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Monday, April 2, 2007
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Here's an update on the construction progress at Rueter-Hess Reservoir, from the Denver Post. They write, "The first new major Front Range reservoir in more than two decades, and the potential answer to much of south metro's growing thirst, is sailing toward reality. The federal permit application for Parker's Rueter-Hess Reservoir will be completed this month, and, pending surprises, approval could be in hand by fall. 'Right now, everything is a go,' said Frank Jaeger, the decades-long proponent of the dam and reservoir and the manager of Parker Water and Sanitation District. Other proponents are pleased the reservoir will mix recycled water for household use, provide a scenic lake and preserve open space 3 miles southwest of downtown Parker. The area otherwise could be gobbled up by development. Environmentalists, so far, have tacitly endorsed or at least not opposed the reservoir...
"Parker started making plans two years ago to build a reservoir for its own renewable supplies. In 2005, Castle Rock asked to store recycled water there. A handful of large subdivisions in the region also wanted to join in, so Parker applied for federal permits to triple the size of Rueter-Hess. If all goes as planned, by 2011, Rueter-Hess will be a 1,200-acre lake - 50 percent larger than Cherry Creek Reservoir, with enough water for 140,000 homes. The ease of its passage - in a state that has seen vicious, protracted fights over reservoir proposals - is remarkable, even to Rueter-Hess' chief cheerleader. 'We worked out the politics first,' Jaeger said. 'Then we really dotted our i's and crossed our t's to work out the problems in advance.'"
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:18:50 AM 
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It looks like the Interbasin Roundtables set up by the Water for the 21st Century Act are going to live on in the Ritter administration after all, according to the Durango Herald. From the article, "Public involvement is key to solving Colorado's looming water crisis, a senior Ritter administration official said Friday. Harris Sherman, director of the Department of Natural Resources, threw his support behind a system of roundtables that brings together people in each major river basin. The Ritter administration is committed to the new process, Sherman told members of the Interbasin Compact Committee. The committee eventually is supposed to reach an agreement among the river basins for planning Colorado's water future."
Category: Colorado Water
6:04:40 AM
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The Pueblo Chieftain takes a look at U.S. Representative John Salazar's Fryingpan-Arkansas legislation comparing it to U.S. Senator Ken Salazar's legislation for the Preferred Options Storage Plan. From the article, "Rep. Salazar last week introduced a Fryingpan-Arkansas Project bill, which authorizes $10 million for a cumulative study of social, economic and environmental water transfers and $4 million for a feasibility study of water supply and storage expansion, including enlargement of Lake Pueblo. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., will co-sponsor the bill. Sen. Salazar met with the parties who have been negotiating PSOP since January 2005 and plans to meet with the same group in June to assess progress in negotiations...
"Key differences in the legislation are:
"Aurora's continued participation in the Fry-Ark Project. Rep. Salazar excludes Aurora, while PSOP gives Reclamation authority to issue contracts for excess capacity storage to Aurora.
"The timing of the impact study. Rep. Salazar's bill would require completion of the impact study before construction could begin. In the last draft of the 2006 PSOP bill, the impact study would come only after a Lake Pueblo enlargement feasibility study was complete.
"The inclusion of past agreements. The 2001 PSOP developed by the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District is included in the PSOP bill, but not mentioned in Rep. Salazar's Fry-Ark bill. The provisions of the Colorado River Conservation District agreement are included in Rep. Salazar's bill, but all other intergovernmental agreements included in earlier PSOP drafts have been stripped...
Sen. Salazar said he plans to meet with PSOP negotiators in June to check on the progress of talks. At the center of negotiations are the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District and Colorado Springs Utilities, which have been trying to hammer out differences for nearly a year while other parties watch from the sidelines. After those two find common ground, an agreement must be reached among Pueblo, the Pueblo Board of Water Works, Pueblo West, Fountain, the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District, the Southeastern district and Aurora as well. Also at February's meeting were Pueblo and Lake counties, which have developed new concerns since PSOP was developed in 2001."
Category: Colorado Water
5:54:54 AM
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© Copyright
2007
John Orr.
Last update:
5/1/07; 9:42:39 AM.
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