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Friday, October 24, 2008
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From the Durango Herald: "Visiting scientists from across the country who attend the 30th annual conference of the Association of Abandoned Mine Lands Programs in Durango next week will learn that for geological diversity the Four Corners - for its size - is probably second to none in the world...[Jeff] Brame, a consultant to the gas and oil industries in Houston for 20 years before moving to Durango in mid-2003, will set the Four Corners geology scene as the keynote speaker for the almost 300 geologists, hydrologists, engineers, biologists and ecologists who have registered for the conference. The meeting runs from Sunday through Wednesday. The Four Corners area in the last 600 million years has been an ocean basin, river plain, mountain-building area and a scene of volcanic activity, Brame said. These different types of settings have left multiple traces of their passage on the landscape as well as a wealth of minerals beneath the surface."
Category: Colorado Water
7:27:53 AM 
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From the Pagosa Springs Sun: "The Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) Board of Directors approved revised Water Conservation and Drought Management plans last week. While both may be subject to periodic modification, each will guide responsible community water use through 2018. PAWSD first adopted a water conservation master plan in January 2000. In 2004, following a devastating 2002 drought, the district modified the plan to include conservation and drought management guidelines under various water supply margins."
Category: Colorado Water
7:20:55 AM
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From the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: "Standing in the middle of a dirt road on his 30-acre property, David Swinger, wearing a cowboy hat and boots, can see the Colorado National Monument to the southwest and the Bookcliffs to the northeast. Acres of farmland, on which he grows hay for horses and alpaca, surrounds him. The air is clear and the sights and the sounds of the city are far away. 'We want to keep this as it is,' Swinger said. On Tuesday, the Mesa Land Trust assured Swinger and his wife, Julie, that what is will always be."
More from the article:
The trust purchased the development rights from the Swingers for $238,000 and added their acreage, which is adjacent to another 118-acre conserved farm, to the Fruita buffer zone. The purchase funds came from two sources: $125,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado and $113,000 in matching funds from supporters of the buffer zone program -- Mesa County, the cities of Grand Junction and Fruita and the town of Palisade. The Swinger property is a perfect addition to the buffer zone program, which seeks to preserve open space in two zones -- one between Grand Junction and Fruita and the other between Grand Junction and Palisade -- said Rob Bleiberg, director of the land trust...
The Mesa Land Trust said it holds more than 125 conservation agreements totaling more than 50,000 acres. Of that, 28 of the agreements, totaling 1,128 acres, are in the buffer zones, according to the trust.
Category: Colorado Water
7:17:12 AM
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From the Sterling Journal Advocate: "The Overland Trail fishing pond may not be the attractive spot it normally is for awhile. Numerous fish have died from an infection of algae. The fish died from suffocation, according to Dave Appelhans, the city of Sterling's superintendent of parks, cemetery and forestry. The suffocation is a result of a classic algae bloom consuming an excessive amount of oxygen in the pond...In his letter to officials regarding the dying fish, [Pete Walker, senior fish pathologist for the Colorado Division of Natural Resources -- Division of Wildlife, Aquatic Animal Health Program] reported that a similar incident occurred last year."
Category: Colorado Water
7:04:07 AM
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Here's a look at a current restoration project on the Fraser River near Tabernash, from the Sky-Hi Daily News. From the article:
In a partnership among Rendezvous Colorado, Devil's Thumb Ranch and the Middle Park Land Trust, the project's goal is to redirect a quarter-mile section of the river and recreate a wetlands area. "We now have a 600-foot section of wide, straight and shallow river," said Geoff Elliott of Grand Environmental Services, a local consulting group tasked with designing the project. "We're shooting to create 1,300 feet of river and three acres of wetlands that doesn't currently exist."
Elliott explained the river will be redirected into a new channel that will be scooped out of the surrounding meadow. The new river channel will be in the shape of a large "M." The old river channel will become part of the new wetlands. On Thursday afternoon, the diesel-powered excavators of Conroy Excavating of Tabernash and Ecoscape Landscaping of Grand Lake began scooping out the new channel and moving the dirt to create earthen berms where trees and other vegetation can be planted. The workers were also doing their best to move and preserve the native willows and other vegetation for replanting later. Also involved in the project are other companies including WatersEdge Reclamation of Fraser, the Construction Guys of Kremmling, and Carroll & Lange Surveyors and JVA Engineering, both of Winter Park...
The river-and-wetland restoration project is a wetland mitigation for Rendezvous Colorado in Fraser, which consumed about three acres of wetland during its site development in recent years. Under the U.S. Clean Water Act, developers are required to ensure there is "no net loss of wetlands" by creating new wetlands in another area...
The Rendezvous Colorado mitigation project, which is authorized under a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is taking place on property owned by Devil's Thumb Ranch. "We looked at several off-site mitigation sites in the area," said Terry Stanford, Rendezvous director of development. "And the Devil's Thumb Ranch property offers us the best location to improve the health of the Fraser River while satisfying regulatory requirements. We wanted to keep the wetland values right here on the Fraser River." Seth Martin, Devil's Thumb assistant general manager, said this is a win-win scenario for the ranch, which was looking for ways to improve its fishing habitat on the 35 acres of conservation easement that it has in the Fraser River Valley...
Elliott pointed out that this is the first time that a "customized flyfishing area" is being created in Grand County. The only similar projects of this size have been done in Idaho and California. The new river channel may be opened as early as next week. Elliott said he hopes all of the landscaping, replanting and cleanup work for the project can be completed by mid-November.
Category: Colorado Water
6:44:04 AM
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As is often the case with water issues -- for example 2003's Referendum A -- Amendment 52 finds Colorado Republicans on different sides of the issue, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article:
Amendment 52, backed by three up-and-coming Republican lawmakers - Sen. Josh Penry, of Grand Junction; Rep. Cory Gardner, of Yuma; and Rep. Frank McNulty, of Highlands Ranch - aims to shift some state drilling revenues from water and wildlife projects to road construction. They say there will still be plenty of money for water. But the measure is meeting resistance from fellow Republicans.
One of the most prominent is former state agricultural Commissioner Don Ament, who is whipping up opposition on the plains. Ament, who worked for eight years under former Republican Gov. Bill Owens, has trashed the measure. He says it will siphon money from water projects critical to farmers and derides the effort to put the spending plan into the cluttered state constitution. He said the trio is using Amendment 52 to attack Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter over what they see as a failure to pump enough money into transportation...
Other Republican legislators have also come out against the measure, including Reps. Marsha Looper, of Calhan, and Ellen Roberts, of Durango. Many water conservancy districts that supply farmers and other users also oppose Amendment 52, including the giant Colorado River District in Glenwood Springs.
Gardner downplayed the opposition from Ament and others, calling it "isolated." He noted the top contributor, who gave $35,000 to the campaign against the measure, is Pat Stryker, a wealthy heiress who funds Democratic causes and candidates.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:35:19 AM
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Here's an update on Tri-State's filing for a change of use for water in the Amity Canal, from the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The largest water-change case in the Arkansas Valley is moving toward a trial next January with fewer opponents. Last week, the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, working with other parties in the case, approved a settlement with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. To date, 11 of the 20 parties that filed statements of opposition in the case have reached agreements, according to Tri-State spokesman Lee Boughey.
Tri-State owns or has contracted to buy nearly half the ownership shares of the Amity Canal and has applied to change the use of those water rights. The association would gain control of nearly 20,000 acre-feet of usable water a year, which it plans to use for a power plant near Holly. Although the association originally announced plans for coal-fired plants, it is studying natural gas or nuclear plants for the site.
The Southeastern district was concerned about weed control and revegetation. The Lower Arkansas Water Management Association and Arkansas Valley Ditch Association joined in engineering studies about that portion of the case. The proposed water-use change decree now addresses both revegetation and water quality. Tri-State has agreed to provisions that would allow irrigated lands to be converted to dryland farming or revegetated, and to provide weed management. Its plans would be subject to review by the state water officials. Tri-State would be required to reclaim land and maintain it within five years after removing water for power generation, curtailing its use of water until land is restored to reasonably acceptable conditions. Water court could extend the compliance period for up to five more years if the water supply is less than 80 percent of average in any of the years during the revegetation period. Tri-State contends water quality won't be affected since the water's points of diversion won't change and it only will use the historic consumptive use with no discharge from its power plants...
Southeastern also made the point that Tri-State must receive approval from the Arkansas River Compact Administration before filing for any restorage of water from John Martin Reservoir in state court. The issue of John Martin storage was raised in a filing by Environment Colorado, which is expected to remain as an objector in the case until a trial, which is scheduled in late January.
The State Land Board earlier withdrew from the case. Prowers County, the city of Lamar, Fort Lyon Canal Co., Buffalo Canal, Holbrook Mutual Irrigation Co. and Public Service Co. all have signed agreements. Individual parties also have withdrawn or signed agreements.
Tri-State began soliciting for water rights in the Lower Arkansas Valley in 2005, and last year agreed to work with the Amity Canal in providing structural improvements and taking water from the ditch in rotation.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:25:39 AM
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Here's an update on Colorado Springs' proposed Southern Delivery System and the effects on Pueblo West, from the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
Construction along a pipeline route through Pueblo West could begin within a year, if the necessary permits are obtained and the project advances on schedule. The impacts on Pueblo West of the Southern Delivery System were explained Thursday at an open house and meeting at the VFW Post 5812 building. SDS is a $1.1 billion project that proposes a pipeline from Pueblo Dam to serve Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security and Pueblo West...
Spiller explained the 66-inch diameter pipeline would be buried in a trench about 12-15 feet deep just east of the current easement for the Fountain Valley Conduit. The work area would be 100 feet wide and fenced off to prevent access. About 20 roads would be crossed, and minor routes would be temporarily closed, with schools and emergency responders properly notified. Crews would tunnel under larger roads like U.S. 50 and Industrial Boulevard so traffic would not be interrupted. The main structures associated with the project would be air vents, drains and manholes, Spiller said. About six vents and drains would be in Pueblo West. Some of the private easements that are on hills would have vents, while the drains are located in low spots generally under public ownership. Manholes would be more evenly spaced and located near roads, Spiller said. The land could take anywhere from a few weeks to a year to reseed after the pipeline is placed, depending on the time of year...
Saling said the project would actually save Pueblo West ratepayers money. Pueblo West has contracted to pay $1 million for SDS and would tap into it only if the pipeline comes from the dam - a Fremont County route is the other likely alternative. The Metro District has not negotiated its fee for the easements. If SDS goes through Fremont County, Pueblo West could spend up to $12 million for a river intake in order to meet its eventual water supply needs, Saling said. The potential costs or savings from a potential project unveiled last week at the north outlet works, the river outlet on Pueblo Dam, have not been discussed, Saling added.
Another open house and meeting on Pueblo West issues will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the VFW hall, 137 E. Spaulding. The meetings are being held as part of Pueblo County's 1041 permit process.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:12:46 AM
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© Copyright
2008
John Orr.
Last update:
11/1/08; 8:12:04 PM.
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