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Friday, August 8, 2008
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DARCA: Annual convention February 19-20
DARCA: "he Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance (DARCA) will be hosting its 7th Annual Convention February 19-20, 2009 in Pueblo, Colorado. The convention will be held at the Pueblo Convention Center and will cover strategies and alternatives to buy and dry arrangements. More to come...a final, detailed brochure will be available in the coming months...You may find of particular interest the Owners' Guide to Dam Safety, Operation, and Maintenance pre-convention workshop on Wednesday, Feb 18, also at the Pueblo Convention Center."
"colorado water"
5:51:35 AM 
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Predicting runoff
Here's an analysis of runoff predictions, from The Gunnison Times. From the article:
The melting of last winter's huge snowpack has delivered a runoff in the Gunnison Basin of around 1 million acre-feet, which is about 35 percent above the long-time average. But that was about 10 percent less than expected by the forecasters at the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC) in Salt Lake City and by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), managers of the Taylor and Aspinall Unit Reservoirs (largest of which is Blue Mesa). That forecast led the BOR to release extra water from all the Gunnison Basin reservoirs in the early spring, to "make a hole" for the anticipated water -- to prevent flooding down river and the spilling of water that might otherwise go through turbines and create electricity. But now, there is not enough water coming off the mountains to fill those "holes." Blue Mesa Reservoir will be about seven feet short of filling. Taylor was four feet short of filling and releases for the rafting industry below the dam have been cut to maintain both storage in the reservoir and a balance with flatwater recreation above the dam. The forecasting challenge can also go the other way. Steve Glazer, water analyst for High Country Citizens' Alliance, noted that three years ago the runoff came down larger than forecast, which set the BOR scrambling to avoid spilling from the Aspinall reservoirs. Other basins in the Southern Rockies have had similar experiences in recent years, and water managers and scientists are trying to figure out why, and what might be done to make the forecasting more accurate.
Dan Crabtree, who oversees operation of the Aspinall Unit and Taylor dams for the BOR, ran down the set of variables that might affect the runoff, and suggested that the forecasters are doing well to "come within 10 percent." But as the cities of the Intermountain West continue to grow around a finite (and possibly shrinking) water supply, and as intensively used and reused as water is today, a 10 percent shortfall from annual predictions can create major problems for water managers.
The recent proposed settlement for a Black Canyon National Park water right is a case in point. There is no unappropriated water in the Gunnison River to allocate for the spring flows needed to sustain the mandated natural condition of the park. Its needs can only be met through complicated changes in the way water is released from the Aspinall Unit reservoirs. But the amount of water the Black Canyon will get will be determined by the April 1 runoff forecast. Inaccuracies in that forecast, one way or the other, will have implications for other Upper Colorado users that will resonate through the rest of the water year.
The forecasting for the entire Upper Colorado River Basin is done from CBRFC headquarters in Salt Lake City, using an array of remote SNOTEL (Snowpack Telemetry) data-collection and transmission sites throughout the mountain region. The sites operate unattended, powered by solar-charged batteries, broadcasting data daily -- and sometimes more frequently. The federal Natural Resource Conservation Service installs and maintains the sites. Colorado has 102 active SNOTEL sites, with 13 in the mountains around the Gunnison River Basin. Each SNOTEL site costs in the range of $20,000. Standard SNOTEL sites are equipped to measure snowpack water content, cumulative precipitation and air temperature (daily minimums, maximums and averages). This would be sufficient information for forecasting if all the snow simply turned into water, and all that water ran down into the nearest stream. Of course, it is not as simple as that.
How fast the snow melts, when it melts, the amount of wind during melting and the amount of moisture in the soil before the snow even falls are factors -- mostly unmeasured -- now recognized as important in determining how much of the water in a snowpack will actually make it into the usable water supply. The abnormal dryness of the past decade has led snow forecasters and water managers to recognize that the amount of moisture in the soil under the snowpack is probably a significant factor in obtaining most of that elusive last 10 percent of accuracy. The first two months of the current water year (last October and November), for example, were very dry in the Gunnison Basin. It is now assumed that a significant amount of the snowpack's water went to recharging groundwater -- especially lower in the valley, which had a snowpack far above average on abnormally dry soil.
"colorado water"
5:28:36 AM
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West Fork Reservoir?
Here's a look at the proposed West Fork Reservoir, from The Delta County Independent. From the article:
The Grand Mesa Water Conservancy District is initiating efforts on several fronts to develop and protect the area's available water. Among those efforts is the possible construction of the West Fork Reservoir, on the West Fork of Current Creek. In one of its current efforts, the GMWCD is applying for a $200,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to study the reservoir idea. The 10,000-acre-foot reservoir would hold water that could be used under the Gunnison River Basin Exchange facility and help provide domestic water supplies from high mountain sources to domestic water providers in the Surface Creek Valley, explained GMWCD board president Austin Keiser. In support of the district's efforts, on July 28 the Board of County Commissioners approved a letter supporting the GMWCD grant bid.
Keiser explained that the District has completed a preliminary geologic survey of the West Fork site, which includes some BLM land and parcels under two private ownerships. The West Fork Reservoir initiative is a new direction from the last attempt at developing a plan for the Grand Mesa Project and its previously proposed reservoir at Cactus Park...
The district has conducted an extensive search for a site to capture lower and intermediate level snow melt from the Grand Mesa and the West Fork location northeast of Cactus Park has been identified as a possibility. The district is also looking to apply for a grant from the Colorado Water Roundtable (Gunnison Basin) that would pay for core drilling at a possible West Fork dam site. "Our overall goal is to try and create a structure to impound water that could augment high elevation snow melt for domestic uses," Keiser explained. With a West Fork Reservoir as part of the district's water reserves, water from lower elevation snow melt could be used for irrigation, and/or traded for purer, high mountain water more easily treated by domestic water providers.
"colorado water"
5:20:38 AM
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Permanent augmentation water for the Blanca Wetlands?
From The Pueblo Chieftain: "The Bureau of Land Management has revised a proposal to trade land for water rights by adding four Saguache County parcels, totaling 1,476 acres. The new parcels will be appraised along with six from Rio Grande County for their value in a swap that would give the federal agency an annual right to 189 acre-feet of surface water to mitigate groundwater pumping on the Blanca Wetlands. The land would go to the Sun Peaks Land Company, which currently controls surface water on the Anderson Ditch near Monte Vista."
More from the article:
The wetlands roughly 10 miles northeast of Alamosa are home to more than 200 species of birds, 13 of which have either been designated as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, or listed as sensitive species by the agency...
Dan Dallas, head of both the Rio Grande National Forest and BLM lands in the San Luis Valley, said the four parcels between Monte Vista and Del Norte were pulled from the deal because of their value as open space. Dallas added that the parcels' value as big-game winter habitat and their cultural resources contributed to the decision. The Saguache County parcels are spread out, with two near the towns of Saguache and Crestone. A third parcel is in the southern end of the county near Mishak Lakes, although it does not contain any wetlands, said Andrew Archuleta, who heads up the BLM office in Saguache. A fourth parcel, to the southeast of Villa Grove, may be next to land owned by the Orient Land Trust. Saguache County Commissioner Sam Pace warned Dallas that the conversion of that parcel to private land may be a concern that comes up in the comment period, which lasts until Sept. 12. The agency is still in discussions to acquire transmountain diversion water from the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Dallas said that depending on the amount of water the BLM can get through that negotiation, the land exchange proposal could be reduced, if not eliminated altogether.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"colorado water"
4:54:19 AM
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Energy policy: Nuclear
From The Cañon City Daily Record: "Nine new plaintiffs and one new defendant were added to the Rule 106 lawsuit by Tallahassee area residents who are trying to stop uranium exploration in the area. Black Range Minerals, LLC, was added as a defendant in the amended legal complaint filed with District Court on Tuesday. Plaintiffs Robert and Kelly Roth, Matthew and Lorraine Herzing, Virgil and Peggy Burke, Nancy and Richard Seger and Pamela Strecker were added to the original list of plaintiffs, Tallahassee Area Community, Inc., and Kay and Jim Hawklee. 'The commissioners have taken it upon themselves to gamble with our lives and property,' said Jim Hawklee, president of TAC, which formally organized to protest the exploration."
More from the article:
The case has been assigned to District Judge David Thorson's courtroom, No hearing date has been set, but Jackson said it could be months before action is taken. Originally filed July 9 by Denver attorney Michael Meyrick, a property owner in the Tallahassee area, the appeal is a plea from members of the TAC to have their voices heard. "They believe a court action was the only way to have their concerns appropriately addressed after being censored by the Board of Commissioners," said an official statement released on Tuesday.
TAC alleges the county's findings when approving the Conditional Use Permit required for the exploration were inconsistent with Fremont County's Master Plan. The lawsuit also charges a lack of proof of adequate water for the project, the possibility of water cross contamination, an incomplete fire plan, and lack of proof that surrounding property values will not be adversely affected. Jackson said the county will enter thousands of pages of documentation into the record. Thorson's ruling will be based on written arguments and the cumulative information. "There will be no more testimony," Jackson said. "He'll rule based on what has been submitted."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"colorado water"
4:48:55 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 10:26:31 PM.
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