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Sunday, March 2, 2008
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From The Aspen Times. "Nature will be allowed to fix its own problems this spring at the confluence of Seven Castles Creek and the Fryingpan River. A coalition of governments and organizations headed by the nonprofit Roaring Fork Conservancy recently decided that no action is the best action in dealing with a mudslide that pumped a large amount of sediment into the streams last fall. The high snowpack in the Fryingpan Valley is expected to produce runoff high enough to flush the sediment downstream and disperse it, said Rick Lofaro, executive director of the Roaring Fork Conservancy."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
7:40:45 PM 
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Here's a look at lease fallowing arrangements and their potential use in the South Platte Valley from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
A survey of South Platte River irrigators shows support for water leasing programs as an alternative to selling agricultural water to cities. "It's amazing that water rights are private property rights, but the sale of them can have a public impact as well," said James Pritchett, an agricultural economics researcher at Colorado State University. Pritchett said that lease-fallow programs, such as the concept of a Super Ditch program being promoted by the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, are among the most popular with farmers, with 63 percent saying they would be willing to participate if adequately compensated. Most farmers believed compensation should fall into the range of $225 to $575 per acre per year, according to the survey. Four-fifths of those surveyed also preferred an option that would allow them to lease water back as part of a contract. "I was pleased to see those attitudes to keep the consumptive use of water in the agricultural area," said Lower Ark Chairman John Singletary, who attended the event. "I think what's missing is finding a way to keep the rural communities' economy strong, while finding a way to deliver the water without doing harm to other water rights."
Pritchett led a survey of farmers with 50 acres or more on the South Platte last year and shared the results with participants at the Governor's Forum on Colorado Agriculture last week. While only 7 percent of farmers said they plan to sell water rights in the next five years, 62 percent said they would rather lease than sell, and 80 percent said water could become a good source of revenue for farmers through leases - one-time sales of water that do not change ownership. Leases are seen both as a way for farmers to make money, but as a way to keep rural communities strong, as 70 percent of those in the survey agreed. Meanwhile, 57 percent believe the leases would be sufficient to meet the needs of cities. Pritchett said a future survey will look at what cities are willing to pay for water leases. Future questions that have to be answered include whether transactions costs overwhelm lease prices and how lease agreements will be monitored.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.
Category: Colorado Water
8:42:52 AM
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From The Steamboat Pilot & Today: "The city of Steamboat Springs is seeking public reaction to a new master plan that would address the condition of both natural systems and manmade structures on the town stretch of the Yampa River. The goal of the plan is to address everything from erosion problems to underutilized kayak wave structures. The Department of Parks, Open Space and Recreational Services is inviting public comment on the draft of the Yampa River Structural Master Plan through March 28."
Category: Colorado Water
8:17:25 AM
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Here's some snowpack news from The Greeley Tribune (free registration required). They write:
Snowpack in the northern mountains is the best in more than 10 years and the water content is even better. That's the finding from surveys taken by John Fusaro and Todd Boldt with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service in Fort Collins of selected snow fields in the Poudre and Big Thompson canyons. The snow depth at the summit of Cameron Pass, at the top of the Poudre, averaged 86 inches, Fusaro said, and there were a couple of places on that site that approached 100 inches. "I can't remember the last time it was like that, but it had to be back in the mid to late 1990s. More importantly, the water content of the snow was 27, up to 30 percent, which is really unusual for February. We don't normally get snow that wet until the end of March," Fusaro said. Every site surveyed in both canyons, with the exception of Hidden Valley west of Estes Park, is well above the 30-year average going into March, traditionally the snowiest month of the year. According to automatic National Resources Conservation Service sites, every major river basin in the state is above the 30-year snowpack average. The South Platte and the Laramie/North Platte, both at 111 percent of average, are the lowest readings in the state. Other river basins are 50 percent or more above the average.
Category: Colorado Water
8:10:20 AM
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From YourHub.com: "The 10-member volunteer committee that facilitates public involvement in Denver Water policies and programs such as rates, water conservation and long-range planning has an opening for a Denver Customer Representative. Denver Water's Citizens' Advisory Committee (CAC) typically meets the third Thursday of each month, 5-7 p.m., in the Board Room at Denver Water, 1600 W. 12th Ave. To qualify for this volunteer position, applicants must be a resident of the City and County of Denver and must have been a resident of Colorado for at least five years. The position is for a term that will start May 2008 and go through December 2010. Application forms can be found at www.denverwater.org and are due Tuesday, March 18. The CAC will interview selected candidates on Thursday, April 17. The committee's two nominations will be sent to Denver Water's Board where a final selection will be made."
Category: Colorado Water
8:01:44 AM
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Here's a look at the report on agricultural efficiency presented at this week's 2008 Governor's Forum on Colorado Agriculture, from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
Conserving irrigation water could benefit water quality and might make more water available for all uses, a study shows. But in order to fully benefit, some technical, legal and administrative changes need to be made, according to a recent report by the Colorado Agricultural Water Alliance. "What we are concerned about is the conservation of ag water," said Don Shawcroft, vice president of the Colorado Farm Bureau and a San Luis Valley rancher.
The alliance presented its study of agricultural efficiency last week at the Governor's Forum on Colorado Agriculture. The study started in 2005. The study was completed with the help of the Colorado Water Conservation Board and other state agencies. About one-third of Colorado irrigated farmland, or 1 million acres, has been converted to more efficient irrigation methods like sprinklers or drip irrigation. But the state has not come to grips with how to use water saved or salvaged by these methods, the report indicates.
Irrigation efficiency measures primarily have meant changes in well regulations in the South Platte, Arkansas and Rio Grande valleys so far, but the Colorado Division of Water Resources is looking at new rules for surface irrigators who make improvements in the Arkansas Valley. The rules are needed to stave off future lawsuits by Kansas over the Arkansas River Compact, officials say. The report looks at how effective agriculture conservation could be in meeting the municipal water supply "gap" identified in the Statewide Water Supply Initiative, released in late 2004...
Since agriculture uses about 86 percent of the water statewide, many people assume the water needed for cities will come from farms. Conservation of water on farms could result in more water to the basin, particularly where it reduces nonbeneficial consumptive use - invasive weeds or trees. Savings could come from reduced consumptive use by farmers, called saved water, or by removing invasive species like tamarisk, called salvaged water. Unfortunately, there are few incentives to either salvage or save water in the state, Shawcroft said. Measures to save water are poorly defined by law and often expensive for the landowners. "In order for me to use less water, I have to be paid for it," Shawcroft said. Shawcroft also said the rules are different for cities. "What have they done when they've saved water?" Shawcroft asked. "They've built homes." On the other hand, farmers are not allowed to increase acreage under their decrees, but realize savings from efficiency through reduced labor costs, he said. "The greatest use for conserved water is to save it for times of drought," Shawcroft said...
As far as salvaged water, the Supreme Court has decided that those who remove tamarisk are not entitled to claim the water savings, added Reagan Waskom, of the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute. "Ultimately, we may have to have some statutory changes," Waskom said. "The difficulty is: How do you administer it? How do you track it?"
The report concludes that every basin faces unique challenges, as well as limitations by compacts. At the same time, there may be basinwide benefits from ag water conservation, like better water quality or increased supply, and landowners should be compensated for saving or salvaging water. The study recommends a more thorough analysis of the impact of widespread sprinkler and drip irrigation systems and demonstration projects in each basin.
Category: Colorado Water
7:30:25 AM
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Congratulations to the writers at The Pueblo Chieftain for winning the Sweepstakes award from the Colorado Press Association Friday. The Chieftain reports:
The Pueblo Chieftain was given the Colorado Press Association's Sweepstakes Award for its local news coverage at the association's annual awards ceremony Saturday at the Brown Palace Hotel. The Chieftain earned the top news award in competition against six other Colorado daily newspapers in its circulation category (fewer than 100,000). The award is based on the total number of awards earned in the annual contest, and how the entries placed (first, second or third). The Chieftain also won a Best of Show Award for design category with Fit to be Tied by staff designer Carla Finn, which earlier in the contest won first place in feature page design. The Best of Show Award is given to the top entrant in a category, regardless of circulation size. In addition to the Sweepstakes Award and the Best of Show, The Chieftain's newsroom collected 16 awards, the most it has ever received in the contest.
Managing Editor for Production Chris Woodka earned the Public Service Award for his ongoing coverage of water issues [ed. emphasis ours]. Editorial and column support was also cited in the award.
Coyote Gulch wants to give a special shout out to Chris Woodka. We've learned much from his work over the years. He's a great reporter and writer and really understands water issues. We were able to schmooze a bit with Mr. Woodka over lunch one day at this year's Colorado Water Congress. We overheard him discussing a story he had written about the Colorado River Compact with an attorney at our table, asking for input, making sure that he had been accurate in his presentation. Chris really cares about his craft. Mr. Woodka, You da man!
Another Coyote Gulch favorite The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel did pretty well also: "The Daily Sentinel newsroom received recognition Friday for outstanding achievement from a Colorado news organization. The Sentinel received nine CAPER awards for work between Sept. 1, 2006, and Aug. 31, 2007. CAPER stands for Colorado Associated Press Reporters and Editors. Contest entries were voted on by peers of the Sentinel staff from across the state."
Gary Harmon, who often writes their water stories won an "Environmental story, first place," award in Division II (circulation between 10,001 and 100,000).
Category: Colorado Water
7:20:50 AM
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© Copyright
2008
John Orr.
Last update:
4/1/08; 8:06:05 AM.
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