Thursday, August 10, 2006

Green streets Water News Weekly: "Imagine a flowerpot filled with marbles glued together. Pour water over the top, and watch the water trickle through to the bottom. "That's how the streets in a new development in South Salem will work to eliminate stormwater runoff. "The 'green streets' are just another part of the environmentally conscious Pringle Creek Community development, where 180 homes are planned on a 32-acre property. Only 10 percent of the normal runoff from roofs, sidewalks and patios will make it to Pringle Creek. "The development's streets will be soaking up water instead of moving it away. "'Ninety percent of the rainwater that falls on Pringle Creek Community will be returned to the aquifer,' said developer Don Myers of Sustainable Development Inc. 'This is a wonderful way to manage rainwater.' "The key to green streets runs contrary to typical road building, in which the goal is to push water away from the road quickly. The traditional surface is slick to repel water, curbs direct the water along edges of streets and deep gutters capture it just before it is dumped in a waterway. "'All rainwater hits the road, runs to the curb and goes somewhere,' said Chuck Gregory of W & H Pacific, which created the asphalt mix. 'As long as the water is not in the street or the driveway, people don't care where it goes.' "Green streets are narrower to eliminate unnecessary pavement. The porous asphalt soaks in the rain, where it drains to the soil below. Large swaths of land -- called bioswales -- next to the roads will be planted with grasses, bushes and mosses that absorb water and filter contaminants, such as oil that leaks from cars." "colorado water" 7:22:12 PM

Making news with new analysis of ocean-floor sediments Science Blog: "For the second time in as many months, the IODP Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX) is making news with new analysis of ocean-floor sediments. In the Aug. 10 issue of Nature, an article authored by several of the expedition scientists summarizes their findings: more evidence that the Arctic was extremely warm, unusually wet, and ice-free up to the time the last massive amounts of greenhouse gases were released into the Earth's atmosphere - a period calculated to have occurred 55 million years ago, and known as the Paleocene/Eocene thermal maximum, or PETM. "Researchers have long recognized that a massive release of greenhouse gases, probably carbon dioxide or methane, occurred during the PETM. Surface temperatures also rose in many places by as much as 15 degrees Fahrenheit in the (relative) geological instant of about 100,000 years. "Arctic sediment samples were largely unavailable until 2004, when ACEX scientists recovered the first deep-ocean sediment samples from beneath the ice-laden waters near the North Pole. ACEX, only the second scientific expedition to be conducted by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (established in late 2003), recovered 339 meters of subseafloor sediment samples." Meanwhile another Science Blog report is hoping that ocean sediment can be used for storing carbon dioxide. From the article, "Deep-sea sediments could provide a virtually unlimited and permanent reservoir for carbon dioxide, the gas that has been a primary driver of global climate change in recent decades, according to a team of scientists that includes a professor from MIT. The researchers estimate that seafloor sediments within U.S. territory are vast enough to store the nation's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for thousands of years to come." "2008 pres" 7:16:04 PM

Ritter or Beauprez for governor? Colorado Confidential: "University of Virginia Center for Politics researchers David Wasserman and Larry J. Sabato have identified two Colorado races, the 7th Congressional District, and the Governor's race, as races where Democrats are favored to make gains in 2006." "denver 2006" 6:55:55 PM

Weblogs Don Surber thinks that weblogs should have limited their posts to the foiled terrorist plot today. Coyote Gulch respectfully disagrees. There were plenty of stories about the Brits and their successful effort today. TV and Radio were all over it. Meanwhile the conversation around other issues goes on. Weblogs are a conversation, Mr. Surber, not another news outlet (although some are also news outlets). We attended a journalism training session a few weeks back. While we enjoyed the day and learned a great deal (along with meeting many of our blogger heroes), we were a bit put off by the lecturer and his narrow view of what weblogs are. We think that "reverse-chronologically ordered website with frequent updates," is about as far as you can go in nailing the definition. "2008 pres" 6:06:21 PM

Beauprez for governor? ToTheRight.org: "In what likely is not a surprise to many, Bob Beauprez has chosen Lt. Gov. Jane Norton to be his running mate. The official announcement likely will be made mid-day Monday on the western steps of the Capitol. We can't say this pick is good. The same goes for the timing. If Beauprez wants to maximize media coverage of this event, he should schedule it for Friday so the reports hit the radio and TV on Friday and the newspapers on Saturday and Sunday. We don't like the selection, not because we have something against Norton - other than she can be tied to the now sinking Owens administration and her husband's lackluster primary-election lawsuit against Marc Holtzman - but because we just don't see how she helps the ticket. Her supporters are Beauprez's supporters and vice versa." "denver 2006" 6:15:27 AM

Oil and gas drilling Rocky Mountain News: "Gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter today joined Sen. Ken Salazar and Rep. John Salazar, both D-Colo., in asking federal officials to take about 20,000 acres of roadless Forest Service land off the auction block for oil and gas development. 'The federal government promised to protect this land while states draft their own roadless protection plans,' Ritter said. 'That process is still underway. It would be a terrible betrayal of states' rights for the federal government to now put this forest land on the auction block.'" "denver 2006" 6:10:57 AM

Accounting reform for Denver? From today's Denver Post: "A testy debate over a proposed restructuring of Denver's financial system got more heated Wednesday when City Auditor Dennis Gallagher sent a scathing letter to Mayor John Hickenlooper. The auditor's latest letter criticized the process of the Mayor's Financial Management Task Force. Gallagher said he had not been dealt with in a truthful manner. The Denver City Council is considering changes to the city charter that would move accounting and payroll functions out of the auditor's control. The idea is to make the city function under what are considered 'best practices.' The two sides are supposed to be working toward an agreement on a plan to create a city chief financial officer before a meeting with the City Council on Monday. A spokeswoman for the mayor said Gallagher had canceled a scheduled meeting Tuesday." Rocky Mountain News: "City Auditor Dennis Gallagher told Mayor John Hickenlooper in a letter Tuesday that he felt blindsided by a proposal to weaken the auditor's oversight of the city's finances. 'Let me start by saying, I am extremely disappointed in the way your staff has dealt with me and my staff regarding changes you wish to make to the city's financial structure,' Gallagher's letter began. At issue is an attempt by the mayor's office to put a measure on the November ballot that would allow Hickenlooper to create a new chief financial officer to consolidate a century-old financial system that is fragmented across several city agencies. A Financial Management Task Force appointed by the mayor five months ago has recommended the CFO take over Gallagher's accounting and payroll responsibilities. The auditor wrote that he opposes surrendering those duties because 'we regularly catch and stop inappropriate or incorrect payment or payroll requests.' Supporters of the changes warn that having Gallagher's office audit its own work poses a conflict of interest. Denis Berckefeldt, the auditor's spokesman, said Gallagher's office has tried to reach a compromise over the issue with the mayor's office, but his staff has been uncooperative." "denver 2006" 6:02:04 AM

Dem convention in Denver? Denver Post: "Democrats weighing Denver's chances of hosting their national convention in 2008 are in town today for a second site visit...The officials are following up on a visit they made in June before selecting Denver as one of the finalists for the presidential nominating gathering." Colorado Confidential: "The political 'buzz' about the location of the Democratic National Convention has Denver slipping into second behind St Paul/Minneapolis because of Union problems and lack of facilities, according to sources within the national party circle. They acknowledged that Denver Mayor Hickenlooper is working on the labor problems, but with the DNC decision expected in November, will he have enough time to solve the problems?" "2008 pres" 5:59:04 AM

Voting irregularities in Denver County? As they are wont to do Denver government types are forming a committee to study the problems with this weeks primary election, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "Denver Election Commission officials said Wednesday that they hope to fix the problems with this week's primary election by creating a committee of election judges. 'That way they can have their own focus group and discuss what worked, what didn't work and what things they think they need to be better trained on,' commission spokesman Alton Dillard said. 'But this really just looked like a case of technological lockjaw happened when we went live yesterday.' On Tuesday, the commission again came under scrutiny when judges at some vote centers had problems getting new election voting machines to work. There also was a pattern of voters reporting they received the wrong ballot." Our blogger friend over at HeartbrokenTiger paints a different story. They write, "If I were a voter in SD-32, I wouldn't feel good about the results of yesterday's primary. That's not a commentary on Chris Romer, who 'defeated' Jennifer Mello and Fran Coleman. Rather, it's a commentary on confusion and official incompetence at the polls. Serious voting problems were reported at vote centers all over Denver yesterday, with a high concentration of complaints coming from the Washington Park Rec Center and the Botanic Gardens, where SD-32 voters were likely to have cast their votes." Rocky Mountain News: "Denver's switch from precinct- based polling places to citywide vote centers proved problematic, though no one was turned away or unable to vote. Some voters, however, said they received the wrong ballot. Some election workers didn't know how to turn on the new $1.4 million voting machines, prompting judges to complain of inadequate training. And voting was delayed for 30 minutes at one of Denver's 47 vote centers because of a computer problem. Voting centers, although not as numerous as the old precinct polling places, allow people to cast a ballot at any center in the county. In addition, votes can be optically scanned and counted at each center. 'There were a couple of technical issues, but we want to make sure everyone knows that the machines themselves operated fine,' said Alton Dillard, spokesman for the Denver Election Commission." "denver 2006" 5:52:49 AM

Blue River Pumpback The Blue River pumpback project is heating up, according to the Summit Daily News. From the article, "Blue River pumpback negotiations intensified Tuesday, as local lodge owner Tom Gleason suggested that the Summit County commissioners are delaying approval for the project at the expense of residents and businesses who can't hook up to sewer facilities unless the project goes forward. Several other locals also spoke in favor of the $10 million project at a public hearing, touting the potential benefits of the pumpback, which would carry Blue River water from Farmer's Korner back up to Breckenridge... "At issue is county approval for the sanitation district's plan to build a roadside pipeline from the Farmer's Korner water treatment plan and pump up to 17 cfs of water back upstream. The pumpback could boost flows during the winter, when parts of the river dry up completely, especially during snowmaking season. Water from the project could also help the sanitation district meet strict water quality standards. The county and the sanitation district agree that the project offers significant public benefits during the winter. But they have been unable to finalize an agreement that would govern summer operations, when upstream users could potentially divert the water. The county wants to maintain its review authority for summer operations under its 1041 powers, established by state statute to regulate areas of state interest. The 'unintended consequences' of the pumpback could include harm to downstream water users in the Lower Blue, for example. A pending application by Colorado Springs (which diverts from the headwaters of the Blue River) shows there is a risk that other parties could take advantage of the increased flows from the pumpback, with potential impacts to downstream users, said Barney White, the county's water attorney... "Under the proposal, as outlined by White, the district would 'agree without qualifications' that the county has jurisdiction over future uses of the pumpback as they relate to water supply purposes. Use of the pumpback water for water quality purposes (the sanitation district will eventually need the water to meet Clean Water Act limits) would be set aside as a separate issue, with neither side conceding on the issue of jurisdiction. Riordan said that could be an acceptable compromise, but said the definition of 'water supply' usage would have to be clearly defined. The district board will also discuss the possible solution at its next board meeting." "colorado water" 5:43:50 AM

Fishing for a native-stocked river Here's an article about the program for endangered fish species in the Yampa River from the Craig Daily Press. From the article, "During the past three years of shocking fish to remove nonnative species from the Yampa River, only two of the endangered Colorado pikeminnow have been spotted upriver from Craig, said Sam Finney with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The goal of many of the speakers at Monday's community update held by the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program is to see that number increase. Established in 1988, the recovery program is attempting to replenish the upper Colorado River basin, including the Yampa River, with humpback chub, bonytail, Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker. The area from Craig to the Dinosaur National Monument is considered critical habitat for the recovery of the four species of fish, once found in abundance in the Colorado, Yampa and Green rivers... "In the past three years, 4,000 pike have been removed from the river and relocated, Nelson said. About the same number of bass has also been taken out of the Yampa River. Pike are being relocated to the pond at Loudy-Simpson Park, and bass were being taken to Elkhead Reservoir until the failure of the outlet screen in spring 2006... "Nelson said that there are 43 species of nonnative fish in the upper basin of the Colorado River, and the plans are to only remove bass and pike at this point. While the recovery program has them stocking squawfish in the Colorado, they have not yet stocked the Yampa with the endangered species. The process of removing pike from the Yampa River seems to be working, Nelson said. In 2004, Fish and Wildlife staff were finding 13 pike per mile, compared to eight pike per mile this year. The target goal is to reach three pike per mile, Nelson said." "colorado water" 5:36:01 AM

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