Wednesday, February 1, 2006

New Castle Rock water plan Castle Rock has approved a $400 million water plan, according to the Rocky Mountain News [February 1, 2006, "Castle Rock OKs future water plan"]. From the article, "The Town Council unanimously approved a $400 million long-range water plan Tuesday night, but plans to use impact fees on new homes to pay for much of it were met with howls of protest from developers... "The town's new water plan aims to secure 75 percent of Castle Rock's future water supply from renewable and reusable sources. "It hopes to do so by reducing consumption in town by 18 percent per person and implementing a 'water budget' program that will penalize water users who guzzle too many gallons by charging a higher rate. "Castle Rock also will conserve water by promoting the use of more efficient irrigation systems in residents' yards. "On the supply side, the town plans to tap into nearly 10,000 acre-feet of water in the Reuter- Hess reservoir, a 16,000 acre-foot storage facility being built near Parker." Category: Colorado Water 6:45:12 AM     Colorado River Drought Plan Here's the coverage of the proposed Colorado River drought plan, from the Salt Lake Tribune. From the article, "The seven Colorado River Basin states Tuesday apparently overcame a final intramural feud and will send a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton this week indicating that they have reached a basic agreement on how the river will be managed under drought conditions... " Under the proposed agreement going to Norton, water delivery to the Lower Basin from Lake Powell will be reduced by 400,000 acre-feet annually when the water elevation at Lake Mead drops to 1,075 feet. That shortage will increase by another 100,000 acre-feet at 1,050 and 1,025 feet, respectively. And the Interior secretary will be called in for what Anderson calls "reconsultation" if Mead's elevation falls below 1,000 feet. "The agreement also will modify and coordinate the operation of Powell and Mead, the basin's two largest reservoirs, to ensure that neither suffers at the expense of the other. Category: Colorado Water 6:30:05 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 11:05:00 AM.