Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Texas: Edwards aquifer 1 mulch fire 0 Water Tech Online: "San Antonio Water System (SAWS) trustees have voted to shut off water that since December has been used to fight a large mulch fire, fearing that the nearby Edwards Aquifer, which supplies water to 1.7 million people, could be contaminated." "colorado water" 6:46:40 PM

Best photo of the day so far Here's an incredible astronomy picture of the day from NASA. Thanks to 2020 Hindsight for the link. 6:36:44 PM

? for president? Political Wire: "A new Quinnipiac poll finds Rudy Giuliani leading Sen. John McCain in a Florida Republican presidential primary, 29% to 23%. Newt Gingrich is in third with 13%. On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton is way ahead of the pack with 49% support. Sen. Barack Obama is second with 13%." Here's the link to Hillary Clinton's speech at the DNC Winter Meeting. For many, Bill Richardson stole the show You can catch Tom Vilsack on his website right now. He also has a YouTube page. Mike Gravel's speech featured a litmus test of sorts. If you voted for the war he's going to question your brainpower. Here's John Edwards using YouTube. Biden's website shows his lack of seriousness. We couldn't find video on Barack Obama's exploratory site. Political Wire: "A new Ayres, McHenry & Associates (R) poll finds Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) ahead of the other Republican candidates for president in South Carolina with 29%. Rudy Giuliani trails with 20%, followed by Newt Gingrich with 14% and Mitt Romney with 6%." John McCain is angling for a career in fashion design if he fails to gain the presidency. Barack Obama: "It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street in the Southside of Chicago one day and affirm my Christian faith. It came about as a choice, and not an epiphany. I didn't fall out in church. The questions I had didn't magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt that I heard God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth." "2008 pres" 5:48:01 PM

Healthcare Colorado Confidential: "It's not often that labor unions and businesses find issues they agree on, but apparently there is at least one. It was announced today that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) will join forces with companies including Wal-Mart and AT&T to address the lack of health care coverage in the United States." "2008 pres" 5:42:14 PM

O'Malley for Clerk? Stephanie O'Malley plans to run for the new elected City Clerk and Recorder job, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Stephanie O'Malley, the woman appointed by Mayor John Hickenlooper to serve as interim Denver clerk and recorder, has filed papers to run for the office in May. The daughter of former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, O'Malley had been head of the city's excise and license office before she was appointed by Hickenlooper to replace Wayne Vaden as clerk and recorder...O'Malley, an attorney, previously worked in the litigation group of Isaacson, Rosenbaum, Woods & Levy." "denver 2007" 7:18:14 AM

May election update Here's the skinny on the 2007 Denver Municipal Election this spring, from the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Though there's still nearly a month for more candidates to join the race, no one has even begun gathering signatures to run against Charlie Brown, Michael Hancock, Judy Montero or Jeanne Robb. But the others seeking re-election are facing at least one challenger, according to a candidate-petition log provided by the Denver Election Commission... "No one has filed papers as of yet to run against Auditor Dennis Gallagher, and only one person is collecting signatures to run against Mayor John Hickenlooper. Dwight Henson [2003's homeless candidate], who has no political experience, said he knows that beating Hickenlooper, who has one of the highest approval ratings in the state, is a long shot. Henson tried but failed to collect enough signatures to get on the ballot and run for mayor in 2003... "So far, seven potential candidates - more than any other council race - are lining up to replace Rodriguez, who is being considered for a spot on the federal Election Assistance Commission. If Rodriguez leaves before the May 1 municipal election, her seat would remain vacant until then... The Rocky has a list of all interested candidates for City Council so far. Coyote Gulch repeats his offer to help any and all candidates start a weblog (and website), free of charge. We can do this dirt cheap and with the advent of YouTube we can get the video out there at very little cost. Send email to coyotegulch AT mac DOT com. "denver 2007" 7:15:53 AM

Mike Dino to lead DNC host committee? Here's an update on the 2008 Democratic National Convention from the Denver Post. From the article, "The group organizing the 2008 Democratic National Convention wants Democratic strategist Michael Dino to head the staff. Two sources confirmed Monday that Dino will be named executive director of Denver's host committee this week. He is the senior policy adviser at Patton Boggs LLP. Dino has a long track record in Denver politics. He was a leader of Denver Mayor Wellington Webb's 1995 runoff campaign and served as a senior adviser under Webb. And Dino has connections to three of the state's top Democrats. He was a campaign adviser to both Gov. Bill Ritter and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., last year. He was also campaign chairman in 2003 for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. Under Webb, Dino gained event experience as executive director of Denver's 1997 Summit of the Eight Task Force." "2008 pres" 7:05:12 AM

Snowpack Here's an update on snowpack from the Longmont Daily Times-Call. They write, "The statewide snowpack is 9 percent off its historical average for Feb. 1, despite heavy snowfalls east of the Continental Divide, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Mike Gillespie, a snow-survey supervisor for the NRCS, said the state has had an unusual trend of large snowstorms hitting the Front Range and Eastern Plains instead of the Western Slope... "Snowpack in the South Platte River Basin, which covers central and northeastern Colorado and provides much of Longmont's water, is 114 percent of average, the highest in the state. In the Yampa and White River Basin in northwest Colorado, which includes Steamboat Springs and Craig, the snowpack is 68 percent of average, the lowest in the state. The Colorado River Basin, from which Longmont gets nearly half its water, is at 91 percent of average." How is the snowpack in southwest Colorado? Here's an update from the Durango Herald. They write, "The federal Natural Resources Conservation Service measured the lowest snowpack percentages in the state in the Yampa and White River basins, which decreased from 86 percent of the 30-year average a month ago to 68 percent of average on Feb. 1. The San Juan/Animas/Dolores drainage was only slightly better off at 76 percent of average. The good news is that the area's snowpack is nearly half again as deep as it was at this time last year. But even with the snowfall and the positive snowpack trend, Southwest Colorado's water concerns likely will continue in 2007... "Snowfall across most of Colorado's mountains during January was below average. That has led to decreases in the snowpack percents in most of the major river basins, but they generally remain wetter than Southwest Colorado. As of Thursday, statewide snowpack was 91 percent of average. These same readings last month were 96 percent of average, reflecting the dry January conditions across Colorado's mountains, Green said. For most of the state's major river basins, this month's snowpack percentages decreased by 10 to 15 percentage points from the Jan. 1 measurements. The only exception was across the southwestern mountains, where conditions remained nearly the same or increased slightly over those from last month. This unusual phenomenon is the result of a storm pattern that has brought a series of the winter storms across northern New Mexico and produced a number of upslope storms in eastern Colorado, according to the Conservation Service. Meanwhile, most of Colorado's mountains have been missed by this storm track." "colorado water" 6:40:30 AM

New rules for mercury emissions From Environment Colorado: "Today, the Air Quality Control Commission voted unanimously to adopt new rules that will reduce mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants 90% by 2018. The rules stem from a hard-fought agreement negotiated among environmental groups, public health officials, local governments, and utilities... "Specifically, the new rules will do the following: require two largest coal-fired power plants and emitters of mercury pollution, the Pawnee and Rawhide energy stations, to begin clean-up immediately and reduce mercury pollution 80% by 2012; require all coal plants to reduce mercury pollution 80% by 2014, and then 90% by 2018; prevent coal-fired power plants in Colorado from selling mercury pollution 'trading credits' to other polluters and encouraging mercury 'hot spots' to stay polluted." "colorado water" 6:34:29 AM

CWCB to study RICDs? The Colorado Water Conservation Board is asking for some dough to study recreational in-channel diversions, according to the Aspen Times "reg". From the article, "The issue of recreational water rights for kayak parks and other in-channel uses just won't go away. In the latest twist, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) is seeking $150,000 from the state Legislature to study the recreational in-channel diversions, also known as RICDs in shorthand water parlance. The bill is set for a hearing this week, and while critics of the proposed study say taxpayers shouldn't foot the bill for a 'whitewash' study that won't be subject to rigorous scrutiny, the CWCB's Ted Kowalski said the intent is to try and find ways to establish objective criteria for recreational water uses. At issue once again is the ability of towns like Breckenridge, Silverthorne, Golden and Vail to claim river flows for whitewater kayak parks, and how those water rights may affect upstream users. A series of court rulings and state laws during recent years have provided an outline, but perhaps not definitive guidance as to how much water towns can claim -- or how much they need -- for such facilities... "Agreeing on some ground rules could save taxpayers money in the long run, by preventing applications for recreational water rights from ending up in a long, drawn-out court battle, as has happened in several cases, notably in Gunnison. 'There should be some commonalities we can agree on without arguing each and every one in court,' Kowalski said. Additionally, Kowalski said a second part of the study is aimed at taking a look at whether the exercise of some of the existing recreational water rights have had any impact on upstream water users. It's not clear exactly if, or how often, the exercise of those rights has resulted in curtailment of an upstream water right, he said, explaining that such information would be useful to the CWCB in its administration of stream flows... "'This is a wolf in sheep's clothing,' said attorney Glenn Porzak, who has represented mountain communities like Breckenridge on recreational water rights issues. Porzak said existing court rulings and legislation provide all the guidance needed to administer the recreational flows. In a set of talking points issued to bolster the argument against the CWCB study, Porzak's law firm claims the CWCB has demonstrated a 'huge bias' against recreational flows by opposing every RICD claim. Last year's Senate Bill 37 on recreational flows limited the CWCB's authority over the flows, and Porzak said the latest study proposal is directly at odds with the legislation. By 'undermining the comity and compromise struck in the last legislative session,' the latest bill could spark another legislative battle, Porzak said. According to Porzak, the CWCB has no role in determining the 'reasonableness' of flow rates. Under SB 37, that authority is specifically reserved to the water court, and each case must be looked at individually." "colorado water" 6:28:05 AM

Denver Water and Western Slope water users hire mediator Denver Water and water officials from the rainy side of Colorado have hired a mediator to help settle long standing disputes over management, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "Locked in an almost two-year standstill, Denver Water and a coalition of Western Slope water users have hired a Washington, D.C., mediator to prod stalled water-sharing talks. The two factions hope the mediator will be able to help them avoid litigation and reach agreement on some long-standing conflicts between the state's largest water provider and water users in Grand, Summit, Eagle and Mesa counties. 'I think everyone feels like this is the best way to negotiate complex, multi-part disputes,' said David Little, Denver Water's manager of water resource planning. 'We're very optimistic.' Little said that Denver Water and the Western Slope group will split costs associated with the employment of John Bickerman, who will travel to Colorado next week to begin mediation... "In May 2005, a coalition of Western Slope water users with what was billed as a 'global solution' aimed to protect their supplies while giving the utility a chance to develop more projects in the high country. The proposal, the details of which remain under wraps, marked the first time various Western Slope factions had come together to negotiate. It was supposed to usher in a new era of Colorado water talks. Water users on both sides of the Continental Divide, however, say some of the same complex, contentious water projects that have tripped up both sides for decades are proving just as difficult this time around... "Among the sticking points are future allocations from the Green Mountain and Wolcott reservoirs. Under one proposal, Denver Water would get a portion of the water stored in the federally owned Green Mountain reservoir. Two-thirds of it currently goes to the Western Slope. A pipeline would be built to ship water from Green Mountain to Denver Water's Dillon Reservoir. In exchange, the Western Slope might augment its supply from a new reservoir to be built near Wolcott in Eagle County." "colorado water" 6:18:16 AM

John Singletary: Every water tap we lose out of our basin is one we will never have U.S. Congressman John Salazar is working on storage legislation for the Lower Arkansas River Valley, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "Water users who thought they were investing in water storage want to see more guarantees for future space in Lake Pueblo under proposed federal storage legislation. U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., who has proposed the legislation, is more concerned about guaranteeing a future for rural communities... "Salazar's legislation, still in its draft form and not submitted as a bill, would remove language about the Preferred Storage Options Plan developed over the past 10 years by the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. Members of the Southeastern committee, meeting with Pace Tuesday, were concerned that agreements reached in negotiating PSOP would be honored in the new legislation. There were also questions about how the new bill would be treated in a new, nine-party intergovernmental agreement still being negotiated... "Salazar specifically wrote legislation to include the interests of the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District and Pueblo County, which are not parties to previous IGAs, [Sal Pace, Salazar's district director] said. 'If a bill looks like the 2003-04 version, the congressman will not support it,' Pace said. 'If the parties come together with the Pueblo County Commissioners and the Lower Ark, the congressman has said he will support it.' For the past two years, the Lower Ark district has negotiated with eight other parties over PSOP legislation." "colorado water" 6:03:25 AM

CRWCD water issues workshop The Colorado River Water Conservation District is, "presenting another in its series of Colorado Mountain College-hosted water issues workshops from 6:30-8:30 p.m. today at the Colorado Mountain College Glenwood Center", according to the Glenwood Springs Post Independent "reg". They write, "The Colorado River District is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. It was formed in 1937 to counterbalance Front Range diversions of Western Slope water. In 2007, the same pressures continue with active projects that, if approved, would divert more water to the east side of the Continental Divide. For more information, call Pokrandt at 945-8522, ext. 236, or e-mail edinfo@crwcd.org. The workshop is designed for people who want to attain a basic understanding of water law and current events. The cost is $10. Call 945-7481 to register." "colorado water" 5:52:20 AM

© Copyright 2009 John Orr. Last update: 3/14/09; 9:03:50 PM.