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Wednesday, December 5, 2007
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Here's a look at establishing a restoration economy out here in the west, from Joan McCarter (via Politics West). Read the whole thing. Here are a couple of excerpts:
With all this in mind, the new report by Western Progress and Progressive States Network entitled "Building a Restoration Economy" on how these eight states are approaching cleanup projects is informative. The report defines Restoration Economy as
"the development of economic activities, such as jobs and increased tourist revenue, stemming directly from activities and projects that restore damaged resources. Restoration ranges from repairing abandoned mine lands and brownfields to improving the health of degraded forests, rangelands and waterways. The restoration economy highlights the ability of environmental conservation and restoration to create good jobs and increased revenue, thereby bringing together two interests, jobs and the environment, sometimes portrayed as being at odds."
Sounds great, no? Could this be the magic bullet to bring together a progressive coalition of labor and environmentalists, backed by state and local governments and even industry? Maybe. I talked about this with Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer and his chief policy advisor, Hal Harper, last month in Helena.
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:50:37 PM 
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The town of Creede is looking for dough to help with cleanup from past mining activities, according to The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The town of Creede and Mineral County have asked the state to sign off on a request for federal help in cleaning up a portion of the historic mining district just north of town. The town and the county would like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to consider placing two sites on the national priorities list, which guides the agency in determining which locations across the country merit further investigation or cleanup.
The two include the Nelson Tunnel, which drains five mines in the historic mining district north of town and is the watershed's biggest contributor of metals such as cadmium, lead, zinc, aluminum and copper. The Commodore Mine's waste rock pile is the second site. Mining activity in the former boom town has been absent since 1985, but for the last eight years the Willow Creek Reclamation Committee has directed voluntary cleanup activities along Willow Creek as it runs through the mining district, Creede and on into the Rio Grande.
The committee has already completed cleanup in the upper reaches of the watershed, but the tunnel represents a different challenge for the group because it's what the EPA calls point source of pollution. A point source, according to the agency, includes a fixed or stationary point from which pollutants are discharged or a single identifiable source of pollution. Examples include a pipe, ditch or smokestack, among others. Zeke Ward, a Mineral County commissioner and chair of the committee, said federal courts have interpreted the Clean Water Act in such a way that anyone who undertakes clean up of a point source assumes full liability for bringing the site into compliance. The committee originally undertook its efforts with the hope of avoiding any type of Superfund designation, which many feared would injure the town's tourist economy. But the committee decided not to oppose a possible listing because of the lack of Good Samaritan legislation from Congress that would have protected third parties from liability in cleaning up point sources.
Gwen Christiansen, the EPA's National priorities list coordinator, said the review by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is going well. "At this point, the CDPHE is in support of the listing," she said. The agency would still require the approval or non-objection of the governor before it would move forward with a listing proposal, she said. Should that happen, the listing proposal would be published in the Federal Register, followed by a 60-day comment period. The proposal would include a ranking score, which takes into account the pollutant source, sample results and the target area. Christiansen said if all goes as planned the initial listing would occur in the spring...
The committee and the town are seeking funding to rework the flume that carries the creek through town. Ward said the flume is five years past its 50-year life expectancy. The committee will also seek grant funding this year to help restore the barren 1.5 mile-section that runs from the town's southern edge to the creek's confluence with the Rio Grande. A Natural Resources Conservation Service report, edited by hydrologist Steve Yochum in the spring, included five options for restoring the segment. The costs for the restoration alternatives included in the report range from $600,000 to $1.5 million, Ward said.
Thanks to SLV Dweller for the link. More Coyote Gulch coverage of the Good Samaritan legislation here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:41:09 PM
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From The Detroit Free Press, "We applaud Congress for voting to override President George W. Bush's veto of the Water Resources Development Act, and to authorize millions of federal dollars for Great Lakes restoration. But the fact is, no matter how much money and effort we put into restoring these waters, we will not achieve our goals unless we can also protect them from pollution and destruction. Wetlands, tributaries and other natural resources protected under the Clean Water Act are essential for a healthy ecosystem that filters pollution to provide clean drinking water, controls erosion, buffers against flooding, and provides a home for fish and wildlife that is the backbone of a multibillion-dollar hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation economy. To protect our investment in Great Lakes restoration, we must also restore the Clean Water Act and its capacity to protect our precious water resources. Restoring the Great Lakes and restoring the historic scope of the Clean Water Act go hand in hand."
Thanks to Restoring Rivers for the link. More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
5:32:24 PM
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Here's a snow report from the Cortez Journal. From the article:
Cortez received 0.58 inches of rain Nov. 30, and 0.84 inches Dec. 1, which is a record for that day, said National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Cuoco. Cortez also received 0.5 inches of snow over the two-day period. An area 10 miles northwest of Cortez, where the weather service has a station, received 2.05 inches of precipitation and 1 inch of snow over the two-day period. Dove Creek received 1.96 inches of precipitation and a trace of snow...
Telluride Ski Resort reported 24 inches of new snow from the storm over the weekend, and is now reporting a new 40-inch base at the top of the mountain, according to an update on the resort's Web site. Mike Preston, general manager of the Dolores Water Conservation District, said flows of the Dolores River above McPhee Reservoir were up considerably from the storm. Before the storm, the river was running at 20 cubic feet per second, and after the storm the river peaked at 524 cfs on Dec. 1. In the seven days prior to Dec. 3, McPhee gained 1,185 acre-feet of water. This is not a significant percentage of the reservoir's capacity, but is still "quite a bit of water" gained due to runoff from the storm, Preston said. The reservoir is sitting at 135,000 acre-feet of its active capacity, or 59 percent of total active capacity, which is 229,000 acre-feet. Exactly a year ago, the reservoir had just 116,770 acre-feet out of its total active capacity, Preston said. "We're 16 percent more active capacity than we were on the same day a year ago," he said...
Numbers for Sunday showed Wolf Creek pass totaling 47 inches of snow with 8.4 inches of water, according to Nancy Shanks, public relations manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation. Lizard Head Pass recorded 25.3 inches of snow as of Monday, Dec. 3.
Category: Colorado Water
6:56:04 AM
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From The Rocky Mountain News, "A Colorado-based team of climate and policy experts is asking the next president to lead a massive and urgent effort to reverse global warming by steering the country away from a carbon-fueled economy. The Presidential Climate Action Project issued more than 170 recommendations Tuesday for the 44th president to undertake in his or her first 100 days. The group also challenged presidential candidates to say what they would do about climate change."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:47:44 AM
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Here's an update on the GOCo legacy grants for southwestern Colorado from The Durango Herald. From the article:
Almost $4.4 million in lottery money is headed to Southwest Colorado to pay for land conservation along the San Juan Skyway. An additional $4.2 million will pay for protection of two ranches on the Upper San Juan River in Archuleta and Mineral counties...
The San Juan Skyway grant will go to several local conservation organizations to continue their land-preservation program along the 236-mile loop. The grants will focus on three areas: the Mancos River valley, including the Thompson Park area in La Plata County; the Dolores River between Dolores and Rico; and the stretch of land between Ouray and Ridgway, said Nina Williams of Montezuma Land Conservancy. Three years ago, the groups received a $5.7 million GOCO grant and used it to preserve about 2,500 acres. This year's grant will pay for conservation easements on another 1,331 acres on seven working ranches with riverside habitats...
The Archuleta County grant will go to a new program, one of the six new "Legacy Projects" established this year, said GOCO Chairwoman Norma Anderson. Also, Pagosa Springs will get $200,000 for improvements to its sports complex trail and parking area.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:34:26 AM
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Congratulations to the Clifton Water District for winning the distinguished district award as reported by KJCT8.com. From the article:
The distinguished district of the year award was given to the Clifton water district because of excellent service to the community. Members from water districts all over the state of Colorado came to show support and speak on behalf of the district. The staff was given a certificate of appreciation and a district management award to honor their great work. Clifton Water District manager, "We're extremely thrilled to receive this type of an award, our water plant treatment staff is very professional and they work extremely hard over the years to maintain and ensure water quality for our customers in Clifton." The district says they are pleased to receive the award and hope it speaks for their job well done.
Category: Colorado Water
6:27:39 AM
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According to The Ouray News Ridgeway is close to bringing new filter technology online to in their treatment plant that should nearly double capacity. From the article:
Testing of a new system at Ridgway's water plant, which utilizes filtering from Siemens Water Technologies, should be complete over the next several weeks and then soon replace the community's current filter system. The fully automated system will allow for more water to be processed, which will meet the growth of the town and water usage, said Dan Bartashius, the Town of Ridgway's licensed operator of the water plant. Bartashius said the main concern is the average 350,000 gallons of water a day that is used during the summer, which is quite a jump from the 120,000 gallons Ridgway typically uses a day during the winter...
With Ridgway's constant growth some changes will need to be made for the upcoming summer. The old plant can only pump 230 gallons a minute, whereas the new plant will be able to process about 550 gallons a minute. The new plant's filtering process should also be more efficient, as it uses a micro-filtering system rather than pressure filters. The increasing standards for quality of water in the Colorado also play a factor. Although the old filtering system easily met state standards for water quality, the plant's new system will be able to adapt to increasingly strict standards...
The new system has been in the works since late June when the new Siemens filters arrived. Since then, Bartashius and operators from Siemens have been heading up the installation of the system. Although the system can now be utilized, the town wants to iron out any programming glitches.
Category: Colorado Water
6:16:50 AM
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From The Rocky Mountain News, "The storied Climax mine near Leadville will reopen after lying dormant for a dozen years, a half-billion-dollar project that's expected to generate hundreds of new jobs...Freeport-McMoRan recently completed construction of a $23 million water-treatment plant designed to treat all water leaving the Climax site so it meets environmental standards before entering streams. Jeff Parsons, senior attorney for the Western Mining Action Project, a nonprofit group in Lyons that handles mining and environmental issues, called the new water-treatment plant 'encouraging.' He also noted that the mine's restart will occur on the existing site, as opposed to the opening of a brand new mine."
Category: Colorado Water
6:08:35 AM
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From The Glenwood Springs Post Independent (free registration required), "Local government leaders plunged kayak paddles into the earth Tuesday to celebrate a project about seven years in the making: a whitewater park. The Glenwood Springs City Council awarded an $888,838 contract in November for construction of the feature just upstream of the Midland Avenue bridge in the Colorado River...Preliminary work is under way, and on-site construction should start within a week or two. Work is expected to be complete by March 15 - just about time for early season use of the park."
More coverage from The Aspen Daily News (free registration required). They write:
Joe Mollica stood on the bank of the Colorado River, swept an arm across the expanse and imagined how it would look in just a few months. The concrete blocks stacked along the edge as riprap will be gone. The weeds and tamarisks: gone. The flowing river will soon erupt in waves and eddies as crews build a whitewater park there. "This is really our way to give back to the river," said Mollica, a Glenwood Springs High School biology teacher who for seven years has championed the idea. "We'll have a beautiful park."[...]
Plans call for putting in rocks and artificial rocks in the riverbed to create rolling waves that will thrill kayakers no matter the river level. Different features will emerge in high, medium and low flows. Plans call for a park site on the north side of the river, a parking area on the south side and a new pedestrian bridge. Supporters hope the site will be a big draw for kayakers, because the river's fairly constant flows allow for play at times when other rivers are running dry, even through the winter for diehards. At its lowest, the Colorado past Glenwood is more like flood levels at most kayak parks, said Jason Carey, an engineer with River Restoration.org, the Glenwood company designing the park.
More coverage from The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. They write: "In-stream work will include moving rocks and boulders around, diverting the stream flow to allow a hole feature on the left side of the river, a standing wave on the right side of the river and a mid-stream feature for medium to high water levels. Vogt said a small park and landscaping would be part of a second phase in the next few years. The City of Glenwood Springs, Garfield County, Alpine Bank, the Hot Springs Lodge and Pool and other donors provided funds, Vogt said."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
5:55:33 AM
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© Copyright
2008
John Orr.
Last update:
1/1/08; 1:09:19 PM.
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