Monday, September 18, 2006

Water and Wastewater Blog Say hello to the Water and Wastewater Blog. They write, "Water and Wastewater Blog is an industrial blog for the water and wastewater treatment professional, offering the latest developments, technology and opinions of our readers. Readers are welcome to post their opinions to any article." Category: Colorado Water 6:52:16 PM     New reservoirs in Northern Colorado? Officials in Northern Colorado are planning to build five new reservoirs to meet supplies, according to the Longmont Daily Times-Call. From the article, "All together, the projects would give the region another 412,000 acre-feet of water storage. An acre-foot of water equals about 326,000 gallons, enough to serve one or two households for a year. Brian Werner, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District spokesman, said the projects reflect the efforts of water districts and cities to keep up with future population growth. The district manages the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, which transports water across the Continental Divide to the Northern Front Range... "During the past five years, the Northern Front Range has grown by 53,000 people. The population - currently 493,776 - is expected to reach 587,600 by 2020. Werner said securing water is the key to the region's future. 'It's not just conservation. It's not just a new reservoir. It's not just the drying up of farmland,' he explained. 'It's all of those things.' But some environmental groups tracking the projects remain skeptical that building more reservoirs is the solution. Ramon Ajero, a volunteer with the Sierra Club's Poudre Canyon Group, said community members need to look at low-cost alternatives such as conservation. He said residents should be able to weigh in on decisions that will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Ajero said the projects will not only affect people's pocketbooks but could exacerbate current water quantity and quality." Category: Colorado Water 6:43:39 AM     Denver Water comes to the aid of trout in Colorado River Despite help from Denver Water west slope officials are still warning that the Colorado River between Granby and the confluence with the Blue River is still very low, according to the Summit Daily News. From the article, "Flows in the Upper Colorado have inched up, just days after ranchers and conservation groups sounded the alarm about low water levels in the state's namesake river. Colorado Division of Wildlife biologists said last week that the low flows could stress trout populations, and some ranchers in the area voluntarily curtailed irrigation in order to keep some water in the river. At issue is the stretch of water between Granby and the confluence with the Blue River. Diversions to the Front Range via the Colorado-Big Thompson Project and Moffat Tunnel left only a trickle for the West Slope. Relief came from Denver Water, which upped releases from Williams Fork Reservoir earlier this month. 'I think that helped a lot,' said Mely Whiting, an attorney for Trout Unlimited's Western Water Project. 'Denver needs to be acknowledged for stepping up here,' she said. "By Sept. 12, state-set instream flows were being met in most sections of the river, other than the reach between Windy Gap and Williams Fork reservoirs, according to Jeff Baesler, a senior resource expert with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB). Along that stretch, the Colorado was flowing at 70 cfs, well short of the 90 cfs deemed necessary to protect aquatic resources... "Concerned Grand County residents last week criticized the CWCB for not doing enough to protect the fishery, but Baesler said that, based on the priority of the state's water rights, the agency has done all it can. At the same time, Baesler said he is still scrutinizing various water decrees and the complex stipulations associated with water rights to try and find a few more acre feet." Category: Colorado Water 6:34:18 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 12:12:49 PM.