Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Lower Arkansas Valley Super Ditch Company Here's an update on the Lower Arkansas Valley Super Ditch Company and their funding, from The Pueblo Chieftain The Colorado Water Conservation Board cleared the way this week for $470,000 in two state grants that will benefit the Lower Arkansas Valley Super Ditch Co. Meeting in Durango, the CWCB agreed with antitrust lawyer Thomas McMahon that the Super Ditch does not violate federal antitrust legislation with its plan to pool irrigation water rights in a plan to lease water. That cleared the way for a $320,000 grant approved by the CWCB in May and a $150,000 grant approved earlier this year through the Arkansas Basin Roundtable. The $320,000 grant was approved through a $1.5 million program to look at ways cities and agricultural users can share water. Additional grants for programs are proposed by Parker and the Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Co. in the South Platte Basin. The board plans to consider grants for the final $500,000 this fall. McMahon prepared a brief at the request of Super Ditch attorney Peter Nichols. McMahon said the Super Ditch does not violate antitrust legislation because it would be offering a new product, even though it does so in a collective manner. Under a potential court challenge, the Super Ditch probably would not infringe on existing water sales because it provides an economy of scale that could not otherwise be obtained... About 40 irrigators on the Catlin, Fort Lyon, High Line, Holbrook, Otero and Oxford ditches have signed on. The group elected Rocky Ford farmer John Schweizer as its president. The board has met with several potential customers, but so far has not reached any deals, said Jay Winner, general manager of the Lower Ark district. Those customers include Northern El Paso County, Colorado Springs Utilities, the Pueblo Board of Water Works, Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority, Fountain, Aurora, the Colorado Division of Wildlife and State Parks. Super Ditch currently has no plans to meet with any out-of-basin users other than Aurora, Winner said. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 9:25:56 AM

Energy policy: Nuclear Here's an update on the opposition to proposed in-situ uranium recovery operations in Park County, from The Fairplay Flume From the article: Uranium is a hot issue, but it's not a partisan issue. That was the message delivered by Soren Frederiksen, chairman of the Park County Democrats, at a July 16 meeting held in Bailey about the uranium mines that may develop in South Park. "I tried to make people aware that this was more of an informational meeting and wasn't a political meeting," he said. "Uranium doesn't care whether you're a Democrat of a Republican."[...] The meeting was held to enlighten Park County residents who live in and around Bailey about the possible dangers to their way of life if the mines move forward. Members from Save Our South Park Water 2008 attended the meeting and gave a presentation on the possible effects uranium mining could have on the surrounding area. Dennis and Kristin Kist, South Park residents and members of SOSPW08, gave a presentation of the progress of Golden-based Horizon Nevada Uranium in staking mining claims. The Kists showed photographs of mining claim stakes close to a drinking water well. Jay Davis, an organizer of Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction, was on hand to talk about the fight in Weld County against uranium mines. "We are 18 months in front of Park County," he said, referring to the fight between some Weld County residents and PowerTech Uranium Corp. over the planned in-situ mining. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 9:19:28 AM

Rio Grande Water Conservation District: Groundwater sub-districts Here's an opinion piece about the Rio Grande groundwater sub-districts and their rules written by the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, from The Del Norte Prospector. From the article: In response to Mr. Alspaugh's comments, the District offers the following information: 1. Most members of the Subdistrict No. 1's Board of Managers own both surface and underground water rights. One member represents that group of well owners that owns no surface water rights. Nine of the members of the Board of Managers were appointed by the five major ditch companies running water inside the boundaries of the Subdistrict. 2. Any groundwater pumping depletions occurring within a proposed subdistrict must be offset and replaced to insure senior water rights are protected. 3. Subdistrict No. 1 does not have sole control of the replacement of depletions. The State and Division Engineer and the Water Court have to concur the plan adequately replaces depletions or the plan fails. 4. Section 37-92-501 does not eliminate the Prior Appropriation Doctrine by allowing the State Engineer to recognize subdistricts. 5. Any depletions to senior surface water rights as the result of well pumping in the Subdistrict No. 1 must be replaced. Subdistrict No. 1 is a fundraising mechanism that assesses service and user fees against its members. Money raised may be used to compensate landowners for retirement of water rights or the purchase or lease of water rights to offset any depletions as the result of groundwater use. 6. In 2007, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, after receiving a recommendation from the Rio Grande Roundtable, approved grant funding of approximately $60,000.00 to Davis Engineering, Inc. to complete a study of shallow unconfined aquifer wells near the Rio Grande between Del Norte and Alamosa. The objective of the study north of the Rio Grande was to examine the existence of a groundwater divide separating the Closed Basin from the rest of the Rio Grande Basin north of the river. South of the Rio Grande, the objective of the study was to determine the direction of groundwater flow to assist in estimating depletions to the Rio Grande from well pumping in the alluvium. Data collected from the study will be updated periodically as a tool for useful for many Valley interests. The District is actively working with landowners throughout the Valley to create subdistricts that will promote sustainability of the Valley's complex aquifer system, to prevent material injury to senior surface water rights while ensuring continued economic viability of the Valley's agricultural practices by avoiding a mass shutoff of wells without regard for the unique hydrogeologic makeup of the Valley. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 9:13:05 AM

Southern Delivery System The Army Corps of engineers is opening up the old conflict between the agency and the Bureau of Reclamation over Colorado Springs proposed Southern Delivery System. Here's an update from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: A separate environmental assessment for the Southern Delivery System may be needed because the Army Corps of Engineers will not accept the Bureau of Reclamation study of the project. At issue is the bureau's inclusion of Colorado Springs water rights as one of the purposes and needs in its draft environmental impact study. "If we allowed an applicant to say: 'We can only use our own water rights,' " it would be too restrictive," said Don Borda, of the Corps regulatory division in Albuquerque. "They have to at least demonstrate that they've done their homework and have no other options." Other options could include more groundwater use, reuse of return flows or new sources of water, Borda said. Those options were dismissed from Reclamation's study on the basis of estimated cost and the purpose and need statement, but would be given analysis by the Corps. The eventual outcome could still be the same, Borda added. The two federal agencies have different roles in the Southern Delivery System, a $1.1 billion pipeline project that would supply water to Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security and Pueblo West. The project proposes a pipeline from Pueblo Dam 43 miles north, with reservoirs on Jimmy Camp Creek and Williams Creek. Reclamation is evaluating seven alternatives in an environmental impact statement. Reclamation would issue contracts that would allow the SDS partners to use excess capacity in Lake Pueblo, a federally managed reservoir that is part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. The Corps would permit the project under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, in order to allow dredged or fill material to be dumped in a public waterway. While Colorado Springs could develop a project without Reclamation approval - the so-called "no action" alternative - almost any project would require the 404 permit from the Corps. In a comment to Reclamation on its draft EIS, Borda said the report would not satisfy Corps standards for environmental review. "In general, the Corps cannot support the findings of the draft EIS for Section 404 purposes because the document does not substantiate that the participants' proposed action represents the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative," Borda wrote. The Corps did have sufficient information to support only the wetlands alternative, which is the only one that does not include a reservoir on Jimmy Camp Creek. There are also unreported costs associated with the proposed action because of issues on Fountain Creek - quality of return flows, flood control and sediment reduction, Borda's letter states... Colorado Springs has not yet submitted its Section 404 permit application, but is expected to submit it sometime before the end of the year, Borda said. He said an environmental assessment would be needed, and there would be a public comment period. Two other branches of the federal government also commented on the draft EIS for SDS. The BLM disagreed with Reclamation on the significance of the Upper Arkansas voluntary flow management program, saying there was not proper disclosure about Reclamation's ability to meet storage requirements for the program, BLM Field Manager Roy Masinton wrote. BLM also is concerned about the recreation impacts SDS could have on the Blue Heron site in Fremont County, which would be impacted under three of the alternatives, Masinton said. The site is identified as both a potential wastewater outfall and a water intake area in those alternatives. "BLM acknowledges that Reclamation needs to make determinations about which impacts of the project may be significant," Masinton wrote. "However, there needs to be disclosure that certain impacts considered insignificant by Reclamation may be considered significant by others." Finally, Army officials at Fort Carson gave qualified support to the draft EIS, supporting the proposed action. In his letter to Reclamation, Deputy Commander Thomas Warren said the impacts of the project on Mexican spotted owl and burrowing owl habitats on Fort Carson were not considered in alternatives involving a pipeline from Fremont County. "It should be mentioned in the document that no formal written agreements have been made with regard to Fort Carson being able to accommodate any alternative of the proposed SDS pipeline that would impact the installation's training lands and environmental resources," Warren wrote. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 9:01:20 AM

Creede asking for help with point source pollution Here's a look at efforts to clean up Willow Creek in Creede, from The Colorado Spring Gazette. From the article: The main culprits of Willow Creek's woes are the Commodore Mine waste rock pile, an unstable mountainside of discarded rocks that threatens to wash down into town in a flood, and the Nelson Tunnel, which directs the contaminated mine drainage into the creek. For a decade, this tiny community - Creede's year round population is 409 - has worked to clean up the mess, in hopes of stopping the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from declaring the town a Superfund site, a designation reserved for the nation's most polluted places. Community leaders had heard horror stories of what happens when an area is declared a Superfund site: The agency steps in, bullies the locals, mandates unpopular cleanup measures and the Superfund label stays attached for decades. But this spring, the EPA finally added Creede's old mines to the Superfund list. The fact that people are happy about that shows how some projects are just too big for any one town to tackle, and how the EPA may have shaken its once-tarnished image... "Unless we fix the Nelson Tunnel, everything else is a waste of time," Ward said. "But unless we fix everything else, fixing Nelson Tunnel is a waste of time." It was actually the federal Clean Water Act hampering them. A 1993 court ruling said that anyone who tries to remediate water at an abandoned mine becomes legally liable for discharges there forever. Efforts in Congress in 2006 and 2007 to pass so-called "good Samaritan" legislation, legal protection for groups and government agencies that want to clean up mines, degenerated into partisan squabbling and failed. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 8:44:41 AM

Northglenn distributes water-efficient toilets Northglenn has implemented a program to provide water customers with water-efficient toilets, according to YourHub.com. From the article: The city gave away 500 low-water use toilets on July 26 at the city's Maintenance and Operation Building. Recipients were chosen by a lottery. This is the first time a Colorado city has implemented such a program to reduce water waste. High efficiency dual-flush Caroma brand toilets were purchased from Sustainable Solutions International, a Canadian company that sells its toilet throughout the world. The toilet has two flushing buttons. One is for solid waste and uses 1.6 gallons per flush. The second is for liquid waste and uses .8 gallons a flush. Most new toilets use a standard 1.6 gallons per flush, compared to five gallons per flush in the 1960s and 1970s and up to seven gallons per flush for toilets made before 1950. The city expects 20-25 acre feet of water savings annually, which is equal to about 32-40 households of four people. That's equivalent to about $220,000 in water rights for the city. A $60,000 grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board paid for much for the program. Each of the toilets have a retail value of $400, but the city got the toilets for about $138 each. For those who didn't win the lottery, the city is continuing its rebate program towards the purchase of any new toilet. The city will reimburse $75 towards the purchase of a new toilet, either as a credit on the water bill or as a check. The limit is two per residence. Interested citizens may pick up an application at Northglenn City Hall, 11710 Community Center Drive, or at www.northglenn.org/p205.html. "colorado water" 7:45:03 AM

Dillon Public Works to drain Old Dillon Reservoir Here's an update on the expansion work at Old Dillon Reservoir, from CBS4Denver.com. From the article: Most of the lodgepole pines around the reservoir have been killed by pine beetles. State inspectors believe the dead trees pose a serious threat because their roots are integrated into the north dam. If the trees blew over, they could cause damage and water would spill out. The drainage pipes are also in danger of failing, officials said. The town of Dillon had plans to drain the reservoir soon to prepare for an expansion project. That work now has to be done a few months earlier than planned. "We're going to drain it slowly so people can fish it out," said Eric Holgerson of Dillon Public Works. The reservoir will be made nearly seven times bigger when the work is done. Construction on the new reservoir won't happen until 2009. It will serve Dillon, Silverthorne and other parts of Summit County. More coverage from 9News.com. They write: The town of Dillon owns the reservoir and years ago they used it for water. These days, Dillon's water comes from elsewhere, but the reservoir has remained, used now as a recreation destination for hiking and fishing. Each year, the small reservoir is inspected by Colorado's state engineering department, and this year the reservoir failed its inspection due to a number of dead pine trees killed by bark beetle. "This year's inspection shows the pine beetle kill had affected a lot of the trees in the north dam," said Holgerson. The dead trees are in danger of falling over. If that happens the root system could tear apart the north dam sending water downhill to Interstate 70 below. That means the reservoir has to be drained immediately and while work is being done to bring the reservoir up to specs, it will also be expanded. "Right now, the reservoir is 46 acre feet, and the enlargement we're looking for is 250 acre feet," said Holgerson. The expansion project has been in the works for years, but it will now be bumped up, expanding the reservoir more than five times its current size - big enough for water storage. "We would like to use it as a water supply along with Summit County and the town of Silverthorne," said Holgerson. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 7:26:34 AM

Conservation Coyote Gulch recommends teaching water conservation to young people so that they develop a life-long commitment. Here's a look at Castle Pines North Metro District's efforts from YourHub.com. They write: In a bold move the Castle Pines North Metro District (CPNMD) has challenged each of their 3500 customers and 30 HOAs to "Get WARPed." WARP stands for the Water Awareness and Responsibility Program, a public education program designed to increase water conservation awareness. According to CPNMD district manager, Jim McGrady, "By getting WARPed, the citizens of Castle Pines North (CPN) can help achieve a more secure future for the community." CPN is one of many Douglas County communities whose water is derived solely from non-renewable wells which experts predict by 2022 will no longer meet demand. Through water conservation and conscientious use of current supplies, the citizens of CPN can help keep water costs to a minimum and assure an adequate water supply for the future. While the CPNMD works to identify alternative sources of water, the citizens of the community can to do their part to conserve the resources we already have. As CPN resident April Parcells put it, "Conservation is our cheapest source of new water." Since the initial WARP rollout in April, the WARP team has shared water conservation messages with over 3,000 children in the CPN area through school assemblies, classroom presentations, email blasts, and school web sites. Students completed hundreds of conservation activity sheets, coloring contest entries, and tested their toilets for leaks with kits provided by the CPNMD. Palisade is using water audits to help the town conserve water, according to The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article: One available resource to ensure the efficient and economical use of water is to get an irrigation audit from Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. This summer, the town of Palisade had audits performed at Riverbend Park, Memorial Park, Independent Park, Peach Bowl Park and the town cemetery. The town uses untreated irrigation water at all of these facilities except for Independent Park, which is watered by treated water from the town's water plant. Even though Palisade has a low-cost source of water available for irrigation, it doesn't mean the town shouldn't use that water efficiently. The CSU audit provided Palisade with detailed information on how each of the watering zones was functioning. Watering times and the amount of time spent watering are important, but the report went far beyond these basic elements. It documented how many zones are in each area, how many sprinklers exist in each zone, what areas were covered, and water pressures and how well each sprinkler head performed. It also addressed other factors such as depth or tilt of watering devices and what adjustments could be made. The audit report also provided analysis of soil conditions and what problems town properties may have related to watering or to some other factor such as insects or disease. Technicians made recommendations on how the town can create a more efficient irrigation system with different types of sprinkler heads or changes in zoning based on the actual real-life functioning of the system, not just an analysis on paper. A map was also provided for each system with notes related to the detailed analysis provided in the written report. Overall, the audit provided valuable information that will help the town save water and better manage its public parks and cemetery. According to CSU Cooperative Extension, an average of 40 percent of water savings can be realized with changes suggested through an irrigation audit. "colorado water" 7:15:50 AM

Expansion of Hermosa Creek cutthroat restoration? Here's an update on efforts to restore Weminuche cutthroat trout in Hermosa Creek, from The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article: ...the DOW, Forest Service and the local chapter of Trout Unlimited aim to restore more of Hermosa Creek to cutthroat trout. This "turning back the clock" would remake that part of the stream as it was a century ago, before brook trout and rainbow trout were introduced and out-bred and out-competed the native fish. The project also fits in with Colorado's participation in a three-state program to protect native trout and keep them off the Endangered Species list. The reintroduction hinges on the Forest Service building a fish migration barrier on the mainstem of Hermosa Creek where Hotel Draw enters Hermosa Creek, a mile or so above where the main creek and the East Fork meet. The barrier would prevent non-native trout from going upstream and hybridizing with the pure Weminuche strain of Colorado River cutthroat trout the DOW wants to stock. The barrier also would provide some protection for the cutthroat from the transmission of whirling disease, Japhet said. A first attempt at the barrier was washed away in this year's spring runoff. This summer the Forest Service is working on a runoff-proof structure. Once the barrier is in place, the DOW will put use rotenone to remove all fish upstream of the barrier. Then, over a three-year period, the agency will restore cutthroat trout to their native waters. Ty Churchwell, president of the Five Rivers Chapter of TU, says the reintroduction will include about five miles of Hermosa Creek's headwaters, leaving more than 20 miles downstream as a multi-species fishery. "There still will be plenty of water for people who want to catch brook trout and rainbows," said Churchwell, standing near the site of the fish barrier. "But when people come in here, they'll experience the creek like it was 100 to 150 years ago." Cutthroat trout reintroductions began in the Hermosa drainage more than 20 years ago but that was before DNA testing could prove a trout's genetics. This proposal would take DNA-tested fish raised from brood stock at the Pitkin Hatchery and put them in Hermosa Creek. The fish are progeny of trout taken from streams in the Weminuche Wilderness, Japhet said. "We know they've been there for at least 70 years and maybe since time began," Japhet said. "We think they have some local adaptations that make them better suited to survive here." The Hermosa Creek plan could eventually include connecting the cutthroat trout poulations in the East Fork and the mainstem, creating a "meta-population" and allow a mixing of the now-separate populations, Japhet said. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 7:00:14 AM

Chad Hart: We just aren't getting any rain. It's spreading like a virus. Here's an update on drought conditions on the eastern plains from The Rocky Mountain News. From the article: Gov. Bill Ritter has asked the federal government for disaster assistance to help farmers and ranchers in three counties that suffered late-spring freezes and in 20 counties where pastures and crops are withering in drought. The designation would make farmers and ranchers eligible for low-interest loans to help recover from their losses. "This is the driest we've ever been up here," Chad Hart, Farm Services Agency executive director for Prowers and Bent counties in southeastern Colorado, said Wednesday. "Our drought monitors say we are at severe or exceptional drought, just about the worst you can get," Hart said. "We just aren't getting any rain. It's spreading like a virus."[...] By some measures, Colorado has been in a drought since 1999, because a drought doesn't end until the water supply is back to normal levels. Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two big bodies of water along the Colorado River, never have gotten back to normal levels, said Marty Hoerling, meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. More drought news from The Boulder Daily Camera. From the article: Despite the lack of rain and a recent string of 90-plus-degree days this summer, Munson Farms -- and most of Boulder County's agricultural businesses -- are having a good year. A large snowpack in Colorado's high country has allowed farmers to use irrigated water to make up for the scarcity of precipitation -- but that lack of rainfall could mean big problems next year if heavy snows don't arrive again this winter. "We're having a great year because we've been able to use irrigation water, and we have enough to get us through this year," said Michael Munson, whose family owns the farm. "Reservoirs did not fill this year because there was no rain water, and a lot of people were pulling water out in the early spring... According to the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service in Lakewood, all eight of Colorado's major river basins had above average snowpack as of May 1. Some of the state's river basins -- such as the Colorado River basin -- were well above average. That basin was 122 percent of average as of May 1... The Western Slope water has helped keep the fields of northern Colorado green this year, according to Jill Boyd, a spokesman for the water district. If farmers only had rain water and Front Range snowpack on which to rely, the situation would be much worse. The lack of water on this side of the Continental Divide is still problematic, though. Farmers with senior water rights -- or those claims that are oldest -- have been able to fill their water storage with Western Slope water. But junior water-rights holders have had to wait for what's left, and some of them weren't able to fill their storage this year. "The fact that Mother Nature didn't give us the April and May showers that we need means we're really going to see the impact on storage because of that next year," Boyd said. The region is in the midst of one of the driest years in recorded history. The first half of 2008 in the water district was especially tough, with precipitation only 61 percent of average as of July 1... According to local weather historian William Callahan, the driest July on record -- in 2002 -- saw only .09 inches of rainfall in the city. Heading into this weekend, Boulder had just under that amount, but likely will avoid the dubious distinction of being the driest July on record, thanks to some expected weekend storms. But Boulder went 30 days without rain following a big rain of 1.56 inches on June 5. Friday also was the 13th consecutive day with a high temperature of at least 90 degrees, and that combination means wild vegetation is exceedingly dry. More coverage from The Pueblo Chieftain. They write: State officials are bracing for the possibility of severe drought as a promising snowpack dwindles and summer monsoons miss the state. The impact is already being felt by farmers - 22 counties on the Eastern Plains have filed disaster declarations. Soil moisture content is nearly as low as it was going into the 2002 drought. The forests are tinder dry, approaching levels seen in 2002. There are more beetle-kill trees this year, however. Cities and irrigated farmers have been sheltered from the lack of moisture by ample runoff from the snowpack, but reservoir levels appear to be dropping... NOAA officially dropped La Nina conditions - a cooling of the Pacific Ocean - this week, meaning a neutral weather pattern will resume. If Colorado's Front Range does not get monsoon rains soon, there will be less moisture available to recirculate. If the weather pattern is typical, autumn would be dry... July numbers have not been compiled yet, but indicate a drop in water supplies could be occurring. At Pueblo, for instance, precipitation since Jan. 1 has totaled 4.36 inches, 65 percent of normal and 47 percent of 2007. the U.S. Drought Monitor shows an extreme drought in the southeastern corner of the state, slowly creeping into the Eastern Plains... Reservoir levels are down across the state. In the Arkansas River basin, they are at 84 percent of the long-term average and 81 percent of last year; the Rio Grande basin is at 86 percent; and the South Platte basin, 80 percent. "colorado water" 6:50:52 AM

Energy policy: Geothermal From The Glenwood Springs Post Independent: "A new group meets for the first time today to start looking at using hot water in the ground for heat and electricity. The Glenwood Springs City Council decided to form a 12-member geothermal task force June 5. Its three main charges are to update a 268-page 1980 geothermal heat use plan for the area by the University of Denver for the Department of Energy, to assess how current technology can apply to Glenwood's geothermal resources and to develop a business plan for a geothermal utility. Discussion will include the possibility of tapping hot water to heat structures or even creating electricity. In one example in Colorado, Pagosa Springs has operated a geothermal heating system since 1982. Hot water is pumped to the surface and heat is transferred to a "fresh-water loop" used to deliver heat to customers." "cc" 6:43:57 AM

Supply news From The Sky-Hi Daily News: "The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment lifted its bottled water order for Moraine Park residents Monday. Leaks have been fixed and all residents now have water, Licensed Operator Todd Conger of Water Dog LLC said Tuesday...Because of multiple leaks, several homes had been without or with little water for about three weeks. A steering committee has since been formed within the neighborhood, and community members are searching for ways to afford an overall replacement of the system." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. From The Boulder Daily Camera: "Water rates in Nederland have skyrocketed, tripling the bills for some users, as town trustees try to break even on the cost of operating the water treatment system. Last year, Nederland came up $379,000 short on money to run the water plant. Earlier this month, trustees voted to increase the base fee on residents' water bills by 20 percent (from $6.67 to $8) and the cost per 1,000 gallons used by 259 percent (from $2.10 to $7.90). The new rate structure also eliminates the old policy that gave customers the first 1,000 gallons of water for free. "The water rates were never raised since 1992, and there's been a lot of increases in cost," said Nederland Mayor Martin Cheshes. "It's a tremendous increase, but we were not covering the basic costs." In Nederland, the mean amount of water used each month by one household is 2,930 gallons, which means the mean water rate is increasing from $9.17 to $31.15. Using 2,930 gallons of water in Louisville, by comparison, would cost $14.75." Here's a look at plans for aquifer recharge by the Cherokee Metropolitan District in the Upper Black Squirrel aquifer from KRDO.com. They write: Cimarron Hills leaders have started a $30 million project intended to ease ongoing water woes in the community of 20,000 just east of Colorado Springs. The Cherokee Metropolitan District--along with the Meridian Service District of Falcon--is building a water facility east of Schriever Air Force base, near the intersection of Drennan and Milne Roads. The facility will clean wastewater currently released into Sand Creek, and transport the water into an underground aquifer in a process called recharging. The Upper Black Squirrel Creek Basin near the construction site, is the aquifer which provides much of the community's water... "It will be cleaned 90%," explains Steve Hasbrouck, a member of Cherokee's water board, to reassure residents who may not like using treated wastewater. "It will actually be a drinkable quality at that point. This meets EPA standards, it meets everybody's safety standards. In fact, it exceeds all those standards." Cherokee General Manager Kip Petersen says the plant will be the first of its kind in Colorado. "It's not a true 100% recycled system, and it doesn't make us self-sustaining at all. But it definitely will allow us to extend our source of water four or five times." However, because the project won't be ready until the spring of 2010, Petersen says Cimarron Hills likely will face water restrictions again next summer. The community has been on a twice-weekly watering schedule for most of the past two years, after a judge ruled it had to shut down eight wells... Peterson says the project will help provide 80% of the community's water, with the remainder coming from Colorado Springs Utilities and some temporary water rights. Cherokee received a loan to pay for 52% of the cost; Meridian will pay 48%. Cherokee also hopes to acquire water from other sources, such as the proposed Southern Delivery System and a plan to build a pipeline from the Arkansas River. "Every drop of water--in the ground, below the ground and even the rain--is spoken for," Hasbrouck says. "We can't count on water rights and wells. We have to find a long-term, reliable source of water." More coverage from KRDO.com: "The recall effort against three local water board members will continue. A heated public meeting Friday in this community of 20,000 just east of Colorado Springs failed to resolve the issue. About 25 residents attended the meeting of the Cherokee Metropolitan District, an area which has had water shortages the past two years and currently is on twice-a-week watering restrictions. However, board members say the recall effort has nothing to do with water. Board member Robert Lovato says a recall committee gathered 200 signatures from residents expressing a lack of confidence in the three affected board members--chairman Ted Schubert, Gayle Jones and M.B. Anderson." More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here. "colorado water" 6:39:44 AM

Climate Change: The earth is a beautifully complex system You have to love predicting the weather (along with predicting climate change). It turns out that the Arctic Ocean may not see another record melt this year after all, according to Reuters. From the article: Arctic sea ice is unlikely to shrink below a 2007 record low this year in a reprieve from the worst predictions of climate change even though new evidence confirms a long-term thaw is under way, experts said. The 2007 record raised worries of a melt that could leave the North Pole ice-free this year, threaten indigenous hunters and thaw ice vital for creatures such as polar bears. It would also help open the Arctic to shipping and oil and gas firms. "Most likely there will not be a new record minimum ice year in the Arctic this September," said Ola M. Johannessen of the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center in west Norway. Arctic sea ice area reaches an annual summer low in September but is about 1 million square kms (386,100 sq mile) bigger than at the same time in late July 2007 at about 6 million sq kms, an area almost as big as Australia. It is still far smaller than the average of recent decades... "The North Pole is likely safe for at least this year," he said. The NSIDC had suggested in May that it was "quite possible" that the pole could be ice-free this year. "The basic reason that while last summer saw an ideal atmospheric pattern for melting sea ice -- essentially a "perfect storm" -- the pattern so far this summer has been characterized by somewhat cooler conditions," he said. The 2007 low area of 4.13 million sq kms shattered a 2005 record and was among factors adding pressure on governments to slow a build-up of greenhouse gases from factories, power plants and cars. Governments have agreed to negotiate a new climate treaty by the end of 2009 to succeed the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol. "cc" 6:25:48 AM

© Copyright 2009 John Orr. Last update: 3/14/09; 10:25:40 PM.