Sunday, July 30, 2006

South Platte managment Here's an article about re-charging the aquifers along the South Platte River, from the Fort Morgan Times. They write, "Ditch companies and the farmers affiliated with them are better able to handle tough times than individuals without such organizations, [Heath Kuntz of Nation Engineering Services] points out. Those groups have resources they can use for augmentation, he explains. One of the biggest is ponds to put water back into the ground so it seeps into the aquifer under the river basin. They can divert some water from existing ditches into low-lying areas when the water is available, helping satisfy augmentation requirements... "The Lower Platte and Beaver and Upper Platte and Beaver have such ponds right along Interstate 76 between Fort Morgan and Brush. And they built those ponds by giving the Colorado Department of Transportation and contractors free dirt for road projects, Kuntz points out. With such measures, he says, bigger groups are better able to weather short-term droughts, but everyone is struggling to some extent because the area is in a long-term drought. The ups and downs of the alluvial aquifer under the river basin follow those of the river; some closed aquifers along the tributaries are more dependent on rainfall and are lacking water. Those will take some time to recycle, Nation says. The alluvial aquifer recovers faster than the closed ones. Sprinkler irrigation, more efficient than flood irrigation, puts just the water that is needed for a particular crop at a particular time on that crop and is more efficient, Kuntz says. However, it means less return flow to the river and the aquifer, since less irrigation water seeps into the ground. Some people feel that farmers should be subject to absolute conservation -- use the bare minimum needed for crops. That could reverse what has happened along the river since the move of agriculture into the area in the late 1800s, Nation says. The South Platte at that time was a part-time stream -- early spring to late summer with mountain snowmelt runoff, going dry by the end of summer. With irrigation, the river started to run year-round with that trend working its way downstream. Absolute conservation, Nation says, could result in the stream drying up in the lower reaches and that trend working its way upstream. Junior ditches could be starved out and cease to exist." Category: Colorado Water 7:32:51 AM     Big Thompson Flood Here's a retrospective on the Big Thompson Flood from the Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article, "Memories of the worst natural disaster in Colorado history never fully leave Big Thompson Canyon. They are in the sound of the river murmuring on a hot summer's day and in the canyon's sheer gray and green walls. They are in the rusted remains of a power plant in Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park and in the carefully tended roadside memorials to the disaster's victims. Thirty years ago, the postcard-pretty canyon west of Loveland was the scene of unimaginable horror as a flash flood fueled by torrential rain in the canyon's western reaches transformed the Big Thompson River into a killer. The flood was of a magnitude not seen in the canyon for roughly 10,000 years and the retreat of ancient glaciers, according to U.S. Geological Survey researchers. The massive storm that caused the flood dumped 10 to 14 inches of rain - nearly a year's worth for the area - in a matter of hours along a narrow band as it crept north toward Wyoming. Flooding occurred that night along the Cache la Poudre River as well." "The rampaging water claimed 144 lives that night; another 250 people reported injuries. The flood wiped out 418 homes and damaged another 138 while destroying 52 businesses. In the morning, the devastation became clear. Much of the canyon was inaccessible with portions of U.S. 34 and other roads cut away. The river had changed course in 30 places, scouring the canyon of vegetation and untold tons of rocks and soil, making it nearly unrecognizable to longtime residents." More coverage from the Denver Post, here and here. The Greeley Tribune looks at the effort it took to rebuild U.S. 34 after the flood. They write, "By Thanksgiving, they had a paved road up the canyon, but much of it was temporary. They had to allow traffic through the construction areas. They set hours of traffic flow, [Al Chotvacs, retired engineer] said. The roads were open to the public from 6-9 a.m. and 3-9 p.m. every day. In between those hours, the road workers were able to close the highway for work. Although Chotvacs said it is probably the leading achievement of his 39-year career with the transportation department, he also knows another 300-year flood would probably take the road out again. There just isn't a way to protect roads when 50 million tons of water crash down through the canyon in one night." The Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald is running a series on the flood this week. From the article, "Rain fell in fat drops from the dark clouds that shrouded the Big Thompson Canyon. They quickly quenched the parched earth, but soon they washed the thin mountain soil down gullies. The water unleashed rocks and boulders, which tumbled down the sides of the canyon. Soon, the storm-swelled river washed away land, homes and the road. It also washed away 145 lives." Category: Colorado Water 7:05:43 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 12:00:31 PM.