Sunday, February 5, 2006

Pueblo flood precautions Tamarisk, other vegetation and silt in Fountain Creek are all contributing to potential flood problems in East Pueblo, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "City workers are clearing brush in Fountain Creek and preparing to dredge the streambed to alleviate the danger of flooding. "Levees completed in the 1980s that protect Pueblo's East Side are in danger of being breached during an exceptional flood because of sedimentation and growth in the channel, according to preliminary studies in the Fountain Creek Watershed Plan. "The studies by URS Engineering, still have to be accepted by the Army Corps of Engineers, said Dennis Maroney, director of Pueblo's stormwater utility. "But the city isn't waiting to take action." The Army Corps of Engineers want the Arkansas River levees in Pueblo recertified, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "The process of remapping Pueblo County floodplains may be delayed by a demand from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to recertify levees on the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek. "But FEMA officers at the Region 8 office in Denver said the requirement is a purely routine part of updating the maps and should not be taken as a threat. "Pueblo County's planning director, Kim Headley, and the city's stormwater utility head, Dennis Maroney, have been in the process of digitizing local floodplain maps." Category: Colorado Water 8:52:27 AM     Horsetooth headed to EPA 303d list? Here's an article about Horsetooth Reservoir from the Fort Collins Coloradoan with details about the EPA 303d determination. From the article, "The Colorado Water Quality Control Commission is recommending Horsetooth Reservoir for the state's impaired waters list, its second change-of-mind on the issue. "The commission joins the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its claim that dissolved oxygen levels at the reservoir haven't met standards for aquatic life half of the past decade and should be placed on the state's so-called 303d list. "Landing on the list could force water dischargers upstream of Horsetooth to more closely control the release of certain pollutants - upgrades that could be costly. "Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, which operates the reservoir, says Horsetooth should be placed on a monitoring list instead because of 'insufficient' information about dissolved oxygen in the reservoir... "The commission could decide Horsetooth's fate at a Feb. 13 public hearing in Denver. "With a 156,785-acre-foot capacity and half-million recreational users a year, Horsetooth Reservoir would be the largest and perhaps most visible reservoir to make the 303d list because of dissolved oxygen. "Fruitgrowers Reservoir, a 4,540-acre-foot reservoir northeast of Delta on the Western Slope, is the only reservoir on the list for dissolved oxygen... "Regardless of where Horsetooth lands, the issue is likely to trigger a review and possible changes to the state's basic standards for dissolved oxygen. "Some wonder whether the measure should be used at all to diagnose health at the state's reservoirs, while others say the rules for violating the current standards aren't clear. "But few question whether the proliferation of nutrients that can lead to low dissolved oxygen levels is a problem, said Rob Buirgy, executive director of the Big Thompson Watershed Forum." Category: Colorado Water 8:40:05 AM

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