Colorado Water
Snowpack is still far short of normal for the South Platte River basin, according to the Denver Post [April 11, 2005, "Despite the white stuff, not enough wet stuff"]. From the article, "The spring snow that covered the Front Range foothills and Eastern Plains on Sunday gave a boost to important watersheds that supply Colorado's major cities with drinking water. Preliminary estimates suggest the basins that supply Denver Water's South Platte reservoirs received half an inch to an inch of water in the snowfall, said water manager Bob Steger...The storm may not eliminate the need for watering restrictions this summer. Snowpack in the South Platte Basin was just 79 percent of average Sunday, with only a few weeks left to the snow season. All the snow on the plains will reduce lawn watering and keep more water in reservoirs, said Melissa Elliot, manager of public relations for Aurora Utilities. But Aurora will recommend another year of watering restrictions to its City Council tonight."
Senator Allard is urging the Bureau of Reclamation to reduce discharges from Lake Powell this year to let the reservoir recharge, according to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article, "Lake Powell stood at 33 percent of capacity Thursday, while other storage reservoirs downstream on the Colorado River were nearly double that amount or more. Lake Mead was at 63 percent; Lake Mohave stood at 94 percent; and Lake Havasu was 89 percent full. Keys said he would consider the request but added that water in Lake Powell was projected to rise more than 45 feet this year because of increased snowpack in the Upper Basin states."
Here's an editorial from the Denver Post in support of moving radioactive waste near Moab [April 11, 2005, "Smart to move Moab wastes"]. They write, "The tailings are near the Potash Road 3 miles from downtown Moab. The pile is in the Colorado River's 100-year flood plain, clipped by a desert wash (flood route) and near another wash. The National Academy of Scientists says a major flood through the site is a near certainty. Such a flood would wash radioactive wastes downstream, but not evenly dilute them. Instead, the wastes would clump in "hot spots." It would be impossible to cleanse public lands of the resulting radioactivity, so a spill could force the government to close the popular river to human access, experts warn."
6:28:05 AM 
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