided that it was a good time to weaken the Clean Water Act. The Colorado Water Trust sealed the deal for increased stream flow on the Blue River. The deal was the first of it's kind, purchasing agricultural water rights and using them to keep stream flow up in times of drought. The USGS reported that the man-made flood on the Colorado during 2004 was beneficial and that smaller floods were now being planned. The increasing spread of Didymo algae is causing the re-evaluation of stream management. Green Conservatives continued to help out our over-allocated rivers and aquifers. A new class of pollutants, named downstream reaction products is just being recognized as a potential problem from wastewater.
Management of the Colorado River took center stage during the year. One of the tributaries, the Fraser River is being dried up by Denver Water and the Northern Water Conservancy District. Gale Norton disappointed the Upper Basin States with her decision to let Lake Meade fill before Lake Powell. In August attendees at the 30th Western Water Workshop got the bad news that the Colorado River is over-allocated. Upper Basin officials blame the overuse by the Lower Basin. The Colorado River Water Users Association held their annual meeting in December. Much was discussed but the CRWUA failed to pass a drought plan. Since Las Vegas is running out of Colorado River water they are considering building de-salination plants on the Pacific Coast in exchange for more water from the River.
In general the management of rivers is everyone's concern now. Northern Colorado is worried about the Cache la Poudre. One aspect of it's mangement is the preservation of the Cache la Poudre National Heritage Area.
The most used and abused river basin in Colorado is the South Platte. The problem of re-charging alluvial aquifers is putting more pressure on farmers. Communities in the basin are pressuring Denver to move more water across the Continental Divide and sell it. The need for water for urban growth is changing farm economics along the river.
The Eagle River is a source of pride for conservationists and environmentalists.
Just about everyone agrees that Colorado needs to develop more surface water storage going forward. One project, the Union Park Reservoir made it back onto the radar before having a wooden stake driven through it's heart later in the year. Parker continues to build Rueter-Hess reservoir and other South Metro communities are now trying to morph it into Super-Rueter. The Genessee Water and Sanitation District is hoping to build a new reservoir up Bear Creek despite opposition. On the west slope planners are hoping to add two new reservoirs on the Gunnison River.
The mining of water is proving to be problematical for communities and farmers that rely on the water. One potential solution for the South Metro area is to pump water upstream to Dillon reservoir from Green Mountain reservoir.
Several communities moved to establish whitewater parks, including Silverthorne. One of the more ambitious whitewater park projects is that of Glenwood Springs. In December Great Outdoors Colorado issued their rules on whitewater parks.
Reuse of wastewater is now on the horizon. The water is already in the system and if moved from another basin of origin it can be used to extinction in the receiving basin. Aurora hopes to bring a reuse project online soon.
Aurora and Parker are showing other communities how to manage the relationships with farm communities when ag water is moved to sustain population growth. The Rocky Mountain News highlighted Aurora's efforts with a series Dividing the Waters. The city of Parker has also led in the area of partnerships. Ken Wright praised Frank Jaeger earlier in the year saying of Jaeger's work, "They don't go dry out there." High praise indeed.
Colorado Springs' proposed Southern Delivery System is another project that is causing it's share of concerns. Pueblans think it's unnecessary and that it will damage the environment on Fountain Creek. Colorado Springs feels that since they own the water in Pueblo reservoir they should be able to use it.
Coyote Gulch apologizes for all of the links that are now dead. The Post, Rocky and other papers scroll their articles behind a pay wall after 30 days or so. A couple of our links to other bloggers are also dead. Sigh.
Category: Colorado Water
12:23:28 PM 
|
