Saturday, October 11, 2008

Aspinall Unit update From email from Reclamation (Dan Crabtree): "To further respond to the current drying trend in the Gunnison River Basin, and in conjunction with the Brown Trout spawning season, Reclamation will again decrease releases from the Aspinall Unit. On Sunday, October 12th Crystal releases will be reduced by 200 cfs from 1,650 cfs to 1,450 cfs resulting in a flow in the Black Canyon and Gunnison Gorge of 600 cfs." Category: Colorado Water 8:05:39 AM     Carter Reservoir, Horsetooth Reservoir and Green Mountain Reservoir update From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb): "As of this morning, October 10, we have turned the pump off to Carter Lake. This means while water is still going out of the reservoir, no water is currently coming in. Today, Carter is sitting at an elevation of 5704--an elevation it has held most of the week. "The maintenance work in the section of the Charles Hansen Feeder Canal to Horsetooth wrapped up. That combined with the pump being turned off means water is once again coming into Horsetooth. By this afternoon, we should be delivering about 300 cfs to Horsetooth. Releases have dropped down from yesterday with about 188 cfs going out this morning. The reservoir has evened out today at an elevation of 5383. I'm anticipating it will stay around that elevation through the weekend. Depending on water demands, it could creep up. But we'll have to see what the weather does. "The six-lane boat ramp in Horsetooth's South Bay is in the water and boats were out when I drove by. Carter has both the North Ramp and the North Pines ramp in the water and boats have been out there, too. I also understand that kokanee is underway at Carter." Green Mountain: "[Wednesday], after the weekly coordination call, it was decided releases from Green Mountain would bump up about 50 cfs. We are currently releasing 850 cfs to the Lower Blue. That should stay through the weekend." Category: Colorado Water 7:57:47 AM     Energy policy: Geothermal Here's Part I and Part II of The Pagosa Daily Post's series "The Problem with a Ten Year Lease." From the article: The Council and the audience were in basic agreement on one point: that the Town's geothermal water rights -- 450 GPM to be used for "municipal use associated with geothermal heating" -- could be a potent source of economic well-being in the Town's future. The Council, as a whole, seemed to feel confident that the Springs Resort can single-handedly provide that economic benefit. The audience, as a whole, seemed to feel that a long-term lease of 400 GPM to a single business entity -- out of a total water right of 450 GPM -- was imprudent. More coverage from The Pagosa Sun: Addressing the Pagosa Springs Town Council Tuesday night, Marsha Preuit, representing the Spa Motel, echoed a sentiment shared by several members of the audience who also stood up before council: "Proceed with caution." The matter of discussion -- and some contention -- was the proposed lease of geothermal water, effluent from the town geothermal system, to the Springs Resort. With details of the draft lease agreement presented at the meeting, citizens speaking before the board voiced concerns regarding the amount of water at stake, the length of time, and what the town would be charging for the water. Although not a 50-year lease (which would violate the Town Charter), the draft agreement offers multiple 10-year leases to the Springs Resort as well as stipulations for lease renewals. The agreement would give the Springs Resort 400 gallons per minute (GPM) after the water's use in the town system. Former town manager Mark Garcia, speaking before the board for the first time since resigning his post in late-April, said that considering the current energy crisis and with the emphasis on the development of alternative energy technologies, "I think it's premature to estimate a value on geothermal resources."[...] One issue not raised in council was a missing section of the agreement dealing with new technologies. Previous drafts of the agreement allowed the town to renegotiate the lease should new energy technologies develop and, therefore, change the town's approach to geothermal water usage. According to town sanitation and geothermal water supervisor Phil Starks, "Nobody really knows why, but somehow that got changed." Starks did say, however, that the technology stipulation would be added back into future drafts of the agreement. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 7:49:22 AM     Quagga mussel veligers found in Tarryall Reservoir From The Fairplay Flume: "Quagga mussel larvae have been found in Tarryall Reservoir southeast of Jefferson in Park County...Quagga mussel larvae, known as veligers, were discovered in water samples taken from Tarryall, and an independent lab confirmed quagga mussel DNA in the samples, said the press release. Once the mussels are established in a lake or reservoir, they reproduce rapidly and there is no way to eradicate them, [Jerry Neal, public information officer for the Division of Wildlife] said, aside from draining the reservoir." More from the article: "Only expensive, regular maintenance keeps pipelines clear and water infrastructure free from damage," Neal said in an e-mail. "Until the adult mussels start showing up, we don't know how damaging they are going to be to our aquatic ecosystems. It if proved necessary and economically viable, a lake like Tarryall could be drained to destroy the mussels. The fishery could then be rebuilt once the lake is no longer infested." The presence of the veligers in Tarryall indicates there are a decent number of adult mussels there. That's the case despite a boat inspection program that has been in place to detect any mussels on boats or trailers before they enter the water. Neal said the DOW doesn't know yet how well established the mussels will become in Tarryall and other lakes in Colorado. There are many variables, including water temperature and water composition, that will determine if the mussels are able to sustain large populations in lakes in Colorado. "We don't know how long it's going to take before we start seeing the effects of the adult mussels," he said. "A lot will depend on how well the mussels are able to grow and reproduce in the lake."[...] All boats entering Tarryall must be inspected at the north ramp off Park County Road 77. If it is determined that a boat is at risk for contamination, there is a decontamination station, known as a "Hotsy," that uses 140 degree water to clean and decontaminate the boat, Neal said... The mussels have moved westward and established a presence in the Western States, Neal said. In Colorado, the mussels were discovered for the first time in Pueblo reservoir in January 2008. The mussels are now present in six other reservoirs: Granby, Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain, Willow Creek, Tarryall and Jumbo. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 7:37:29 AM     San Luis Valley streamflow Streamflows in the Rio Grande River have suffered mightily from the lack of rain over the summer. In the spring county governments were worried about the huge runoff expected and were stockpiling sand bags. What a difference a few months make. Here's a report from The Valley Courier: "It's been a weird year," said Michael Sullivan, division engineer for the Colorado Division of Water Resources Division III (San Luis Valley) and recently appointed deputy state engineer. "If anybody knows where the water went, there's the question of the day," he added... Sullivan said the snowpack accounts for 85 percent of the annual forecast with precipitation making up the rest. Warm winds early on diminished the snowpack, and the Valley did not get precipitation to make up the difference. The annual forecast on the Rio Grande went from almost 900,000 acre feet early in the year to about 710,000 acre feet currently predicted, Sullivan said. He said he still hoped for some rain this fall to help bring up the numbers... The Rio Grande should be running about 500 cubic feet per second (cfs) right now and is only running about 300 cfs. Sullivan said flows had been running above average until July, and then the river took a downward turn. Flows in August were 10-15 percent lower than average and September flows were also below average. The Conejos River system is similarly situated according to Sullivan. However, Conejos flows are a bit better than the Rio Grande. The annual index on the Conejos system is about 403,000 acre feet. "I think that's going to be pretty much spot on," Sullivan said. "That's a big year for them." He said the average of the rivers comprising the Conejos system is about 313,000 acre feet. Sullivan did not have a theory about why the Conejos system was stronger than the Rio Grande this year. The opposite was true last year, he said. The Rio Grande had a big river, 115 percent of normal, and the Conejos ran less than normal last year, or 85 percent of average. This year the Rio Grande system is still about 110 percent of normal at 710,000 acre feet, Sullivan said, but the Conejos system is 120 percent of normal... Even at this point Sullivan is expecting a credit in Colorado's water accounting with the downstream states involved in the Rio Grande Compact. He said both the Rio Grande and Conejos Rivers would show a credit this year because Colorado produced over deliveries, in other words sent more water downriver than it was required by the compact to send to downstream states. Sullivan will be meeting with Valley water users next week to discuss the water situation. He said rather than to accumulate a big "bank account" of water in the Rio Grande Compact storage facility in Elephant Butte in New Mexico, it would be more beneficial to Colorado to keep the water here if possible. He said putting the water into the Valley's aquifers is a good use of any excess water. "It's better to have money in your wallet than money in somebody else's wallet," he said. Sullivan added that if the weather continues to remain warm enough, water could still be diverted to water users this fall and remain in the Valley to shore up its aquifers. Last year diversions continued well into November, he said. "We may have that ability. We don't want to damage ditches with icing problems. We will play it by ear as we go. If we can eat that excess water up in the aquifers here we are going to try and do that." Currently there is no curtailment on either Rio Grande or Conejos Rivers, Sullivan said. Because of larger annual streamflow predictions earlier in the year, Colorado water users curtailed their use to make sure the state sent enough water to the state line to meet its compact obligations. When the flows diminished and the annual projection was adjusted downward, the demand to send water downriver was not as urgent, Sullivan explained. Colorado had already delivered enough water downstream that it was in a credit situation with over deliveries, Sullivan added. "Today we are working against that. They [water users] are diverting everything that's available. That's one of the reasons the river is pretty low in Alamosa." He said the most senior ditches are getting water right now on both the Conejos and Rio Grande systems. Category: Colorado Water 7:27:06 AM     Susan Solomon: This generation is making decisions that will change the geography of the planet Climate change was the theme at the third day of the "Governors Conference on Drought Management and Climate Risk" according to The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: Scientists can say with certainty that droughts will occur. Where, when and for how long are still questions no one can answer. In Colorado, where specific studies are few, climate change could make the effects of those droughts worse because of higher temperatures, even as seasonal changes increase overall demand for water. "A lot of studies for Colorado have not been done," said Joseph Barsugli, a University of Colorado researcher who helped draft a state report on climate change presented at a drought conference this week. "With climate change, you can't assume the past will be a guide." In pulling together the report, the authors looked at what is happening on a global scale and applied what is known about the Western United States to Colorado... The most striking fact about Colorado is an increase in temperature of 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the past 30 years. Scientists aren't sure whether the increase is directly connected to the 1-degree increase in the American West attributed to man-made emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. The effects of global warming on Colorado are expressed as ranges in the report because the impacts are uncertain, said Susan Solomon, senior scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She is a team leader for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007. "Colorado is not one of the places we can be confident of the impacts," Solomon said. Places like Southern Africa and the Mediterranean will definitely see severely warmer and drier weather, but Colorado may not even follow the general trends of the Western United States, she explained... The IPCC attributes most global warming to human activities and the United States has been the worst offender when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, Solomon said. As other nations develop, they could contribute more, but Solomon tries not to be pessimistic because of the experience with the ozone hole over Antarctica in the 1980s. She helped develop the research that linked the problem to fluorocarbons produced by aerosols. Within a decade after the problem was acknowledged, the use of fluorocarbons worldwide was reduced to an acceptable level after their use was prohibited by international treaty in 1987. Similar action could change human actions that are contributing to global warming, which she showed has exceeded historic bounds going back 10,000 years. Some of the problems may not show up within the lifetimes of many alive today. "I'm concerned about the legacy," Solomon said. "This generation is making decisions that will change the geography of the planet. We have to make the decision about whether we want that to happen." There is a smaller historic record to consider in Colorado when looking at the weather and the climate. Human records go back only to 1871, with reliable records for outlying areas dating back to the late 1880s, when Colorado formed a weather service - merged into the National Weather Service that formed soon after, said Nolan Doesken, state climatologist. "So, after 120 years, what do we know? We live at a high elevation in the mid-latitudes, which makes the weather dry, and wild," Doesken said. "There's lots of sunshine and low humidity, which makes people want to live here, but also leads to drought." More coverage of the conference, from The Pueblo Chieftain: The influx of millions of people into Colorado over the next 40 years will have more of an impact on demand for municipal water than changes brought on by a longer growing season. That's the conclusion reached by Gordon McCurry, senior scientist for CDM engineering. McCurry is working on a study for the Interbasin Compact Committee and statewide roundtables looking at how climate change will affect both municipal and agricultural demand. The preliminary results for municipal demand were shared Friday at a conference looking at drought and climate change. "Climate change models have a lot of uncertainty," McCurry said. "We don't have it nailed down yet." One of the most solid predictions, however, is the likelihood of a longer growing season in the future. That will have some consequences for cities, if use of bluegrass at current levels continues. McCurry's study found about a 40,000 acre-foot increase in water demand statewide just from the earlier spring and higher temperatures expected by the year 2050. That pales in comparison to more than 630,000 acre-feet that will be needed to supply an additional 2.8 million people by the year 2030, according to the Statewide Water Supply Initiative. "It suggests to me that population growth will have a stronger influence than climate change on water demand," McCurry said. Climate change could, however, reduce water availability, although there are no clear trends on the total amount of precipitation Colorado can expect in the future. McCurry's study also did not take into account the impact of conservation or changes in urban landscape patterns on demand for water. It showed the amount of water used - called evapotranspiration - by bluegrass already in place would increase by about 9 percent by 2050. McCurry said the use of water by alfalfa currently planted would increase by 20 percent over that time, with more growing days and higher temperatures averaging 2-5 degrees higher than currently seen... A big concern has been the Colorado River basin, which has seen its driest decade since a seven-state compact was signed in 1922. Although the states worked out a plan to share shortages and surpluses last year - primarily by allocating water between Lake Mead and Lake Powell - the agreement runs through 2025. After that, if conditions change, Colorado River users in Colorado might face a call from downstream states, said Ted Kowalski, program manager for the CWCB. That could mean less water for transmountain diversions that provide water to most major cities on the Front Range... In Colorado, the time is now to begin looking at how a possible shortfall would be managed, Kowalski said. The Southwest and Colorado River conservation districts are looking at a water banking agreement that would connect willing buyers and sellers within Colorado, for instance... Zeke Williams, a lawyer who specializes in environmental law, said climate change could also have an impact on National Environmental Policy Act decisions. NEPA is a process that provides for disclosure of impacts of projects that have a federal role. It has become a powerful tool not because of any regulatory powers, but because it forces issues to be considered, Williams said. "It makes you look before you leap," Williams said. Already, climate change has been a factor in several court challenges to NEPA decisions, including cases involving coal mining and automobile fuel efficiency ratings. Williams said there would almost certainly be more cases in the future. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 6:57:10 AM     Openings on the Yampa/White/Green Roundtable From The Steamboat Pilot & Today: "The Yampa/White Basin Roundtable is accepting applications to fill vacant seats. There are four voting seats open at this time: one representing environmental interests, one representing agricultural interests, one representing the Colorado River Water Conservancy District and one seat representing the Pothook Water Conservancy District...The roundtable meets quarterly at different locations throughout the basins. The October meeting is Oct. 22 at Northwestern Colorado Community College in Rangely. Interested parties should send a letter of interest and qualifications by Oct. 17 to: Paul Strong, P.O. Box 776189, Steamboat Springs, CO 80477-6189; via e-mail at paul@strong-cpa.com; or by fax at: 970-879-9215." Category: Colorado Water 6:42:12 AM

© Copyright 2008 John Orr. Last update: 11/1/08; 7:57:47 PM.