Monday, June 19, 2006

We're havin' a heat wave The Denver area is likely to experience more dry and hot periods, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Climate scientists say this month's shockingly early heat wave may provide a glimpse into Denver's future. The temperature at Denver International Airport reached or surpassed 90 degrees on 12 of the first 14 days in June, according to the National Weather Service. The hot spell included seven straight days of 90-or-higher temperatures, marking the earliest such streak since recordkeeping began in 1872. The mercury hit 102 last Wednesday, a record for the date and the earliest triple-digit temperature ever for Denver... "Western heat waves are likely to increase in severity, frequency and duration in the coming decades as the climate warms in response to the ongoing buildup of heat-trapping 'greenhouse' gases, said Gerald Meehl, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. Future warming is likely to intensify the weather patterns responsible for heat waves in some parts of North America, including the West, according to a 2004 NCAR study published in the journal Science. Meehl was lead author of the study, which used computer models to simulate the future climate... "But no single extreme weather event - whether it's a heat wave or a hurricane - can be blamed on global warming, he said Friday. By the end of this century, heat waves along the Front Range could last an average of two days longer than they do now, and the number of heat waves per summer could double, according to the NCAR study. Some changes in Denver temperatures are already apparent, said University of Colorado climatologist Klaus Wolter. But it's unclear if human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, are to blame, he said. Springs and summers have warmed in Denver over the past decade, with the biggest temperature increases in March and July, Wolter said. Eight of the past 10 Denver springs (defined by climatologists as the months of March, April and May) and nine of the past 10 Julys were warmer than the long-term average at the former Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Wolter said. While the official National Weather Service temperatures for Denver are now measured at Denver International Airport, Wolter prefers to use Stapleton data because they contain an unbroken record extending back more than 50 years." Category: Colorado Water 5:41:33 AM     Arkansas Valley Conduit Here's an update on the Arkansas Valley Water Conduit, from the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "The architect of a plan to keep some water that once flowed on fields in the area it formerly served will continue fighting for the plan, even though other communities could compete for the water. Carl McClure, an Olney Springs farmer who represents Crowley County on the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District board, is passionate about using Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water from dried-up farmlands for the proposed $300 million Arkansas Valley Conduit. The conduit would serve 50,000 people in 42 communities east of Pueblo. 'My argument is to take the water once used for agriculture and use it for the economic development of the lower valley,' McClure said. 'We need it more, especially because of water quality problems.' "McClure fears opening up the process could mean as much as half the water could go to Colorado Springs and other Fountain Valley cities. The controversy over the water has been brewing for more than a year, as the Southeastern District tries to decide how to apply 1979 allocation principles to a landscape that's shifted toward urbanization in the past three decades. The principles, which took the form of a water decree, clearly state that water from agricultural lands taken out of production should be shifted to 'non-irrigation' uses. But specific uses are not named. The amount of water affected, for now, is relatively small, about 3 percent of annual allocations, or an average of about 1,600 acre-feet. The figure is based on Fry-Ark allocations on 8,000 acres of land along the Colorado Canal Aurora bought in Crowley County in the 1980s... "But the principles accommodate the shift to cities. From the beginning, Fry-Ark water was seen as a primary supply for cities and supplementary for farms. In practice, farms used more than three-fourths of Fry-Ark water until the drought of 2002. Since then, Pueblo has claimed its full share, largely to make use of dedicated storage space in Lake Pueblo, after asking for none in prior years. The Fountain Valley Authority has made full use of its share, after only partial claims in the past. Cities and water districts east of Pueblo also never used their full allotment of Fry-Ark water, but have stepped up requests in recent years as they have been forced to find sources for well augmentation water. In fact, in the past two years only about half of the requests from municipal water suppliers east of Pueblo have been filled. McClure said it's crucial to supply water to the conduit. While an engineering study showed other water is available, the only firm annual supply is about 5,000 acre-feet of Fry-Ark water. Current demands are at least double that, and in 50 years they could double again." Category: Colorado Water 5:23:54 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 11:49:26 AM.