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Thursday, October 23, 2008
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From email from the Colorado River District:
Colorado River District opposes Amendment 52; supports Referendum O
The Colorado River District Board of Directors voted unanimously at its October 22, 2008, regular meeting to oppose Amendment 52, a question appearing on the November 4 general election ballot that would impact funding for water supply projects. The board also voted to support of Referendum O, a measure that would make it easier to petition for a statuary ballot question while making it more difficult to petition for a constitutional ballot question.
The Board opposes Amendment 52's intention to divert Severance Tax funds away from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and water supply projects and apply the money to transportation projects. The Board believes that the issue of water supply is too important to the State of Colorado for funding to be limited by Amendment 52.
Additionally, the Board opposes putting this kind of fiscal policy, currently the purview of the Colorado General Assembly, into Colorado's Constitution. Amendment 52 seeks to cap the amount of Severance Tax revenues available to the Department of Natural Resources at 2007-2008 levels and limits future revenue growth to the rate of inflation.
The Board's support for Referendum O is rooted in the need to limit questions on the ballot that seeking to change the constitution, a vehicle used more and more to create policy that should be accomplished by state statute. State statute is easier to adapt to changing times than is the constitution.
For more information, contact Jim Pokrandt at (970) 945-8522 x 236 or email jpokrandt@crwcd.org.
6:06:09 PM 
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There is some good news on the Quagga mussel front from New York. Scientists have found a natural bacterium that is lethal to the little critters, according to the Press-Enterprise. From the article:
Nearly two decades of research has turned up what could be the first nontoxic treatment for the menacing quagga mussel, a crustacean that threatens water quality and ecosystems nationwide, including reservoirs near Temecula and Riverside and along the Colorado River...
For four years, scientist Dan Molloy and his team at the New York State Museum lab tested more than 700 soil and water samples before they discovered the quagga's nemesis: a common and naturally occurring bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens. In the process, they combed riverbanks, fields and microbial samples in the labs of other scientists, hoping they would find something lethal to the mussels. The needle-in-a-haystack quest hit pay dirt in a North American river; Molloy wouldn't say which one for proprietary reasons. But Pseudomonas fluorescens, which in nature protects plants from root rot, is ubiquitous. Harmless to humans, the soil-loving microbe is carried into buildings on shoes and the wind, and even into milk bottles from the pipes at dairies. "It is in your office, your refrigerator ... everywhere," said Molloy, director of the museum's Cambridge Field Research Laboratory in Cambridge, N.Y.
Back at the lab, the pesky, pinky-sized mussels gobbled the Pseudomonas fluorescens, which proved lethal within days. It was the first organism the researchers tried that had any noticeable affect on the little crustaceans kept in water-filled jars. "For four years they just looked back at us and thumbed their noses," Molloy said. "Then ... they croaked" less than a week after exposure to the bacteria. Molloy spent the following years getting a patent for this particular strain of the bacteria to be used against mussels. He learned how to grow it in the lab and apply it to water pipes, then tested it at New York power plants, where it killed 70 percent of quaggas. He found a company to produce the bacteria commercially, and the treatment is expected to be available to power and water treatment plants next year, he said.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
7:55:10 AM
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Avon may use heat from the wastewater treatment process to heat streets in the town and cool the water before it reaches the Eagle River, according to the Vail Daily. From the article:
Fish in the Eagle River could benefit from a proposed project in Avon, Colorado that would use excess heat created by the wastewater treatment plant to melt snow on the town's future Main Street. It takes a lot of energy to treat water and solid waste, and there's a lot of heat that's generated, but not reused. By capturing this heat and transferring it to a chemical mixture that would be pumped to downtown Avon beneath the streets, the sidewalks could be ice-free and safer to walk on, all without creating nearly as much pollution as a traditional system run entirely by gas fired boilers. The town also wants to use the system to heat the recreation center pool.
An overlooked benefit though is how this system could make the Eagle River a much more hospitable place for fish. The Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, which runs the wastewater plant, says this system could be a good way to cool off water before it's put back in the Eagle River. Cooler water is better for fish, but the plant's effluent, or treated water, is often warmer than the river. It's possible that the state will soon set temperature standards for the river, and this would be a way to plan for those possible regulations, said Diane Johnson, community relations manager for the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District. "When we get rid of that excess heat and it's cooled, that's good for the environment and health of the river," Johnson said.
It's possible the sanitation district could also save money on operating costs. There are stages of water treatment that require lots of heat, and reusing it could make everything more efficient. The district may be able to reduce the amount of expensive polymers used to treat solid waste...
Last week, Gov. Bill Ritter announced this heat-recovery project would be awarded a $1.4 million grant through the New Energy Communities Initiative -- a program designed to promote energy efficient projects. "Despite tight economic conditions, this project received significant support because of the project scope, degree of innovation, and because we have already demonstrated our other sustainability efforts," said Jenny Strehler, Avon's Director of Public Works and Transportation. Without the grant, Avon likely would have to back out of the snowmelt project because of the expense, town manager Larry Brooks said. The heat recovery snowmelt system would cost around $3.68 million to install. This would be $1.2 million more than a traditional snowmelt system with gas-fired boilers would cost. Traditional snowmelt, while cheaper to install, would have too large a carbon footprint, Brooks said.
Category: Colorado Water
7:39:01 AM
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From the Johnstown Breeze: "Monday night, on a routine vote, the council moved to file a lawsuit against the Consolidated Hillsborough Ditch Company. The council alluded to it two weeks ago, when it learned that Hillsborough - a company that has kept water flowing to local farmers since the 1860s - denied the town the right to cut through part of its old ditch in downtown Johnstown. Town Attorney Russ Anson said he didn't know the time frame on the legal action. Johnstown needs to finish a $2 million storm water project, and the ditch is in the way. The option is to cut through it, or drill under it. Cutting through it is favored by town staff, but Hillsborough doesn't want the ditch disturbed. The ditch company is also concerned about setting a precedent, which might bring all sorts of towns and contractors that want to cut through the ditch along its 25-mile route through northern Colorado. Drilling underneath, which is favored by the ditch company, is more expensive than cutting through it, according to town staff. During its six-month irrigation season, the Hillsborough Ditch delivers 65 million gallons of water a day to local farmers."
Category: Colorado Water
7:29:38 AM
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From the Greeley Tribune: "An amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot designed to improve the Interstate 70 corridor will take money away from water projects in the state, according to opponents of Amendment 52. The amendment, being pushed by three Republican legislators, would allow lawmakers to earmark new severance tax revenues to fund highway projects, specifically the I-70 corridor. Harold Evans, chairman of the Greeley Water Board, said the board is studying the proposal and may oppose it. The amendment is already being opposed by the Denver Water Board, the South Platte Roundtable along with several other groups and organizations, he said. The South Platte Roundtable is a group that represents the South Platte river basin's water interests, and is unanimously against the amendment. Evans said the amendment would take funding from the Colorado Water Conservation Board."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Colorado Water
7:24:32 AM
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Rate payers that conserve can't get a break. The Pueblo Board of Water Works is looking to raise rates 4.75%, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The Pueblo Board of Water Works is looking at a 4.75 percent rate increase in 2009, along with a 30 percent hike in plant water investment fees. The board set a workshop and hearing on the 2009 budget for next month. The workshop is set to begin at noon on Nov. 6 at the water board's offices, where requests for changes in the budget will be explained to the board by staff. The public hearing is scheduled at 2 p.m. Nov. 18.
Category: Colorado Water
7:21:50 AM
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From the Rifle Citizen Telegram: "Rifle, Colorado City Council members voted 4-3 at the Wednesday, Oct. 15 meeting to not approve the application submitted by Laramie Energy II out of Grand Junction. Laramie was seeking the permit application for an exploration drilling project within five miles of the city's Beaver Creek watershed district. However, there were concerns about the proximity of the Beaver Creek Road and the effects that truck traffic might have on the city's water supply or repercussions should there be an oil or grease spill. A proposed performance bond of $200,000 by Laramie was suggested by the city's water resources engineer, Michael Erion, of Resource Engineering, Inc. Other suggestions included realignment of the road so traffic would not be so close to the watershed."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
Category: Climate Change News
7:18:00 AM
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© Copyright
2008
John Orr.
Last update:
11/1/08; 8:11:15 PM.
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