Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Opposition to diversion of Elk Creek Some residents of Pine are opposed the the diversion of Elk Creek for the proposed Tanglewood subdivision, according to CBS4Denver.com. From the article, "A public meeting of the Park County Commissioners scheduled for Tuesday on the proposed water diversion of South Elk Creek for a planned subdivision was postponed a day before it was to be held. The delay comes amid concerns by the residents of Pine who call the proposed diversion a 'water grab.' South Elk Creek flows through Pine in neighboring Jefferson County. A developer wants to divert part of the creek as a source of water for the proposed Tanglewood subdivision in Park County where more than 400 new homes are planned... "Opposition to the water diversion runs through the community of Pine. 'All these rocks and everything are flowing through here just cause of mother nature,' said Rick Collins, a Pine resident. 'We're wondering, 'will we have a well,' said Nancy Hough, another Pine resident. Hough's husband said it doesn't make sense to supply newcomers at the expense of old timers. The creek is used by the local fire department to operate the town's only fire hydrant... "While diverting the South Elk Creek water is controversial, it is not illegal. The developer does have the legal water rights to proceed. Residents said they want to be treated fairly." Category: Colorado Water 6:46:17 AM     Funding for the Platte River Cooperative Agreement? Here's an article about funding for the Platte River Endangered Species agreement from the Sterling Journal Advocate. From the article, "Now that governors have signed off on the three-state agreement to protect threatened and endangered species on the South Platte River, the search is under way in Denver and Washington for money to fund the more than $187 million program over the next 13 years. The search is under way in Denver and Washington for money to fund the more than $187 million Platte River Recovery Implementation Act over the next 13 years. A bill before Colorado lawmakers seeks $6 million in severance taxes to pay Colorado[base ']s bill for 2006-07... "[HB 07-1182, Concerning the Species Conservation Trust Fund, and, In Connection Therewith, Approving the Species Conservation Eligibility List, Recapitalizing the Species Conservation Trust Fund, and Making an Appropriation] is being held up in the House Appropriations Committee with several other bills looking at the oil and gas severance tax fund at a method of funding programs. New estimates are due March 20 on how much lawmakers can spend from the fund. A fiscal impact statement on the HB 1182 warns that the money may not be available. Severance tax collections generally are believed to be decreasing because oil and gas companies are taking deductions for property taxes they paid two years ago... "Among other programs funded through severance taxes are soil and conservation programs, feasibility and environmental studies for water projects requested through water basin roundtables, financial assistance for paying utility bills, and the Clean Energy Development Fund. Kowalski said a Colorado delegation that included representatives of Denver Water and several agriculture and water groups, recently traveled to Washington to push for the federal authorization of the program. 'We are speaking with one voice on this,' Kowalski said. 'We can't do this without federal participation.' Salazar said the recovery project would help ensure a balance in water use along the Platte River. 'Our farmers, ranchers and communities depend on its water for their livelihoods,' Salazar said. 'Balancing their needs with a conservation ethic that protects threatened wildlife is a must.' Allard said the implementation was the culmination of years of negotiations among Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming." Category: Colorado Water 6:17:22 AM     Snowpack Here's an article about the snowpack from the Summit Daily News (free registration required). They write, "After a couple of months of so-so snowfall, Mother Nature picked up the pace in February, with total monthly snowfall in downtown Breckenridge edging into the surplus zone for the first time since early in the season. Rick Bly, who measures the white stuff for the National Weather Service, tallied 35 inches for the month, well above the 23.4 inches that's average for the month based on records going back more than a 100 years. The snow melted down to 2.38 inches of water, also well above the average 1.72 inches. Bly said the high winds made it tricky to measure the snowfall totals toward the end of the month. For the season to date, Bly has measured 130.8 inches of snow, making for a 23 percent surplus based largely on the big October dumps that added up to more than three times the normal snowfall for that month... "February snowfall at the Dillon site was a little below average, with 15.5 inches of snow compared to the average 18.8 inches. The snow melted down to just .72 inches of water, more than 30 percent below the average 1.18 inches. The biggest notable anomaly in the February weather stats is for the temperature readings at the Dillon site, where the average monthly low temperature registered at 7.6 degrees, well above the average 1.3 degrees. The mercury dropped to minus-19 degrees the first two nights of the month, but things warmed up significantly after that, with only three more nights of sub-zero readings. And several nights near the middle of the month were downright balmy for mid-winter, with lows in the mid- and upper-20s. Daytime highs climbed above freezing 17 times, with the warmest reading (50 degrees) on Feb. 7. "Statewide, snowfall totals continues to hover near average in many basins. The Upper Colorado River Basin was at exactly 100 percent of normal as of March 5, with the lowest reading (77 percent) at Arapaho Ridge, and the highest (117 percent) at Jones Pass. Summit County Snotel site readings include 105 percent at Copper Mountain, 103 percent at Grizzly Peak, 116 percent at Hoosier Pass and 91 percent at Summit Ranch, in the Lower Blue. The moisture content in the Upper Colorado Basin is at 96 percent of normal as of March 5.Snowfall in the Gunnison River Basin stands at 99 percent of normal for the season (beginning Oct. 1), while the Yampa and White River basins are at 90 percent of normal snowfall, with 84 percent moisture content. The San Miguel, Animas, Dolores and San Juan Basin has tallied 99 percent of average snowfall, but the water content in the San Juan snowpack is only at about 76 percent of average for this time of year." More snowpack news from the Vail Daily News (free registration required). From the article, "On Wednesday, the statewide snowpack was 91 percent of the 30-year average, compared with 88 percent on the same date last year. The Colorado River basin itself was 96 percent of average. The southwest reported the lowest with 77 percent in the San Miguel-Dolores-Animas-San Juan Basin. The blizzards filled up plains reservoirs and Denver Water, the state's biggest municipal water provider, reported its system was 89 percent full as of Monday. The average for the date is 78 percent. The snow also ended two years of extreme drought for wheat farmers. Hanavan said the area entered a drought in 1999 that was only temporarily broken by heavy snow in the spring of 2003. Demand for ethanol has driven up prices for wheat and corn. The 116 percent average reported in the Arkansas River Basin and 111 percent in the South Platte were a mixed blessing. Colorado ranchers lost an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 head of cattle to blizzards. So far the federal government has declined to provide any aid." Water supplies up north are looking OK, according to the Longmont Daily Times-Call. From the article, "The Natural Resources Conservation Service's March 1 snowpack report, released Monday, shows snowpack for the South Platte River Basin at 111 percent of average. That basin includes the St. Vrain Creek basin, which supplies at least half of Longmont's water. Snowpack estimates show the amount of water in snow, which is important for planning summer water supplies for cities and agricultural producers. The South Platte snowpack decreased 3 percentage points from last month, but no one is raising a red flag about the decline. 'It's not all that alarming,' said Mike Gillespie, a snow-survey supervisor for the NRCS. 'It's been a little on the dry side. The impact of the December and January blizzards has been mitigated a bit.' Ken Huson, water resource administrator for the city of Longmont, said he's optimistic about the March 1 snowpack report as a whole. However, between one-third and one-half of Longmont[base ']s water -- depending on the year -- comes from Windy Gap and Colorado-Big Thompson water-diversion projects, which take Western Slope water from the Upper Colorado River Basin. That basin is 5 percent off its average snowpack readings, according to the NRCS." Category: Colorado Water 6:03:52 AM

© Copyright 2007 John Orr. Last update: 4/1/07; 9:41:30 AM.