Coyote Gulch

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Travel day

Today is a travel day for Coyote Gulch. We're heading out to experience the snow and cold in the upper midwestern U.S. We should be back online tomorrow as the hotel has assured us that they have broadband. We'll be on the road all week -- a thousand miles from the server -- with great hope that there won't be any outages.

6:35:39 AM

Fairplay wastewater treatment plant

Here's an update about Fairplay's proposed new wastewater treatment plant, from the Fairplay Flume. They write, "The Fairplay Sanitation District Board called a special meeting for Feb. 22 at the district office to discuss the proposed new wastewater treatment plant, which has come under fire for possibly being bigger than what's needed and for raising property taxes by a considerable amount. The Pike's Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) reviewed the plans for the plant as required by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and approved them. However, the Water Quality Management Committee of PPACG expressed a concern that 'the proposed Wastewater Treatment Plant appears to be over-designed,' according to Jerry Jacobson, chairman of that committee, in a letter dated Feb. 6. Jacobson further noted: 'The design loadings, which affect the cost of the plant, appear to be very high for the population which will be serviced.' That prompted the sanitation board to consult Burns and McDonnell Engineering about redefining the scope of work for the plant. The decision to look into redesigning the plant disrupts the stringent time schedule formerly proposed for construction of the plant. Construction plans were to have been completed by March 2007, and the wastewater treatment plant was to have been operational by August, 2008."
"colorado water"
6:19:36 AM

2007 Western Energy Agenda

Conservationists have issued the 2007 Western Energy Agenda according to the Sante Fe New Mexican "reg". From the article, "Hoping to build on initiatives from the Democratic-controlled Congress and Western governors, several conservation groups have released a clean-energy manifesto that includes tougher environmental regulations and axing parts of the 2005 energy bill. Nearly 30 groups from the region are calling on Congress to repeal exemptions for the oil and gas industry from water-quality and environmental reviews and a mandate speeding up approval of permits for drilling on federal land...

"[Elise Jones, executive director of the Colorado Environmental Coalition] said she believes this week's release of the '2007 Western Energy Agenda' by conservation groups is timely because of the planned congressional hearings on energy development. Western lawmakers and governors, including Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, are promoting the region as a center of 'new energy economy' based on wind and solar power, fuel from crops and 'clean coal' technology. Ritter and other governors took their message to Washington earlier this week during the National Governors Association winter meeting."
"2008 pres"
6:13:33 AM

Dead ducks at Metro Wastewater plant

Here's an update on the duck die-off at the Metro Wastewater Plant north of Denver, from the Denver Post. They write, "No unusual chemicals were found in the water at the Metro wastewater-treatment plant that would have caused ducks to die or get sick, according to plant officials. More than 600 ducks died this year at the north Denver facility and at three other wastewater-treatment plants and a residential lake, according to Colorado Division of Wildlife officials. Rates of dying ducks have gone down as the weather has gotten warmer, said Jennifer Churchill, wildlife spokeswoman...

"Biologists with the state and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are continuing to investigate why the ducks were dying - focusing on the birds' feathers, Churchill said. On Friday, officials with the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District said water-quality tests over the past five weeks have identified no chemical compounds that would be unusual for wastewater...Dozens of ducks whose feathers were losing their waterproofing abilities have been rehabilitated and released in recent weeks."
"colorado water"
6:06:28 AM

The Colorado River Compact in the 21st Century: Time for Change?

Scholars and water officials assembled to tackle the management of the Colorado River at the University of Utah yesterday, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. From the article, "The Colorado Compact, which divides Colorado River water among seven Western states, is now 85 years old and in many ways is showing its age. A record-setting drought. Explosive growth in Phoenix, Las Vegas and St. George. Climate change. Lake Mead and Lake Powell as recreation nirvanas. The state water commissioners who negotiated the agreement had no way to foresee any of those developments in 1922...

"Humility, perhaps more than anything else, is what is needed most as policymakers, their critics and the Colorado River's multiple users go forward in shaping the management of the river in the coming decades, Limerick said in opening the Stegner Center's 12th annual symposium, titled 'The Colorado River Compact in the 21st Century: Time for Change?' The timing of the conference is auspicious. The seven basin states last year, after months of negotiations, reached an agreement on how to manage the river during water shortages and drought conditions. That agreement was one of the alternatives unveiled earlier this week as the Bureau of Reclamation moves forward with an environmental impact statement that will determine future shortage guidelines for river users...

"Going forward, [University of Colorado professor Patty Limerick] says the great test will be figuring out if democracy and conservation can coexist. More specifically she argues that any meaningful reforms must: Deal with the proliferation of uses on the river and rise of environmental regulations since 1922; Include realistic estimates of what the river can actually deliver, and creative ways to deal with the new reality; Begin a transition from the 'us-versus-them' mentality of the upper basin states (Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico) and their lower basin counterparts (Arizona, Nevada, California) toward the idea of one big basin with shared interests; Accept the notion that efficiency and conservation of river resources 'are no longer options. We have to separate our desires from our needs.'"
"colorado water"
5:59:49 AM

Glade Reservoir?

Here's an opinion piece in opposition to Glade Reservoir from the Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article, "Take away the water, dry up the wetlands and decrease the water flows, and the profusion of life that currently exists along our river will wither away. That is exactly what the proposed Glade Reservoir will do. Current water flows in the Poudre River are a small fraction of historical flows; the river already runs dry in several stretches below the canyon during parts of the year. Glade Reservoir, if it is built, will take yet more water out of the river above Fort Collins and ship it to other parts of Northern Colorado. This will further diminish the flow of the Poudre River through the city - including peak flows during late spring and summer, a crucial time for many animal species trying to raise their young (go to www.savethepoudre.org for an analysis of how Glade would affect stream flows).

"Fort Collins residents have shown great foresight and spent a lot of money securing parks and natural areas along the Poudre River. Properly managed, they can provide important habitat for wildlife and recreational opportunities for nature lovers of all sorts, in perpetuity. But that all depends on having enough water in the river. Building Glade Reservoir will degrade the ecological health of the Poudre River and harm our quality of life here in Fort Collins -- all so that developers can squeeze a few more tens of thousands of houses into communities that would be better off without them. Don't let it happen. Stop Glade Reservoir. Save your river -- before it's too late."
"colorado water"
5:50:02 AM

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