Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Southern Delivery System and Chaffee County Colorado Springs officials were in Chaffee County yesterday explaining the complexities of their proposed Southern Delivery System, according to the Mountain Mail. From the article, "Colorado Springs Utilities representative Keith Riley assured Chaffee County officials Monday the city's new water delivery system will not negatively affect flows in the Arkansas River through Chaffee County. Riley attended the board of county commissioners work session in Salida to present changes in two of the possible scenarios being studied for the city's so-called Southern Delivery System. The two scenarios involve reviving an old diversion station north of Buena Vista... "As part of two of the proposed alternatives, the city would rebuild and operate an old diversion station on the Arkansas River about 10 miles north of Buena Vista. 'We're asking the Bureau of Reclamation to study that facility as part of the changes to the alternatives,' Riley said. The diversion station would pipe Springs' water to the Otero Pump Station, a few miles downriver, to deliver it to the city. Because of technicalities within Colorado Springs' water rights portfolio, using the diversion station would increase the city's ability to divert water via the Southern Delivery System's main pipeline near Pueblo. Riley said the city would want to free space in the Otero pipeline from Twin Lakes to the pump station to increase its exchange ability. Using the old diversion station would only affect Arkansas River flows from Twin Lakes to Clear Creek Reservoir, a stretch of approximately four miles, Riley said. Flows would increase along that stretch by as much as 100 cubic feet per second as Colorado Springs took water from Twin Lakes to the rebuilt diversion point. The diversion structure would pipe water to the Otero pump station, freeing space in the Otero pipeline to increase the city's exchange potential, Riley explained." Category: Colorado Water 6:44:18 AM     Energy policy: Geothermal Here's an article about geothermal energy from the Montrose Daily Press. From the article, "The state is looking under every rock in the hopes of finding alternative energy and pockets of the earth's heat beneath the San Juan Mountains may hold some promise. The Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation and the Colorado Geological Survey have teamed to author a preliminary look at possible geothermal energy sources around the state that includes areas near Ouray and Rico. While Coloradoans have utilized some of the more easily tapped sources for hot springs or, as in Mosca, even an alligator farm, the state lags behind states such as California and Nevada in harnessing the earth's heat to generate electricity... "For the past year the state has been collecting geologic data from previous attempts by private industry to find geothermal hot spots. Where possible they've also looked at old mining records and the results of oil and gas exploration. One test hole near Ouray suggests that the earth's temperature rises nearly 190 degrees Fahrenheit per kilometer of depth. A data point near Rico holds the potential for a slightly hotter gradient. While the technology required at some plants around the country require high-temperature waters of at least 347 degrees, recent technology would allow plants to use water with temperatures as low as 194 degrees, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Binary cycle plants take the lower temperature water to heat a hydrocarbon working fluid with a lower boiling point than water that could then power a turbine." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 6:35:51 AM     HB 1124 Here's a short update on HB 07-1124 from the Sterling Journal-Advocate. From the article, "Rep. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, concedes a compromise is unlikely on her highly contentious House Bill 1124, which would establish new rules for filling and storing water in reservoirs, especially along the South Platte River. 'I would have preferred there be more collaboration (before the bill was drafted),' said Hodge, who introduced the bill on behalf of the Greeley-based Central Colorado Water Conservancy District. 'I don't think (the stakeholders) are going to be able to come up with anything unless we sit down together.' The stakeholders are the same well-pumpers and surface water right holders whose feud over South Platte River water only intensified with the drought of 2002. Central believes better management of the reservoirs would free up water for the irrigators, hundreds of whom have had their wells shut off because they don't have augmentation water to pay back their depletions from the river and its tributaries. The surface owners believe Hodge's bill, which would limit times that reservoirs could be filled, would create more havoc on the priority system, which gives first claim on water to the oldest water rights. 'We've been working with the State Engineer's office and there's been a lot of conferencing,' said Central's lobbyist at the Capitol, Margy Christiansen. 'But Central does not want to enter the legislative arena being punitive for anyone so this will probably end up being vetted through an interim committee.' Hodge said she would resist sending the issue to an interim committee because it would dominate with the rest of the committee's work this summer." Category: Colorado Water 6:27:29 AM     Glade Reservoir? Here's an opinion piece in favor of Glade Reservoir and the Northern Integrated Supply Plan in general from the Fort Collins Weekly. From the article, "Northern Colorado is in danger of losing a piece of its history. As we gain new residents, more and more of our century-old farmlands disappear. We may lose up to 230,000 acres of highly productive irrigated farmland in the South Platte basin if we do not pursue future water supplies. But it's possible to safeguard the economic contribution of agriculture and secure water for our communities, all while protecting our rivers. The Northern Integrated Supply Project is part of the solution. NISP, which includes Glade Reservoir northwest of Fort Collins and Galeton Reservoir northeast of Greeley, will bring 40,000 acre-feet of new water to Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties. It will help protect all that we love about Northern Colorado... "Part of the challenge is to provide water in an environmentally friendly way. NISP has evolved during the last 25 years into a project that minimizes its impact. The Poudre River is well-protected today and into the future: More than 90 percent of the Poudre above the canyon mouth is designated as Wild and Scenic; This protects habitat and recreation within Poudre Canyon; There would be no dam on the Poudre; Glade Reservoir is located offstream on undeveloped land already owned by the District; In-stream flow requirements guarantee that a new project will not dry up the river; The majority of water to be stored in Glade Reservoir comes from exchanges with century-old river diversions; The reservoir would fill with water that's already being diverted from the Poudre; Without NISP, the 16 participants would build separate projects instead of pooling their resources, which would be more harmful to our environment... "What role does water conservation play? It is critical for our future, but other solutions such as new infrastructure and new technologies must also be pursued. We simply can't conserve our way to future supply. Water conservation will not cause future water demands to magically disappear. Instead, the NISP participants will get the water needed to ensure their economic vitality from the historic supply of choice: irrigated agriculture. By stopping projects like NISP, some think we can prevent our region from growing. History has repeatedly disproved this theory. The most striking example is the veto of the Two Forks Project in 1990. When the Denver metropolitan area proposed the Two Forks reservoir, many opposed the project because they believed the additional water supply would allow a million more people to move to Denver. They thought that not building the project would limit future growth. The project was vetoed. The result? The growth still occurred. Without Two Forks to provide water, the Denver area began to dry up thousands of acres of highly productive irrigated farmland within the Arkansas and South Platte basins to get the water they needed. This dry-up has negatively impacted rural communities, wildlife habitat, riparian ecosystems and base stream flows." Category: Colorado Water 6:21:27 AM     HB 1038 State lawmakers are hoping to throw some dough at Tamarisk control this session with HB 07-1038 - Concerning Support for the Control of Nonnative Plants from Colorado's Watersheds, according to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article, "House Bill 1038, backed by Rep. Dan Gibbs, D-Silverthorne, and Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita, would allocate $1 million in Department of Natural Resources severance tax funds for the eradication of tamarisk trees in local watersheds. Colorado has had similar funds in the past, such as the Colorado Noxious Weed Management Fund, which disbursed more than $1.2 million, including $47,112 in Mesa County, up until 2002. However, Penry said the new fund set up by his bill will apply specifically to tamarisk eradication and be administered on a statewide basis... "[State Representative Josh Penry] said the bill opens Colorado up to the $80 million in federal tamarisk and Russian olive tree eradication funds made available in 2006's Salt Cedar and Russian Olive Control Demonstration Act. Under the federal bill, which Penry helped draft during his time in Congress working for Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colo., for every state dollar used for tamarisk destruction, the federal government provides three... "Penry said the state funds, which usually go to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, will, in the end, help Colorado conserve water by helping strike the thirsty trees. According to a recent report prepared by the Tamarisk Coalition, the roughly 79,000 acres of tamarisk trees across the state, consume nearly 90,000 acre-feet of water every year -- the amount of water the Denver Water Board uses every year. Tim Carlson, executive director of the Tamarisk Coalition, said these grant funds cannot come soon enough. 'This is a really great way to get a good amount of funding on the ground,' Carlson said. 'This would put a greater focus on the riparian area, lands next to the river.' There currently are a variety of other private and government funds available for tamarisk eradication, Carlson said, but the use of state severance tax funds would be appropriate, because of the impact to the state's water supply. Carlson said the grant funds could be used for any type of tamarisk eradication, from mulching to the use of beetles." Category: Colorado Water 6:09:23 AM     Quagga mussels in the lower Colorado River The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has announced their plan to control Quagga Mussels in the Colorado River, according to dBusinessNews. From the article, "A comprehensive program to detect and control an invasion of quagga mussels in the regional water import and treatment system that provides the Southland with half of its drinking water was launched today by the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California... "The first phase of the program was approved unanimously by Metropolitan's board, and will be launched immediately with the purchase of $180,000 of portable decontamination units, deep-water surveillance equipment, automated water samplers, and a $16,000 polarizing microscope. It also includes increased surveillance of Metropolitan's aqueduct and reservoirs by divers and maintenance personnel, and laboratory inspections of water samples. Dr. Ric De Leon, Metropolitan's microbiology manager, said the program's first phase should be completed in six months, at which time results and recommendations will be reported to Metropolitan's board. The results of the surveillance, studies and vulnerability assessment conducted during the first phase will be used to prioritize infrastructure upgrades and develop control measures for subsequent phases of the program, and will include recommendations for changes in boating practices or additional facilities needed to control the spread of the mussels at Diamond Valley Lake and Lake Skinner. During Metropolitan's initial quagga discovery -- the first verified finding of the mussel in California -- divers found low densities of the mussels, ranging in size from a .25 to 1.25-inches wide, attached to concrete surfaces and anchors at depths of 30 to 40 feet during an inspection at the Whitsett Intake plant. Additional small numbers of quagga were found later at Gene Wash, which serves as a forebay for another nearby pumping plant along Metropolitan's aqueduct." Category: Colorado Water 5:57:48 AM     Central's new augmentation plan in court Here's an update on the trial in Divsion 1 Water Court over allowing farmers whose wells were shut down last spring to irrigate this season, from the Greeley Tribune (free registration required). From the article, "The trial to keep some 200 irrigation wells operational has started in the Weld County Courthouse. Division 1 Water Judge Roger Klein is hearing the trial where the Well Augmentation Subdistrict of the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District is seeking to keep those wells going. They were among those shut down last spring when the State Engineer said pumping those wells would injure senior water right holders throughout the South Platte River basin. The issue pits farmers against farmers and farmers against cities. Now in its second week, the trial will continue throughout this month, then resume in late March before Judge Klein takes the matter under consideration by April 6. "He will base his decision on Colorado water law which dates back to the 1870s when members of the Union Colony, which was to become Greeley, constructed the Greeley Canal No. 3 from the Poudre River for irrigation of crops outside the new colony as well as parks and gardens within city limits. Soon after, the colonists discovered they weren't getting as much water as they had in previous years. The problem was another ditch constructed off the river by Fort Collins residents. That led to what may have been the first water trial in history. In 1882, the Colorado Supreme Court confirmed the doctrine of prior appropriation -- first in time, first in right -- as the rule in Colorado. Four water rights were given the No. 3 ditch with appropriation dates of 1870-1873, along with numerous other water rights to other ditches off the river. Over the years, other water rights have been appropriated, including those for wells with fall under the Water Right Determination and Administration Act of 1969, which formally required judicially approved plans of augmentation. Those plans were designed to replace water owed to senior water rights from "out of priority" uses of junior rights -- in this case the irrigation wells. The act also established the current legal framework for full integration of tributary ground water into the prior appropriation system... "It is easy to understand why farmers who have senior rights are embroiled in the battle -- they need water to remain in business just as the farmers who depend on the wells to remain in business. What is more difficult to understand are the cities who oppose the district's replacement plan. They seem to be more intent on keeping their bluegrass green during the summer months than they are in helping those with wells remain in business." Category: Colorado Water 5:50:23 AM     Denver's water #1 Denver's drinking water is #1 on Men's Health Magazine. Thanks to 9News.com for the link. Another benefit of living on the Rooftop of America. 5:36:22 AM

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