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Sunday, September 28, 2008
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Here's a look at all that unappropriated water up in the Yampa River, from The Steamboat Pilot & Today. They write:
Thinking about water for its traditional values began to evolve as early as 1897, when Congress adopted the National Forest Organic Act, which prohibited further homesteading and sale of forested watersheds. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that this and other forest statutes did not create instream flow water rights for fishing and recreation within the national forests. Not until 1973 did the Colorado General Assembly pass the instream flow and lake level law allowing the Colorado Water Conservation Board to obtain water rights sufficient to "preserve the natural environment to a reasonable degree." In 2001, Colorado's General Assembly adopted the Arkansas River Basin Pilot Water Bank and Recreational In-Channel diversion statutes, recognizing, for the first time, a water right for recreational uses.
We've witnessed the federal government and the state government make decisions regarding how water is to be allocated for use. So ... whose water is it? We often hear the term "Waters of the State" when referring to Colorado's water resources. Under Colorado law, ownership of water resources resides in the public domain. A water right is a right to use water as regulated by a legal framework called the prior appropriation system, and it is mandated by Colorado's Constitution. Water use in Colorado is further constrained by a litany of Congressional Acts and Supreme Court decisions prescribing the states contribution to interstate compacts, equitable apportionment decrees and treaties. Yampa River water flowing into the Green River, and subsequently out of Colorado, is making a significant contribution to our state's ability to meet its obligation under the Colorado River compact of 1922 and the international treaties with Mexico.
Based on information contained in the Statewide Water Supply Initiative report (pdf) released in 2004, the Yampa is one of a few remaining rivers in the state with unappropriated surface water. In 2006, a feasibility study by the Northern Water Conservancy District determined that for a cost of just less than $4 billion, water from the Yampa River could be delivered to the Front Range to meet increased population demands. The SWSI report also predicted that we can expect the Yampa's basin-wide population to increase by 56 percent between 2000 and 2030. Because the SWSI report did not adequately address the potential for increased water needs because of accelerated oil and gas production or for specific requirements of current and future non-consumptive needs, further studies are under way to determine whether additional water supplies should be allocated.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:28:33 PM 
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From The Vail Daily: "When the toilet is flushed, its contents go out of sight and out of mind. But not for Tim Reitz, supervisor of the wastewater plant in Gypsum. Reitz and the rest of the wastewater plant staff deal with 420,000 gallons a day of water contaminated by toilets, showers, dishwashers, washing machines and other waste that goes down the drain. The waste water is purified and is released into the river."
Category: Colorado Water
6:14:17 PM
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Here's a look at the role conservation easements play in keeping water in the river, from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
Given the care they have taken with their land for the last quarter century, it seems odd that Reeves and Betsy Brown, owners of the 3R ranch at Beulah, have no grand plan for saving water in the Arkansas Valley. Instead, it's just a gut instinct that made them decide to speak out on the value of conservation easements at a time when many others are running for cover. "This conversation needs to start so that water rights holders stop selling to the highest bidders," Brown said on a recent morning, taking a break from a project on the ranch. "Lately, the talk about conservation easements has been full of fear and mistrust. But it's the only way we have to assure that we'll be able to keep water in the valley." Mrs. Brown echoed those sentiments...
Beyond that, there's not a timeline or plan, just an expression of hope. Brown said he didn't have a plan or a program, but just wants to get people talking about conservation easements in a positive way again. "There needs to be a fresh approach to them, looking beyond the remuneration you can receive," Brown said. "More than money, is it the right thing to do for the valley? We need to come up with some tools. We need an attitude change and ways to maximize the value of water in the valley." Brown is a member of the Arkansas Basin Roundtable and joined the water transfers committee, which has developed a template for water transfers. The template suggests routes to arrive at mitigation for a sale or lease of water from ag communities to municipal users. Brown said the committee's work isn't done, however, and the discussion about why the water needs to move in the first place needs to continue. "There's value in the committee," Brown said. "We've gotten diverse membership to work on common ground. We've spent time and built trust. But where do we go from here?"
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
9:20:06 AM
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© Copyright
2008
John Orr.
Last update:
10/1/08; 6:50:10 AM.
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