 Colorado's snowpack is melting away quickly, according to the Denver Post [June 5, 2005, "Some basins still low as snowpack melts away"]. From the article, "As of Wednesday, statewide snowpack was 72 percent of average, down from 99 percent of average on May 1, according to the Natural Resource Conservation Service...In the Yampa and White basins, snowpack is 52 percent of average. While that's slightly better than last year, the numbers pale in comparison with those recorded in the San Juan Mountains. Also trailing the rest of the state is the South Platte Basin, which provides water for much of the Front Range. As of Wednesday, the basin was 47 percent of average. Still, four out of Denver Water's five reservoirs are full."
The Denver Post editorial staff is praising West Slope interests and Denver Water for sitting down to talks with a spirit of cooperation, rather than the historic, "Guns on the Table" approach of the past [June 5, 2005, "Cease-fire in state water wars"]. From the opinion piece, "The ongoing negotiations between the Denver Water Board and Western Slope water interests is the latest sign - and a welcome one - that a cooperative trend is slowly replacing the water wars that have divided Coloradans for more than a century. The legislature did its part to foster this emerging spirit last month when it passed House Bill 1177 by Rep. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, and Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus. The bill created nine 'roundtables' representing the state's seven river basins and two significant sub-basins to pursue solutions on such issues as how to compensate basins that lose water, encourage conservation, and preserve minimum stream flows and recreational water uses. HB 1177 is probably the most significant step toward a rational statewide water policy in the past 50 years. The fact that it is also a modest step - one that in itself doesn't change the use of single drop of water or create a gallon of new storage - underscores just how little progress has been made on Colorado water issues during the past half-century."
Coyote Gulch considers native species as senior in rights to any water rights owner. Here's an article from New West about a recent court win by the white sturgeon.
Category: Colorado Water
8:51:04 AM 
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