Wednesday, September 20, 2006

They've characterized us as Denver "Water Grab!" is often the rallying cry anytime there is conflict over water issues in Colorado. Here's an article about Leon Lake from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. They write, "A proposal to change use of Grand Mesa water to accommodate growth in Delta County has drawn opposition from Mesa County. The issue has cascaded into a fight both sides say has cost nearly $100,000 so far and could reach $250,000 if it goes to trial in November. The case began when the Leon Lake Ditch and Reservoir Co. filed a case in Montrose County water court to change use of its water, a move backed by the Grand Mesa Water Conservancy District. Ute Water Conservancy, however, objected, saying it feared water was being taken out of priority, meaning its rights weren't being observed. On the other side of the Mesa-Delta county line, Jerry Figueroa said he feared Ute was involved in the oldest of Western traditions: a water grab. Figueroa, a member of the Leon Lake and Grand Mesa water boards, said he was working to garner the support of various Delta County governments to help pay for the fight against Ute. So far, his side has spent approximately $48,000 in legal and related fees... "Ute General Manager Larry Clever said Ute had put a similar amount of money into the dispute. At its heart is Leon Lake, a natural lake sitting at 10,400 feet that's a favorite of brook-trout anglers. Leon was enhanced by man a century ago to supply agricultural water to the arid lands below. It sits in Mesa County, but a pipe carries water from the lake into the Surface Creek drainage in Delta County. Ute's problem, Clever said, is the equipment used to measure the flow from the lake is inadequate. 'They've characterized us as Denver,' Clever said, but the Delta County users have done what Denver did, much to the chagrin of the Western Slope - fail to measure water flow by means of meters... "State legislators, water officials and others have tried, so far without success, to resolve the conflict, but officials on both sides are scheduled to meet late this week." Category: Colorado Water 6:12:44 AM     Arkansas Valley Conduit Legislation to fund the Arkansas Valley Conduit is being considered in the U.S. Senate, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "Bent County Commissioner Bill Long, who chairs the committee as a director on the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, said during a conduit advisory committee meeting Tuesday that he is scheduled to testify before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Water and Power. He will speak on the stand-alone authorization for the conduit introduced by U.S. Sens. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., and Ken Salazar, D-Colo. The legislation will help many of the 42 communities in the conduit project meet 'unfunded federal mandates' on water quality. The project is sponsored by the Southeastern district. The legislation creates a cost-share formula that requires the federal government to pay for 80 percent of the conduit's $328 million construction costs. The remaining 20 percent will be paid for by local entities, combined with state grants and loans. Allard and U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., worked closely with citizens, area elected officials and Salazar in drafting the legislation... "The advisory committee is trying to secure a construction fund loan from the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The committee is requesting $60 million to be repaid over 40 years. On Tuesday, Broderick discussed a memorandum of agreement the Southeastern district has submitted to CWCB. Broderick said the MOA will be looked at by legal staff on both sides before it goes to their board in November... "The committee is also waiting to hear the answer to their request for a $600,000 State and Tribal Assistance Grant. If the committee is awarded the grant, the money will be used for preliminary engineering." Category: Colorado Water 5:54:03 AM     Return to dust bowl? The Geological Society of America is meeting this week in Longmont to discuss drought. Here's a report from the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Future Western droughts could last an average of 12 years, spanning half of the region and severely reducing Colorado River flows that supply millions of people, according to climate projections from a Boulder scientist. Eighteen of the world's most powerful computer climate models were used in the study, presented Tuesday by Martin Hoerling, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Hoerling said he was startled by his own findings. But he cautioned that his results are preliminary and have not been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal... "The models forecast a temperature increase of 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2060 in the interior West, largely because of the buildup of heat-trapping gases emitted by fossil-fuel combustion. But little or no precipitation increase is foreseen in the West. The result: Increased evaporation and drier soils, leading to more severe and frequent droughts, Hoerling said. How severe? Some droughts could be 25 percent worse than the 1930s Dust Bowl, Hoerling said. How frequent? On average, half of the interior West will suffer from severe drought each year, he said. But several other scientists said that Hoerling's projections should be taken with several grains of salt, even though previous studies have concluded that more frequent and severe droughts are likely in a warming West... "Currently, 13.5 million acre feet of Colorado River water are consumed each year. About 9 million acre feet are used by the Lower Colorado River Basin states: Arizona, California and Nevada. About 4.5 million acre feet go to the upper basin states: Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico. The dividing line between the two basins is at Lees Ferry, near the Utah-Arizona border, just below Lake Powell. Hoerling's computer simulations show that the flow at Lees Ferry could drop to 6 million acre feet by 2050, creating huge problems for water managers trying to meet obligations to the Lower Colorado River Basin... "But Woodhouse cautioned that other studies of future Colorado River runoff are in the works, and that preliminary results from one of them show "not as sharp a decrease" in runoff as Hoerling found. Denver Museum of Nature & Science geologist Bob Raynolds echoed Udall's concerns about the uncertainties of climate models. But he said he was alarmed by Hoerling's findings... "Last year in the journal Nature, a team led by U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist Christoper Milly used 12 state-of-the-art climate models to study global-warming associated reductions in river runoff worldwide. Milly and his colleagues found that by 2050, drier conditions could lead to a 10 to 20 percent drop in runoff from rivers in the U.S. West. Milly said Tuesday that his results appear to jibe with Hoerling's findings." The meeting this week in Longmont hopes to come up with a scientific analysis of drought conditions and to spur drought planning nationwide, according to the Longmont Daily Times-Call. From the article, "By the time the effects are noticeable, it is usually too late for government agencies to do anything other than react to them as natural disasters. The problems created by this type of after-the-fact management came into focus this week as the Boulder-based Geological Society of America met in Longmont to discuss how scientists and policy makers can best confront drought before it can become a significant problem. The goal of the three-day national conference, which started Monday, is to produce a document with perspectives from as many water experts as possible, according to Deborah Nelson, director of strategic initiatives for the GSA... "Speakers at Monday's event called for a more proactive approach to drought, as well as a better understanding of its impact in light of issues like population growth and climate change. Drought affects 30 percent of the nation and has an annual economic impact of $6 billion to $8 billion, according to Don Wilhite, director of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Nebraska. Since 1988, Congress has appropriated $30 billion for drought relief, he added. Despite its impact, drought has yet to garner the national attention it deserves, said Wilhite, who spoke at the conference Monday. 'Drought is like the Rodney Dangerfield of natural disasters,' he said. 'It doesn't get any respect.'[...] "Public awareness about drought can rise and fall as fast as the seasons change, Wilhite said. Many presenters at the conference said the lack of a national drought policy is a significant problem. One reason, a senior policy analyst for the Bush administration said, is that water traditionally has been considered a states-rights issue, and the federal government has been hesitant to take the lead." Category: Colorado Water 5:47:54 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 12:13:15 PM.