Saturday, June 3, 2006

Cherokee in contempt? KRDOTV.com: "Lawyers for the Upper Black Squirrel Ground Water Management District say the Cherokee Water and Sanitation District is ignoring a judge's order to stop pumping water from several of its wells. Cherokee serves thousands of homes and businesses east of Powers Boulevard just outside the Colorado Springs City Limits. It imposed water rationing last month. Now News 13 has learned that Pueblo District Court Judge Dennis Maes will consider issuing a contempt of court order against Cherokee for continuing to pump wells it was ordered to shut down. In addition to the thousands of customers it already serves, Cherokee has committed to provide water for several new subdivisions that are either just now under construction or in the planning process." Category: Colorado Water 7:05:32 AM     Farm disaster on the South Platte Boulder, Highlands Ranch, Sterling and some farmers who rely solely on the river's surface supplies have decided to lower the boom on the farmers whose wells were shut down last month by the State Engineer, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Three Front Range cities and others worried about protecting their shares of South Platte River water Friday refused an emergency plan that would have allowed hundreds of irrigation wells to restart. The decision dooms millions of dollars of crops already in the ground. The well-dependent farmers and some water officials were stunned. 'It's tough news,' said Greg Hertzke, water-acquisitions manager for the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District, which represents the well owners. 'Really tough...'" "...this week, the powerful Colorado River Water Conservation District, which represents 15 Western Slope counties, signaled qualified support for the well owners, saying in a June 1 letter that it would not fight their emergency-relief plan, despite having serious concerns about the use of Western Slope water to solve the crisis... "Because of the shutdown Green Acres Turf Farm near Hudson will lose $3.5 million worth of sod, manager Raul Mota said. 'We've already begun telling customers they will need to look for other bids next year because we won't be able to supply them,' Mota said. 'I'm not even sure we'll be here.' Robert Geisick, a farmer outside Wiggins, said the well crisis has dried up 1,200 of the 2,400 acres he and his three brothers and their families farm. 'Half of our farm is shut down,' Geisick said. 'We spent $184,000 this year for nothing,' he added, referring to fees he has paid to comply with the new law and to plant an onion crop this year. Others farmers, however, have said the state has been too generous to the well owners, who've had three years to meet the requirements of the new law. Buying water rights and crafting an acceptable water plan often takes years to accomplish. Geitsick and hundreds of other well owners had been operating under a temporary plan that Simpson rejected this year, in part because drought conditions this spring reduced the river's flows and because water leases the well owners thought they had had lined up were withdrawn when spring water forecasts came in lower than expected... "Russell George, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, said he is disappointed that a compromise between the well owners and their opponents couldn't be crafted, especially given the extraordinary effort it took to bring extra water from the Western Slope. 'There is water in the stream now,' George said. 'But, clearly, the objectors have no willingness to help, and that's too bad. The consequences of that decision rests with them.'" Category: Colorado Water 6:53:22 AM     Say hello to drought, again Drought is back all across Colorado. Here's an article about the return from the Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article, "It was hot in April and May. Dry, too. Hot enough to be the warmest combined April-May on record and dry enough that just one other year - 1963 - was drier, according to the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University. 'The big water supply we thought we had is not going to stretch near as far as we thought it would,' said Nolan Doesken, assistant state climatologist. The average high temperature during the two months was 72.6 degrees, beating 2000, 1985, 1992 and 1934. The spring turnaround after an above-average winter in the northern Colorado mountains has weather and water forecasters talking 2002, one of the driest summers on record. That year, however, April and May produced 3 inches of moisture in Fort Collins - about three times as much as the 1.09 inches this year, Doesken said. A hot spring has hastened snowmelt in the mountains. Snowpack that feeds the South Platte River basin, which includes Fort Collins, is expected to melt about three weeks earlier than normal, said Chris Pacheco, the assistant snow survey supervisor for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It has also forced a dramatic rewrite of stream flow forecasts on the Cache la Poudre River. The NRCS, which initially projected 285,000 acre-feet of water to flow from that river between April and September, later revised that to 210,000 acre-feet and figures to downgrade it more next week, Pacheco said... "But area cities don't seem to be altering water-use strategies. Fort Collins water managers and Loveland still don't anticipate water restrictions for residents. Greeley, which had already planned to limit lawn watering to three days a week for its residents, probably won't tighten those restrictions, said Natalie Stevens, a promotions assistant in the city's water and sewer department. Healthy reservoir levels - one major difference between 2002 and 2006 - are one reason cities aren't in a hurry to limit water use. But reservoirs will probably diminish sooner than usual as users draw on their liquid bank accounts. That means reservoirs such as Horsetooth west of Fort Collins, currently near capacity, won't be for long. 'You're seeing people pulling storage water earlier than they ever have,' said Brian Werner, a spokesman for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, which manages Horsetooth." Here's another article about the drought from the Loveland Daily Reporter Herald. They write, "The water levels in Northern Colorado rivers are continuing to plummet this year, water suppliers say. The tributaries to the South Platte River dropped from 104 percent of average on April 1 to 64 percent of average June 1, said Brian Werner, spokesman for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. Locally, the Big Thompson River has dipped the most dramatically, plummeting from 102 percent of average on April 1 to 57 percent of average now." Category: Colorado Water 6:40:09 AM     Duking it out on their own Grand Junction and Palisade are waiting for a decision on oil and gas drilling in their watersheds, according to the Casper Star Tribune. From the article, "Leaders in two western Colorado communities feeling the effects of the Rockies' energy boom say they don't oppose natural gas drilling -- they just don't want it in their watersheds. Palisade and Grand Junction are waiting for decisions on their formal protests of federal oil and gas leases on land that supplies their drinking water or borders the sites... "Mel Lloyd, spokeswoman for the BLM office in Grand Junction, has heard complaints that some areas should be off limits to drilling. Her response is that Congress has directed the BLM to develop the nation's energy resources. 'We're mandated to look at every available acreage that's been evaluated and allowed for development under our resource management plans,' Lloyd said... "The Bureau of Land Management auctioned thousands of acres in their watersheds in February despite the cities' objections and requests from Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar and Congressman John Salazar to withdraw the leases. The leases are on hold while the BLM considers the objections, but Palisade and Grand Junction are looking ahead in case energy companies start drilling holes in the ground. They've talked to state and federal officials and written letters detailing their concerns and suggestions. They've met with other local governments and are organizing more forums. The two communities are also weighing their legal options if moves are made to drill natural gas owned by the federal government. The land lying over the minerals is owned by Palisade and Grand Junction... "Palisade and Grand Junction officials said they're not reassured. Greg Trainor, Grand Junction's utilities manager, said the city believed agreements it has with BLM on resource management on the Grand Mesa would protect the watersheds on the large flattop mountain that towers over the communities. After realizing that the land was going on the auction block, Grand Junction bid on a handful of parcels, including the tract where several springs are tapped for drinking water. Trainor, who represented the city, dropped out of the bidding when the price hit $300 an acre. Trainor said surrounding tracts went for only $20 to $40 an acre. He said he doesn't know which energy companies the buyer was representing. As the communities battle to protect their water, they are tapping all available resources, including Palisade's watershed protection ordinance and federal drinking water laws. Trainor said he would like to see the state health department actively support the communities... "The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment can't prevent the BLM from approving drilling, said Steve Gunderson, director of the state water quality control division. The division, however, does have say over impacts on surface water. Gunderson said the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission regulates drilling and works closely with the health department on protecting groundwater. He said the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission would intervene if safeguards weren't adequate. Palisade Mayor Doug Edwards said he's not convinced the BLM and other agencies have the staff and time to keep up with the escalating pace of drilling. He's worried about the potential fouling of drinking water and possible damage to the new $6 million water treatment plant the town will start building this summer." Category: Colorado Water 6:21:40 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 11:44:06 AM.