Saturday, February 10, 2007

Arkansas Valley Conduit From email from U.S. Senator Wayne Allard, "This week, Senator Salazar and I sent letters requesting that the Senate Energy Committee Chairman and Ranking Member hold a markup of S. 134, the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act of 2007. A markup is a committee meeting where the bill is reviewed line-by-line and then the committee considers passing the bill, which moves it to the full Senate for a vote. "Senator Salazar and I were able to secure a hearing on this issue late in September 2006, during the 109th Congress regarding an identical bill, S.1106. However, no further action was taken. This year, I reintroduced the bill on the first day of session of the 110th Congress, January 4, 2007. This is the fifth year in a row that I have sponsored this legislation. "The people of southeastern Colorado have waited long enough, the time to act is now. The passage of this legislation will allow the delivery of clean, safe water to financially strapped communities in the Lower Arkansas Valley." Category: Colorado Water 5:28:15 PM     CRWCD water issues workshop The Colorado River Water Conservation District is holding a public education meeting in Breckenridge, according to the Summit Daily News (free registration required). From the article, "The Colorado River District and Colorado Mountain College are presenting a water issues workshop from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 15, in the conference room at the CMC Breckenridge Campus. Colorado Water Issues is a free event and is designed for people who want to attain a basic understanding of water law while learning about current events that could shape the future of water supplies in Colorado... "For more information, call the college at (970) 453-6757, the Colorado River District at (970) 945-8522, ext. 236, or e-mail edinfo@crwcd.org. To learn more about water and the Colorado River District, visit www.ColoradoRiverDistrict.org." 6:21:32 AM     Morgon County meeting about regulation water transfer impacts Cities along the Front Range continue to grow and they need water. Farmers have the water and in many cases are willing to sell to the highest bidder, drying up farmland and economies in rural areas. Morgan County is holding a meeting to start discussions around the issue, hoping to plan ahead to alleviate the effects of water transfers, according to the Fort Morgan Times. From the article, "The Board of Morgan County Commissioners has announced it will hold a public meeting to discuss whether Morgan County should regulate land use which results in the permanent drying up of irrigated farm land in the county. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 in the assembly room at the Morgan County Administration building, 231 Ensign St., Fort Morgan. The commissioners are concerned about the impact on the economy, tax base, natural resources, wildlife and soil of Morgan County when irrigated land is permanently taken out of cultivation and the water rights are transferred to other uses, particularly urban or industrial uses out of the county... "The news release added that the problem is particularly aggravated when farms are acquired by a municipality or a non-profit corporation because the land is entirely removed from the tax rolls. The county has the authority to regulate the impact of taking land out of irrigation through both land use regulations, commonly known as '1041 powers' and, if water rights are to be transferred, asking the water court for mitigation payments. The commissioners invite anyone with an interest in the topic to attend the Feb. 21 meeting and express their opinion. Those who cannot attend are encouraged to send their comments to Morgan County Attorney George Monsson at Morgan County Government, P.O. Box 596, Fort Morgan, 80701. Any questions may be addressed by Monsson at 542-3510." Category: Colorado Water 6:11:45 AM     Snowpack Here's an article about the Colorado snowpack from the Greeley Tribune (free registration required). They write, "Snowfall across most of Colorado's mountains last month was below average, dropping the water content of the statewide snowpack to about 10 percent below average for this time of year, said Allen Green, state conservationist with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. The data comes from the first physical readings of snow fields across the state that will continue through April. The current readings are about 5 percent below readings taken at automatic sites the beginning of the year, Green said, adding that for most of the state's major river basins snowpack percentages decreased by 10 to 15 points. The only basins above average are the South Platte, Arkansas and Rio Grande. Reservoir storage is above average in three basins -- the Gunnison, Colorado and Yampa/White -- but is below normal in other basins. Storage on the South Platte is 82 percent of average and 90 percent of last year." Category: Colorado Water 5:57:45 AM     Fountain Creek management The management of Fountain Creek is the subject of this article from the Pueblo Chieftain. They write, "A committee looking at water quantity on Fountain Creek Friday identified impervious surfaces created by more growth in Colorado Springs as the most serious issue affecting the controversial waterway... "The group is one of four subcommittees formed by the Fountain Creek Vision Task Force, which was formed by El Paso and Pueblo counties in an effort to resolve ongoing, contentious issues. Other groups are looking at water quality, land use and environmental issues with the goal of coming up with a vision and action plan for Fountain Creek by the end of the year. The Fountain Creek Watershed planning group already has issued a report on impervious surfaces in El Paso County. More parking lots, homes and streets will cause stormwater to run off more quickly into the creek rather than filtering into the ground. In some areas, the developed surface area will increase to nearly 60 percent from almost nothing at the present time." Category: Colorado Water 5:52:48 AM     Emergency lease to maintain Arkansas flows The Pueblo Board of Water Works is leasing water to the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Colorado State Parks to help maintain minimum flows in the Arkansas through March, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "An emergency lease to state agencies by the Pueblo Board of Water Works will keep minimum flows in the Arkansas River through Pueblo and avoid a repeat of conditions that threatened fish in the winter of 2005. 'It seems the lines of communication are better than in the past,' said Alan Hamel, executive director of the Board of Water Works. The water board will lease up to 3,082 acre-feet now stored in Lake Pueblo to the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Colorado State Parks to maintain a minimum flow of 50 cubic feet per second through Pueblo until March 15, when releases from the winter water program will bring flows back up. The water will be captured at John Martin Reservoir for use at a state park and wildlife area there... "Winter water, which canal companies agree to store from Nov. 15 to March 15 in lieu of irrigating, is being diverted through the Colorado Canal to Lake Meredith and at the Fort Lyon Storage Canal. Flows below Pueblo pick up as water from Fountain Creek and other tributaries are added to the Arkansas River. River readings on Friday showed there was about 50 cfs through Pueblo, with half of that coming through the fish hatchery. Fountain Creek added 178 cfs to the river, and by the time the river reached Avondale flows increased to 339 cfs. The Colorado Canal was diverting 324 cfs, while Fort Lyon Storage Canal diverted 103 cfs. Flows above Lake Pueblo were 555 cfs, with 142 cfs of Fryingpan-Arkansas Water being moved into Lake Pueblo by the Bureau of Reclamation to make space in Turquoise and Twin Lakes for Western Slope diversions later this year... "Once the water reaches John Martin Reservoir, it will become part of the permanent storage pool. John Martin Reservoir is bordered on the east and north by a state park, and on the west and south by a state wildlife area." Category: Colorado Water 5:45:08 AM

© Copyright 2007 John Orr. Last update: 3/1/07; 6:54:12 AM.