Wednesday, May 10, 2006

South Platte wells shutdown by State Engineer Colorado State Engineer, Hal Simpson, has ordered over 400 wells in the South Platte alluvial aquifer to shut down, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "The state ordered more than 400 powerful irrigation wells shut down this week to protect the South Platte River, triggering a crisis for about 200 farms from Brighton to Fort Morgan. 'It's the toughest decision I've ever had to make,' said State Engineer Hal Simpson, Colorado's top water regulator. Farmers who've already planted this year say they stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of Simpson's ruling. The decree may mean bankruptcy for some. But others, such as La Salle potato grower Harry Strohauer, are gearing up for battle... "But the shutdown was precipitated by a new state law that requires farmers who use deep irrigation wells - which draw down the aquifer that also nourishes the river - to replace that water. The law is meant to stabilize the river by reducing the impact of deep wells. The law was passed after the 2002 drought, when farmers who relied solely on the river's surface water for irrigation saw their fields burn up, while well-dependent farmers continued irrigating. Surface-water farmers and some cities successfully sued the state for allowing the deep wells to harm the river. Under the new law, well-dependent farmers were given several years to find additional water supplies, either by securing water leases or with permanent purchases of water. In 2002, roughly 5,000 irrigation wells were operated in the South Platte basin. Under the new law, more than 1,500 have already been shut down, while the users of several hundred others have developed new water plans that allow them to legally operate their wells. But Simpson's ruling signals that time is up for farmers who have been unable to line up sufficient new water supplies. 'This is a wreck,' said Tom Cech, manager of the Central Water Conservancy District. The district has been working frantically since 2003, raising property taxes to lease and buy water and to build small reservoirs to aid this last group of farms. All told, the district has raised $21 million to help comply with the new law, Cech said, but the lingering drought and competition for water between fast-growing Front Range cities and farmers has made water scarce and expensive. Cech said the district had projected it would have enough water this year to operate the wells at 15 percent of their capacity. But the state engineer's decision, prompted by a dry spring and the district's loss of several key water leases, doomed the farmers' efforts just as the new growing season got under way. The law also stipulates that farmers must show they have enough incoming water to cover future water debts to the river... "The crisis in the South Platte River basin took root more than 70 years ago, when hundreds of farm families from Brighton to Fort Morgan started digging wells in a shallow aquifer that also supplies the river. Water engineering was in its infancy, and state agriculture and water officials encouraged the drilling, hopeful that the wells would drought-proof the lush, irrigated high plains region. No one understood back then that the wells were pulling water from the same aquifer that helped supply the river. By 1969, the science was clear. The wells were depleting the river. The state began requiring farmers to put back into the river some of what their wells had drawn down. Under the new law, farmers must put about 80 percent of the total water they pump from the ground back into the river. Previously, their obligation had been as low as 5 percent in some years." Category: Colorado Water 6:51:29 AM     Preferred Options Storage Plan Here's an update on the progress being made on the Preferred Options Storage Plan, from the Pueblo Chieftain. They write, "A committee working on legislation to study Lake Pueblo enlargement and water storage operations in the Arkansas Valley voted Tuesday to send a draft proposal to the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District board. But it may be only as solid as this year's dwindling snowpack. While there are several potential stumbling blocks to the Preferred Storage Options Plan legislation, committee chairman Harold Miskel pushed the group to wind up its work in order to get the bill before the Southeastern board at its May 18 meeting... "After the dust settled, there were still at least four potential issues that could hang up the bill: "Southeastern Directors Bill Long, Reed Dils and Miskel will meet with Lake County commissioners today in Leadville to discuss Lake County's demands to be included in PSOP's affected area. Lake County also is considering annexation into the district, which will likely be a major topic of today's discussion. "The Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District board wants more time to review the proposed legislation as now written, said Wayne Whittaker, Otero County's representative on the Lower Ark board. The Lower Ark board has been in negotiations with eight other entities on PSOP for the past 15 months. "A provision to include the 2004 intergovernmental agreement among the City of Pueblo, Pueblo Board of Water Works, Colorado Springs, Fountain, Aurora and the Southeastern District was changed to reflect possible future amendments to the IGA. "Water attorney David Robbins, representing Colorado Springs, said the change is needed to prevent future federal legislation from affecting a local agreement. He will check with Pueblo officials to see if they support the change... "Several portions of the bill were amended to reflect concerns of U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., that the bill would not require cumulative socioeconomic and environmental impacts of water transfers in the valley. He also called for an accounting of depletions in the river... "The committee rejected an attempt by Colorado Springs to modify an environmental justice study included in the bill that would assess the impact of water transfers on local economies. Brett Gracely, water resource planning supervisor for Colorado Springs Utilities, and Robbins argued the farm economy in the Arkansas Valley has shriveled for any number of reasons, not just the sale of water." Category: Colorado Water 6:28:41 AM     Fryingpan-Arkansas projections Pueblo Chieftain: "The Fryingpan-Arkansas Project is expected to deliver about 46,960 acre-feet of water to cities and farms in the Arkansas River basin this year, the allocations committee of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District learned Tuesday. The amount of water is above last year's allocations of 44,000 acre-feet and the highest amount since 2001. The amount is about 10,000 acre-feet less than projected earlier this year, as snowpack statewide has dwindled, said Tom Musgrove, of the Pueblo Bureau of Reclamation office... "Cities, which are allocated 51 percent of transmountain deliveries, are expected to receive 23,950 acre-feet, about 31 percent of the amount they requested overall... "Agricultural users are expected to receive 23,010 acre-feet of transmountain water, about 13 percent of their requests. The five largest ditch systems in the allocation program are Fort Lyon Canal, 8,503 acre-feet; High Line Canal, 2,983 acre-feet; Bessemer Ditch, 2,541; Catlin Canal, 2,496 acre-feet; and Holbrook Mutual Irrigation Co., 2,173 acre-feet. Musgrove said about 59,600 acre-feet will move through the Boustead Tunnel into Turquoise Lake. Of that, 3,000 acre-feet is exchanged with Twin Lakes to meet West Slope obligations, about 10 percent is lost in transit and 6 percent is accounted for in evaporation, reducing the total amount available. Southeastern also keeps 1,200 acre-feet in an emergency account at Lake Pueblo." Here's another article about a new proposed use for Fry-Ark water from the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "An attempt to salvage most of the transmountain water from dried-up farmlands for a proposed drinking water conduit for communities east of Pueblo Tuesday caught some off-guard. Still, the proposal passed committee scrutiny on a 4-1 vote and could be considered by the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District at its May 18 meeting. Carl McClure, chairman of the allocation committee, suggested a change to the 1979 allocation principles, a court-decreed decision on how Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water is divided. The principles provide 51 percent for municipal use, with 49 percent for supplemental agricultural water. They also state that as agricultural land dries up, the water will be shifted to municipal use. However, they don't spell out how this will be accomplished. McClure wants the water to go into what he calls a 'flex water account,' which would primarily benefit the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a proposed $300 million raw water delivery system for up to 42 water systems east of Pueblo... "McClure's proposal would put water in a flex water account, which would provide up to 85 percent for the conduit, if it is needed. Up to 15 percent of the water, or a maximum of 250 acre-feet, would go to Manitou Springs, located west of Colorado Springs. Manitou Springs has been in the Southeastern District since its beginning in 1958, but did not use Fry-Ark Project water because it could not be delivered. The city, which uses Pikes Peak water, also opted not to join the Fountain Valley Pipeline when it was constructed. With Pikes Peak flows low, the city has negotiated water delivery with Colorado Springs, and wants to join the allocation program. After those needs were satisfied, the water would be split as it is now between cities and agriculture, or applied to emergency uses." Category: Colorado Water 6:17:00 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 11:36:16 AM.