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Saturday, September 20, 2008
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From The Denver Post: "On Monday, the U.S. Agriculture Department designated 22 Colorado counties as 'primary natural disaster areas' because of what the agency described as drought conditions since Jan. 1. The declaration is the latest in a string of hard times for ranchers and farmers in an area stretching roughly from Interstate 25 east to the Kansas border and from the New Mexico border north to Lincoln County. "Southeast Colorado had unprecedented drought in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005. We just had continual drought," said Chuck Hanagan, the executive director for the Otero Crowley Farm Service Agency, a branch of the U.S. Agriculture Department. That was followed by blizzards, cattle deaths and trouble getting enough trucks to get crops to market. Now drought -- again.
"Under the program, the farmers and ranchers in the 22 counties (and two more that were also declared disaster areas because of a bad freeze) can get low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility requirements are met. They have eight months to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. Hanagan said that in addition to the loans, the declaration helps the ranchers with their taxes, giving them tax breaks on any revenue they earn from selling off their cattle. "We are the only industry that buys retail and sells wholesale," said Hanagan. "Nobody else does it that way. We hope to break even. For a rancher or farmer, it is a heck of a year if we break even. If you make money, it is a fantastic year."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
11:40:14 AM 
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Here's an update on funding for the Mancos Project rehabilitation, from The Durango Herald. From the article:
The U.S. House has approved a bill to rehabilitate the Mancos Project, a system that provides water for drinking, agriculture and recreation in Montezuma County and is the lone source of drinking water for Mesa Verde National Park...
Estimated cost of the Mancos Project rehabilitation is $8 million, the amount sought under the bill. Replacement of canals and pumping facilities would cost about $30 million. The Mancos Project bill, H.R. 3437, was approved by voice vote. It now goes to the Senate.
The Mancos Project uses Jackson Gulch Reservoir to supply water for the town of Mancos, a water district, a water company and the national park. The Mancos Project was authorized in 1940 and was completed nine years later using Civilian Conservation Corps and Work Projects Administration forces in its construction.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.
Category: Colorado Water
11:29:52 AM
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Here's an update on Rueter-Hess Reservoir, from The Parker Chronicle. From the article:
Public officials, water suppliers and residents gathered at the Rueter-Hess Reservoir construction site Sept. 5 to celebrate the formation of a partnership that will have major implications on the future of the local economy, housing prices and population. The Parker Water and Sanitation District, which began planning the construction of Rueter-Hess Reservoir in 1983, joined forces with Castle Rock, Castle Pines North and Stonegate to store water for use in dry years and periods of high demand.
Parker water broke ground on a 16,000-acre-foot reservoir in 2004, but quickly sought to expand the project to 72,000-acre feet after officials realized the entire county could benefit from the capabilities of a larger reservoir, said Sheppard Root, president of the Parker water board of directors. Construction was delayed while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reviewed expansion designs, environmental impact studies and engineering concepts, but Parker received federal approval on a 404 permit in April and will recommence construction early next month. "I've been so close to this project for so long, that it's hard for me to wrap my mind around the concept of just how big a deal this really is," said Frank Jaeger, district manager for the Parker Water and Sanitation District since 1981.
Parker water borrowed $105 million from the Colorado Water Resource and Power Development Authority for the initial phase of construction, which included building gate structures to regulate the flow of water from the reservoir. The money is being paid back through existing water rates and tap fees from new residential and commercial developments that hook into the system. A 135-foot dam was also constructed, and will be raised another 61 feet during the second phase of the enlargement. The partners will cover the cost of the $56 million expansion. Castle Rock purchased storage space for 8,000-acre feet of water at a price tag of $44 million, the Castle Pines North Metro District agreed to buy 1,500-acre feet in storage for $8.25 million, and the Stonegate Metro District bought 1,200-acre feet of space for $6.6 million...
All four entities now have the task of purchasing water from outside sources within Colorado and finding a way to pump it to Rueter-Hess Reservoir. The Parker Water and Sanitation District built a diversion structure on Cherry Creek and is capturing water flows from Newlin Gulch where the reservoir is under construction, but has explored the eastern plains in search of additional water. The district has been in talks with farmers in the Sterling area to purchase unused water from the South Platte River and is researching ways to get the water to Parker. There have been discussions about building a major pipeline, but nothing has been finalized.
The Stonegate Metro District, an entity that supplies 4,000 customers in Stonegate, Lincoln Park and the Compark business center, now uses water from the Denver Basin Aquifer, which experts say is quickly being depleted. Many water suppliers rely on nonreplenishable surface water and are searching for renewable sources...
Colorado's U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, the keynote speaker at the ceremony, first learned about the Rueter-Hess project in 1990 when he was the head of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. He said Jaeger came in with maps and schematics, and had a clear vision for the impact of the reservoir. Jaeger repeatedly was commended for his tireless work on the project, and received two standing ovations during the celebration to break ground on the second phase of the reservoir. Salazar applauded the entities' willingness to work together toward a common goal. "What you've done here by bringing everybody together in this collaboration is something to be celebrated, it's to be supported, it should be emulated," Salazar said, adding that water is the "lifeblood of the west," local municipalities and agriculture. At the end of the ceremony, the Parker water district board announced it passed a resolution to name the dam at Rueter-Hess the Frank Jaeger Dam. Jaeger, a man known for his tough demeanor and matter-of-fact manner of speaking, became emotional upon hearing the news. "Nobody would expect me to be speechless," Jaeger said. "This has been a long uphill -- I don't want to call it a battle -- effort. You get one thing done and then you move on to the next."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
11:19:28 AM
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Here's an update on efforts to fight tamarisk in the Arkansas Valley, from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The Colorado Water Conservation Board plans to offer $4 million over four years for demonstration projects on controlling tamarisk, an invasive species that crowds out native vegetation, spreads into dry uplands, increases water consumption and increases salinity. The Arkansas River Watershed Invasive Plants Plan, which is coordinating efforts to control tamarisk along the entire river in Colorado, envisions three demonstration projects along the river as a means to obtain some of the $1 million in the first year of that program, said Jean Van Pelt, conservation outreach coordinator for the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. "We have completed the basinwide plan," Van Pelt told the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District at its monthly board meeting Wednesday. "This will also open the door for federal funding."
The CWCB is considering increasing the maximum size of grants to $200,000, Reed Dils, Arkansas Basin director said. the board discussed the change at its meeting in Alamosa Wednesday, but made no decisions. The CWCB should finalize rules and make funding available by early next year, he said. So three separate demonstration projects will be sought by different agencies under a strategy developed through the groups working on tamarisk. They will look at different techniques to control tamarisk, ranging from aerial spraying in tracts where tamarisk has completely taken over to hand-cutting and spraying in areas that are less accessible or not as infested...
The demonstration projects are only a small part of what is needed to control tamarisk in the Arkansas Valley, Van Pelt said. The plan calls for cooperation between state, federal and local agencies with landowners to remove tamarisk. There is even the possibility that Kansas will cooperate with the state in controlling the spread of tamarisk.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
11:09:18 AM
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From The Montrose Daily Press: "The completion of a much-needed septage waste receiving facility for Montrose County is taking longer than expected, as officials tie loose ends. The facility, which is viewed as a critical step toward accounting for the county's septage, would be paid for by the county, but managed by the city on its property near the treatment plant."
More from the article:
Engineering plans are progressing but the rules governing system cleaners (septic haulers) -- those who would transport septic waste from homes to the disposal site -- are still under review. The city is requiring the county to put the regulations in place, and also to enforce them. Richard Thompson, county environmental health manager, said the draft regulations need changes to ensure compatibility with existing county ordinance. He said the legal department reviewed the regulations. Engineering plans for the facility have been reviewed by the city, which sent comments in about two weeks ago, said City Municipal Services Director Jim Hougnon said. The property planned for the waste receiving facility is already appropriately zoned for use. Currently, the city and county are working on a memorandum of agreement and a meeting has been set up to discuss it, Hougnon said...
Hougnon said the fee schedule is calculated based on operational costs to treat septage, a facility offset charge, labor and recapture fee for the county to offset costs of building the facility. He said no profit will be generated from the fee. However, rates for disposal charge won't be finalized until the other costs are set.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
10:59:34 AM
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From The Cañon City Daily Record: "Months of legal wrangling came to an end Tuesday, when District Judge David Thorson ruled in favor of the county's inclusion into the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District. 'It's about time,' said board member John Sandefur of Penrose, who was one of four new directors inducted in March. 'I am very happy. This is a great thing for our whole community.'"
More from the article:
Cañon City resident Ivan Widom and Salida resident Mark Emmer filed the appeal against the inclusion in January, claiming the election was not legal because it did not follow Taxpayers Bill of Rights rules. Thorson heard arguments in May, and issued his decision Tuesday.
Although the appeal has been simmering in Thorson's courtroom for many months, Stiehl said the district has continued with business as though the entire county was a part of it since the election. Thorson previously approved the addition of new board members Sandefur and Bill McGuire to represent the Florence-Penrose school district, and Bill Jackson and Manny Colon to represent the Cañon City district. "We have just been proceeding as if it were true," Stiehl said. "We were getting tired of holding our breath. I'm sure the issue was a complex one." Stiehl said turning to the election for approval was a legal, but little-used, method for inclusion into a special district. "Every inclusion that's ever happened in the state of Colorado for a water conservancy district has been done by petition, until now," Stiehl said. "However, Part B of Title 35 for special districts allows it to go to a vote of the people." That method toward inclusion has been available since the 1930s, Stiehl said. Although the local case was the first to put the law into effect, he was pleased voters had the opportunity to make this decision. "I'm happy about this because the voters have elected to be represented and pay the tax themselves," Stiehl said. "I think this is a good thing." Property owners in the Cañon City and Florence-Penrose school districts will be levied less than half a mill starting in January 2009 for the district. The Cotopaxi school district already belonged to UAWCD.
Sandefur and Stiehl both were excited about Thorson's ruling. "From Pueblo on up, we will all speak with one voice and we will better be able to resist those whose entities would take our water," Stiehl said. "We're not going to be singled out one at a time. We've got engineering, we've got legal, we've got the numbers. We've got clout." Thorson's ruling will become final in 45 days, following a mandatory period for appeal. Stiehl said he does not expect such an appeal to be filed.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
10:12:01 AM
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Here's a look at technology to remove sand and gravel from winter highway operations from streams, from The Sky-Hi Daily News. From the article:
Officials got the chance Thursday at Winter Park Resort to view a new technology that can literally vacuum out the silt and sediment clogging the Fraser Valley's streams and rivers. Streamside Systems LCC, an Ohio-based company, put on a demonstration of its patented "Sand Wand System" at the confluence of Jim Creek and the Fraser River. Representatives from Winter Park Resort, the U.S. Forest Service, Winter Park Water & Sanitation and Trout Unlimited were on hand to see what the equipment can do.
Looking like a galvanized version of a vacuum cleaner, the Sand Wand was being maneuvered around large rocks in the middle of the creek by a Streamside Systems technician as the demonstration began. Attached to the wand were hoses that snaked off a few yards to the eight- and 13-horsepower pumps that work as the push-pull portion of the system. More hoses were laid from the pumps to the opposite side of the stream where the system's sediment collection box was located. Within just a minute of turning on the pumps, a steady stream of sand and sediment sucked up by the Sand Wand began pouring down the steel surface of the system's collection box. The system has the capacity under ideal conditions to sweep up and remove 15 cubic yards of sand and sediment per hour. "The Sand Wand shoots a water jet into the stream bottom," said Randall Tucker, the inventor of the Sand Wand and owner of Streamside Systems. "It is strong enough to tumble the smaller rocks and lift up the sand and sediment off the streambed's substrata of gravel." Tucker said the wand selectively removes materials from the stream bottoms. "It vacuums up only certain size particles and leaves anything larger than 8/10ths of an inch in diameter," he said. "What this systems does is sediment removal, not dredging, which can be very damaging to aquatic ecosystems."
Along with the Sand Wand, Tucker has developed and patented the Bedload Collector and Drop Box Filter, which he describes as a "passive collection system" which can be placed in a stream to trap sand and sediments. Tucker and Streamside Systems were invited to the Fraser Valley by Kirk Klancke, chapter president of Trout Unlimited and president of the East Grand Water Quality Board...
"It was just great," [Kirk Klancke, chapter president of Trout Unlimited and president of the East Grand Water Quality Board] said. "Steamside took a heavily sedimented portion of Ranch Creek that I know by heart and turned it into a perfect spawning area for trout." Klancke said the technology offered by Streamside System is one possible solution to the declining health of the Fraser Valley's streams. "We trying to find solutions to the problems of sedimentation and low stream flows in this area," Klancke said. He explained that one of the biggest causes of sedimentation for the area's streams and rivers is sand being washed off local roadways. "For example, CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) spreads an average of 9,000 tons of sand every year on Berthoud Pass," he said. "A lot of that gets washed off into the creeks. It's choking the upper Fraser River." To find a solution to that problem, Klancke said the East Grand Water Quality Board has already secured a grant for $250,000 to construct a sediment collection basin at the base of Berthoud Pass. That proposed project is awaiting a review by the Denver Water Board. "Once that's built, we'll need another one further downstream," he said. As for the problem of low stream flow, Klancke said a major reason for that is water diversion from the Fraser River to the Front Range by the Denver Water Board. "The low flows are another cause of the sediment problem in our streams," he said. "Those that are profiting from taking the water might feel some responsibility for it. Why can't they help mitigate this problem? This is a solution."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
9:43:39 AM
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It sounds like Eric Wilkinson, manager of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, decided to pick a fight yesterday in Grand Junction during the session Front Range Vision for a Water Supply Future at the Colorado River District's Annual Water Seminar. According to The Rocky Mountain News, "And [The Front Range Water Council] said they would like to see the state rethink how much water it provides for the fish and kayakers. 'I know that's controversial,' Wilkinson said." From the article:
In 50 years, housing developments will be packed tight, water prices will be sky high and cities such as Denver, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs will share their expensive water systems instead of insisting that everything remain separate, as they do today. Or that's what a powerful new coalition of cities, known as the Front Range Water Council, believes must occur to stave off looming water shortages. Council members include Denver Water, the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Pueblo and the Southeastern Water Conservancy District. "We know there is a better way to do things," said Eric Wilkinson, manager of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, which serves Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley, among others. Wilkinson's comments came Friday at a meeting of more than 200 water managers and elected officials. It was the first time the council has presented its vision to the powerful Western Slope water establishment, from which most of Colorado's Front Range derives its water.
"You're going to see more water conservation," said Mark Pifher, manager of Aurora Water. "You're going to see mandatory efficiency devices and you're going to see 'full cost' water." He said a water tap in Aurora for a single-family home costs $28,000 today, which is several thousand dollars higher than the price tag even five years ago. "That's going to become the norm in the future," Pifher said. Slashing water use by raising prices, reducing lawns by placing houses shoulder-to-shoulder and mandating energy-efficient clothes washers and shower heads will help the Front Range cope with water shortages, Pifher said. "You're going to see urban planners and city councils pack (houses) in close because it's more cost effective and efficient," Pifher said. "As costs escalate, people are going to rethink where they want to live and how much water they want to use." Beyond cost, though, Pifher and Wilkinson said the Front Range would have to team with the Western Slope to build at least one major water project that could supply both sides of the Continental Divide.
Eric Kuhn, manager of the Colorado River District, the largest utility on the Western Slope, said Colorado should take an ultra-cautious approach to developing the state's remaining supplies, giving a small amount to the Front Range, a small amount to the Western Slope and the environment, and setting some aside for energy development. No major projects should be built until better science on global warming and chronic drought can be developed, he said, something likely to take another 30 years. "Why don't we start small, see what we can develop, and in 30 years or so re-evaluate where we are? We have to use what we've got with great love and care," he said.
How water shortages could reshape the Front Range by 2058:
* Cities will be super-dense to shrink lawns and shorten water pipelines.
* Water prices will soar to pay for new water systems and force conservation.
* Regional water utilities will be formed so costs can be shared and reduced.
* Large swaths of irrigated farmland will go dry.
* Rules governing existing federal reservoirs will be changed so that cities can use them, instead of building new facilities.
Category: Colorado Water
9:31:10 AM
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From The Fairplay Flume: "At the regular meeting of the Fairplay Sanitation District on Sept. 11, wastewater operator Dave Stanford reported that the new wastewater treatment plant is expected to be completed and operational by Dec. 1 to coincide with the issuance of the wastewater discharge permit from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Construction of the plant will be partly funded by a low-interest loan from the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority and by grants from the CDPHE and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Xcel Energy has completed its design for the power plant, and it plans to begin installation during the week of Sept. 29. The cost to the sanitation district will be $35,000. The board voted to approve the expenditure and sign the construction agreement."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
From The Monte Vista Journal: "The City of Monte Vista plans to study water and sewer rates and compare them to what other communities are charging, with a firm the City Council approved, late last month, for $25,000...Public Works Director Randy Martinez explained what the firm would be doing for the city, in planning for future water, sewer, and storm sewer enterprise operations, capital costs, and current and potential future debt obligations."
From The Delta County Independent: "Orchard City trustees may decide to halt engineering work on the proposed raw water storage project because of other, more pressing, water system funding needs. But that move would create two other problems. The first is that if the town stops the project at the wrong point in the contract process, it could end up with no engineering drawings from all the work done, and paid for, to date. The second worry is that the town could lose out on a lot of promised grant money reimbursement for quitting now. In order to get all the grant money it has been promised, the town might even have to go through with a full bid process on the project it now doesn't want to do. And if those two major problems weren't enough, the mayor and city manager say they are getting different accounts from their engineer as to how much of the contract work has been completed -- accounts that differ by almost double. And the town has just received a bill for $111,631 worth of that work total."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
From The Pueblo Chieftain: "The Pueblo Board of Water Works is cautiously studying its plant water investment fee to make sure new water users pay their own way without jeopardizing economic development. The water board got its first look Tuesday at a report by consultants Black & Veatch that says Pueblo's rates are too low, either as compared to other Front Range cities or to its own assets. The current structure is $1,702 for commercial and $3,432 for residential lines."
From The Fort Morgan Times: "The trunk line for the new Morgan County Quality Water District system in Hillrose is complete. Now the town administration is waiting for the tank and pumping system components and a pressure test, Town Clerk Lynn Golemboski told the Hillrose Town Council on Monday night. Once the test is done and the components are ready, the service lines to homes can be put in, she said. The Quality Water hookup is already finished, Golemboski said. However, residents will soon have to start paying for their new water. It will cost an additional $26.93 a month per household, she said."
From The Yuma Pioneer: "The Yuma County Water Authority was expected to vote on approval of the purchase agreement with the Pioneer and Laird senior surface water owners, Wednesday night during its meeting in Eckley. The agreement was discussed this past Monday morning at the start of the Yuma County Commissioners meeting, as negotiations continue. Commissioner Robin Wiley said nothing occurred then, but likely could Wednesday night at the YCWA board discusses details of the agreement. The agreement is what will be activated if Yuma County voters approve two ballot measures in the upcoming general election. Pioneer and certain owners of the Laird Ditch, have a petition before the Colorado Ground Water Commission that seeks to shut down all high-capacity wells within 20 miles of the North Fork of the Republican River, and tributaries. Pioneer's and Laird's petition currently is on hold, as Yuma County leaders have put together a buyout plan it is presenting to voters in the November general election.
"Voters will have two questions to consider. The first asks to approve a bond issue of $15.375 million (The $375,000 is for legal fees and election costs), with a 20-year repayment schedule. The $15 million would be part of a total purchase of $20 million of senior surface water rights along the North Fork from the Pioneer and Laird owners. The other $5 million would come from a 20-year lease for the surface water rights by the Republican River Water Conservation District -- which will use the water to help the state of Colorado meet its obligations to the Republican River Compact."
Category: Colorado Water
9:19:06 AM
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From The Valley Courier: "Although cross connections were not determined to be the source of the salmonella outbreak in Alamosa this spring, city officials are taking measures to make sure cross connection backflow situations will not create city water contamination problems in the future. The city council will consider for adoption in its October 1 meeting an ordinance governing cross connections to prevent backflow and protect the city's water supply. The council will first hold a public hearing on the evening of October 1...This spring Alamosa Public Works Director Don Koskelin and state health department officials began working with local businesses and other water users to make sure they installed backflow prevention devices to prevent water from going back into the public water system. Such devices were required already in state and federal regulations but the City of Alamosa did not have the means to enforce those regulations. The ordinance proposed to be adopted on October 1 will implement the means to enforce existing state and federal regulations. During the salmonella aftermath the state recommended that the city adopt an ordinance like this."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
9:12:26 AM
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From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: "Oil shale will be the biggest consumer of Western Slope water in the coming decades, assuming it's developed at all."
More from the article:
"Oil shale is the 800-pound gorilla" in the computations aimed at predicting the region's water use, Dan R. Birch, deputy general manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District, told more than 200 people Friday at the district's annual seminar in Grand Junction. It's not possible to know exactly how much water might be required to produce petroleum from oil shale, Birch said. Even the companies working on the problem don't know how much water they'll need, he said...
Those demands include water needed in the process of extracting petroleum from the rock as well as that needed in the process of generating electricity to heat the shale, Birch said. Oil-shale related demand for water won't spike until as late as 2050, according to preliminary studies by the river district, but it will far outstrip the needs of other energy sources. Many companies involved in oil shale already hold "extensive portfolios" of absolute and conditional water rights and eventually will have to build storage if they want to develop the shale, he said. The river district hopes to work with the industry in that case to use that water storage to meet agricultural, municipal and environmental needs, Birch said.
From The Glenwood Springs Post Independent:
Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said Wednesday that he supports oil shale language in an energy bill approved by the U.S. House this week that gives states the chance to "opt-in" to oil shale development. However, that bill also includes language that would lift a ban that has blocked the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from issuing final commercial oil shale regulations. Salazar previously said he would fight to keep the ban -- which is slated to end at the end of September -- in place. It was a position that resulted in significant Republican criticism for Salazar. Salazar said his support for the House bill's oil shale package comes from language that would give power to the state legislature and the governor's office to decide if any commercial oil shale leasing can go forward in the state. "In effect, it allows us in the state of Colorado to control our own destiny," Salazar said. "At the end of the day, the people of the state of Colorado are the ones who ultimately will derive both the benefits and the detriments of oil shale development. So having the governor and members of the General Assembly making that decision, I think is a correct one and one I support."
Salazar said his staff was looking to see if that legislation may affect the six oil shale research and development leases in Colorado and Utah, and whether the bill would block those leases from expanding. He added that there are several key unanswered questions that surround oil shale development, like how much water and energy would be needed to drive extraction of the resource. "Those questions remain out there," he said. "I don't believe that within Colorado the federal government should rush head long into a full-scale oil shale development program."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Climate Change News
9:05:10 AM
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© Copyright
2008
John Orr.
Last update:
10/1/08; 6:43:38 AM.
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