Coyote Gulch

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Supply news

From The Steamboat Pilot & Today: "Phippsburg's water supply line are on schedule to allow usage restrictions put in place July 22 to be lifted next week. Duckels Construction has completed the bypass that isolates the water line under the railroad tracks, and it is looking at installing a temporary line next week that will allow restrictions on water usage to be lifted, said Mike Zopf, director of the Routt County Department of Environmental Health...After the water level in Phippsburg's only well slipped to 50 percent July 22, the county asked residents to limit their water usage until the leak is fixed."

From The Fairplay Flume: "A board member of the Red Hill Forest subdivision six miles southeast of Fairplay announced on July 26 at the annual property owners meeting that efforts are under way to buy water from the town of Fairplay and pipe it in for use by subdivision landowners. Wes Hoagland, Red Hill Forest Property Owners Mutual Water and Cattle Association board member in charge of Red Hill's water plant, made the announcement at the meeting. He told The Flume there have only been conversations with Fairplay, and no deal has been reached...No timetable has been set for when the decision might be made. But, even if a deal was already in place, it could still be years before Fairplay water could be supplied to the property owners, Hoagland said."
"colorado water"
7:44:26 AM

Eastern Colorado drought

Here's Part I of their series on extreme weather in Colorado, from The Cañon City Daily Record. From the article:

Monsoonal rains the past few days have brought much-needed moisture to the area, but not enough to alleviate the harsh reality of drought most of the state has suffered since 2002. "Never did green up here this spring," said Mike Gaylord, Bureau of Land Management wildfire mitigation specialist. "The plants are all dormant, waiting for better conditions."The situation has improved since 2002, the worst drought year in recent memory, when Fremont County suffered "extreme" drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. As of this week, local conditions are simply "severe." This week's rain, although perhaps not a long-term solution, certainly has helped immediate conditions. "We were in an extreme mini-drought," said Steve Hodanish, National Weather Service senior meteorologist in the Pueblo office. Although his office does not keep official records for Fremont County, he said this July was extremely dry in nearby El Paso County with just .3 inches of moisture. "This was the lowest amount recorded since we started keeping records," Hodanish said. "Fremont County wasn't far behind."

The abundance of heat and lack of moisture have taken a toll. The National Drought Mitigation Center reports that within the past month, Colorado is the fifth-highest state in the nation in reported negative "drought impacts," affecting everything from agriculture to environment to wildfires. Over the past 12 months, the NDMC classified the county as "moderately dry," while current year-to-date readings show "very dry" conditions...

The good news is the National Weather Service predicts the drought will ease up with conditions steadily improving now through the end of October. The agency's optimistic forecast predicts wet weather in the short term with near to above-normal precipitation. However, that forecast does not imply drought elimination. Short-term forecasts don't offer much promise, either. Temperatures are expected to heat back up next week, with highs in the upper 80s each day and just a 20 percent chance of rain, according to The Weather Channel.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"colorado water"
7:34:09 AM

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