Thursday, July 27, 2006

Recreation industry joins fight against leasing roadless areas for oil and gas New West: "It's not just environmentalists who are worried about the plight of roadless areas. The recreation industry has added its voice, too. With a bunch of western Colorado roadless areas ready to be auctioned off for oil and gas drilling, some recreation industry heavy-hitters - including Black Diamond Equipment and the Outdoor Industry Association - have joined local outfitters and environmentalists in a legal battle to stop it. They've signed onto a formal protest [pdf] to take the roadless areas off the list." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 6:58:30 PM     Hypoxic 'dead zone' off Oregon is spreading Science Blog: "A hypoxic 'dead zone' has formed off the Oregon Coast for the fifth time in five years, according to researchers at Oregon State University. A fundamental new trend in atmospheric and ocean circulation patterns in the Pacific Northwest appears to have begun, scientists say, and apparently is expanding its scope beyond Oregon waters. This year for the first time, the effect of the low-oxygen zone is also being seen in coastal waters off Washington, researchers at OSU and the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary indicate. There have been reports of dead crabs stretching from the central Oregon coast to the central Washington coast. Some dissolved oxygen levels at 180 feet have recently been measured as low as 0.55 milliliters per liter, and areas as shallow as 45 feet have been measured at 1 milliliter per liter. These oxygen levels are several times lower than normal, and any dissolved oxygen level below 1.4 milliliters per liter is hypoxic, capable of suffocating a wide range of fish, crabs, and other marine life... "As events such as this become more regular, researchers say, they appear less like an anomaly and more like a fundamental shift in marine conditions and ocean behavior. In particular, a change in intensity and timing of coastal winds seems to play a significant role in these events... "Barth and his colleagues are working on new circulation models that may allow scientists to predict when hypoxia and these "dead zones" will occur. No connection has been observed between these events and other major ocean cycles, such as El Niño or the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. The lack of wide-scale ocean monitoring makes determining the size and movement of the dead zone difficult, although some new instrumentation being used this year by OSU scientists is helping. Dissolved oxygen sensors have been deployed on the sea floor both close to shore and in 260 feet of water off Newport, some of which are sending data in near real-time. In addition, a new underwater unmanned vehicle equipped with sensors to measure temperature, salinity, chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen is routinely sampling across central Oregon waters... "During normal years, cold water rich in nutrients but low in oxygen upwells from the deep ocean off Oregon, mixes with oxygen-rich water near the surface, causes some phytoplankton growth and provides the basis for a thriving fishery and healthy marine food chain. During dead zone periods, some of the normal processes - including wind and current conditions - can change. This allows huge masses of plant growth to die, decay and in the process consume even more of the available oxygen near the sea floor, causing hypoxic conditions for marine life." Horsetooth reservoir also suffers from low oxygen levels. Category: Colorado Water 6:18:10 PM     Blue River Pumpback More news about the Blue River Pumpback from the Summit Daily News. They write, "Water attorneys representing the Breckenridge Sanitation District and Summit County faced off for a high-stakes round of legal poker at a public hearing in Breckenridge Tuesday, with the future of a $10 million Blue River pumpback pipeline on the table. The BOCC hearing didn't completely resolve the lingering questions about possible future impacts downstream or about the county's permitting authority ove the proposed project, but both sides said they moved at least a little closer to making the project work. Attorneys for the sanitation district said they are still not willing to 'contractually concede' to the county's permit authority over the project, while the county commissioners maintained that they have an obligation to citizens of the county outside the district's jurisdiction that they won't relinquish." Category: Colorado Water 6:33:18 AM     Water efficient mandate? New regulations are being proposed by Denver Water for Denver homeowners seeking to sell, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Denver Water is floating an idea to require existing homes and businesses to be retrofitted with water-efficient plumbing fixtures at the point of sale... "The retrofit regulation would include an inspection of homes to check for everything from leaky faucets to water-guzzling sprinkler systems." Category: Colorado Water 6:29:33 AM     New pipeline for southeast suburbs The East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District have opened their new pipeline to the southeast Denver suburbs, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "A $150 million pipeline that will deliver water to thirsty south metro communities is open. The H206 pipeline will serve 50,000 people in Centennial and unincorporated Arapahoe County. It will eventually have the capacity to serve populations as far south as Highlands Ranch and Castle Rock. All of these fast-growing communities have relied heavily on water from deep aquifers, but recent studies have shown that the aquifers can't support the upsurge in demand that stems from population growth. Communities such as Centennial, Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch have been seeking renewable surface water from the South Platte River to replace the supplies that have been extracted from the aquifers and to cover new growth. The 31-mile pipeline starts near Barr Lake and ends near Smoky Hill Road and E-470. Dave Kaunisto, manager of the East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District, said it represents a milestone in Colorado's often conflict-torn water world because the project crosses city and county jurisdictions... "The pipeline will deliver 3,000 acre-feet of water initially, and eventually will deliver 3,000 more acre-feet when new water-rights purchases are finalized. An acre-foot equals 326,000 gallons, enough to serve two urban households for one year. In addition, East Cherry Creek has negotiated a deal to permanently lease 771 acre-feet of water from Denver Water, picking up the liquid from a Denver Water pipeline that ends at Denver International Airport, Kaunisto said. None of the water is cheap, however. In addition to the $150 million to buy water and construct the pipeline, Kaunisto said his district will pay Denver roughly $6 million to hook up to its system. East Cherry Creek is charging its customers $22 a month for the new project, and has also raised tap fees - the money charged to hook new homes up to the water system - to $17,750." Update: Here's the coverage from the Denver Business Journal. From the article, "The spigot was turned Thursday on a massive new pipeline capable of carrying millions of gallons of water from the Platte River north of Denver to the southern suburbs. The $150 million project, dubbed H2'06, included a 31-mile, 48-inch pipe, water rights and other infrastructure. It's just the first phase of the project to increase the renewable water resources for the East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District (ECCV) and its partners." Category: Colorado Water 6:24:22 AM     Lower Arkansas Watershed Legislators received an ear full yesterday in a meeting with farmers and officials that depend on the Lower Arkansas River, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "The Legislature's House Water Resources Review Committee came to the Pueblo Convention Center on Wednesday to talk about water quality issues, and they got a lot of food for thought from a region that's strapped for water. Water lawyers Steve Sims and Peter Nichols analyzed three water quality bills that have failed in the Legislature the past three years. Another lawyer, Brian Nazarenus, suggested a bill next year that would create a fee-based regulatory agency to ensure mitigation for areas deprived of water by transfers. The committee chairwoman, Kathleen Curry of Gunnison, asked repeatedly for examples of the effect the water issues have on people. In the public comment period after lunch, she heard them... "Curry noted that when Pueblo West Rep. Buffie McFadyen's water quality bill was before the Legislature this year, some farmers opposed it. 'It's a really hard issue, to try to vote right for the farmer,' she told McClure. He replied that farmers fear any change in the water law that might make it harder for them to sell water, when the inevitable day comes that they're too old to farm and their children aren't interested in taking up the task. 'I think the future of agriculture is high-tech factory farms,' he said. For small local farmers, 'the best I think we can hope for is a delay of the (water) sale, and getting the best for those who remain.'" Category: Colorado Water 6:16:30 AM     That's a national park Here's a story about Stewart Udall and his legacy, from the Salt Lake Tribune. From the article, "At age 86, Stewart Udall remembers as if it were yesterday the moment he first cast his eyes on the rugged country that now is Canyonlands National Park. As President Kennedy's interior secretary, he was flying over southeastern Utah with Floyd Dominy, then the commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, who boasted of plans to build a large dam at the confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers. Udall scanned the scenery from the airplane window and balked at the idea that the stunning canyons below him might be flooded one day for a hydroelectric dam. 'That's a national park,' Udall said to himself... "Reared in northern Arizona by LDS parents, Udall's career in public service began in 1954, when he won a seat in the U.S. House. In 1961, John F. Kennedy tapped Udall to serve as his interior secretary, a post he also retained throughout Lyndon B. Johnson's tenure. In his nine years over interior, Udall championed sweeping legislation to conserve and protect public lands. He spearheaded efforts to persuade Congress to pass the Wilderness Bill, preserving almost 10 million acres of federal land, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Under Udall, the National Park System added four national parks, six national monuments, nine recreation areas, 20 historic sites and 56 wildlife refuges... "What Udall accomplished as interior secretary - Persuaded Congress to adopt the Wilderness Bill, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Added four national parks (including Canyonlands), six national monuments, eight protected seashores and lakeshores, nine recreation areas, 20 historic sites and 56 wildlife refuges. About Canyonlands National Park - It officially was designated Sept. 12, 1964, after four years of congressional wrangling. The park originally was 257,640 acres. In 1971, President Nixon expanded it to its present 337,598 acres. The park is divided into three districts: Island in the Sky, the Needles and the Maze, which is the most remote area." Category: Colorado Water 6:06:01 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 11:59:53 AM.