Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Northern refilling Carter Lake From The Loveland Reporter-Herald: "The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District began refilling Carter Lake last week after workers completed a new outlet at Dam No. 1 on the reservoir's southeast side. At its lowest, the lake was at 14 percent of, or 108 feet below, capacity. Officials hope to have enough water to reach capacity this summer." Category: Colorado Water 6:41:53 PM     Supply news From The Fort Morgan Times: "Water is the big issue for this year's Wiggins mayoral race, which will be decided in the April 1 election. Well levels have dropped over the course of a few years and the quality of the water has fallen, too. This has led to a series of discussions on how to solve the problem, which were inconclusive. For incumbent Mayor Ron Uhrick, 69, the largest question is whether or not to try to find new water within the area basin or go outside of it. Another question is what are the true facts about declining water levels, he said. One problem with finding water outside the basin is the cost and uncertainty of creating an augmentation plan the water court will accept. In the current climate of water struggles, the water court has often refused augmentation plans." Category: Colorado Water 6:29:25 PM     HB 08-1346 From The Sterling Journal Advocate: "The annual funding bills needed to channel money into Colorado water projects began their journey through the legislative process at the same time District 1 Sen. Greg Brophy ended his bill calling for the drainage of Bonny Reservoir. The funding bills include $1 million continued development of the South Platte River Decision Support System, $7.58 million for endangered species programs on the South Platte, $2 million for the Chatfield Reservoir reallocation project, and a $60.6 million loan for a Republican River Compact compliance pipeline. More from the article: About 400 wells in the Republican River Basin face curtailment to bring Colorado into compliance with the compact with Nebraska and Kansas. Unlike other interstate compacts involving Colorado that are based on stream flow, the Republican River Compact is based on consumptive use by each state. The lead item in the so-called "projects bill" [HB 08-1346, Concerning the Funding of Colorado Water Conservation Board Projects, and Making Appropriations in Connection Therewith (pdf)] from the Colorado Water Conservation Board is a recommendation for a $60.6 million loan to the Republican River Conservation District for construction of a 10-mile compact compliance pipeline from near Laird to the Nebraska border. Gardner said he will work through the annual budget bill to see that the state pays its share of the pipeline costs. Fees collected from water users will be used to pay off the loan. "The state of Colorado needs to pay its fair share," Gardner said. "The farmers, irrigation districts and other users have been paying a fee to the (Conservation) District for several years and Colorado has paid nothing. They owe tens of thousands of dollars." The largest recommended appropriation in the annual spending bill for the Species Conservation Trust Fund (Senate Bill 168) is $7.585 million for the Platte River Recovery Program. Colorado has agreed to pay $24 million in cash over several years rather than give up more water rights under the three-state agreement with Wyoming and Nebraska to protect four endangered species on the Platte. "We want to put more money into the recovery program this year because of the interest cost attached to it," said Tom Blickensdorfer, the DNR's endangered species project manager. "We want to get ahead of the curve to pay off the $24 million early while funds are available." Blickensdorfer said there already is evidence the program is working. "We already are seeing nesting of some of the bird species on the Platte down river," he said...[Mary Hodge, D-Brighton] said the support system and the Chatfield Reservoir projects were the most important items in the projects bill for her Adams County district. "We have to get that support system up and running," Hodge said. "I don't know if it would have avoided the (South Platte) wells (being) shut down, but at least we would know what our problem is rather than guessing." The Chatfield Reallocation project involves working with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to increase storage space in Chatfield while mitigating environmental and recreation impact that could be caused by increasing the water level. Hodge said the project would give Brighton and other Front Range cities a small amount of storage at the reservoir, which currently is limited to flood control. Category: Colorado Water 6:11:50 PM     Black Gore Creek update Here's a look at Black Gore Creek and the problem of traction sand running off Vail pass from The Vail Daily. From the article: Traction sand from I-70 may be falling into our streams, killing insects and harming trout, but all that piled-up sand in the water has formed wetlands in Black Gore Creek. Walk down to the creek at mile marker 183, and you'll see the swampy bi-product of the highway. The sand has piled up so high you can walk across the stream in some places. Wetland plants such as the willow that didn't grow there before I-70 was built now grow in abundance out of the sediment, said Brian Healy, a biologist with the U.S. Forest Service. Although these wetlands were born from the busy highway, they're still wetlands, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says they need to be protected. This puts an unexpected kink in plans to clear out a large sand trap in Black Gore Creek called "The Basin of Last Resort," which has for years prevented traction sand from entering Gore Creek, the gold-medal trout stream running through Vail. Now that the basin has filled up, sand can more easily wash down stream and into Gore Creek. The Colorado Department of Transportation is funding a $1.1 million clean-up project to remove more than 36,000 tons of sand from the basin, so it can start filling up again. Cleaning out the basin could destroy some or all the wetlands, if they aren't careful. The Forest Service is recommending a few ways to make sure the wetlands are preserved, all the while still being able to remove plenty of sand. For one, they won't be clearing out near as much sand to preserve some of the more stable, long lasting wetlands that have formed, Healy said. Instead of clearing 36,000 tons of traction sand out of the river, they'll be working around the wetlands, and only 24,000 tons will be cleared. Anne Esson, board member of the Eagle River Watershed Council, said she wishes they could dig out more, but the job will still be done... The wetlands have created more timing problems than anything. Construction on the sediment basin was supposed to start last November, but was delayed indefinitely after the Environmental Protection Agency asked for an environmental study of the wetlands. Now, construction on the basin could begin at the end of the summer. If more objections are raised though, construction could be delayed another year, Esson said. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 5:58:45 PM     Snowpack news Here's some snowpack news from The Denver Post. From the article: After years of drought, snowpack this season in Colorado has hit above-normal and near-record levels. Amid what is typically Colorado's snowiest month -- March -- concerns about possible flooding are rising. "It definitely is worrisome," said Mark Haynes, chief of dam safety with the Colorado Division of Water Resources. "We need to make sure to monitor and watch how the snowpack will melt off." February marked the third consecutive month of above-average snowfall in the mountains. March 1 snow surveys, by the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, show above-average snowpack in every major river basin of the state. The Rio Grande River Basin is at a whopping 169 percent of average, and many water reservoirs around the state are storing water at, or above, average rates... Colorado's statewide snowpack increased to 135 percent of average this month, a slight rise from the 129 percent recorded last month. Colorado continues to report its highest snowpack levels since 1997, when the state's snowpack was 143 percent of average on March 1. Some streams and rivers across southern Colorado will have runoff volumes more than 150 percent of average during the spring and summer months, said Allen Green, state conservationist with the NRCS. Above-average stream flows also can be expected in the Gunnison, Arkansas, and Colorado River basins this year... Denver's reservoir system is currently at 90 percent capacity, according to Denver Water, at a time when it is typically at 81 percent. Denver Water staffers are keeping an eye on the state's water basins and upcoming weather, especially in the mountains. "Because of flood concerns, we are closely monitoring the snowpack above Dillon Reservoir," said Marc Waage, water resource engineer for Denver Water. "The reservoir was not built for flood control, but we can make operational adjustments to try to store some of the peak runoff. We've done this in past high-water years to reduce the risk of flooding downstream of the dam." More snowpack news from The Summit Daily News. They write: "'We're about 30 percent above average for the weather year,' said Rick Bly, the National Weather Service observer in Breckenridge. Normally, the snowfall total for Oct. 1 through the end of February is exactly 100 inches. So far this season, Bly has tallied 133 inches, with 28 inches in February. That makes it the eighth snowiest winter to-date on record, and the fourth snowiest since Bly began tracking weather stats 30 years ago. Category: Colorado Water 5:49:01 PM     Southern Delivery System: Critics preferred alternative? Last Friday Reclamation released the environmental impact statement for Colorado Springs' proposed Southern Delivery System. Both Reclamation and Colorado Springs have agreed on the same preferred alternative route. Not so fast say critics, according to The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: Building a pipeline downstream of the confluence of Fountain Creek with the Arkansas River to supply Colorado Springs, Fountain and Security would reduce the cost of water per acre-foot to the communities, according to figures in an environmental report. Critics of the Southern Delivery System say that's where the pipeline should go, while Colorado Springs Utilities still believes the route from the dam is best. The report, a draft environmental impact statement by the Bureau of Reclamation, shows that while the downstream alternative for the proposed SDS costs significantly more to build and operate than the preferred route, a pipeline from the dam, it also would provide 60 percent more firm yield. Firm yield is the gold standard of water supply, and represents the highest water demand that can be continuously fulfilled, based on historic hydrologic conditions, according to the draft EIS. From information provided in the report, the cost of using a downstream option would cost about $6,600 less per acre-foot to build and $5,000 less per acre-foot over the 40-year life of the project. Local critics of SDS said the cost factors also have regional significance. "To me, it's a slam dunk," said Ross Vincent, senior consultant for the Sierra Club. "There's no reason on earth they shouldn't go with that route. It would go a long way toward making Colorado Springs more credible in this community...If it is cost-effective to gain a higher firm yield below the confluence, they would have the ability to help their neighbors," said Jay Winner, general manager of the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District. "If Colorado Springs truly wants a regional project, the best alternative is below the confluence. They could have the ability to help their neighbors in northern El Paso County." John Fredell, SDS project director for Colorado Springs Utilities, said the pipeline from the dam remains the top pick for Colorado Springs, a decision the bureau echoes in the draft EIS. "It still comes down to $700 million in cost, and that's a lot of money. It's as much as Aurora's Prairie Waters Project," Fredell said. "El Paso County residents have paid more than 70 percent of the ad valorem taxes for Pueblo Dam. Our residents should have the ability to use it." Fredell pointed out that when average yield is considered - data for that are also included in the EIS - the alternative from Pueblo Dam actually provides water for about $5,000 per acre-foot less over the life of the project. Using average yields - the average annual increase for demand met by a project - the route from the dam would cost $32,778 per acre-foot over 40 years versus $37,240 from the downstream alternative. "Operationally, it's much better to come out of a big bucket of water, and Pueblo Dam gives us that," Fredell added. Colorado Springs has not studied the feasibility of supplying water to neighbors, and that's not the purpose of SDS, Fredell added... Vincent said the downstream route appears to be more environmentally friendly, although the EIS says all routes have potential to harm the environment. Cost of the alternatives should not be relevant, he said. "I have a question about to what extent the cost to the proposer is a legitimate issue in an EIS," Vincent said. Cost already has played a role in the EIS. When the bureau first looked at components to be included in the study, it adopted a threshold of $25,000 per acre-foot for firm yield construction costs and $21,000 per acre-foot for average yield. At public meetings in 2005, Reclamation officials said the downstream alternative was included because of public interest in the option, even though it exceeded that parameter. Actually, the preferred option of the pipeline route from the dam is slightly above the $25,000 threshold, and the downstream alternative meets both criteria... Yields in the draft EIS were generated from computer modeling, and the downstream alternative yields more water because it allows for direct diversion of recaptured return flows, rather than relying on exchanges, according to a 2005 memo from MWH Engineers to Reclamation. Exchanges are limited to river conditions and flow agreements. The average yield in cases where exchange is used increases from firm yield over time, while direct recapture is less, since a portion of return flows cannot be physically recaptured. Nevertheless, the average yield of the downstream option is still greater - 65,700 acre-feet, compared with 52,900 acre-feet via the route from the dam. The project should be undertaken from a regional perspective, Winner said. "It seems to me, who's ahead of the curve here is Mark Morley's project," Winner said, referring to a Colorado Springs developer who plans to build a reservoir east of Pueblo, connecting with northern El Paso County via another proposed pipeline. The project could be an outlet for the proposed Super Ditch, a land-fallowing, water-leasing program backed by the Lower Ark. More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here. Category: Colorado Water 7:38:20 AM     Lake Pueblo: Zebra mussels update Officials have not found any more zebra mussels in Lake Pueblo according to The Rocky Mountain News. From the article: No new adult zebra mussels have been found in Lake Pueblo in the past two weeks, but that won't affect the watercraft inspections that will be required at the state park starting this month. "Not finding adult zebra mussels doesn't mean they are not in Lake Pueblo," said Michael Collins, area manager for the Bureau of Reclamation. The bureau conducted an underwater investigation of Lake Pueblo for the past two weeks, using remote underwater cameras and divers to search for the mollusk, a brown-striped, thin-shelled critter about the size of a fingertip. "We're very fortunate that we caught this early so we have an opportunity to minimize the spread through boat inspections," said Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 7:17:26 AM

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