|
|
Monday, December 12, 2005
|
|
| |
This is the week for the annual gathering of the Colorado River Water Users Association in Las Vegas, according to the Arizona Republic. From the article, "Seeding clouds. Pulling weeds. Desalting sea water. Diverting flow from rivers two or three states away. Is this where Western water management is headed, to the realm of last-resort ideas? Maybe. The water managers prefer to call them creative strategies, but there's no denying that the seven Colorado River states are looking beyond traditional approaches as they try to stretch ever further a water supply weakened by population growth and persistent drought. The states want to avoid a bruising legal battle over what happens if the river can't meet demands in future years, which is why those ideas and others will be on the table this week."
Category: Colorado Water
6:27:01 AM 
|
|
Here's a story from the Colorado Springs Gazette about the new CEO of the city-owned Colorado Springs Utilities, Jerry Forte. From the article, "Forte, 51, reaffirmed in a recent interview the utility's commitment to build the controversial billion-dollar Southern Delivery Water System, which some council members have said is the biggest utility issue facing the city. Forte said he continues to believe the project is the best way to ensure the city has enough water to meet growth needs and to serve as a backup to the utility's transmountain water system. But he acknowledged it probably will be the last major water project the utility does, and it won't get done without winning the cooperation of various southern Colorado governments and water agencies. He said the project is close to earning the long-awaited backing of southern Arkansas Valley officials, and he believes earlier agreements forged with the city of Pueblo and the Pueblo Board of Water Works will stand despite continued opposition from some in that community, including the publisher of the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper. The project calls for piping water the utility owns in Pueblo Reservoir to a reservoir to be built on Colorado Springs' east side. With a second phase that envisions the expansion of Pueblo Reservoir, the project would supply enough water to meet the growth of the city through 2040. Despite a steady drumbeat of negative editorials and news stories from the Chieftain; new land-use regulations from Pueblo County that would make the project difficult to build; and continuing reticence by Colorado's congressional delegation to push for the expansion of Pueblo Reservoir, Forte remains confident about the future of the project...Forte and Southern Delivery project manager Gary Bostrom said the city eventually will need to reuse its water, along with expanding its number of wells in the Denver Aquifer and leasing or buying agricultural water rights. But Forte said it isn't time to turn to those less-attractive alternatives. Forte said the utility owns the water in Pueblo Reservoir and has a reasonable expectation under Colorado law to use it."
Category: Colorado Water
6:17:18 AM
|
|
|
|
© Copyright
2008
John Orr.
Last update:
9/5/08; 4:27:02 PM.
|
|
|
