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Wednesday, May 2, 2007
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Opponents of Powertech's plans to mine uranium up in Weld County are reaching out to each other to bolster their position, according to the Fort Collins Weekly. From the article, "After a community meeting among Northern Colorado landowners to discuss the possibility of in situ uranium mining in Weld County, opponents of the plan are more galvanized than ever to raise awareness of what they fear could be irreversible contamination of groundwater and other negative impacts. Weld County property owners learned last year that Powertech Inc., a Canadian mining company, had purchased more than 5,700 acres of mineral rights to capitalize on the skyrocketing price of uranium for use in nuclear reactors. New nuclear power plants under construction around the world have put the price of uranium as high as $113 per pound, up from a low price of about $7 per pound less than a decade ago.
"The process of extracting uranium involves injecting a solution of water and bicarbonate soda into uranium-heavy sandstone using groundwater from the Dakota-Cheyenne aquifer, and then pumping the uranium-laden solution to the surface for processing into yellowcake. Although Powertech representatives say the process is benign and safe, opponents fear groundwater contamination, as well as a risk of radiation and heavy metal poisoning for people and livestock. Landowners Robin and Jay Davis were among those who organized the meeting last weekend that drew about 50 people, including Fort Collins state representatives John Kefalas and Randy Fischer...
"Powertech representatives were not at the meeting because they weren't specifically invited, says Richard Blubaugh, the company's vice president of environmental health and safety resources. Had they been, he says he would have argued that the in situ leaching process 'is a safe and environmentally benign technology that's been used for 30 years.' The mining 'will provide jobs and a good boost to the economy and to the county,' Blubaugh continues. 'And it provides a source of fuel that doesn't contribute to greenhouse gases.' Blubaugh says Powertech plans to host its own public outreach meetings in the future, but says the company will attend future meetings organized by landowners if they're invited--and if it is for the purpose of discussing the technology and sharing information."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:31:55 AM 
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From the Vail Daily News (free registration required), "The Black Lake No. 1 Reservoir, a key water source for the Vail Valley and Vail Mountain, may be enlarged. The expansion would provide more water throughout the year in Gore Creek and the Eagle River, said the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District. An environmental study done by the U.S. Forest Service says the surface of the reservoir should be raised four feet, which would increase the capacity to 469 acre-feet of water from 362. The environmental study can be found at www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/projects, or at the Holy Cross Ranger District, 24747 U.S. Highway 24 in Minturn. Public comment will be accepted for the next 30 days. For more information on how to comment, contact Peech Keller at (970)262-3495."
Category: Colorado Water
6:23:02 AM
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Coyote Gulch feels compelled to keep reminding readers that parts of Colorado are still suffering from the drought of the past few years. If you live on the Front Range it's hard to believe, but according to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel the Grand Valley is slipping back into drought. They write, "The Grand Valley and the rest of the southwestern United States appear to be heading back into a drought, according to Brian Avery, a hydrologist for the National Weather Service. Avery said a La Niña, a colder than normal flow of water, is beginning to set up in the Pacific Ocean. That cold flow, he said, will shift normal weather patterns to the north, bringing Grand Junction back into a drought. 'We have been in a drought period since 1999, and we have had a couple of wet years, but it looks like we are going into a bit of a drought period again,' Avery said. Southwest Colorado and the Grand Junction area are listed as being in a drought, he said. National Weather Service data corroborates what weather forecasters like Avery are saying: Even with recent rainfall and cooler temperatures, both March and April have been drier than normal. In Grand Junction, the month of March delivered just 0.46 inches of rain, the data shows. The area historically receives 1 inch of precipitation. Last month, the area had slightly more rain than normal. The norm for April is 0.86 inches of rain, and 0.99 inches fell. During the first four months this year, the Grand Valley had 2.6 inches of precipitation. Historically, it receives 2.96 inches of precipitation in those months. The warm temperatures in March and April also have affected area snowpack, Avery said. 'In the upper Colorado River basin, we were 96 percent March 1, but as of today we are only 67 percent,' Avery said. 'So we have lost quite a bit of the lower and mid-elevation snowpacks.'"
Category: Colorado Water
6:16:45 AM
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State officials are considering draining Bonny Reservoir to help satisfy Colorado's water debt on the Republican River, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "The plight of Colorado's plains reservoirs took another plunge with the revelation that state water officials are considering draining Bonny Lake. The move, which could come in the next three weeks, would result in the loss of all game fish and deliver a major blow to Bonny Lake State Park, which uses the impoundment near Burlington as its central attraction. At issue is a water delivery debt owed primarily to Kansas under a compact made in 2002 regarding rights to water in the Republican River, which sustains Bonny. Largely through problems involving drought, Colorado progressively has been in arrears of its promised delivery since that time. Under a likely scenario, part of that debt would be repaid with the water currently stored in dwindling Bonny Lake. If so, the popular reservoir will be lost for an undetermined time to fishing and boating - the prime activities that sustain the park...
"Bonny has shriveled steadily during the current drought period. It held 30,000 acre feet of water in 2000, but only 11,500 acre feet remain. It loses approximately 4,000 acre feet per year to evaporation, a figure that plays prominently in any decision the Colorado Department of Natural Resources might make. 'If we do drain Bonny and do a run-through of the river, we'd get credit for the water now lost to evaporation,' said Mike King, DNR deputy director. Wet conditions that currently exist in the river bottom also would allow for a greater delivery, further reducing the debt. King made plain his agency has made no firm decision on an immediate course of action. 'There are lots of moving parts here to consider,' he said of a situation that involves several other negative factors. Among these are potentially removing Colorado farm land from production, the possible repayment of money used to purchase water, survival of native fish that live in the river and the plight of the state park."
Category: Colorado Water
6:03:21 AM
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From the Greeley Tribune (free registration required), "As the prolific loss of farmland becomes an increasing matter of concern in the region, the Berthoud Historical Society has partnered with the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District to unveil a new exhibit that celebrates the agricultural heritage of the Front Range town and captures the spirit of the farming communities of yesterday and today. Berthoud's Farming Heritage: Images of Agriculture from Colorado's Little Thompson Valley will be on display at the Northern Water headquarters, 220 Water Ave., Berthoud, from May 12-July 6. This marks the first stop for the exhibit, which will later travel to several other locations throughout the state, including the Loveland Museum & Gallery and Johnson's Corner. The exhibit comprises dozens of black-and-white photographs taken during the past several years by Tom Vaughan, director of Berthoud's Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum, and Jon Youngblut, a Berthoud photographer. Vaughan and Youngblut photographed farming families, vintage and modern-day equipment, rural landscapes and statuesque structures."
Category: Colorado Water
5:52:23 AM
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© Copyright
2007
John Orr.
Last update:
6/1/07; 6:54:30 AM.
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