Thursday, July 10, 2008

Hispanic voters and 2008 Tony Campbell (via The Examiner): "Barack Obama's speech on Tuesday before the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) was very important for several reasons. First, it signals that Obama has rebounded from his primary perception deficit with Latino voters and has built a two-to-one advantage over John McCain. Second, and this is more important, this could signal the beginning of a working partnership between African-Americans and Hispanics in the adoption and implementation of public policy initiatives, but, as we all know, you have to win before you can govern. "Giving a good speech is not the wisest way to win an election, however. Obama and McCain should remember that it is not the aggregate votes of the Hispanic community that will win the White House in November; rather, it is where these voters live that is the most important statistic. Over the last 30 years people of Hispanic heritage have been moving into states that are vitally important if you want to reach 270 in the Electoral College..." "We haven't even talked about the 'purple states' yet. In Colorado, there are 404,000 eligible Hispanic voters according to the Pew Hispanic Center. In 2004, President Bush narrowly defeated John Kerry by less than 100,000 votes. In 2008, Hispanics will make up over twelve percent of the eligible voting population of the state of Colorado. If Obama can maintain his momentum among the Hispanic community, especially in swing states, Colorado might move from Red to Blue." Colorado Independent: "Obama courts the Latino vote." "2008 pres" 5:24:58 PM

Northern Integrated Supply Project Here's a listing of recharge projects impacted by the proposed Glade Reservoir, from Colorado's Little Water War. They ask, "...was this considered in the draft EIS?" "colorado water" 5:23:15 PM

Tangle of water projects in Pagosa Springs Here's Part III of the Pagosa Daily Post's series on water projects in Pagosa Springs. From the article: In the past, the Town of Pagosa Springs has, in the interest of protecting its own access to geothermal water, filed objections to practically every new water rights filing in the county. It appears that other geothermal water rights owners have also done the same. I understand that a failure to file objections can limit the Town's legal options into the future. Specifically, the Town has objected to the Springs Resort filing for rights to the Town[base ']s geothermal heating plant outflow. For one thing, it's not clear that Colorado water law allows the assignment of rights to "waste water" from a geothermal plant. And for another, the Town Council voted at its last meeting to explore the possibility of a downtown municipal greenhouse, which might be heated by geothermal waste water. Meanwhile, [Bill Whittington] is apparently asking the Town to step aside and allow the resort unhindered access rights to the Great Pagosa Springs Aquifer... Obviously, the Town Council needs to make some crucial philosophical decisions about the river enhancements and about the allocation of the Town's geothermal water resources - though some decisions may be limited by Colorado law and by the Town Charter. In a May 9 response to Whittington's 13 point negotiating list, interim Town Manager Tamra Allen noted, "The Town does not have the ability to extend a lease to Springs Resort Company for a term longer than ten (10) years, according to Section 10.4C of the town charter...The town may, in the future, consider issuing an RFP to determine appropriate market rate for the leasing of the geothermal water." "colorado water" 5:21:16 PM

Federal appropriations for Colorado From The Pueblo Chieftain: "An appropriation of $1.29 million for Trinidad Lake is among $7 million in water or energy projects included in an appropriations bill at the request of U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo. Allard, a member of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, announced the appropriations Tuesday. Congress still has to vote on the appropriations bill...Other projects announced by Allard include: $200,000 for the Chatfield Reallocation Study in Denver; $1 million for the CSU SmartGrid Integration Lab at Fort Collins; $1.5 million for Xcel Energy, carbon sequestration on the Front Range; $250,000 for South Boulder Creek at Boulder; $1.509 million for Chatfield Reservoir; $1.203 million for Cherry Creek Reservoir." "colorado water" 5:20:02 PM

Supply news Sufficient sustainable water supplies were the focus of HB 08-1141. It turns out that the town of Norwood is in the process of expanding their treatment capacity and the lack of taps has killed a proposed annexation and development project there. From The Telluride Watch: "Developer Daniel Tucker notified the Town of Norwood on Tuesday that he is withdrawing his application for annexation of the Homestead West and East properties, a project he said could have brought Norwood "good, quality housing" that is "affordable." Tucker's decision to withdraw his application comes after the Norwood Water Commission, on June 10, approved a report that stated there are only 83 water taps in reserve. The Homestead East and West subdivisions as planned could have needed up to 250 taps. "This is to inform you as of 10 a.m. today," Tucker's letter to the town stated, "I am withdrawing my application for annexation of the Homestead West and Homestead East properties into the Town of Norwood due to the Town of Norwood's incapacity, at this time, to implement and service its Master Plan." Developers in Colorado also face House Bill 1141, which will require developers of projects that contain more than 50 units prove the development will have an adequate water supply. HB 1141 was signed into law on May 29 by Gov. Bill Ritter." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. From The Colorado Springs Gazette: "Colorado Springs Utilities wants to raise the average residential water bill by $4.59 per month to make up for revenue shortfalls from lower water usage and officials' faulty growth forecasts. If approved, the 18.6 percent increase would be the largest since at least 2000. The City Council on Tuesday set a public hearing for Aug. 12 to act on the proposal, but Mayor Lionel Rivera later said the council's support isn't guaranteed. He's concerned that the proposal, filed Tuesday, fails to deal with the problem that accounts for 76 percent of the $26.3 million shortfall - a drastic decline in new-home hookups caused by the slowing economy." "colorado water" 5:19:03 PM

Native species in the Colorado River system Here's a long article about native species decline in the Colorado River system, from Science Daily. Read the whole article. Here are a few excerpts: Dr Gibb and her colleagues believe that differences in the early life of native and introduced species can account for the recent changes in population dynamics. They measured 'escape responses' of both native and introduced species to predators under laboratory conditions. "Our studies have shown that the larvae of native fish, which are usually less developed when they hatch, have a poorer escape response, due to their lack of adult swimming appendages. In contrast, many introduced species can prey upon the native species, and produce larvae that are more morphologically mature at hatching and thus may themselves be better equipped to escape predation," she explains. Changes that damming has imposed on the Colorado River environment have amplified the disadvantage that native species face, according to Dr Gibb. "Historically, the less-developed native larvae had a natural refuge from predators due to sediment suspended in the water, and water turbulence increased the ability of larvae to encounter the plankton that they feed on. Fish also rapidly outgrew their period of high-vulnerability to predation due to higher water temperatures," she declares. "Damming the Colorado River has brought about the replacement of streams and rivers with large, still lakes, which has led to a decrease in sediment, turbulence and temperature, leaving the native larvae at a grave disadvantage." Using all of the data they have gathered, the scientists have put forward proposals for how to reverse the decline in native fish numbers. "We suggest to management agencies that, in addition to removing introduced predators of native fishes from key river reaches, efforts must be undertaken to recreate the high-flow, sediment-rich, warm waters that gave the Colorado its name," Dr Gibb reports. "What is more, this advice is also relevant on a much wider scale: recent work in both Texas and the Pacific Northwest suggests that increased suspended sediment favours native fish larvae in these areas. Thus, dam removal may be critical for rehabilitating fish populations across the US, and almost certainly in other, less studied, areas of the world as well," she concludes. "colorado water" 5:17:38 PM

Green Mountain Reservoir update From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb): "Inflows into Green Mountain Reservoir have started to drop off. As a result, we are responding by reducing our releases to the Lower Blue River. This afternoon (Thursday, July 10), we will cut back releases in three separate intervals by 100 cfs each time. Our first reduction was at 2 p.m, the second will be at 4 p.m., and the third at 6 p.m. By this evening, we should be running about 1375 cfs in the Lower Blue. Those of you up around the reservoir might have noticed erradic releases yesterday. We were testing our gates. Once our testing completed, we were releasing 1675 cfs to the Lower Blue." "colorado water" 5:09:44 PM

Jerry Creek Reservoirs opened to angling temporarily From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: "The popular Jerry Creek Reservoirs are open to anglers on a temporary basis, according to the Ute Water Conservancy District. The reservoirs are off Colorado Highway 330 west of Molina. The reservoirs, which offer fishing for largemouth bass and bluegill, were closed last year for a $3.6 million expansion project designed to increase water storage by approximately 1,300 acre feet. The expansion is on hold until Ute Water receives a 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Once the permit is secured, the reservoirs again will close as the project is completed. It is not known when the permit will be issued." "colorado water" 6:28:58 AM

Northern Integrated Supply Project The proposed Northern Integrated Supply Project was the hot topic at last night's meeting of the Larimer County Commissioners. Here's a recap from The Fort Collins Coloradoan. They write: Opponents of Glade Reservoir and the Northern Integrated Supply Project turned out in force Wednesday to urge the Larimer County commissioners to oppose the controversial project. Some urged the commissioners to take on the authority that would give the county more say in how the project is developed if it is permitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The commissioners have a responsibility to protect the interests of the county and the Poudre River, said Josh Metten of Fort Collins. The county should use its land-use process to assume greater authority over water projects as allowed by state law, he said. "If you do not do this, you are doing a great disservice to your constituents," Metten said. The commissioners held the meeting to take comment on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for NISP to assist them in forming an official position on the document. The commissioners are expected to send their comments to the Corps close to the Sept. 13 deadline. The draft EIS does not look closely enough at costs associated with the project, said Ramon Ajero of Fort Collins. The county needs to scrutinize the document and it shortcomings, he said. More coverage of the meeting from The Loveland Reporter-Herald: Mandy Kutzman and Michelle Hays Johnson urged the Larimer County commissioners to implement powers that would afford them more control over the proposed Glade Reservoir if it is built, possibly saving the river both women love... She and Hays Johnson, of Fort Collins, among others, urged the commissioners to implement a special authority called 1041 powers that would allow additional control over water projects in Larimer County. They hope the suggested permitting power would allow Larimer's elected officials to save the Poudre River from the proposed Glade Reservoir. Yet, the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, which hopes to build Glade Reservoir northwest of Fort Collins, argues the river doesn't need saving because the project will actually enhance it... Fort Collins resident Oliver Richardson was the only resident -- not including those speaking on behalf of the towns involved and Northern Water -- to support Glade Reservoir Wednesday night. He compared the public's concerns to those expressed in the 1970s when the Rawhide power plant was proposed. The predicted devastation did not occur, and instead the electricity from the plant lights residents' lives daily -- a positive ending Richardson predicts will repeat with Glade... Again and again, they argued: that removing more water from an already depleted river would simply dry it up along with the river corridor on which Fort Collins has based its downtown economy and many recreation investments; that the development tied to the project will eat up more farmland than the project will save; and that conservation is more important than "unbridled growth." They asked the commissioners to take steps to save the Poudre. More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here. "colorado water" 6:17:26 AM

New irrigation rules for the Arkansas Valley? Here's a recap of the first meeting of the new committee seeking to tackle the problem of increased consumptive use from irrigation efficiency in the Arkansas River Valley, from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: The first meeting of the committee, organized by State Engineer Dick Wolfe, left a few wondering whether the problem is big enough to worry about. From the perspective of a state legal and engineering team, rules governing consumptive use and ag efficiency are absolutely necessary to avoid continued litigation with Kansas over the Arkansas River Compact. The states are only now wrapping up more than a century of litigation in the Supreme Court over how water in the river should be shared. "We're not against efficiency," Wolfe said. "We recognize the benefit to labor savings and water quality. We just want to be sure it doesn't violate the compact." Wolfe said sprinklers fed by surface sources do not constitute as large a problem as wells, the primary focus of the most recent Kansas lawsuit, but are still of concern. The Division of Water Resources estimates about 60 center-pivot sprinklers have been installed since 1999, but cannot estimate the potential water loss to the river since every system and every ditch are different. Even after months of preliminary meetings with the state, however, some irrigators still are concerned that the state has not shown a problem actually exists. "When I see these numbers, it makes me wonder if Kansas owes me water," Dale Mauch, who irrigates on the Fort Lyon Canal near Lamar, told the committee following a presentation on a simplified model of determining consumptive use changes from installation of sprinklers... Bill Tyner, assistant engineer in Water Division 2, explained a model that would be used to estimate consumptive use changes under sprinkler systems, a move the state is contemplating in response to objections raised by farmers to a proposal that would have required specific engineering for irrigation sprinklers installed after 1999... Sprinklers fed from surface sources, such as holding ponds, represent the largest potential threat to reducing flows at the state line as required under the compact. Polyacrylamide lining of major ditches could also present a problem, while minor improvements such as concrete or pipes in small parts of ditch systems on individual farms is less of a concern, Tyner said. The simplified model will look at known consumptive use, acreage and ditch shares on major systems downstream of Pueblo Dam to account for the largest impact from sprinklers, Tyner said... Tyner said the Bessemer Ditch in most years would have no water deficit, since there historically has been enough water to satisfy the needs of crops. A ditch like the Fort Lyon, however, is water short in most years, but would not see as much of a deficit, proportionately, in a dry year... Colorado State University professor Tim Gates, who is doing a detailed study of valley farms, raised questions of how the state would calculate consumptive use and whether credits would be given for avoiding water runoff on to nonproductive land adjacent to farms. "When you look at the change in the river, do you look at how much is due to consumptive use and how much was not delivered to the headgate because of the improved efficiency?" Gates asked. Tyner said the model would calculate changes based on broad factors, but added there should be room in the new rules for those farmers who could benefit by showing specific engineering, even if it meant more cost to the property owner. An engineering committee will look at refining the model prior to the committee's next meeting July 30 at Otero Junior College in La Junta... The committee is trying to develop rules that allow Colorado irrigators to make physical improvements on farms without violating a provision of the comment that prohibits increasing water use from such improvements. Part of the problem with the 1949 compact is that it does not specify amounts of water, but seeks to preserve the status quo of water use at the time the compact was written while allowing both states to develop water, [Assistant Attorney General Eve McDonald] said. She said Colorado benefitted both from the ability to use natural flows and to store them in John Martin Reservoir. "Colorado got a good deal with the compact in terms of the amount of water the state got," McDonald said. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 6:09:48 AM

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