Saturday, February 16, 2008

Climate Change: The earth is a beautifully complex system Here's a recap of this week's meeting of the Rio Grande Basin Roundtable from The Pueblo Chieftain. They write: While the upper Rio Grande basin is currently in the grips of a cold and snowy winter, local water officials heard Tuesday how their work might be affected should the region become a hotter and drier place because of climate change. Jason Vogel, of Stratus Consulting in Boulder, reviewed data that suggests the world will continue to get hotter and precipitation events could become stronger in a presentation before the Rio Grande Basin Roundtable. Vogel said scientists had a lot of work to do before they could utilize climate and precipitation models that accurately predict local conditions. However, broader models suggest rising temperatures may mean earlier snow melts and peak flows, affecting how water can be stored and delivered. "Flood control may become more important for a lot of reservoirs," Vogel said. "Everything that was designed for the 100-year flood of the past may be the 30-year flood of the future." Should the region get hotter, water managers would also have to deal with delivering water for a longer growing season. Vogel said modeling predicted a slight decrease in the Rio Grande's peak flow, with some models suggesting that the date of peak flow may come a month sooner. He qualified that projection, however, by saying that the model included large parts of New Mexico that are generally hotter and drier than Colorado. "You may still see a large amount of water," he said. While water managers in other areas may have to deal with declines in water quality, Vogel said the San Luis Valley would be less vulnerable to such concerns because of its proximity to mountain headwaters... Despite the presentation's reliance on models, Vogel discouraged managers from becoming too dependent on them because they don't lend themselves to the daily and pragmatic decisions most agencies must make. Vogel opened his presentation with a review of historical conditions including a rise in temperature, sea levels around the world and green house gas emissions. Harvey Teyler questioned whether the warming trends were the product of a change in the technology utilized by the National Weather Service. He also asked if the increased use of Doppler radar by the agency might cause the agency to record more storm events than before when it did not have access to the technology. Vogel said that while a 2001 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change acknowledged that too many temperature stations were in large cities, which concentrate more heat, other countries not affected by the technology changes have also seen a rise in temperatures. He added that there has also been no debate that greenhouse gasses have risen. "The physics itself indicates we should be seeing what we are seeing," he said. SLV Dweller has some video of the meeting. "2008 pres" 10:17:32 AM

Google teams up with GOP for convention coverage Google and YouTube have been named the Official Innovation Provider for the 2008 Republican National Convention in September. From the release: Embracing technology that will propel the 2008 Republican National Convention to the forefront of the digital age, the GOP today announced that Google Inc. will serve as the Republican National Convention's Official Innovation Provider. Convention President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Cino made the announcement in a unique video posted to the convention's new YouTubeTM channel (www.youtube.com/gopconvention2008). The video is also showcased on the convention's website (www.GOPConvention2008.com), and highlights Google's cutting-edge, computer-generated SketchUpTM graphics of the Xcel Energy Center, where the convention will be held. As Official Innovation Provider, Google Inc. will enhance the GOP's online presence with new applications, search tools, and interactive video. In addition, Google will help generate buzz and excitement in advance of the convention through its proven online marketing techniques. "Google and YouTube are synonymous with innovation, and our groundbreaking collaboration will set a new precedent for engaging and involving Americans in the Republican National Convention," said Cino. "We also remain firmly focused on providing the eventual Republican nominee with every tool available to communicate his message to the American people - and this agreement is an important part of our efforts." The convention's official website, www.GOPConvention2008.com, will eventually feature a full-range of GoogleTM products, including Google Apps, Google MapsTM, SketchUpTM, and customized search tools, which will make navigating the site easier. The convention's YouTube channel will enable visitors to upload, view, and share online videos. These innovative technologies will also help the GOP streamline convention organization and expand its online reach across websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email. Coyote Gulch is psyched since now we know the coverage will be cross-platform, showing an inclusive attitude. "2008 pres" 10:00:16 AM

World Water Day 2008: March 22nd Don't forget to sign up for the World Water Day 2008 events scheduled for March 22nd. A billion of your brothers and sisters around the world do not have a sustainable source of clean drinking water. "colorado water" 9:54:20 AM

New stormwater ordinance for Pueblo County? The Pueblo County Commissioners are about to pass a new stormwater ordinance for rural parts of the county according to The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: The Pueblo County Board of Commissioners is preparing to adopt a new stormwater quality ordinance for the unincorporated areas of the county, but before any votes are cast the board wants answers to at least two specific questions. The first is who will be responsible for enforcing the ordnance and the second focuses on how the ordinance will affect farmers on the St. Charles Mesa. The county is required by federal law to adopt the ordinance. The board got to look at a draft of the ordinance at its work session Thursday. The draft document essentially states that no water other than storm runoff is allowed in any of the storm drainage systems in the county. The document specifically refers to "non-stormwater discharges" and makes exceptions under its definition of the term for landscape irrigation, lawn watering and a list of other uses, but there is no language relating tailwater, or irrigation runoff from farms along the mesa. "If the state tells us that tailwater can no longer go into the system, we're going to have several angry farmers," said County Public Utilities Director Greg Severance... While questions remain about farm run-off, the commissioners seemed settled on making the City-County Health Department the enforcement agent once the ordinance is in place. The city of Pueblo already has a stormwater runoff ordinance and the health department is its agent for enforcement. As written, the ordinance has the potential of creating an insurmountable number of violations that could overwhelm any public agency charged with providing enforcement, Severance said. Severance said that regardless of who has the authority to enforce the ordinance, it isn't likely that officials will be patrolling the streets of the St. Charles Mesa or other Pueblo County locations looking for violations. "colorado water" 9:34:37 AM

Upper Ark opposition to proposed irrigation efficiency rules for Arkansas Valley? The Upper Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District is wary of proposed new irrigation efficiency rules according to The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: Proposed agricultural efficiency rules for the Arkansas River would affect users upstream of Lake Pueblo as well as those in the Lower Arkansas Valley. "I think what we are really looking at is the aggregate impact (of farm efficiency measures) on the flow in the river, not farm by farm," said Terry Scanga, manager of the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District. "My contention is that if you stay within the acreage that's in your decree, you should be entitled to irrigate that acreage." The Upper Ark board has voted to oppose the promulgation - official publication - of agricultural efficiency rules by the Colorado Division of Water Resources until sufficient study of the impact of improvements has been made. Water Division 2 Engineer Steve Witte introduced a draft version of the rules last year, but plans to implement them have been slow by appointments of State Engineer Dick Wolfe and Colorado Water Conservation Board Executive Director Jennifer Gimble. After meeting with Witte last month, Wolfe and Gimble wanted to delay public meetings so they could personally attend. They also want to examine the studies that led Witte to suggest the rules... There are petitions circulating in the Lower Arkansas Valley asking to further slow down the process and a letter-writing campaign in the Upper Arkansas Valley to oppose the process. Scanga also has asked the state to demonstrate whether Kansas has raised objections to agricultural efficiencies in Colorado. The primary reason for the proposed rules is to head off another round of lawsuits with Kansas over the Arkansas River Compact. While Kansas has not written letters or taken court action, the subject has come up in committee meetings of the Arkansas River Compact Administration, Witte said. Because no complaints have become part of the official record, Colorado is not under the gun to implement new rules, Witte added. Witte contends improvements like sprinklers, drip irrigation, gated pipe and ditch-lining could increase consumptive use by increasing yields or the number of acres irrigated. This reduces return flows to downstream users, including Kansas and some within Colorado. Scanga said decrees in water court specify acreage to be irrigated and the amount of water applied to it. The proposed state regulations are concerned with consumptive use, or the amount of water plants use in growing, combined with evaporation. Those water rights typically are adjudicated to the first beneficial use of water, most often prior to the 1880s and well before squabbles began with Kansas over the Arkansas River. "I don't believe that in the 1880s they had contemplated changes in use from furrow to sprinkler irrigation," Scanga said. Scanga, who is a member of a ditch association and has installed sprinklers fed with surface water, said the rules as originally presented put the burden of proof on small individual users. The state should be looking toward aggregate solutions instead of making irrigators shoulder the responsibility. "We should look at urbanization as well," Scanga said. "Do we get credits for urban runoff? Do we get credits for removing invasive species? There needs to be more quantification." The Arkansas Basin Roundtable is also looking closely at the proposed rules, according to The Pueblo Chieftain. The Arkansas Basin Roundtable wants some answers from state officials about why the Colorado Department of Water Resources is proposing agricultural efficiency rules...Several members of the roundtable - a group that represents cities, counties, water districts and water interests throughout the basin - raised questions Wednesday about the need for the new regulations. The roundtable agreed to devote its next meeting, March 12, to the topic. The group plans to invite state officials to the meeting for an informational presentation, and would determine what action, if any, to take at its April meeting. "We have to address why this process is occurring in the first place," said Jonathan Fox, a Fowler banker who represents agricultural interests on the roundtable. "You're supposed to let sleeping dogs lie, but you wake him up and find he has teeth." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 9:29:26 AM

Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority: Update Here's an update on the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority's planning effort from The Tri-Lakes Tribune. From the article: Members of the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority met to discuss the next steps now that the entity has completed a water infrastructure plan study. The study showed two possible routes for a pipeline to connect the water entities and eventually transport a renewable source of water and more. One possible pipeline would go through Monument from County Line Road west of Interstate 25, through theWoodmoor Water and Sanitation District, across the eastern border of Triview Metropolitan District and through Academy Water and Sanitation District. An alternative would go through Monument beginning at County Line Road west of I-25 and loop through Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, go across the eastern boarder of Triview Metro and the northern boarder of Donala Water and Santiation District and into Academy Water and Sanitation District. The planning study consists of authority members from Academy, Donala and Woodmoor water and sanitation districts, Triview Metropolitan District, the towns of Monument and Palmer Lake and Cherokee Metropolitan District. Academy Water and Sanitation District is not a member of the authority and the city of Fountain is now a member of the authority. The next steps for the authority include: How the authority can maximize its exchanges for water, particularly with entities in the authority; Conducting a Tri-Lakes demand study to see how much water the area has and how much it will need in the future; Examining how its members will work together to meet future area needs for water. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 9:16:23 AM

Twilight for Bonny Reservoir? [SB 08-028] SB 08-028 was kept alive by the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Committee on Thursday, according to The Sterling Journal Advocate. From the article: A bill calling for the drainage of eastern Colorado's Bonny Reservoir was kept alive Thursday by the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Committee over strenuous objections from the Department of Natural Resources. "I don't like the message we'd be sending by killing this bill," said the committee's influential chairman, Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus. "I think we should keep the issue out there and hopefully the negotiations will continue."[...] With Isgar's endorsement, the committee voted 6-1 to send the measure to the full Senate for debate. Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, cast the only "no" vote. Alexandra Davis, a DNR assistant director who specializes in water law, told the committee that draining Bonny would cause a myriad of problems involving Colorado's complex water law, the compact itself, the federal Bureau of Reclamation -- which built the reservoir and owns the water rights -- and two other divisions in DNR that lease Bonny Reservoir water for parks and wildlife. "We share the concern about the evaporation from Bonny and gaining compact compliance," Davis said. "We are looking for workable solutions, but this isn't the right solution at the right time." Davis noted DNR, through the Colorado Water Conservation Board, has endorsed a $60 million loan to the Republican River Conservation District to build a compact compliance pipeline. The loan still must be approved by the full legislature as part of the annual CWCB construction bill, which has yet to be introduced. "This bill sets a number of precedents that are very dangerous," Davis said. "If this (bill) upsets Kansas and the federal government, it could jeopardize our options in negotiations."[...] Brophy said his meetings earlier this week with DNR Director Harris Sherman had been "productive" and he was taken somewhat off guard by the intensity of Davis' objections. "There's a lot going on behind the scenes," Brophy said. "Whenever I meet with Director Sherman I get the impression he really wants to work with me to address this problem my constituents have. Then some staffer from DNR shows up and I have a distinctly different feel for how the conservation is going." Brophy said he would "pull the plug in a second" on his bill if DNR would find a better way to drain the lake. "My goal has always been to get ride of the evaporative losses," Brophy said. "By keeping his legislation moving forward, we are keeping pressure on the department to keep focused on this issue now, not wait until next year." More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here. "colorado water" 8:55:48 AM

Eagle: New water and wastewater facilities The town of Eagle is building a new wastewater treatment plant and has plans for a new water treatment plant according to The Vail Daily "reg". From the article: Currently, a $13-million wastewater treatment plant is under construction next to Eagle's treatment facility at the west end of town, north of U.S. Highway 6. Additionally, the town is designing a new water treatment plant that also will be located in western Eagle and could open in 2011... The expansion of the wastewater treatment plant is the most expensive public improvement ever undertaken by the town, and should meet the towns need's for the next 20 years, Gosiorowski says. Eagle's peak water demand comes during the summer months when residents are irrigating lawns. If it takes two years for a new treatment plant to open -- and a large residential or commercial project opens during the winter months of that second year -- the town could likely handle the impact, Gosiorowski says. "colorado water" 8:43:16 AM

Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel update U.S. Senator Ken Salazar is travelling to Leadville today to review the situation around the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel accroding to The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., will travel to Leadville today to meet with Lake County commissioners on the situation. "This is a serious situation and the Bureau of Reclamation needs to act with urgency," Salazar said. "I will continue to work with the Bureau of Reclamation and other federal agencies to get immediate action and ensure they work closely with the state of Colorado and Lake County to resolve this issue." Salazar wrote a letter earlier this month to Reclamation Commissioner Robert Johnson, requesting a detailed report about Reclamation's investigation into the blockage. Salazar said officials have agreed to a plan that will pump water near the tunnel as soon as possible, assess the risk of the threat, develop an incident action plan and continue to sample groundwater in the area... "I believe there appears to be no disagreement over the fact that we will have to dewater the mine pool sooner or later," [state Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock] added. "Federal officials seem to be moving in a path toward later, and local officials want it sooner. The problem is that if the federal approach turns out to be too late, the consequences will be unthinkable." Here's an article about Governor Ritter's response to the situation and his letter to President Bush from The Pueblo Chieftain. They write: Gov. Bill Ritter on Friday asked President Bush to step in to prod the Bureau of Reclamation to take action on the threat to human life and environmental damage from blockage in the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel. Lake County commissioners Wednesday declared an emergency because heavy metals like zinc and cadmium are being leached from tunnels and old tailings by rising water levels. The elevated levels may be caused by blockage in the Leadville Tunnel, which could threaten 400 residents living nearby if the tunnel blows out. On Thursday and Friday, the Colorado Division of Emergency Management called together numerous state, federal and local agencies to assess the problem and develop an action plan. "Experts tell us that one or more collapses within the tunnel have caused a blockage that is, in turn, creating a large underground lake of contaminated water," Ritter wrote in his letter to Bush. "Experts now estimate that the underground lake holds as much as 1 billion gallons of water." Colorado officials and the Environmental Protection Agency have expressed concern about the safety of the tunnel for several years to the Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the Leadville Tunnel. The tunnel was dug by the federal government to drain mines during World War II and the Korean War. It periodically discharged contaminated water into the Arkansas River until 1992, when a treatment plant was built. A similar problem occurred at the Yak Tunnel, an older mine drainage, in California Gulch. It became an EPA Superfund site and a containment pond and treatment plant were built in 1992 as well... Lake County officials believe pressure from the Leadville Tunnel is causing contaminated water to seep out below the treatment plants. Testing in California Gulch below the Yak treatment plant indicates elevated levels of metals, which could wash into the Arkansas River during spring runoff... Ritter asks Bush to ask Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne to direct Reclamation to take five specific steps: Expedite the drilling of extraction wells into the Leadville Tunnel to draw down water levels; Treat the pumped water at the Leadville Tunnel treatment plant; Construct a bulkhead within the tunnel and backfill the mouth of the tunnel to prevent a blowout; Reduce the water level within mine workings until surface seeps disappear; Review emergency procedures which Reclamation has initiated to protect residents living near the tunnel. Here's the Reclamation Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Safety Plan [pdf] and yesterday's press release about the recent declaration of a local emergency. From the news release: The Bureau of Reclamation announced today that it is working with Lake County, the state of Colorado and other federal partners to take all necessary steps to reduce the perceived risk and the concerns that the residents of Lake County and state of Colorado have expressed regarding the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel. "Safety is the number one priority for the Bureau of Reclamation," said Reclamation Commissioner Bob Johnson. "We take the concerns that have been raised about the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel seriously and look forward to continuing our work with the Environmental Protection Agency, the State of Colorado, Lake County residents and other local officials to address these concerns." Today, Reclamation made available the unused capacity from its treatment facility at the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel. This available capacity will allow an additional 900 gallons-per-minute to be pumped from the pool of groundwater. Currently Reclamation is treating 1,100 gallons-per-minute and will have the capability to treat a total of 2,000 gallons-per-minute. The emergency notification system at the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel will be tested next week in coordination with Lake County Emergency Services. This exercise will test the warning sirens that enhance notification of East Fork residents in the event of an emergency. Since November, Reclamation has been developing a risk assessment to evaluate any potential risks at the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel and Treatment Plant. During the assessment, current data and previous studies will be examined and a slope stability analysis will be conducted at the portal area and other reaches of the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel. More coverage from The Denver Post. From the article: Federal officials agreed Friday to begin drawing water away from a blocked mine-drainage tunnel in Leadville to avert a possible blowout, but they disputed the threat to the historic town. Meanwhile, officials in Lake County demanded tests of the tunnel's warning sirens and contemplated evacuation plans, and Gov. Bill Ritter implored President Bush to order urgent steps to reduce the building water pressure... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreed to start pumping water from a nearby mine shaft directly into the Arkansas River drainage within the next two weeks, assuming that it is clean enough to meet environmental standards... U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, has asked the chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to schedule hearings on why the pooling of contaminated water has not been addressed until now. Although concerned about the blockage for years, Lake County commissioners declared a state of emergency earlier this week for fear that the heavy winter snowpack would exacerbate the problem during the spring runoff. Water beneath the steep slopes of the mining district has risen to 188 feet above the tunnel's water-treatment plant. "The problem is that we do not know what the real risk is of a blowout or a mountainside failure (but) the assumption that we are going to move forward on is that the potential is increasing," said Hans Kallam, director of the state Division of Emergency Management, during a conference call of local, state and federal officials today... But Brad Littlepage, who runs the water-treatment plant but pointedly spoke as a private citizen, cited a bureau study from 1988 that indicated the threat of a blowout was "significant" with only 77 feet of water built up. "The only thing that's different today is instead of 77 feet of water, we have 200 feet of water," he said. Officials with the EPA also termed a blowout "likely," along with the possibility of the release of heavy metals for miles downstream. "colorado water" 8:24:08 AM

© Copyright 2009 John Orr. Last update: 3/14/09; 10:08:11 PM.