Coyote Gulch

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Executive privilege
Washington Post: "Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) said he plans to propose next week, as part of a spending bill for executive operations, a measure to place a hold on funds for Cheney's office and official home until he clarifies to which branch of the government he belongs."

Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link.
"2008 pres"
4:08:47 PM

Elkhead Reservoir dedication

Everyone is invited up to Elkhead Reservoir State Park to celebrate the re-opening of the expanded Elkhead Reservoir, according to the Craig Daily Press. They write:

The public is invited to participate in the dedication of the enlarged Elkhead Dam and Reservoir on July 11 at Elkhead Reservoir State Park near the city of Craig in Northwest Colorado. The event is sponsored by the Colorado River Water Conservation District in cooperation with the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. Food will be available from a Kiwanis Club fundraiser barbecue starting at 5 p.m. followed by a program at 6 p.m. that will include remarks by key leaders representing the Colorado River District, the State of Colorado and Recovery Program partners. For more information on the dedication, contact the Colorado River District at 970-945-8522.
"colorado water"
10:28:03 AM

Cherokee Metro watering restrictions

The Cherokee Metropolitan District is in the news again. From the Colorado Spring Gazette:

The troubled water district is asking the 17,000 people it serves not to do either [lawn watering and car washing], blaming hot, dry weather and customers' overuse for the situation. Cherokee provides municipal services, including water, to about 7,000 homes and 400 businesses in an unincorporated area east of Powers Boulevard, north of Platte Avenue, west of U.S. Highway 24 and south of Barnes Road. Cherokee residents' water privileges have been limited to twice a week for two hours each day. But high water use forced the district to take the step of forbidding most outdoor water use. Trees, vegetables gardens and shrubs can still be watered, though customers are asked to do it only before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m., Cherokee office manager Dian Hardekopf said.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.
"colorado water"
9:38:57 AM

Colorado River management: BuRec Preferred Alternative

Here's the Bureau of Reclamation's, Colorado River Reservoir Operation: Development of Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead; Description of Preferred Alternative [pdf] to be Considered in the Final Environmental Impact Statement.

Here's the Matrix of Alternatives [pdf] the Comparison of Alternatives - Lake Powell [pdf] and the Comparison of Alternatives - Lake Mead [pdf]. Here's the Draft Alternatives Summary [pdf] from last July.

Thanks to the Salt Lake Tribune for the link. From their article:

[The plan] suggested by the seven Colorado River Basin states, which rely on the Colorado to provide water to more than 30 million people in the nation's driest corner. Their proposal was to begin rationing water in the three lower basin states - California, Arizona and Nevada - when Lake Mead's water dropped to certain levels. The lower the level, the more cutbacks. The idea, which includes juggling the levels of Lake Powell as well, is to conserve the available water. And the lower basin states would get "credits" that could be used in high-water times. "It has a conservation provision for the lower basin states," said Ostler, pointing to a key element of the plan. In addition, water years when supplies were better than expected would be banked. That "surplus" water would amount to between 2.1 million and 4.2 million acre feet...The seven-state proposal called for 2.1 million acre feet, but environmental groups, in the proposal they prepared for the environmental review, suggested the higher amount.

While some details remain to be worked out for the final version of the plan in the fall, both the water managers and environmental groups are pleased with how things look so far.Jennifer Pitt, a senior resource analyst for the advocacy group Environmental Defense, said the banked water will provide more flexibility and make it possible for Mexican water users to manage some of their water share for environmental purposes in the delta. The drought plan also is an advance for environmentalists who have long argued for a more conservative approach to managing the Colorado. In the end, Pitt said, the environmentalists were pleased to have a positive effect on the plan. "We have worked long and hard to prove we can play this kind of role," she said. Robert V. King, chief of the Utah Division of Water Resources' interstate streams section, said the states worked for three years to develop the proposal the Bureau of Reclamation has selected. It sets out a method of managing the water that is likely to work in most drought situations and helps the systems work more efficiently. "No one state got their way," he said. "It was a compromise."

The Colorado River proposal requires: Coordination of Lake Powell and Lake Mead water levels; Water cuts to lower Colorado River Basin states when Lake Mead is low; Additional water conservation programs in lower basin states; Provisions addressing potential needs of Mexico's water users.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"colorado water"
9:20:17 AM

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