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Thursday, April 10, 2008
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Misu Blog: "EPA wetlands rule: The policy implications of mitigation and wetlands banking are quite different than requiring developers to restore on site wetlands. The decision is likely a boon for those involved in the business end of wetlands banking as developers will seek out less expensive projects to meet the EPA requirements."
Category: Colorado Water
6:38:07 PM 
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From The Mountain Mail: "Reed Dils, 60 of Buena Vista, was appointed to the Colorado Water Conservation Board Monday by Gov. Bill Ritter. Dils has lived in Chaffee County since 1976 and is retired from the outfitting and rafting business. He is past president of the Colorado River Outfitters Association and serves on the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District board representing Chaffee County and the Arkansas River Basin Roundtable. Dils helped create Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, was named 2006 Outstanding Volunteer by Colorado Trout Unlimited and was recognized by numerous organizations for his work on the Arkansas River.
"Travis L. Smith, 54 of Del Norte, was reappointed to the board. He is superintendent of the San Luis Valley Irrigation District and is chairman of the Colorado Water Conservation Board. He is a member of the Colorado Water Congress and its State Affairs Committee, and the Rio Grande River Basin Roundtable. He is a rancher with 30 years' experience in water administration.
"Bruce T. Whitehead, 49 of Hesperus, was the other new appointee. He is executive director of the Southwestern Water Conservation District and Animas-La Plata Water Conservancy District. He has more than 25 years experience as a division engineer, assistant division engineer and senior hydrographic engineer for the Colorado Division of Water Resources within the office of the State Engineer."
Category: Colorado Water
7:19:27 AM
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Here's a recap of last night's open house for Colorado Springs' proposed Southern Delivery System from the The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The mayor of Colorado Springs said connecting a pipeline to Pueblo Dam is the best regional solution for the Southern Delivery System because it would serve Pueblo West and contracts could provide revenue to help build the Arkansas Valley Conduit. "Coming from the dam gives the best quality of water for all users and is the lowest cost option for the customers over the long term," Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera said Wednesday at an open house hosted by the Bureau of Reclamation to explain the draft environmental impact statement for SDS.
Rivera said the growth of Colorado Springs is only one reason for the project, because Colorado Springs is looking for redundancy in its major pipeline delivery systems as well as using the water rights it owns to their fullest benefit. As far as growth, about half of the current growth rate is by natural increase, with much of the remainder coming from expansion at Fort Carson and Peterson Air Force base, Rivera said. He also addressed calls by some from Pueblo and the Lower Arkansas Valley to move the SDS intake to the Arkansas River east of the Fountain Creek confluence. Rivera said he believes an outtake below the confluence isn't the solution. "It doesn't help the Lower Arkansas Valley get better water." Rivera said revenues from the long-term contracts Colorado Springs would need to operate the pipeline from the dam - serving partners Pueblo West, Fountain and Security along the 43-mile route - could help finance the Arkansas Valley Conduit. The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District proposed that concept recently and Rivera said he supports it...
El Paso County Commissioner Dennis Hisey represents the area of the county where the pipeline would come through, as well as residents in the Colorado Centre area downstream of Jimmy Camp Creek. Some of those residents attended open houses Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing up concerns that dam failure and seepage could create new flood plains. "I think we need to respond to those questions,[per thou] Hisey said. "I want to hear what the plan is." Flooding risk from the dam, either through spills or dam failure, is remote, said Chip Paulson, an engineer with MWH engineering, primary consultants for the EIS. "It won't aggravate flooding conditions, except in the very unlikely event of a dam failure," Paulson said. There was an analysis of failure risk in the dam engineering report, which is not part of the EIS. The dam would be built on bedrock and drains only the upper tip of the Jimmy Camp Creek watershed, so would not collect a large amount of water in a rainstorm. Reclamation will evaluate the comments to see if they can be included in the final EIS.
Paulson said the biggest risk of flooding for downstream residents in Jimmy Camp Creek could come from increased impervious surfaces when the 24,000-acre Banning-Lewis Ranch is developed...
The EIS addresses paleontology in the area, which has yielded many fossil finds and contains a portion of the K-T boundary, a worldwide layer of deposits that marks the end of the age of dinosaurs. There are also archaeological sites in the area both surrounding and within the reservoir site, but a federal act prohibits release of information about those sites.
Fremont County is working with Colorado Springs regarding the Southern Delivery System if ends up using the alternative that runs through part of the county, according to The Colorado Springs Gazette. From the article:
Fremont County has agreed to ground rules for consideration of Colorado Springs' $1 billion Southern Delivery System being built through its land. That's key to giving the city an option if Pueblo County blocks the city from drawing water from Pueblo Reservoir, the city's preferred alternative. Fremont County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an intergovernmental agreement that will be considered by the Colorado Springs City Council on Wednesday. The agreement calls for Colorado Springs Utilities to submit the project to Fremont County's land-use approval process if the city elects to draw water from the Arkansas River above Pueblo Reservoir. The intake would be near the Highway 115 bridge east of Florence. "It's a real boon because we have additional options," said Utilities project manager John Fredell...
Fremont County Commissioner Ed Norden emphasized the agreement doesn't mean the commission backs the Fremont alternative. Rather, it gives Fremont authority over zoning and other land-use decisions, he said. "Having this agreement in place would allow the county some oversight on, perhaps, location of the intake and where the pipeline might actually be located," he said. Norden said the agreement is a win for Fremont County because without it, Colorado Springs probably wouldn't be required to submit to the county's process. Unlike Pueblo County, Fremont County doesn't have 1041 land-use regulations, named after the House bill that gave counties say over multijurisdictional projects. The agreement requires the city to do more than just follow zoning and landuse rules. The city agreed to advance $50,000 to Fremont County to pay for fees incurred during the review, which will begin soon. Fredell said the city plans to submit an application within a month. It calls for "the parties together" to "identify and plan for the mitigation of impacts that may occur as a result of any proposed construction." That could include roads, bridges and other property. Fredell couldn't attach a dollar figure to the pledge but said the pact is valuable in case Pueblo County doesn't allow the pipeline from the reservoir. The Fremont plan calls for the pipeline to follow Highway 115 and cross Fort Carson before turning toward the northeast section of the city.
More coverage from The Cañon City Daily Record. From the article:
Chances are "significant" the final choice for the massive Southern Delivery System water project will run through Fremont County. On Tuesday, the Fremont County Commissioners entered into a contract of cooperation with Colorado Springs Utilities. The six-page Intergovernmental Agreement provides for a $50,000 initial deposit to the county to pay for permit applications, expert reviews, consultants and other costs associated with the project. County attorney Brenda Jackson said the IGA is an understanding for the entities to cooperate throughout the application process. "The City of Colorado Springs intends to apply for various permits associated with the project," Jackson said. "They want to get permits in place, should they decide Fremont County is the place." Jackson said the county would be fully reimbursed for all staff time and expertise used on the project. Terms of the agreement indicate the $50,000 deposit will be replenished as necessary, or any unused balance will be returned. SDS project manager John Fredell agreed the IGA was essential for the $1.1 billion project. "It's important to sign an IGA like this so both sides know up front that we're going to have an orderly process to work through on permitting," Fredell said by phone Tuesday afternoon. "We think this is the best way to do business. Both entities know what they're going to get out of the process."[...]
In the current project schedule, Reclamation will finalize its EIS by the end of the year and issue a final Decision of Record in January 2009. Fredell said the project should break ground by summer of 2009.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:57:31 AM
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Here's an update on the state's fight against zebra mussels from The Denver Post. They write:
...officials have begun implementing mandatory inspections of boats at several of the state's most popular reservoirs, including Lake Pueblo, Chatfield Reservoir and Cherry Creek Reservoir. Lawmakers expect to introduce a bill as early as this week creating criminal penalties for people who bring zebra mussels into the state and giving law enforcement officers the authority to stop, seize and quarantine boats that are infested with the creatures and don't abide by the inspection rules. Officials are cobbling these new regulations together almost from scratch, as no similar regulations exist in Colorado. "We're getting into whole new areas here," said Sen. Jim Isgar, a Democrat from Hesperus who is one of the bill's sponsors...
The mussels strain out nutrients from the water, causing die-offs of native aquatic species. They can also foul the water, creating havoc for drinking water suppliers, he said.
And they spread easily, hiding in the bilge water or bait wells of boats, flowing to downstream reservoirs or even clinging to fishing equipment. "If the state waits to act," Harris Sherman, director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, said at a Wednesday morning briefing to lawmakers about the problem, "we could end up with many more contaminated water bodies." While several states have adopted rules against the import of zebra mussels, Bill Keeter, the president of the Marine Retailers Association of America, said he knows of no other state considering mandated boat inspections. While he agrees that zebra mussels are harmful, he said the state should proceed cautiously. "Recreational boating is a very fragile industry right now, and anything that imposes further restriction in recreational boating damages an industry that's probably pretty valuable to your economy," he said.
More coverage from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The state needs $7.5 million to combat the zebra mussel in Lake Pueblo, and another $4 million a year to take that fight to all Colorado lakes and streams, lawmakers were told Wednesday. To do that, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources wants the Legislature to pass the Aquatic Nuisance Species Act, which Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, is expected to introduce next week. Harris Sherman, DNR executive director, and several members of his staff told a joint session of the Legislature's agriculture committees that the threat of zebra mussels is a serious one that, if left unchecked, could do billions of dollars in damage to the state's waterways. "To contain and prevent this species' spread is going to take an ongoing effort," Sherman said. "Colorado can stay ahead of the curve here if we act and make this investment."[...]
The mussels' arrival in Colorado and almost simultaneously in California earlier this year mark their first confirmed appearance in the West. "If we don't work to contain them, we'll experience serious impacts to our infrastructure," said Rob Billerbeck, State Parks manager for biological programs. "They can explode from a very few to many very quickly." Sherman's immediate plan is to build boat washes at Lake Pueblo and add inspectors to ensure they don't attach themselves and spread elsewhere, which he said was the likely way they came to Southern Colorado in the first place. He said the ongoing effort will include hiring more inspectors and conducting even more testing statewide.
The department has already received a $1 million grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board to do some of that work, but much more money is needed, Sherman said, adding that the source of that additional funding is expected to come from severance taxes. The plan also calls for a massive education effort to inform boaters of the threat and [solicit] their cooperation, which would require that all boats coming out of the reservoir to be washed and dried and then inspected. If some boaters balk at those requirements, the proposed act also would give department workers the authority to quarantine their watercrafts for up to two weeks. In addition to the boat washes at Lake Pueblo, the proposal calls for adding three permanent workers to the reservoir to enforce the boat-inspection rules. New permanent boating rules also will go into place 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the lake, and bans boats from being removed from the reservoir at night.
Tom Remington, director of the Colorado Division of Wildlife, said Colorado is also working with bordering states, specifically New Mexico, to create a more concerted effort to combat the spread of the mussels. "The state of Colorado can't do this alone," he said. "We've got to have help. The weakest link is going to allow these (mussels) to get in."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:44:19 AM
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Giardia and cryptosporidium have been found in Alamosa's water system in addition to the Salmonella, according to The Denver Post. From the article:
Alamosa's water wasn't just tainted with salmonella -- state tests completed Wednesday also turned up traces of giardia and cryptosporidium, two parasites that can cause diarrheal illnesses. Those organisms showed up in water samples pulled from taps before city and state officials flushed the water system with heavily chlorinated water. The chlorine should have been enough to kill all the biological contaminants, said Alamosa city clerk Judy Egbert. The finding means more testing and more time before residents can drink tap water again. "Our post-flush tests so far were not aimed at those organisms," Egbert said. It will be at least Saturday, she said, before the city's water can be deemed safe to drink.
Ned Calonge, Colorado's state medical officer, said giardia and cryptosporidium are "protozoan parasites, self-contained little organisms that are actually pretty ubiquitous in the environment." Both giardia and cryptosporidium can spread in the feces of animals, including people, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The symptoms are fairly similar, and that's why we asked for the tests," Calonge said. "We didn't want to be so concerned about salmonella that we missed something else." Calonge said the levels of cryptosporidium and giardia in the Alamosa water were probably low, because evidence of the organisms turned up only in highly sensitive genetic tests. Laboratory staff could not find the organisms themselves in the water, he said. The salmonella could have entered the system through a crack in a pipe somewhere in the 49 miles of the city's water distribution system, officials said. Calonge said the parasites could have gotten in the same way -- or they may be normally present in Alamosa's system but at such low levels they rarely cause disease...
Some tests of post-flush water may come back Friday, Calonge said. Post-flushing samplings for salmonella all came back clean. As of Tuesday afternoon, Egbert said the city is reporting 389 total cases of salmonella infection, 107 of those confirmed with laboratory tests, and 16 people hospitalized.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:38:16 AM
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This is the time of year for water suppliers, farmers and irrigators to watch the snowpack and predict the conditions for the season. Here's some snowpack news from The Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article:
Speaking at the spring meeting of [Northern Colorado Water Conservancy] district water users, [Karen] Rademacher said snow measurements taken in areas that feed the upper Colorado River are 121 percent of average. Measurements in the South Platte River basin are 111 percent of average. "We're looking good for April - no complaints from me," she said, but she cautioned against putting too much stock in snow conditions in early April. Conditions can change quickly, she said, and predictions from climatologists have been off all year. Fort Collins expects to have adequate water supplies this year and have enough left over to rent some to local farmers, said Dennis Bode, water resources manager, in a telephone interview. The city is not likely to see watering restrictions. "We don't foresee any problems at this time," he said. While the mountains have seen abundant snow, precipitation on the plains so far this spring has been well below average, said Dave Nettles of the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Precipitation in Greeley is 32 percent of average. Soil moisture content will determine when farmers start calling for irrigation water, he said. Snow and rain expected to hit the Front Range over the next two days will make a difference in the overall water picture for the year.
More coverage from The Greeley Tribune (free registration required). They write:
A winter storm that was predicted to move into the region overnight could improve those soil moisture conditions and could increase the snowpack, but Karen Rademacher, a senior water resources engineer with the district, cautioned, "the worm can turn in a hurry," adding the area has not yet recovered totally from the drought years that brought in the 21st century. As a result, the water district, which set a 60 percent quota for Colorado-Big Thompson Project for northeast Colorado in October, may not increase that when its board meets Friday, said Eric Wilkinson, Northern's general manager. There was a feeling among the crowd, however, that the quota should be increased to 70 percent, which means that for every acre-foot of water an entity owns of C-BT, it would receive seven-tenths of an acre foot this year...Under a 60 percent quota, the district would have an obligation to deliver 186,000 acre-feet of water this year, Rademacher said. Water storage throughout the district is about half full and with a 60 percent quota the district would have more than 100 percent of average to carryover into next year, she said.
Category: Colorado Water
6:30:40 AM
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© Copyright
2008
John Orr.
Last update:
5/1/08; 7:39:46 AM.
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