Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Ban on molybdenum Area businesses are gearing up to meet new EPA standards for molybdenum in water, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "About 3,000 Denver-area businesses will have to pay several million dollars to meet a new ban on molybdenum in wastewater, industry engineers say. The metal, used to prevent corrosion in heating and cooling systems, will be outlawed Jan. 1 by the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District. The move is being made to comply with federal Environmental Protection Agency standards, said Ted Graber, industrial-waste specialist for the district." Category: Colorado Water 6:55:45 AM     Good Samaritan bill? Denver Post: "Colorado's senators back a bill that would encourage "good Samaritans" to clean up thousands of abandoned mines poisoning streams in the West. But environmentalists say their plan - slated for debate by a Senate committee today - could lead to new pollution disasters. Sens. Wayne Allard and Ken Salazar want to change sections of laws that discourage mine cleanups by exposing those doing the work to possible fines. But the plan backed by the senators could lead to shoddy cleanups and even allow mining companies to work old mines with fewer pollution restrictions, environmentalists fear... "The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is expected to debate and possibly revise the Allard- Salazar bill today. It's one of various proposals before Congress to support a "good Samaritan" cleanup program under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Good Samaritan" is defined as an organization not responsible for the original pollution that volunteers to clean up a mining site. The proposals would relax federal clean-water laws for nonprofit groups, companies and local governments willing to undertake mine cleanups. Under current law, good Samaritans could be subject to heavy fines if they clean up a site to some degree but not enough to meet the strict standards of the Clean Water Act. "There are more than half a million abandoned mine sites nationwide, mostly on Western public lands. Colorado has 17,000 abandoned hard-rock mine sites. It's estimated that the old mines are poisoning about 40 percent of headwaters streams in the West with acid drainage and toxic heavy metals that kill fish and vegetation and even get into drinking-water supplies... "Cleaning them all would cost billions. So lawmakers want to turn to good Samaritans - for example, anglers willing to clean up their favorite trout streams, companies such as Coors Brewing Co. that use stream water in their products or local governments worried about drinking-water quality. And even mining companies might be eligible as good Samaritans, as long as they didn't cause the original pollution. The state of Colorado scrapped its good Samaritan work - backed by Coors and Volunteers for Outdoors Colorado - at the Pennsylvania Mine in Summit County in 1998 after a court ruling in California found that government agencies could be held responsible if they initiate a cleanup. Since then, the state has declined involvement in other projects on the advice of the state attorney general's office. Recently, Trout Unlimited tried to get a legal waiver from the EPA to do a cleanup project at a polluted mine in Utah's American Fork Canyon, said spokesman Chris Wood... "The Allard-Salazar proposal is the friendliest to the mining industry among the good Samaritan plans before Congress. Cathy Carlson, a Boulder-based policy adviser for Earthworks, said the senators' version provides more environmental-law exemptions than even the Bush administration's proposal. Allard, a Republican, rejects such criticisms, saying it's time to get something done... "The good Samaritan debate also could spill out of the mountains to Asarco's Globeville smelter in north Denver, where toxic metals have been emitted for more than 100 years. Asarco recently declared bankruptcy, prompting people such as Smith of the National Environmental Trust to wonder whether a new owner might try to take advantage of the good Samaritan legislation to reduce its cleanup burdens. Much of the opposition revolves around the question of whether a mining company can be a good Samaritan. Critics worry that exempting companies from liability and environmental laws opens the door to abuse. They say mining firms could use a good Samaritan permit to re-mine another company's old claim more cheaply under the guise of a cleanup, with less environmental oversight. On the other hand, mining companies point out they have the equipment, resources and expertise to do such cleanups." Category: Colorado Water 6:48:50 AM     Great Colorado Rivers Cleanup YourHub.com: "Colorado Trout Unlimited (CTU), a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring Colorado's coldwater fisheries, will lead the third annual Great Colorado Rivers Cleanup on Sept. 16, to remove trash and debris from river banks and channels throughout the state. CTU and volunteers from throughout the community will patrol designated river stretches near Aspen, Basalt, Boulder, Denver, Durango, Carbondale, Estes Park, Evergreen, Fort Collins, Glenwood Springs, Golden/Idaho Springs, Granby, Grand Junction, Lake George, Longmont, Montrose, Pueblo, Silverthorne and Salida to remove trash and elevate the health of Colorado's water sources... "The majority of the Great Colorado Rivers Cleanup events are planned for the morning of Saturday, Sept. 16, with a few events taking place on September 9, Sept.30 and Oct. 14. Visit www.cotrout.org for more information about specific cleanup events, including times, contacts, and meeting locations. With most of the cleanup efforts on a single day, CTU hopes to attract hundreds of volunteers for a large-scale, coordinated cleanup effort. CTU plans the Great Colorado Rivers Cleanup for the fall season because river flow is generally lower, making access to the rivers and cleanup efforts easier and safer. Category: Colorado Water 6:16:00 AM     Cherokee: Watering restrictions The Cherokee Metropolitan District is running short of water and is prohibiting lawn watering after September 22nd, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. From the article, "Lawn-watering will be banned starting Sept. 22 for thousands of homes and businesses in the Cimarron Hills and surrounding areas east of Colorado Springs. The area's water supplier, the Cherokee Metropolitan District, has an all-time low supply, and the outdoor-watering ban is necessary to prevent faucets from running dry, said Kip Petersen, the district's general manager. A state Supreme Court hearing today could give Cherokee access to more water in the future, but the court isn't expected to rule until December. In the meantime, people in the district should conserve, Petersen said. 'All outside irrigation needs to be stopped,' Petersen said. 'We needed to take this step or a few months down the road there would be no water inside, and that just can't happen.' Car-washing is also prohibited and no sod or seeding permits will be issued for the rest of the year, according to a letter Cherokee mailed its customers Thursday. Hand-watering of gardens, shrubs and trees will be allowed, Petersen said. Since June 1, homes and businesses in the Cherokee district have been restricted to watering two days a week. Many residents, upset at that restriction, were shocked by the outright ban... "The district's board of directors in March declared a 'water emergency' because of dry weather and a court ruling against the district. The court ruling limited Cherokee's use of eight of the district's 17 wells, knocking 40 percent out of the district's water supply, Petersen said. The district will reach its pumping limits on four more wells by the end of September, leaving the district with only five wells to pump from, Petersen said. The district will lose an additional 25 percent of its supply when the pumping limits are reached. Cherokee is a metropolitan district, which means it provides water and other municipal services. It gets most of its water from the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Groundwater Basin. "Basin managers and Cherokee are embroiled in a court battle over how much water Cherokee can pump from the basin. The state Supreme Court will hear arguments about that question today. The high court's decision will affect subdivisions in progress and planned in the fast-growing area. No new development has been approved in the area in 18 months because of the water shortage, Petersen said. Seventeen subdivisions that had preliminary approval are on hold. Another 22 developers are seeking approval to build new subdivisions, but Petersen said he won't give them the go-ahead until the shortage is solved. Existing water customers take priority over new development, said Ted Schubert, president of the Cherokee board. Cherokee provides water to about 5,250 homes and 350 businesses in Cimarron Hills. It also serves the 300-acre Claremont Ranch development under construction and other developments, primarily along Marksheffel Road. Cherokee's boundaries run roughly east of Powers Boulevard, north of Platte Avenue and west of U.S. Highway 24. Cherokee's borders extend beyond the Black Squirrel basin. Some water pumped from Cherokee's wells in the basin is exported to users outside the basin, which led to the dispute now before the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Cherokee is looking for water sources outside the Black Squirrel Basin. If it doesn't find new water sources or win in court, the next step would be limiting commercial use of water inside businesses and banning hand-watering before the faucets run dry, Petersen said." Category: Colorado Water 5:58:07 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 12:11:08 PM.