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Friday, January 25, 2008
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Congratulations to Don Ament for receiving the Colorado Water Congress' 2008 Aspinall Water Leader of the Year Award today. Mr. Ament has had a long and distinguished career in service to the citizens of Colorado, especially the farmers. After a career in the Colorado General Assembly he was Governor Owens' pick to lead the Department of Agriculture in 1998.
The first speaker at Friday's General Session was Thomas F. Donnelly, Executive Vice President of the National Water Resources Association. His topic was Water Issues in the U.S. Congress and the 76th Year of the National Water Resources Association.
His organization, after a prioritization process that includes the issues raised by members, plans to work on several issues during the 110th Congress. He named federal funding for water projects, modernization of existing infrastructure, modifications of the Clean Water Act along with education of the Congress and administration on the issue of planning for climate change.
Donnelly talked about the battle over last year's Water Resources Development Act. The act was in a long line of core authorization bills but since there had not been one passed since 2000 the size of the bill put a target on it. Readers may remember that the president's veto was overridden by Congress late in 2007.
Federal funding is tough to get and Mr. Donnelly says, "As long as there is a struggle in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the economy is struggling," funding will continue to be in short supply. He added that he expects, "funding to be very much greatly reduced," when the president introduces his budget later this year. "This does not bode well for Animas-La Plata," he said.
Funding needs for the West's aging infrastructure is a neglected area in current federal policy, he remarked. Many projects, although they are still performing well, have "exceeded their design life," he said, adding, "some need major repairs." The NWRA is working on determining the scope of the needs. Mr. Donnelly identified three categories of projects: Projects with available funds, usually multi-purpose, providing electrical power and municipal water in addition to irrigation and flood control; Projects with no chance of paying back repair costs since they may have been heavily subsidized in the first place (primarily Reclamation irrigation projects); Projects that can pay back the costs over time (i.e Minidoka in Idaho) but where there is no current mechanism to allow for loans and delayed payment.
The national issue that keeps Mr. Donnelly up at night is the Oberstar-Feingold bill (Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007) currently winding it's way through Congress. While it may not pass the 110th Congress the current long-term outlook for this year's election is that the Democratic party may add significantly to their majority, and set the stage for passage in the 111th, he said. His position is that the bill will, "expand the scope of federal control and undermine states rights." The bill, according to Donnelly, "Removes the nexus between navigable and jurisdictional waters," and will encompass any land that, "was wet, is wet or will be wet in the future."
With respect to climate change Mr. Donnelly said, "Something is going on, we don't know exactly what, or what is causing it," but he and the NWRA are educating the Congress and administration to develop a, "No regrets strategy." He went on to say that after 1994 the Congress, when moderate Democrats were largely purged from both chambers, and the, "ideological center was ripped out of Congress," it's almost impossible for them to function. There is now a, "distinct lack of comity and decency," he said.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
4:09:02 PM 
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Here's an update on Colorado Department of Wildlife's opposition to HB 08-1137, Concerning the Acquisition of Property by the Wildlife Commission, from The Apsen Times (free registration required). They write:
The Colorado Division of Wildlife is voicing opposition to a bill now in the state Legislature that could limit the agency's ability to buy or receive land or water interests in the future. House Bill 1137 would require that when the DOW acquires land or water -- or an interest in either -- the agency would have to sell other property of equal or greater value within one year so its total property assets would not grow above the DOW's current property portfolio as of Jan. 1. Tyler Baskfield, communications manager for the DOW, said the bill could hamstring agency efforts to acquire future land or water interests for conservation efforts. He said the DOW is opposed to the proposed measure. "While it is difficult for public agencies to weigh in on this stuff, when there is a bill that threatens the way we can accomplish our mission or work toward our mission, we are going to have to come out and oppose it," Baskfield said.
The bill would also require the DOW to pay local governments a payment in "lieu of taxes" equal to the amount of tax the government would receive annually if the property were owned by a private person or corporation. It would also require that every land or water interest purchase be approved by the legislature either before or after the DOW solicits bid proposals about possible purchases. Sponsors of the bill include Reps. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, and Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, and Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray. The bill was introduced into the House of Representatives on Jan. 15 and was assigned to the Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources committee. Brophy, whose Senate district encompasses several counties in northeast Colorado, called the bill an attempt to keep "government from grabbing more and more lands of the state...So if they buy something new, if they buy the real estate fee title outright, they have to sell something of corresponding value somewhere else," Brophy said. However, the bill doesn't preclude the DOW from pursuing conservation easements, he said. Brophy said he is behind the bill because he in philosophical agreement with Sonnenberg that the state needs to limit "how much real estate the state of Colorado is snapping up and owning, and taking off the tax rolls."
Dave Petersen, the Durango-based state field director for Trout Unlimited's Public Lands Initiative, said the proposed effort just "doesn't make sense...(Some) of the reasons people come to live here, industry moves here, people come to vacation here, are open space, public lands, wildlife and fishing," Petersen said. "The DOW is trying to save lands and provide access, so to do something that would diminish one of Colorado's greatest strengths, aesthetically as well as economically ... is counterintuitive."
Category: Colorado Water
7:04:19 AM
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From The Hays Daily News, "Farmers from northeastern Colorado urged state lawmakers on Thursday to drain Bonny Reservoir to reduce the number of wells that will have to be shut off to comply with the Republican River compact. Colorado and Nebraska, both struggling with drought, have been using more water from the river than they're allowed under an agreement with Kansas. To prevent a lawsuit by Kansas, the Colorado state engineer's office has recommended shutting down some wells...The Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Committee delayed a vote to give the Department of Natural Resources more time to respond to the proposal [SB 08-028, Concerning Reduction of Evaporative Losses at Bonny Reservoir, and in Connection Therewith, Directing the Division of Wildlife and the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation to Assign to the Colorado Water Conservation Board all Appropriative and Contractual Rights for Water Stored at Bonny Reservoir for Release for Instream Flow Purposes. The state's park and wildlife divisions bought the right to use part of the reservoir from the federal government using federal funds. According to a Department of Natural Resources memo, Colorado would have to repay that $2.4 million. Republican Sen. Greg Brophy, a farmer from Wray, said lawmakers and the department need to unite behind farmers to drain the reservoir. "We don't want to do it, but we know we have do to it," he said. The Department of Natural Resources' lobbyist, Heidi Van Huysen, said four of the department's division have ties to the reservoir and the department wants to make sure it provides a thorough response."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:52:33 AM
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Here's a recap of Harris Sherman's speech at yesterday's opening session of the Colorado Water Congress from The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article:
In 50 years, agriculture on the Western Slope may see a dramatic decline while the energy industry still will be booming, but water availability across the state will remain uncertain. That's how Colorado Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Harris Sherman said he sees the Western Slope in 2058, a possible future he said many Coloradans don't want to see. Sherman, speaking Thursday with Gov. Bill Ritter at the Colorado Water Congress' annual convention in Denver, said that likely future, in which an urban corridor would sprawl unbroken between Fort Collins and south of Pueblo, is one that Coloradans should try to avoid. "We need a safe and reliable water supply," he said. "We want to see less urban sprawl. We want to see viable, sustainable rural communities." By 2058, Sherman said, energy development may stretch continuously between Rio Blanco and Montezuma counties, while a population boom in the mountains will put tremendous pressure on the headwaters of the Colorado and other rivers.
In order to plan for and possibly prevent the dramatic impacts to the state's water supply such growth would create, individual regions of the state must begin thinking about water planning through the state's Interbasin Compact Committee, which is made up of representatives of water roundtables from all over Colorado. Sherman said he asked the committee to come up with a vision for how water should be managed in the future in order for different regions to begin talking to each other and planning together. He said Coloradans should remember, however, that "water does not control growth."
Category: Colorado Water
6:47:46 AM
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Fountain Creek can't catch a break from E. Coli. Here's a report on the creek and the troublesome bacteria in its waters from The Colorado Springs Gazette:
The cold Rocky Mountain streamwater rolling down Ute Pass is not as clean and pristine as one might think. A federal water-quality study of upper Fountain Creek was released Thursday, revealing levels of the bacteria E. coli above state standards along the entire stretch, and three times higher downstream from Manitou Springs. "It tells us there's poop in the water," said Don Stoeckel, U.S. Geological Survey research hydrologist. Stoeckel studied a 12-mile stretch from Green Mountain Falls to the confluence with Monument Creek below Eighth Street. In the summer, almost the entire stretch exceeded state standards, and the stretch from Ruxton Creek in Manitou Springs was more than three times the standard. Spring and winter samples were not as widespread, but contamination was found in the lower portion for both seasons, as well, and sporadically above Manitou...
Researchers have not identified the source of the contamination -- that is the next part of the study. They will conduct DNA testing on the samples to determine if the source is human and try to determine sources. Rich Muzzy, environmental projects manager for the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, one of the sponsors, said there are no obvious sources, such as a sewage plant. But researchers found a cracked sewer line in Manitou Springs draining into the creek, at a point where levels were three times above state standards. Manitou Springs public services director John McMinn acknowledged that leaking sewage may be at least partly to blame. "I think we've got work to do in Manitou Springs on infrastructure, both city and homeowners, and people need to be more aware of what's going in the creek," he said. Officials have not ruled out animal sources, and McMinn noted there are many raccoons in Manitou that use storm drains as roads...
The $450,000 study was sponsored by Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs Utilities, the USGS, the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:39:34 AM
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From The Rocky Mountain News, "David Clow of the USGS told members of the Colorado Water Congress on Thursday that global warming doesn't yet seem to be affecting Colorado's snowpack dramatically, but that runoff already occurs two weeks earlier than it did 27 years ago. By the end of the century, runoff could come a full month earlier than it will this year, he said. The USGS studied snowmelt timing at all 72 U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service snow-monitoring sites across the state. They found that in 1980, snowmelt occurred two weeks later than it has in recent years...Clow said that scientists don't know exactly how climate change will affect temperatures in Colorado, but that they do know temperatures will increase more dramatically in the middle of large land masses, such as North America."
Category: Colorado Water
6:31:56 AM
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It looks like the Stonewall Springs storage plan is moving ahead according to The Pueblo Chieftain From the article:
Colorado Springs developers Mark and Jim Morley plan to move ahead with plans to build a reservoir in eastern Pueblo County that could deliver water to users in El Paso County and provide a way for farmers to lease their water. The reservoir would be connected to a pipeline that would take water to communities in the Pikes Peak Water Authority - a group of El Paso County communities outside Colorado Springs - and could possibly use water from a proposed "Super Ditch" land fallowing, water leasing program being promoted by the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District. The Morleys are seeking a state permit for the reservoir, certifying that it meets dam safety requirements and met with Pueblo County Commissioners earlier this month in preparation for seeking county land-use permits. Engineering reports are expected to be completed next month and the Morleys hope to obtain permits by April. "We met with the county commissioners in January to engage them and let them know right out of the chute what we're planning," Mark Morley said.
The Morleys bought Stonewall Springs Ranch, a 1,400-acre site near the Pueblo Chemical Depot, in late 2005 for $6.275 million. They mine gravel at the site, but have always intended it for use as reservoirs. "The beauty of the location is that it is gravity fed," Morley said. The Morleys also own a large part of the Excelsior Ditch that feeds the site. "It has gravity in, and gravity out. That's what makes it so attractive."
There are actually three reservoir sites at Stonewall Springs, and only one will be developed in the first phase, expected to be complete by the end of 2009, if permits are granted. The site would hold 7,000 acre-feet of water - about 2.28 billion gallons - and would be located just east of Nyberg Road and south of U.S. 50. Overburden from the site would be used to construct a 20-foot high, quarter-mile-long earthen dam from the 280-acre site. The other sites are located to the south, where the Morleys operate a quarry operation, and the east. Eventually, as much as 27,000 acre-feet could be stored at Stonewall Springs, Morley said. A 48- to 60-inch-diameter pipeline would take water from the dam to users in El Paso County, tapering down in size as it carries water from potential users from Fountain to Palmer Lake, Morley said. The pipeline will follow Xcel Energy's power corridor under a written agreement with the utility, Morley said. The corridor crosses the Stonewall Springs land...
He said he fully intends to comply with land-use regulations Pueblo County adopted under the 1974 HB1041 - regulations Colorado Springs is now contesting in court for its proposed SDS project. "Colorado Springs is not in this project," Morley said. Morley does not own sufficient water to fill the reservoir, but envisions the project as a way for other water users on the river to store water outside Lake Pueblo...
A 2000 engineering report on the Preferred Storage Options Plan identified the need for 170,000 acre-feet of additional storage in the valley and Stonewall Springs is a way to help meet that need, Morley said. The Lower Ark district has spent more than $600,000 on the Super Ditch, but envisions it as more of a cooperative managed by water rights shareholders. Under the proposal, still being evaluated by seven ditch companies, farmers would voluntarily fallow up to 25 percent of their farms, and lease the consumptive use of that water. A lease is a one-time sale of water that does not change ownership of the water right. Lower Ark President John Singletary said the Stonewall Springs plan, with a pipeline to Pikes Peak Water Authority is a feasible way to deliver the water, especially given the rocky nature of negotiations over PSOP. "If I could choose a place to divert water from the Arkansas, it would be at Holly, but this is at least a little ways downstream from Pueblo Dam," Singletary said.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here, here, here and here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:28:34 AM
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Former Congressman Bob Schaffer will not have an easy run at U.S. Representative Mark Udall in the fall. He's already drawing criticism from one environmental group according to The Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article:
A national environmental group is already weighing in on Colorado's U.S. Senate race, expected to be among the most competitive nationwide, by naming Republican candidate Bob Schaffer of Fort Collins to its "Dirty Dozen" list. Tony Massaro of the Washington-based League of Conservation Voters said Thursday that the decision was based on Schaffer's track record as a congressman for six years and his subsequent business experience. "The open Senate seat is one of the best chances of picking up a pro-conservation vote," Massaro said...
"It's important early on to let people know that Bob Schaffer is too extreme," said Massaro, who was in Denver to make the announcement. "Bob Schaffer is way out of step with Colorado." Schaffer's campaign didn't return a call to The Associated Press on Thursday evening.
Colorado GOP Chairman Dick Wadhams called the environmental group's announcement "as predictable as the sun coming up...This is a regular partisan sideshow by an extreme environmental organization," Wadhams said. Wadhams predicted the effect of the group's decision to target Schaffer will be negligible. "It is a joke," he added.
Massaro said, while in Congress, Schaffer voted to give $33 billion in tax breaks to the energy industry, opposed increasing vehicle fuel efficiency and protested the Clinton administration's protection of roadless areas in national forests, including more than 4 million acres in Colorado. Schaffer continues to promote "big oil and dirty coal" as an energy company executive, Massaro said. The environmental group also denounces Schaffer's support for a failed statewide ballot proposal that would have provided $2 billion in bonding for large water projects. Western Colorado residents saw it as an attempt to grab their water for development on the Front Range and helped defeat it...
The League of Conservation Voters calls itself an independent political voice on environmental issues. Its board includes representatives from some of the country's largest conservation groups. The group focuses on competitive races where the stakes for the environment are high, said Massaro, a Glenwood Springs native who formerly headed the Colorado League of Conservation Voters. He said Colorado's race is important because of the close losses on renewable energy and other conservation measures in the Senate last year. Former Colorado GOP Congressman Bob Beauprez was the first gubernatorial candidate named to the group's list. Beauprez lost to Democrat Bill Ritter in the 2006 governor's race. The group targeted the opponents of Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., and Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., who both won election in 2004. Nine of the 13 people on the "Dirty Dozen" list in the 2006 election lost, Massaro said.
Coyote Gulch would remind voters that Governor Ritter hung the defeated Referendum A around Bob Beauprez's neck in 2006, so it's an issue with some traction. We would also remind voters that almost everyone is looking for more storage in 2008.
Category: Denver November 2008 Election
6:13:53 AM
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© Copyright
2008
John Orr.
Last update:
2/2/08; 1:52:59 PM.
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