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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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From the Durango Herald "Two Colorado members of Congress want chemicals used in gas and oil production to lose their exemption from a federal water-quality law.
"Democrats Diana DeGette of Denver and John Salazar of Manassa introduced a bill late last month to remove the Safe Drinking Water Act exemption for hydraulic fracturing fluids. Congress passed the exemption in the 2005 Energy Policy Act. Hydrofracing fluids have come under increased scrutiny recently. A Durango nurse fell gravely ill after treating a worker who cleaned up a small frac- fluid spill south of Bayfield. And U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman has held hearings on the topic in his Committee on Oversight and Government Reform."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
5:49:52 PM 
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Here's the link to the Colorado Foundation for Water Education's new Citizen's Guide to Climate Change. You can read it online or -- better yet -- order it from the CFWE store.
Their focus is on Colorado, the science around climate change and the possible scenarios that may play our over time. The guide looks at supply problems -- current and expected -- along with the effects on agriculture, health and the environment. CFWE tells the story of climate change through the eyes of experts along with great graphics.
Category: Colorado Water
10:54:28 AM
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From the Telluride Watch: "Concerned citizens in the upper and lower Uncompahgre River basins have formed the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership. With funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, the group intends to develop a watershed plan that will identify and prioritize projects that will ultimately improve water quality and ecosystem health in the watershed.
"According to Jeff Crane, executive director of the Colorado Watershed Assembly, the movement began about two years ago when the Friends of the River Uncompahgre began a concerted effort to work on riparian buffers in the Montrose area, while the Ridgway/Ouray Community Coalition was working on water issues in the upper basin. Both had requested organizational assistance from the Colorado Watershed Assembly."
Category: Colorado Water
7:48:15 AM
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Update For a copy of the report send email to coyotegulch [AT] mac [DOT com. The Colorado River District tells me that it should be online later this week.
Here's an article about a new study of water needs to continue oil, gas and oil shale development, from the Rocky Mountain News. From the article:
An analysis of the water needed to produce oil shale indicates that most of the remaining flows in the Colorado River and two of its tributaries, widely viewed as the state's last source of new water supplies, would need to be tapped to mine the energy-rich shale. According to the assessment, as much as 410,000 acre-feet of water would be required to produce 1.5 million barrels of oil from shale annually by 2050...
Most of the water would be used to cool coal-fired power plants that supply the electricity needed to extract oil from shale. "Oil shale is the real 800- pound gorilla out there," said Jim Pokrandt, a spokesman for the Colorado River District and member of the panel that commissioned the study. "We're not advocates for or against oil shale. But if its requirements are as large as it looks like they're going to be, we ought to be looking at it now. We can't just say we're going to have oil shale tomorrow." The study, funded by the state, was undertaken to see how much water will be needed to continue developing energy. It examines energy production scenarios that also include natural gas, uranium and coal, as well as oil shale. The study concludes that most energy-related water needs, such as those for coal and natural gas, could be accommodated without major new water development. But oil shale, because it requires vast amounts of electricity to extract, likely will require vast amounts of water as well. But the study notes that if natural gas electric plants were used to power shale extraction, the amount of water needed could be reduced by as much as two-thirds. If nuclear power were used, the water needed would be twice that of the coal-powered scenarios...
The water would come from a set of water rights on the Colorado, Yampa and White rivers already owned by oil companies such as Shell, Exxon and Encana. Tracy Boyd, a Denver-based spokesman for Shell, said that the study's water estimates and production scenarios are aggressive "but conceivable." Still, he said, the kind of power that eventually would be used is an open question. "I would not want to rule out other sources such as wind power," Boyd said. "Fifteen years from now (when shale production is expected to ramp up), there might be a lot of things driving the electrical piece." Shell already owns five wind farms, including one in Colorado.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.
Category: Climate Change News
7:44:13 AM
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The trial over the rules for the Rio Grande Water Conservation District's first groundwater management sub-district will start next week, according to the Valley Courier. From the article:
The San Luis Valley's first water management sub-district plan goes to court next week as District/Water Judge O. John Kuenhold hears arguments about its merits and demerits. Kuenhold will jointly hear two cases involving the plan's approval, one regarding approval by the sub-district's sponsor the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, and one regarding approval by the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Objections have been filed to both local and state approval of the plan. Only one objector, Bill Ellithorpe, remains in the case against the water district. The other objectors take issue with the state's approval of the water management plan...
The trial before Judge Kuenhold is scheduled for three weeks but participants are hoping it will conclude in less time than that. Opening arguments from the numerous participants will begin on Monday, about a year after the Rio Grande Water Conservation District (RGWCD) board approved the sub-district plan...
The water trial in Alamosa next week revolves around a plan developed by the board of managers for the Valley's first water sub-district, an entity under the auspices of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District. The groundwater management sub-district is designed to reduce water consumption in the Valley and shore up the Valley's aquifers through a "pay to play" plan that levies fees on irrigators within the sub-district boundaries and offers financial incentives for those who voluntarily take land out of production. The first sub-district encompasses an area generally located in the closed basin area of the Valley north of the Rio Grande.
RGWCD Attorney David Robbins during the water district board's quarterly meeting on Tuesday outlined the participants in next week's trial. On one hand will be the water district and its attorneys Robbins and Ingrid Barrier; the state water division's legal representation Peter Ampe and associates with the Attorney General's office; and attorneys with supporting water groups including Bill Paddock for the Rio Grande Water Users Association. On the other hand will be various individuals, companies and attorneys who take issue with the water management plan in its current form. Those include: attorney Tim Buchanan representing a group of individuals as well as the San Antonio, Los Pinos and Conejos River Acequia Preservation Association; attorney Stéphane Atencio representing Richard Ramstetter who is expected to testify during the trial; attorney Erich Schwiesow representing the Costilla Ditch Company; three individuals who are not represented by legal counsel (Robbins said two of the individuals told the judge they do not intend to formally participate in the trial as far as questioning witnesses and presenting evidence); Ellithorpe with Buchanan as counsel; and clients represented by attorney James Bailey.
Robbins said he understood Buchanan would be calling six witnesses including an expert witness who is a geologist. Buchanan listed more than 60 names of potential witnesses whom he said were back up witnesses in case some of the 6 witnesses he planned to call could not make it. Robbins said the water district will call three witnesses including the district's engineer Allen Davey, the district's manager Steven Vandiver and Lynn Kopfman who led the board of managers through the development of the sub-district management plan. Robbins said the state plans to call four witnesses: Ken Knox who was acting state director when the plan was approved at the state level; Michael Sullivan, recently named deputy state engineer who has served as division engineer for the Division of Water Resources Division III; Dick Wolfe, the current state engineer; and the deputy division engineer from Pueblo who will describe how wells and surface water rights are managed there.
Objectors represented by attorneys Bill Hillhouse and John McClure have reached a stipulation with the water district, Robbins explained, but Buchanan has filed an objection to the stipulation alleging that it is an attempt to modify the plan without going through the proper procedure such as publication and public comment. Robbins contended that the stipulation changed nothing in the plan. Hillhouse added, "The stipulation does not add anything beyond the statutory requirement that the district and sub-district create a budget." He said the budget is required already, and the stipulation just talks about the process the district/sub-district will follow to adopt the annual budget. Kuenhold is considering Buchanan's objection and told the parties on Monday that he would make a decision in the next day or so. Whether the judge accepts the Hillhouse and McClure stipulation will determine how involved those parties will be in the trial next week.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
7:32:59 AM
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From the Denver Post: "Recent, and alarming, findings have confirmed the presence of quagga and zebra mussels in seven Colorado flat waters. These are Pueblo, Granby, Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain, Willow Creek and the two latest discoveries, Tarryall and Jumbo. These represent a strange mixture of waters, ranging from high mountains to low plains. Apart from the obvious connection among the four upper Colorado River Basin reservoirs, there seems little rhyme or reason to it all."
More from the article:
Trouble is, well-intentioned inspections that also involve Colorado State Parks and the cities of Denver, Aurora and Westminster may have little impact on preventing the spread of mussels. By one estimate, these examinations prove 95 percent effective in eliminating microscopic veligers, the larval stage, from boats entering target reservoirs. That represents a brave effort, but lousy math. It only takes a couple of larvae lounging in the labyrinth of tubing inside a fishing boat, just one little miss, to set the cycle in motion...
Although the zebra was first identified at Pueblo Reservoir last January, the quagga may pose the greater threat. It appears to tolerate colder water and lower calcium levels. The tiny mollusks pose a threat to other aquatic organisms, such as crayfish and native clams. But the greater concern is the menace these barnacle-like creatures hold for the creations of man: boats, motors and, most impactive, the various facilities of water providers Denver, Aurora and other cities. No one can blame them for a full-out effort to keep mussels out of the plumbing to forestall what may be expensive repairs. Obeisance for DOW and Parks to the water providers is understandable, considering that the reservoirs in question hold the finest trout fishing in the state.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
7:22:19 AM
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Here's an update on the Fountain Creek Watershed Plan, from the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
Meetings in Pueblo and Colorado Springs will share information and solicit comments about the activities of the Fountain Creek Vision Task Force and the Fountain Creek Watershed Plan. The Pueblo meeting is scheduled for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Convention Center. The Colorado Springs meeting is set 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at Colorado Springs Utilities' Leon Young Service Center. Both meetings will feature presentations on both reports, discussion sessions and open houses with visual displays.
The Watershed Plan represents a nine-year effort by communities in El Paso, Pueblo and Teller counties to deal with erosion, sedimentation and flood control issues on Fountain Creek. The group spent $3 million, half of it federal money, and worked with the Army Corps of Engineers to address issues brought to a head by flooding on the creek in 1999. The Corps will release the final report on Nov. 7...
The Vision Task Force has met for a little more than two years to bring together El Paso and Pueblo counties on a broader range of issues. In addition to looking at the physical characteristics of the creek covered in the Corps study, the group has looked at open space, recreation, agricultural and water quality issues. It also came to the conclusion last year that an authority was needed to administer Fountain Creek projects. In recent months, the Vision Task Force has been drafting an intergovernmental agreement between El Paso and Pueblo counties. If the counties sign the agreement, Colorado Springs and Pueblo would be invited to sign as well. Once the agreement is signed, Pueblo and Colorado Springs would ask the state Legislature to approve a special district consisting of all the land in both counties. Later, the district would be required to ask voters to fund it. Gary Barber, of the El Paso County Water Authority, outlined the Vision Task Force plans for the Technical Advisory Committee of the Watershed Plan on Tuesday at a meeting in Colorado Springs. Barber has worked on drafting the IGA and potential state legislation. "We have two big questions," Barber said. "Who decides how the money is spent? And: Under whose advice are they acting?" Barber said the authority would be necessary to leverage federal funds for large projects on Fountain Creek. While a nine-member board appointed by elected officials is part of the proposed IGA, it also envisions both a citizens advisory group and a technical advisory group in the future, Barber said. The Vision Task Force could logically extend its work as the citizens group, while the Watershed Plan TAC could become the technical group...
Barb Dallemand, El Paso stormwater coordinator, said members of the new technical group should be appointed according to discipline, in order to avoid a group too heavily influenced by stormwater-oriented engineers. "We need a reality check," said Kim Headley, Pueblo County planning director. "If an entity is responsible for funding recommendations, then the political entities are going to want representation."
From the Pueblo Chieftain: "Fountain Creek Water Sentinels will host its last training of 2008 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Girl Scouts building, 21 Montebello. The event will train any person, experienced or not, to collect water samples of Fountain Creek on a regular basis. The samples are analyzed for pH, conductivity, temperature and E. coli bacteria...For information, call 582-0249."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
7:14:58 AM
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Here's a recap of Tuesday's meeting of the Pueblo Board of Water Works, from the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The Pueblo Board of Water Works awarded about $3.5 million in contracts Tuesday to supply water to a new South Side industrial park where wind turbine manufacturer Vestas plans to build a plant. The water board will be able to deliver water to the new plant by Aug. 1, although the water tower is not expected to be complete until November 2009. The largest bid of $2.76 million went to Caldwell Tanks of Louisville, Ky., for construction of the water tower, which will be east of Interstate 25 across from the reservoirs at Stem Beach. The concrete tower and elevated steel tank will be similar to the tower on Platteville Road north of Pueblo, but more visible from the freeway, said Lee Huffstutter, manager of the transmission, distribution and engineering division. The new tower will be 120 feet high, compared with the 90-foot Platteville tower. The tower will be on five acres of land deeded to the city by Vestas. Huffstutter said the land is sufficient for construction of lines leading to and from the water tank, stormwater control structures and the possibility of adding a pump station if Pueblo expands to the east and south...
Executive Director Alan Hamel said the project is being fast-tracked in order to meet deadlines for Vestas, which will manufacture towers for wind turbines at the Pueblo plant. The last expansion of the Pueblo water system was at Platteville in 1997, and was undertaken to accommodate more gradual expansion to the north. Hamel said the water tower will eventually supply other new development in the industrial park south of the steel mill on former CF&I land...
Overall, when installation costs for the pipeline and other factors are considered, the water board has budgeted $5 million to supply water to the industrial park. Of that, $2.5 million will come from a federal Economic Development Administration grant. The water board will pay the other half through its water development fund, which uses leases and a portion of customer payments to accumulate money for things like purchase of water rights, storage or expansion of the water system.
Category: Colorado Water
7:04:35 AM
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Here's an article about Larimer County's comments on the draft environmental impact statement for the Windy Gap Firming Project which includes the proposed Chimney Hollow Reservoir, from the Fort Collins Coloradoan. They write:
The proposed Chimney Hollow Reservoir could result in lower water levels and shorter boating seasons at Horsetooth Reservoir, county officials say...
The Larimer County commissioners on Tuesday approved comments on a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Windy Gap Firming Project, which calls for building Chimney Hollow to supply Front Range municipalities and water districts...
Chimney Hollow is the preferred alternative proposed by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District and participating entities. It would hold 90,000 acre feet of water, about as much as Carter Lake. Chimney Hollow is preferable to the other alternatives in part because it would have less of an impact on wetland areas, Doug Ryan of the county's health department told the commissioners. But the county has some concerns, Ryan said, including water quality and quantity issues at Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake. Computer models indicate nutrient and dissolved oxygen levels in the reservoirs could be affected by water brought from the Fraser River, Ryan said. The changes would be "relatively minor" and would not violate water-quality standards, Ryan said, but they should be addressed through mitigation in the final EIS for the project. Depending on how Chimney Hollow is operated, the water level at Horsetooth could go down 6 feet, taking boat ramps and the Inlet Bay Marina out of operation weeks earlier than normal, he said. That should be avoided or mitigated, he said...
Under an agreement with Northern Water, the county would manage recreation on the reservoir. The site would be next to the county's Blue Mountain Open Space and connected by trails and a road.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.
Category: Colorado Water
6:59:08 AM
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© Copyright
2008
John Orr.
Last update:
11/1/08; 8:10:24 PM.
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