Coyote Gulch's Colorado Water
The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land. -- Luna Leopold








































































































































































































































Central Colorado Water Conservancy District

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Friday, April 25, 2008
 

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Here's a look at conservation and restoration efforts on the St. Vrain River from The Longmont Times Call. They write:

Weary from decades of overuse, the St. Vrain River from Lyons to Longmont is making a comeback, and local anglers hope their beloved trout come along for the ride. In 2004, this stretch of river was one of the only river sections on the entire Front Range that didn't have an active, community-sponsored conservation effort. It wasn't that no one cared, but the fact that it is fully surrounded by privately owned land made such an effort virtually impossible. And it shows. River banks are wide from erosion, water levels are low from overuse and few trout ply the waters. "Man, while trying to meet his own basic needs of food and water, has devastated that river," said Chuck Howard, a member of St. Vrain Anglers. "Slowly, over time, you change the character."

So when Boulder County began making progress in negotiations with private landowners that promised future access to the long-restricted area, St. Vrain Anglers -- a local chapter of the angling and activist group Trout Unlimited -- decided to take action. Now they're working with Boulder County, Longmont and Lyons to put water back into the river and have ambitious efforts to re-introduce trout fishing in the area. Trout are abundant in many of Colorado's rivers, needing but a few basics to thrive: healthy, stable water chemistry; an ample insect population to feed upon; and moving water that won't freeze. But in the St. Vrain River, those conditions can't be guaranteed. To the north of Lyons, where the water is largely untouched, a rich fishery thrives and provides some of the most scenic trout fishing in the state. But just to the south, a different reality exists. Between Lyons and Longmont, the trout population is virtually nonexistent...

So in December 2004, Howard became the co-chairman of St. Vrain Anglers's River Committee and the organization started a two-year study that unearthed some troubling facts about the river. The tests during the study indicated that water quality was fine and insect populations were healthy. The problem came with water flow, which suffered dramatically. More than a dozen gates sit between Lyons and Longmont to divert water for agricultural and municipal use. Water is diverted from the river, a measured amount is removed and the rest is returned. Then the process is repeated at each gate, leaving stagnant water where trout get trapped in pools and die from freezing or lack of food. Since releasing its study, St. Vrain Anglers has worked with Boulder County to improve water-distribution methods, so far financing three new distribution gates that will reduce waste substantially and keep river water from being unnecessarily diverted. They hope to eventually update all the diversion structures. With more water should come more stable conditions year-round, and a sustainable trout population. "If we get more water in the river, the river will take care of itself," Howard said. "It regenerates."

Category: Colorado Water
6:42:47 AM    


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From The Rocky Mountain News: "Gov. Bill Ritter on Thursday ended the speculation about what he wants on the November ballot, throwing his weight behind a plan to bump up Colorado's revenues from oil and gas development and provide college scholarships for tens of thousands of undergraduates. If the proposal is approved by voters in November, Ritter said it would raise at least $200 million annually. Under the plan, 60 percent of the money would go to scholarships; 15 percent to roads and clean water projects in areas impacted by the energy boom; 15 percent for protecting wildlife, which is losing habitat to the drilling; and 10 percent for the development of clean energy sources."

More from the article:

- What the plan would do: Raise the effective rate of severance tax by eliminating a credit for property taxes. It is expected to raise at least $200 million annually to be divided: 60 percent for undergraduate scholarships; 15 percent for wildlife protection; 15 percent for roads and clean water in the drilling regions; 10 percent for clean energy projects.

- Pros: The severance tax in Colorado is significantly lower than in New Mexico and Wyoming, though higher than in Utah. State officials say the tax pays for the loss of a finite resource and the money should be invested in Colorado's future: its students, clean energy and preservation of its environment.

- Cons: The industry says increasing taxes at a time when the economy is not doing well would not only dry up new investment but also eliminate jobs and leave the state economy even weaker.

Other issues that voters might see

Colorado housing investment fund

- What it says: Amend the constitution to add a 4 percent tax to every real estate transaction in Colorado to pay for affordable housing.

- Pros: Ensures low-income people can afford a home.

- Cons: Adds a tax of $4,000 for every $100,000 of sales price, placing a burden on middle- and upper-class.

- Status: Petition submitted; Not yet approved to start collecting signatures.

State sales tax for services for individuals with developmental disabilities

- What it says: Eliminate the waiting lists in Colorado for the developmentally disabled to receive state services by increasing the state sales tax rate by 0.2 percent, phased in over two years.

- Pros: Enables children and adults with developmental disabilities to receive help to be included in community life.

- Cons: Costs customers two cents on every $10 purchase.

- Status: Petitioners still must submit 76,047 valid signatures to get question on November's ballot.

Right-to-work

- What it says: Agreements requiring workers to pay for union representation would not be allowed in Colorado workplaces.

Just cause

- What it says: Employers would have to prove reasonable cause before firing workers.

Cost-of-living increases

- What it says: All employees would get pay increases tied to the inflation rate.

Category: Denver November 2008 Election
6:22:38 AM    


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The state legislature seems to be serious about hoping to contain the zebra mussel infestation to Lake Pueblo if possible. Here's a report on their efforts from The Pueblo Chieftain. They write:

Colorado wildlife officials hope zebra mussels' days could be numbered under a bill [SB 08-226, Concerning the Prohibition of Aquatic Nuisance Species in Colorado, and Making an Appropriation in Connection therewith (pdf}] that won preliminary approval in the Senate on Thursday. The measure, introduced by Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, would give the Division of Wildlife and the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation sweeping authority to prevent, control, contain, monitor and eradicate it and other aquatic nuisance species...

"Clearly the impacts to our water infrastructure, whether it's a domestic water support or agriculture, could be significant," Isgar said. "It's going to take an effort on all of our parts to keep this from spreading all around the state." The measure, SB226, allocates $7.2 million this year to build boat washes at Lake Pueblo and add inspectors there and at other state lakes to ensure they don't attach themselves and spread to other lakes in the state. The ongoing effort also calls for $4 million a year to hire more inspectors and conduct inspections of boats at lakes and reservoirs across the state. The division has already received a $1 million grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board to do some of that work. The bill, which was drafted entirely by officials within the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, also calls for a massive education effort to inform boaters of the threat, which would require that all boats coming out of the Pueblo reservoir to be washed and dried and inspected. Boaters that ignore the requirements could see their crafts quarantined for up to two weeks. The proposal also calls for adding three permanent workers at Lake Pueblo, whose job would be to enforce the boat-inspection rules. New boating rules also will go into place on a permanent basis...

The bill requires a final Senate vote, which could come as early as today, before heading to the House. Reps. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, and Dorothy Butcher, D-Pueblo, will jointly shepherd it through that chamber.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Category: Colorado Water
6:16:26 AM    


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Here's a recap of last night's public meeting of opponents of Powertech's proposed uranium mine in Weld County from The Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the article:

The group [Coloradodoans Against Resource Destruction] met in Loveland on Wednesday night and spoke to about 40 people about the dangers of uranium mining, which included presentations by two experts in the field and a physician listing the variety of cancers uranium contamination can cause. The speakers drew a grim picture, showing Powertech at risk of contaminating the aquifer, surface water and the air with a variety of lethal elements, as well as turning the landscape into a tight grid of uranium wells. There were photos of mine fields in Wyoming and Texas and horror stories of millions of dollars spent on failed reclamation mine sites. Much of the information can be found at CARD's Web site, www.nunnglow.com. Davis said the speakers were not giving a balanced view of the issue, but he said people should understand the risks involved. "What we have found tells us it's bad," Davis said. "We've heard the other side that tells us we are crazy, but to say that it's not going to have an impact ... I don't think so."[...]

In the United States, 104 nuclear reactors produce 20 percent of the nation's energy, pushing the demand for mined uranium to 55 million pounds annually, [Powertech President and CEO Dick] Clement said...

One issue CARD challenges is Powertech's in-situ approach to retrieve the uranium, which involves pumping a mix of water, oxygen and carbon dioxide into the aquifer where the uranium naturally exists, to bring the resource to the surface. The problem here is that Powertech's site also has 3,500 drill holes from past explorations. If the aquifer is under pressure, the liquid mix and maybe the uranium could leach into other ground water. Clement said the in-situ process is proven safe, which state Rep. Don Marostica, R-Loveland, supported at the legislature last month. Marostica gave a presentation on the in-situ process while arguing against House Bill1161, which could require more rigorous water treatment. The bill passed out of the House of Representatives to the Colorado State Senate with a 49 to 16 vote, with Marostica as the only state representative in Northern Colorado to vote against it...

Mining companies already are required to return water back to its initial purity after exploration. But depending on how the language in HB1161 is interpreted, Clement said it would make purity standards so strict that his company could not drill in Northern Colorado, which he characterized as "taking" the company's property. "The most important thing to understand is that this process has been operating in the United States for a number of years," Clement said.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here, here and here.

Category: 2008 Presidential Election
5:47:10 AM    



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