Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Tamarisk research conference Tamarisk Coalition: "The upcoming 2006 Tamarisk research conference will be held October 3rd & 4th, 2006 at the Fort Collins Hilton, Fort Collins, Colorado." Category: Colorado Water 11:33:47 AM     Fountain Creek mediator Colorado is calling in a facilitator to hopefully broker an agreement between Colorado Springs, Pueblo and the Sierra Club over the management of Fountain Creek, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. From the article, "That the state is turning to a facilitator - used in the most acrimonious environmental issues in the state such as the Rocky Flats Superfund site and Pueblo Chemical Depot - underscores the volatility of the Fountain Creek dispute... "At issue are water levels in the creek from Colorado Springs that have quadrupled in recent years, repeated sewage spills that have drawn record regulatory fines against Springs Utilities and the discovery of deadly E. coli bacteria. Fountain Creek drains 927 square miles in El Paso, Teller and Pueblo counties and empties into the Arkansas River at Pueblo. The watershed's explosive population growth in recent years has caused a sharp rise in flows from wastewater treatment plants and stormwater runoff. Most of Colorado Springs' water comes from west of the Continental Divide and after use is treated and discharged into the creek, where the average flow has gone from 60 cubic feet per second to 230 cfs... "State officials said the consultant will conduct interviews to assess areas of potential agreement and shared interests. The consultant, The Osprey Group of Boulder, also will recommend whether to form a long-term 'stakeholder group' to advance cooperation. The assessment is due in June... "The Osprey Group specializes in bringing together disparate interests and has worked on matters involving mountain biking on federal lands, the Shattuck Superfund site, Lowry Air Force Base environmental cleanup and the Gunnison Watershed." Here's the coverage from the Pueblo Chieftain. They write, "A contract of $21,000 was awarded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to the Osprey Group of Boulder for the project. The conflict assessment was suggested as a way of reaching consensus in the two communities over a range of issues on Fountain Creek by Dennis Ellis, state health department director... Category: Colorado Water 10:16:08 AM     SB37 SB37 (Concerning the Adjucation of Recreation In-Channel Diversions) cleared that state house yesterday, according to the Durango Herald. From the article, "In less than 15 minutes, the House offered its blessings to a water-rights bill for kayakers that took weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations to write. The state House's approval is one of the last hurdles for the bill, which began its journey almost a year ago in summer committee meetings. A similar bill failed last spring... "Opponents wanted to limit the bill to kayaking, instead of 'non-motorized boating.'" "The bill is a response to several expensive court cases. The state Supreme Court has asked the Legislature for a better definition of what makes for a 'reasonable recreation experience.' Legislators already have decided that kayaking is a 'beneficial use' of the state's water, which makes it eligible for water rights. But they want to make sure kayaking is not used as an excuse to keep water in the river for other purposes, such as protecting fish... "In order to pass, Senate Bill 37 still needs one more positive vote in the House. Then senators must agree to the House's changes, and the governor has to approve it. Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, is the Senate sponsor. Senators voted unanimously for an earlier version of the bill." Category: Colorado Water 10:02:44 AM     Bayfield cease and desist order amended According to the Durango Herald, Bayfield can get back to unbridled growth now that the state health department cease and desist order has been amended. From the article, "A cease-and-desist order issued last month against the Bayfield Sanitation District was amended Monday to allow the town to resume issuing building permits and sewer taps. But as a condition of the amendment, the sanitation district must complete a plant expansion by July 1. And if the district fails to do so, the moratorium will be reinstated, said Dave Akers, manager in the Water Quality Control Division for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. "All other provisions of the cease-and-desist order remain in effect, Akers said. Those include meeting deadlines for completing studies and submitting regular progress reports. The cease-and-desist order was issued March 29 by the state health department. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe asked that the order be issued after learning that Bayfield's treatment plant had exceeded capacity and discharge limits in the Los Pinos River. The tribe takes its drinking water 1.5 miles downstream. It also supplies Ignacio with drinking water. In an e-mail Friday to Akers, Sam W. Maynes, lawyer for the tribe, questioned the wisdom of lifting the moratorium based on just one week's worth of sampling data... "Since the order was issued, the sanitation district completed an engineering analysis that shows the plant is capable of handling existing demands, Akers said. The district also agreed to a quick schedule for making improvements, the most notable being the addition of floating aerators to increase capacity. Additionally, recent samplings of discharge into the Los Pinos River suggest the district is operating under existing permit levels, Akers said. It was unknown why the Bayfield plant recorded capacity and discharge violations last year, he said, but it may have something to do with groundwater infiltration, which occurs during the summer months. The plant expansion should accommodate such infiltration, he said." Category: Colorado Water 9:49:59 AM     HB1400 HB 1400 (Concerning Interbasin Compacts, and, in Connection Therewith, Approving the Interbasin Compact Charter and Altering the Boundaries that Define Certain Western Slope Basin Roudtables) sailed through the agriculture committee, 11-0, yesterday, according to the Durango Herald. From the article, "The group charged with finding answers to the state's water problems won a resounding approval from the House Agriculture Committee on Monday. The panel voted 11-0 to approve the charter of the Interbasin Compact Committee, which legislators set up last year. House members also voted to grant $1 million, mostly so the local river basins can study their water needs and supplies... "The charter requires approval from each of the river basins involved in any transfer before any project that uses their water gets going. Participation in the interbasin process is voluntary, but supporters hope it will become the forum that oversees the state's response to its long-term water shortage. The committee, which was drawn from people across the state, had to overcome the distrust that typically accompanies any plans to transfer water from one basin to another... "The committee has until July 1 to win legislative approval of its charter. After that, the process for reviewing new water projects is open-ended. Sponsors hope to pass the bill out of the House by Friday, said one of the sponsors, Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction." Category: Colorado Water 9:40:09 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 11:31:23 AM.