Coyote Gulch

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Beauprez or Ritter for governor?
The Montrose Daily Press is running an article about Bob Beauprez's recent statements about trans-mountain water diversions. From the article, "A recent article in the Montrose Daily Press about statements made by Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez caused a stir with Western Slope water officials and his Democratic opponent. Last Friday, Beauprez met with local water representatives and supporters in Gunnison. At the meeting, the Congressman stated he opposed transmountain diversions from the Western Slope. 'Nobody has convinced me we need transmountain diversions,' Beauprez was quoted in the Daily Press Monday. Water professionals around the state and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter seized on the statement, believing that Beauprez was not taking a consistent position on transmountain diversions. Beauprez supported Referendum A, a 2003 ballot measure that would have allowed the state to borrow $2 billion for unspecified water projects. Many water professionals believe the ballot measure's goal was to divert water to the Front Range from the Western Slope...

"Ritter said Beauprez made the statement to satisfy residents on the Western Slope, but they don't represent his previous support for transmountain diversions. He cited a 2003 statement that Beauprez made during a hearing of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Water and Power that states, 'Trans-basin transfers: We must be willing to do the hard work of moving water from where it is generated to where it is needed...'

"Gunnison County resident Ken Spann, a strong voice on Western Slope water issues, said he was concerned about Beauprez's position. Spann, through the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservation District, is heavily involved in defeating the Union Park Project, which proposes transferring large quantities of Gunnison basin water to the Front Range. 'The reason so many civic groups, business leaders, elected bodies and ultimately the voters opposed Referendum A in every single county in the state was because it was bad for Colorado,' Spann said in a released statement. 'It clearly would have pitted Western and Eastern Colorado against one another. Congressman Beauprez was out of touch with what a clear majority of Coloradans were thinking, which raises questions about his experience and understanding of these issues.'"
"denver 2006"
8:28:53 AM

Ritter for governor?
Bill Ritter wants to tie development plans to sustainable water supplies, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. Now there's an idea whose time has come.

From the article, "Colorado cities should have growth plans that require new developments to show they have a sustainable source of water before being approved, Bill Ritter, the Democratic candidate for governor said Friday. 'When the Denver Water Board says that it can cut use by another 20 percent just through conservation, that tells me they are starting to understand the concerns in rural Colorado about unlimited growth of Front Range cities,' Ritter said in a Pueblo interview. Ritter said that, as governor, he would want Colorado cities to base growth on a sustainable water supply that includes conservation, re-use and other steps to limit the need to take water from rural Colorado. He also supports legislation to let water court judges consider water quality when evaluating applications to change the use of a water right. Similar legislation was narrowly defeated in the Legislature last session...

"Asked about the debate over federal immigration laws, Ritter said he supports President Bush and those senators who want to establish a guest worker program to allow some of the 12 million illegal immigrants to obtain work visas. 'I prosecuted illegal immigrants who were felons in Denver and the (former Immigration and Naturalization Service) would rarely come pick them up,' Ritter said. 'So part of our immigration problem is rooted in (the federal government).' That said, Ritter added that he would support state legislation to prosecute employers who hire illegal immigrants - but he drew the line at wanting state and local police to take on the job of enforcing federal immigration laws. 'I believe enforcement is a federal responsibility,' he said. 'If you asked the Colorado State Patrol, they would tell you they don't have enough resources to do that job.' He is also opposed to the Defend Colorado Now ballot initiative - which would require anyone obtaining taxpayer-funded services to demonstrate their legal residency. Ritter noted that the two largest taxpayer expenditures on illegal immigrants, for emergency health care and public school expenses, are both mandated by the federal government."
"denver 2006"
8:20:52 AM

Arkansas River running high for a while

Water news is not all gloom and doom, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "Flows in the Arkansas River dramatically increased this week as warm temperatures began to melt the remaining snowpack in the mountains. Water watchers say the high flows should continue for another week, then fall again. It's temporary good news for boaters, including for the upcoming FIBArk Festival in Salida, but another sign of a potentially futile year for farmers...

"Turquoise Lake, which receives Fryingpan-Arkansas Project Water through the Boustead Tunnel is filling rapidly, and Reclamation is releasing water from Turquoise to Twin Lakes, Musgrove said. Boustead has been running at or near capacity for about a week. Twin Lakes also is filling, but Musgrove said there won't be any need to move project water to Lake Pueblo until later this month. On the Western Slope, Ruedi Reservoir above Aspen, built as compensatory storage for the Fry-Ark Project, is expected to fill this year as well."
"colorado water"
8:16:05 AM

Farm disaster on the South Platte

Here's an article from the Pueblo Chieftain with details about the problems South Platte irrigators are facing this year and whether farmers in the Arkansas Valley need to worry about having their wells shut down by the State Engineer. From the article, "Farmers in the Arkansas Valley aren't likely to face the same sort of devastating impact some South Platte farmers face this year because of well shutdowns. That's because farmers on the Arkansas River have been dealing with court-tested well rules for a decade, compared to a shortfall on the South Platte that developed suddenly, State Engineer Hal Simpson said Friday...

"Simpson said the South Platte situation is a matter of several factors converging at once - the fallout from a state Supreme Court decision, the conditions imposed by the Legislation as a result of the decision and a water supply outlook that took a nosedive in late April. Arkansas Valley augmentation plans are tied to a U.S. Supreme Court decision and are years ahead of the South Platte rules in terms of state scrutiny. In the 2001 Empire Lodge case, Division 2 Water Judge John Anderson said the state engineer did not have the authority to grant substitute water supply plans. The Supreme Court upheld Anderson's decision. Subsequently, the Legislature passed laws governing conditions for such plans. In the case, a Lake County landowner challenged the Empire Lodge Homeowners Assoc., saying its fish ponds injured a downstream water right. In his opinion, Anderson said the state engineer lacked authority for substitute supply plans beyond year-to-year emergencies. Ironically, because Boulder, Highlands Ranch and Sterling, along with some farmers, have challenged well plans formally granted to the Groundwater Appropriators of the South Platte, the 2001 ruling is having a greater impact in the South Platte basin than in the Arkansas Valley.

"Arkansas Valley well pumpers generally joined one of three groups after the state engineer developed rules for the Arkansas Basin which said pumping could not continue unless depletions to senior irrigators and state line flows were augmented, Simpson said. Simpson developed the rules as a reaction to a 1994 U.S. Supreme Court special master's report that Colorado wells had violated the 1948 Arkansas River Compact with Kansas. Plans by the three Arkansas Valley associations are approved on an annual basis by the state engineer. One, the Lower Arkansas Water Management Assoc., owns water rights and is close to getting a court-decree for its water plan. The Arkansas Groundwater Users Assoc. is seeking a similar decree for water it owns, but also leases water. The Colorado Water Protective Development Assoc. relies heavily on leased water and apparently will continue to rely on substitute supply plans. The South Platte basin is operating under 1972 well rules, either through court-approved augmentation plans or those approved by the state engineer. The Legislature in 2002 gave the South Platte irrigators three years to get court-approved plans. In May, Simpson determined GASP plans were insufficient for about 3,000 wells. Some well owners were able to find substitute supplies either on their own or through the Central Colorado Conservancy District. But 440 wells owned by about 200 farmers were shut down for lack of replacement water. In the Arkansas Valley, the shakeout occurred 10 years ago, with less farmland taken out of production, Simpson said."
"colorado water"
8:10:15 AM

Conservation

Conservation is the subject of this article from the Fort Collins Coloradoan. They write, "The continuing problem of water conservation has again focused itself on Fort Collins. This was a major problem during drought-stricken 2002, when water conservation was literally the talk around town, as grass-watering schedules were assigned and neighbors were actually encouraged to call into the city and report their neighbor for unlawful watering. Now, as in 2002, there are multiple theories on how to conserve water to accommodate all of Fort Collins' residents and ensure, in the case of an emergency, that there would be an ample surplus. There also seems to be another constant: the talk of altering the Poudre. Recently, this talk has grown and is now becoming associated with the idea of water conservation. However, its boomerang effects could potentially outweigh the positives that could be generated from this proposal. Two of the proposed dams would be actually be large-scale expansion to the Halligan Reservoir and the Seaman Reservoir, which are both located on the North Fork Cache La Poudre. Another proposed project is the Glade Reservoir that would be located north of Ted's Place and east of U.S. Highway 287. This dam could potentially threaten not only recreation, but a sensitive ecosystem, which due to local conservation efforts such as the Laramie Foothills project, is again beginning to flourish. The construction of these dams could divert a large portion of the Poudre's water...

"In 2002 when the 'anti-water wastage' campaign was at its peak, Fort Collins residents saved an average of 10 percent of its average water use. Water conservancy is now aided by the tiered water system that Fort Collins already employs, in which a family that exceeds its tier has to pay for water at a premium. Furthermore, the building of new houses could incorporate new technologies that are available to boost water conservation. Builders should be required to install efficient water heaters and low-flush toilets. Another possible landscaping option is the incorporation of evaporation timers. Currently, close to 50 percent of Fort Collins' water usage is used for landscaping. These timers have the ability to reduce the water usage up to 40 percent without changing one's landscaping, according to the Northern Colorado Conservancy District. What is clear is that the camping, fishing, kayaking and rafting must not be the activities that shoulder the burden of water conservation because these activities are what make Fort Collins a Choice City. Rather, what needs to be implemented is available technology."
"colorado water"
8:02:35 AM

Underground water storage?

SB06-193 (pdf) is the subject of this article from the Longmont Daily Times-Call. From the article, "The Colorado Water Conservation Board will study the feasibility of underground water-storage sites in the South Platte and Arkansas river basins, under a measure Gov. Bill Owens signed into law last month...

"SB193 directs the Water Conservation Board to take into account a 2004 study, 'Artificial Recharge of Ground Water in Colorado,' and to examine the costs and benefits of selected potential underground-storage sites. The new study, which must be completed and reported to the Legislature by next March, also must analyze 'site-ownership issues, aquifer characteristics, proximity of the sites to areas of water supply and demand, and existing water infrastructure,' according to the new law. The Water Conservation Board has been authorized to consult with a state Interbasin Compact Committee, the state engineer and the state geologist."
"colorado water"
7:41:08 AM

Early monsoon?

This year's early monsoon (we hope that it's started early) chased Coyote Gulch into Steamboat Springs for a night in a hotel and a chance to dry out. We love hotels with broadband. We were in a hell of a storm yesterday on the North Platte river that limited visibility to a few hundred feet. We spent Friday night listening to waves of storms trying to drown the tent and us.

Streams are running full and going over their banks in North Park and the Yampa Valley. The Colorado River is running full going into Grand Lake. Irrigation ditches are full. This area of Colorado had a good deal of snowpack early on and is holding it's own against the drought. There is still a lot of snow on the ground on Rabbit Ears pass. Conditions are in stark contrast to the dryness of the east slope.

7:30:56 AM

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