Coyote Gulch

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Basalt whitewater park RFP: The purpose of the project is to create high-quality in-stream wave features

Here's an update on Basalt's whitewater park, from The Aspen Daily News. From the article:

A beginner-level kayak park in the Roaring Fork River in Basalt is taking a step towards becoming reality. Pitkin County has recently issued a request for proposals seeking qualified firms to bid on the design, permitting and construction of a whitewater park, which would be built from "in-stream and shore-based improvements," according to the document.

"The purpose of the project is to create high-quality in-stream wave features for kayakers while protecting or insuring safe passage for other river users," the RFP states. "These features should (be) accessible to a broad range of skill levels (and) provide shore-based amenities to accommodate both 'park and play' kayakers as well as passive users."
"colorado water"
6:03:46 PM

Climate Change: The earth is a beautifully complex system

Here's an article about climate change and its possible effects on water supplies here in the West, from The Fort Collins Coloradoan. They write:

A new national report says climate change -- and along with insect infestations and forest fires -- will likely alter the amount of water flowing downstream from mountain forests, particularly in the West. The report, by the National Research Council, features work from a Colorado State University professor, and aimed to examine already published research around how changing forests nationally may alter the amount and quality of water available downstream.
"Climate change will likely affect the yield, timing, and quality of water flowing from forest landscapes," the report says. "Even with conservative estimates of climate change, water resources to meet current demands are not guaranteed under future climate scenarios." Climate change also may alter the frequency and magnitudes of forest fire, increasing the size and severity of wildfires. The report notes that many areas of the country have already seen changes in temperature, and that for them, spring peak runoff is happening three weeks earlier than previously.
"cc"
6:27:53 AM

Moraine Park options

From The Sky-Hi Daily News: "The Moraine Park water system needs to be replaced, but that is an expensive proposition -- especially for [Paul Geisendorfer], who already owes the state $365,000 in fines from a judgment in September 2003 for failure to comply with the state's primary drinking water regulations. Because he has not paid those fines, they have compounded with interest to an amount close to $500,000. In June, some Moraine Park residents went without water for several days. Paul's wife, Jean Geisendorfer, blamed the water problem on residents for overuse. But at the time, Todd Conger, who has been maintaining the system in addition to his position as water superintendent for the town of Fraser, said he was sure the loss of water service was from another leak in the antiquated water system...On July 1, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment ordered the Moraine Park water system to issue a bottled-water advisory for residents, because a service line break resulted in significant pressure loss and complete loss of water to some service areas, which could render the distribution system susceptible to contamination.

More from the article:

Moraine Park has several options -- all of which are expensive (replacing the water system will cost between $300,000 and $500,000), but this system has been in a state of disrepair for so long that it has finally reached the point when it cannot be ignored.

Option 1: If Paul Geisendorfer wants to stay in the water business, he needs to replace his aging water system, rather than patching leaks and hoping for the best. It may be cheaper in the short term, but in the end a lot of money can be wasted patching leaks.

Years ago, users of the system decided to "up our own rates" from $20 a month to $40 a month to help Geisendorfer cover the rising costs of electricity and to help him maintain the system. If these rates will not cover the costs of modernizing the Moraine Park water system, they should be raised.

Option 2: Residents of Moraine Park should apply for funding -- either through loans or grants from the state -- to form their own local improvement district to take over the system. Though this is a process that will take time, money and willpower from the residents of Moraine Park, it will preserve the community identity that could be lost in an annexation into Granby and avoid the inevitable rise in taxes and/or rates that would come from annexation.

Option 3: The town of Granby should reconsider annexation of the Moraine Park neighborhood. This is the most logical option from an infrastructure point of view. But it would take the combined political will of both the residents of Moraine Park and the town of Granby.

As part of an annexation, Granby would take over the water system and make the necessary repairs, passing along the cost to the Moraine Park homeowners.

Option 4: In the past, the town of Granby proposed to allow residents to tap into town water and pay out-of-town rates. This solution still begs the question -- who will repair the crumbling water system?

Option 5: Paul Geisendorfer should admit that he can no longer afford to be in the water business and put the Moraine Park water system and water rights on the market. With the purchase price, he could pay what he owes to the state and spend the rest on whatever one does when not dealing with the headache of administering an aging water system.

Option 6: In the worse case and least acceptable scenario, the state could condemn the water system, displacing any resident of Moraine Park who does not have a well.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"colorado water"
6:18:22 AM

New FEMA floodplain maps for Fountain Creek

From The Pueblo Chieftain: "City Stormwater Director Dennis Maroney said Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is in the midst of redrawing its flood maps and the city will have to recertify the levees along the Fountain Creek as part of the process...Maroney said his department is looking at the levees along the creek and probably will be asked to begin the process of certifying them before the end of the year. FEMA is currently mapping the flood plains in the city and Maroney said he expects the agency to provide the city with maps that include a provisional certification of the levees. After receiving the maps, the city will have two years to obtain official certifications or the presumed protections the levees provide go away and the FEMA flood plain expands dramatically...Maroney said one of the factors the city examines is freeboard - the difference between the surface of the water and the top of the levee. The city is required to have three feet of freeboard along most portions of the river and four feet leading up to and going away from structures."
"colorado water"
6:08:36 AM

Gunnison Basin Roundtable and Arkansas Basin Roundtable joint meeting

Update: If you click through to the article here's a correction from email from The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka): "[Marc Catlin was]...misidentified as one-time chairman of the IBCC, which of course is director of DNR by statute. Catlin at one time was president of Colo. Water Congress."

Here's a recap of this weeks joing meeting of the Arkansas and Gunnison basin roundtables, from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

Not long ago, any serious meeting about water between the Arkansas and Gunnison river basins would have opened with requests from those east of the Continental Divide asking the Western Slope to "be reasonable and share," and it would have ended with someone saying "not one drop." On Monday, however, water roundtables from both basins met without acrimony sheltered from a summer thunderstorm in a meeting hall at the Gunnison County Fairgrounds. About 40 people - 60 percent from the Arkansas Valley - discussed issues philosophically, were polite and even shared a barbecue dinner. "We were looking for general information about the Arkansas Basin," said Michelle Pierce, chairwoman of the Gunnison roundtable. The Gunnison roundtable will meet next month with other Front Range roundtables and the Rio Grande roundtable, and is already working on issues with the other three Western Slope groups...

From the state's perspective, the meeting was exactly the reason the roundtables were set up, said Eric Hecox, roundtable coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources...

Barber outlined the major issues facing the Arkansas Valley for the Gunnison folks: More needs in El Paso County and Lake County than were identified by the Colorado Water Conservation Board in the 2004 Statewide Water Supply Initiative; Water quality issues below Pueblo Dam; Pressure from growth on designated groundwater basins; The fact that the basin both imports and exports water; Invasive species like tamarisk and zebra mussels; He also touted the Arkansas Basin Roundtable's water transfers committee, which is finalizing work on a model checklist of what sort of mitigation would be required in future water transfers...

After the meeting, [Michelle Pierce, chairwoman of the Gunnison roundtable] said she found commonalities between the Arkansas and Gunnison basins. One of the nation's first diversion tunnels moved water from the Upper Gunnison to a farming district near Montrose a century ago, and distrust has lingered since.
"colorado water"
6:02:56 AM

Stand up paddling

From The Denver Post: "[Charlie MacArthur], a professional ski instructor and owner of the Aspen Kayak Academy, recently reunited with the missing piece of his persona through the discovery of Stand Up Paddling (SUP) or 'beach boy surfing,' a renaissance sport that he has since mastered on the flowing waves of Colorado waterways...Colorado surfers have rallied en masse this summer around manmade surf waves on the Colorado River at the Glenwood Whitewater Park in Glenwood Springs. Originally designed as a play feature for whitewater kayakers, the park has proven itself as a board-worthy wave for traditional surfers and SUP surfers alike."

More from the article:

River surfing is far from a new pastime, having established its roots in Europe long ago. Famous river waves in Africa (the Zambezi) and Canada (the Ottawa) have drawn its share of thrill-seeking surfers, while closer to home the activity is primarily relegated to a few scattered spots around the West. Among them, the legendary Lunch Counter wave on the Snake River near Jackson, Wyo., has the longest history of river surfers, dating back more than 25 years. Colorado is considered a new breeding ground for the sport, with a handful of coveted natural waves standing alongside a man-made whitewater park on the Arkansas River in Pueblo that has drawn a few surfers since opening just a few years ago. The new Glenwood waves have attracted attention this summer as the state's top surfing spot...

Of course, MacArthur's preferred method of SUP surfing often gives him an advantage over both surfers and kayakers when he attempts to attain a wave. The long, wide boards used for stand-up offer both hull speed and stability, while a lengthy paddle offers added leverage to move the board across the river. And if the wave isn't up to snuff, he can simply wheel around and surf his vessel downstream. "The people who are best at it are kayakers who know how to surf. They know how to use the paddle and they understand the balance," said Florida transplant Ken Hoeve of Gypsum, another landlocked surfer who substituted kayaking before getting into Stand Up Paddling on the Colorado River last summer. "I'm convinced this sport is going to go ballistic in Colorado in a couple years. It's so much fun."

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"colorado water"
5:52:57 AM

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