Although portions of this report are used on occasion in Colorado Central Magazine, we do not publish the full report there, as we do on this website. It is prepared by Steve Glazer of Crested Butte and is distributed early each month via an email list. To subscribe to that list, email to <listserv@lists.sierraclub.org> with SUBSCRIBE RMC-CONS-WATER as the message.
Please note that this is an archive, and some links may no longer function.
A debate between Colorado gubernatorial candidates Democrat Bill Ritter and Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez in Pueblo was much more spirited and lively than debates around Denver, especially when the debate turned to protecting water quality and storage in southeast Colorado. Denver Post; Oct. 26 <http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_4551473>
An historic tug-of-war between Front Range municipalities and West Slope ranchers, recreationists and other users protective of their stretch of the Colorado River, came to a head earlier this year when Xcel Energy and Denver Water announced they would renew a utility agreement that includes provisions for Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant's water use. Glenwood Springs Post Independent, 10/1 <http://www.postindependent.com/article/20061001/VALLEYNEWS/110010029>
The Breckenridge Sanitation District suspended plans for a proposed $10 million Blue River pumpback after negotiations with the board of county commissioners failed to resolve issues related to the county's permitting authority over the project. Summit Daily News, 9/30 <http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20060929/NEWS/109290066>
A state water judge in Colorado approved a plan to allow water to remain in the Arkansas River between March 15 and Nov. 15 for whitewater parks in Buena Vista and Salida, which bring millions of dollars each year to local economies, though the plan wouldn't affect flows between Nov. 15-March 15 so irrigation companies can store water. Boulder Daily Camera (AP); Oct. 22 <http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/state_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2419_5085442,00.html>
The Colorado Riverfront Foundation has pledged $25,000 to help Palisade build a whitewater park at the mouth of De Beque Canyon on the Colorado River, and local officials have begun working with the Bureau of Reclamation on the proposal. Grand Junction Sentinel; Oct. 25 <http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/10/25/10_25_6b_Whitewater_park.html>
Farmers in northeastern Colorado who were ordered to shut down their irrigation pumps earlier this year were stunned to hear that Boulder hired private investigators to drive by their fields and report plots that showed signs that they had been recently irrigated. Boulder Daily Camera (AP); Oct. 18 <http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/state_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2419_5074814,00.html>
About 50 farmers from northern Colorado defied rules made in 2003 that told them to turn off water pumps if they couldn't prove that the water would be replaced from underground aquifers linked to the South Platte River, and those farmers will likely face a water court judge in Greeley. Denver Post; Oct. 24 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4539686>
Water consumption by Denver's 1.2 million users was down 11 percent below pre-drought levels during the 2006 outdoor watering season, and authorities say it's due to late season storms, but also to changes in consumer use habits, and maybe indicates a shift toward more conservation. Denver Rocky Mountain News; Oct. 12 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5059044,00.html>
Some residents in the foothills of Colorado's Front Range like the idea of a "mountain groundwater overlay district", proposed by Jefferson County officials, but other say the plan, which would require proof of sufficient well water or water storage before a building or rezoning permit is issued, is costly and unnecessary. Denver Post; Oct. 5 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4443506>
Some of the few remaining residents of Rancho Colorado, a subdivision proposed in the 1970s but not populated until the 1990s, say Fort Carson's expansion plans are the true impetus for water suppliers shutting off residents from purchasing water to haul to their homes. Colorado Springs Independent; Oct. 13 <http://www.csindy.com/csindy/2006-10-12/cover.html>
A district water judge heard arguments on Friday about whether waste water produced from coal-bed methane gas drilling should be overseen by the State Engineer's office. Farmington Daily Times, 10/26 <http://www.daily-times.com/search/ci_4539930>
Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado and the Department of Interior together created an agreement to protect flows on the Platte River for farmers and also increase wildlife habitat to comply with the Endangered Species Act, and the plan will cost about $317 million, though some farmers don't think it does enough for them. Casper Star-Tribune (AP); Oct. 29 <http://www.trib.com/articles/2006/10/29/news/regional/76496ac210807f9587257215002122e9.txt>
Wyoming lawmakers are just beginning to investigate a plan by businessman Aaron Million, who wants to build a 400-mile-long pipeline through the state to pump water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir to Colorado's Front Range, and so far, the lawmakers are a bit skeptical. Casper Star Tribune; Oct. 22 <http://www.trib.com/articles/2006/10/22/news/wyoming/0966cda6e231268b8725720e00819adb.txt>
Mike Besson, director of the Wyoming Water Development Commission, told attendees at a water conference that recent drought and changes in the state's climate had reduced water supplies and forced his office to restrict use on some streams that had never before been regulated. Casper Star-Tribune; Oct. 6 <http://www.trib.com/articles/2006/10/06/news/top_story/4c19f181bb9d7fea872571ff000410ac.txt>
As part of Gov. Bill Richardson's agenda for the 2007 Legislature, he wants to create a statewide office to coordinate municipal water projects across New Mexico and has proposed $103.5 million in new funding for water projects. Farmington Daily Times; Oct. 13 <http://www.daily-times.com/news/ci_4485177>
New Mexico lawmakers got a detailed report on the costs of the three pending Indian water rights settlements that are awaiting federal approval, with the proposed Aamodt agreement in the Pojoaque-Tesuque-Nambe basin coming in as the most expensive with a cost of about $67,300 per acre-foot of water. Santa Fe New Mexican; Oct. <http://26http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/51193.html>
Conserving water should be a priority for all Utahns, even in times of plenty such as this year and last year, and the state should become more aggressive in its efforts to urge residents to conserve water. Deseret News; Oct. 6 <http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650196433,00.html>
In the West, a lack of water means more fake lawns, watering schedules and no car wash fundraisers, and the changes have become normal life for westerners, especially in places such as Albuquerque, N.M., Denver, CO and Tucson, Ariz., where water police enforce the regulations. MSNBC.com (AP); Oct. 22 <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15338342/>
Voters in American Fork are being asked to vote on a $46.95 million bond to finance a secondary water system to handle outdoor use for the city, which city officials say is necessary to support current growth. Deseret News; Oct. 31 <http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650203099,00.html>
Former Utah Rep. Evan Olsen of Young Ward told members of the Cache County Council that the county needs to do more than just send representatives to statewide meetings on water, they should be hosting those meetings and begin discussing how to manage water for the long term. Salt Lake Tribune; Oct. 25 <http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_4545823>
Leaders of the Utah Rivers Council outlined several ideas for new water legislation to Utah lawmakers that included more flexibility in city landscaping ordinances, creating a state water conservation office and developing a water conservation program for state facilities, as well as bumping up to 30 percent the state's target decrease in per capita water use by 2050. Salt Lake Tribune; Oct. 27 <http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_4558581>
With a dozen old keys, 6 documents and 31 signatures, 42 miles of pipes and hundreds of cubic feet of water storage changed hands. Daily Herald, 10/3 <http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/195014/3/>
Hanksville, about 180 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, was hit hard by a flood earlier this month that washed out a diversion dam, and with no money coming in to fix it, the town's 250 residents say that the town itself may dry out, which wouldn't be the first time a lack of water dissolved a small Utah town. Salt Lake Tribune; Oct. 30 <http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_4570194>
Dignitaries and lawmakers gathered atop Glen Canyon Dam to mark its 50th anniversary, and said that the 710-foot tall dam and its Colorado River counterparts pump nearly $4 billion into the economy, supply water for 25 million people, generate 4.1 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually and hosts millions of visitors, though not everyone is so pleased with all that the dams have done. Salt Lake Tribune; Oct. 20 <http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_4521068>
Residents filled the room at the Cedar City Library, ready with questions about the Lake Powell pipeline. St. George Spectrum, 10/20 <http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061020/NEWS01/610200308>
A controversial proposal to take groundwater out of eastern Nevada's Spring Valley and pump it to Las Vegas via a pipeline network is now in the hands of the Nevada state engineer. At the same time, negotiations between Nevada and Utah have slowed over a related plan to share water resources in Snake Valley along the state line. Salt Lake Tribune, 9/30 <http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_4422275>
More than two dozen tribes in Nevada are criticizing the decision of the Bureau of Indian Affairs for withdrawing its protest to the plan of the Southern Nevada Water Authority to pump groundwater from a valley in White Pine County without consulting with tribal leaders about that decision. Las Vegas Sun; Oct. 3 <http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2006/oct/03/566649721.html?White%20AND%20Pine>
The explanation that the Bureau of Indian Affairs didn't have time to talk to Goshute tribal leaders about the agency's decision to withdraw its protest against Las Vegas' plan to pump groundwater from a valley just 70 miles from the tribe's reservation in Nevada doesn't hold water, since negotiations between the federal agency and the Southern Nevada Water Authority went on for weeks. Las Vegas Sun; Oct. 5 <http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2006/oct/04/566647394.html?White%20AND%20Pine>
The Southern Nevada Water Authority wants to pump groundwater from rural eastern Nevada valleys and pipe it 250 miles south to Las Vegas, but ranchers in the valleys say the aquifer is already depleted from irrigation use and that the plan would ruin their operations; the decision now lies with the state engineer. USA Today; Oct. 19 http:// <http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061019/a_vegaswater19.art.htm>
Southern Nevada water authorities don't have enough research to predict the cost or effectiveness of a proposed multibillion dollar water pipeline from rural Nevada to Las Vegas, according to a report by environmental groups. Houston Chronicle, 10/25 <http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4286475.html>
A study by Western Resource Advocates, "Water in the Urban Southwest," found that single-family homes use more water in Las Vegas than in Albuquerque, NM and Tucson, Ariz., and urged the Southern Nevada Water Authority to promote conservation rather than build a pipeline to ship water across the state to Las Vegas. Las Vegas Review- Journal; Oct. 25 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Oct-25-Wed-2006/news/10421048.html>
A Nevada corporation, has filed an application with the Arizona Department of Water Resources to pump up to 14,000 acre-feet a year from the Muddy Creek aquifer, which lies under the tiny town of Littlefield in northwestern Arizona, and pipe it to rapidly growing Mesquite, Nevada, and then possibly mix it with Mesquite's groundwater, which has high levels of arsenic, and then send some of it back to Arizona. Arizona Republic; Oct. 24 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1024biz-waterfight1024.html>
A new draft report about ways to stop depleting Prescott-area groundwater supplies received its first public reviews Oct. 17. Chino Valley Review, 10/25 <http://chinovalleyreview.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=12085>
A sportfishing group filed suit against the California Department of Water Resources for the death of tens of thousands of fish killed in water pumps that send water to the southern part of the <http://state.http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2006/10/05/#22>
The Center for Biological Diversity and Pacific Rivers Council are filing a lawsuit against the California Department of Fish and Game over the agency's longstanding failure to consider the impacts of fish stocking on imperiled aquatic species such as the Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog, Cascades Frog and Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. <http://www.enn.com/net.html?id=1678>
The Salton Sea, California's largest lake and long a desert refuge for vacationers and hundreds of species of migrating birds, will inevitably shrink in volume and lose surface area over the next two decades, as about half of current inflows are diverted to help quench Southern California's unflagging thirst for water. Exactly how to prevent or mitigate the worst problems associated with this situation -- increased salinity, worsening air quality, continued threats to the local economy and the virtual elimination of fish and wildlife -- has become a top priority for government officials, agricultural groups, Indian tribes and environmentalists. But it is also a conundrum, as starkly differing visions of how to preserve and restore this inland sea have made it difficult to reach consensus on a workable, affordable strategy. Go to http:// <http://www.saltonsea.water.ca.gov/>NEITHER STATE HAPPY WITH NEW RULES FOR BIGHORN RIVER FLOWS The Bureau of Reclamation said that flows through Yellowtail Dam will remain at 1,500 cubic feet per second through the winter, which upset officials from Montana, who wanted more water to protect fish, and officials from Wyoming, who wanted to send less water across state lines. Billings Gazette; Oct. 27 <http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/10/27/news/state/30-water_x.txt> An unintended but much welcome result of the 2004 Snake River Basin Adjudication that ended irrigating atop the bluffs along the Snake River in Idaho is that the bluffs are now longer sloughing off and sending fossils from the prehistoric period known as the Pliocene Epoch crashing 600 feet into a pile of rubble. Denver Rocky Mountain News (AP); Oct. 9 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5049223,00.html> More than 50 people attended a meeting held by the Idaho Water Resource Board, which is trying to put together a plan for the state Legislature to protect the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer, which has been hit hard by three decades of increasing use. Twin Falls Times-News; Oct. 19 <http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2006/10/19/news_topstory/news_topstory.1.txt> Because no state rules govern the use of groundwater and surface water, farmers in eastern Idaho don't know how their claims to water in the East Snake River Plain Aquifer will stand up to claims by municipal users in the Magic Valley. Idaho Falls Post-Register; Oct. <http://23http://www.headwatersnews.org/pr.snakewater102306.html> The Idaho Supreme Court is expected to hand down a decision early next year on how the state's "first-come, first-served" water doctrine is interpreted, and after that decision is made the Idaho Legislature will have to rewrite the state's water laws. Idaho Statesman; Oct. 25 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/239/story/57183.htm> Two northern Idaho lawmakers are asking Kootenai County voters to approve a tax that would pay for a system to monitor and protect the Rathdrum/ Spokane Valley Aquifer. Idaho Statesman (Spokane Spokesman-Review); Oct. 26 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/107/story/57020.html> Steelhead salmon raised in hatcheries for several generations lose the ability to reproduce in the wild, but the first generation of fish raised from wild parents do not suffer from the problem, according to a study in the online version of the journal Conservation Biology. <http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2006/10/11/#16> The Northwest Power and Conservation Council, which balances affordable power needs with wildlife habitat, will grant western Montana $28 million over the next three years to mitigate impacts from hydroelectric dams in the area, and officials say the funds will be applied to fish and other wildlife projects. Missoulian; Oct. 20 <http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/10/20/news/mtregional/news06.txt> In a region where many of the major river systems have been severely damaged and huge federal budgets have done little to fix them, the Flathead River system in northwestern Montana is still relatively pristine and worth untold millions for the value of its clean water alone. Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; Oct. <http://23http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2006/10/22/news/news01.txt> A Toronto- based company wants to develop a metallurgical coal mine on a mountaintop at the headwaters of the Flathead River, and Montana officials are concerned about the mine's effects on water quality in Flathead Lake. Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; Oct. <http://24http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2006/10/24/news/news02.txt> Ameren Corp. agreed to pay federal regulators a $15 million fine for the reservoir collapse that unleashed more than a billion gallons of water, destroying a state park and injuring a family last year, officials said. AP, 10/3 <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11365> The Tennessee Valley Authority will stop selling federally protected shoreline land along the Tennessee River in Tennessee under a proposal submitted to the agency in September by one of its committees. <http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2006/10/06/#16> An Ogden-based company has finished bringing fresh, cool water to 183 cities along the southeastern coast, but it never poured from a bottle along the way. Instead, Jonathan Wright, of Ogden, just made the water from air. Utah Desert News, 10/1 <http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650195226,00.html> Cities including Phoenix are using "treatment wetlands" to treat partially cleaned wastewater and runoff from streets and highways as a less toxic way of cleaning municipal water that also adds more greenery and wildlife habitat to an area. USA Today; Oct. <http://27http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061027/a_wetlands27.art.htmSCIENTISTS> DEVELOP NEW OZONE/CARBON METHOD OF PURIFYING WATER -- A research team of the University of Granada has developed a new method of water purification which has aroused the interest of many, as well as research centers, such as the Swiss Institute for Environmental Science and Technology and the US company Carole Engineers. Medical News Today, <http://10/16http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.
In the salt flats near a slowly vanishing lake, a team of researchers have found never-before- seen bacterium that could clean up some of humanity's pollution. Montana State University, 10/16 <http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/> nwview.php?article=4144 Environmentalists who oppose legislation that would allow third parties to come in and clean up toxic mining waste without incurring environmental liability under the Clean Water Act do so on the grounds that, should the cleanup efforts make matters worse no one would be responsible -- but no one is responsible now and surely cleanup efforts deserve a shot. A column. Denver Post; Oct. <http://8http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_4448969> The operations manager of a Grand Junction company was sentenced to five months in a federal prison and five months' home detention Friday for violating the Clean Water Act by discharging hazardous chemicals into the city sewer system, trying to hide the discharges and interfering with city wastewater workers who tried to sample the company's wastewater. Rocky Mountain News, 9/30 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5032164,00.html> Wildlife and conservation groups in New Mexico asked the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission to designate more than 100 miles of waterways in roadless areas, including the Pecos and Gallinas rivers that provide water to cities, as Outstanding National Resource Waters to protect them from pollution. Albuquerque Journal <http://10/31http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/apstreams10-30-06.htm> Prescott Valley will be the first in the country to auction off wastewater to developers -- enough to support nearly 6,000 homes -- and if it succeeds, the auction could usher in a new market for water. Arizona Republic; Oct. 31 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1031water-auction1031.html> A rocket-fuel chemical pervasive in California's drinking water supplies puts women at much greater risk of thyroid disorders than previous studies have shown, federal scientists said in a major health investigation. Sacramento Bee, 10/5 <http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/34151.html> An aging population and our growing addiction to pharmaceuticals may have disastrous consequences for our water supply. AlterNet, <http://10/23http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/43242/> More than 100 million Americans will enjoy greater protection of their drinking water under a new rule issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The rule targets utilities that provide water from underground sources and requires greater vigilance for potential contamination by disease-causing microorganisms. EPA News Release, 10/12 <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/7c02ca8c86062a0f85257018004118a6/026a2a41917cfa678525720500568809!OpenDocument> Worsening pollution in China's longest river, the Yangtze, is putting at risk the drinking water supply to millions of people, according to a new report quoted by state media. Terra Daily, 9/29 <http://www.terradaily.com/2006/060929081413.hbeezb23.html> U.N. REPORT -- There are about 200 low- oxygen "dead zones" threatening fisheries worldwide, according to a report by U.S. scientists attending a United Nations meeting on marine pollution in China. A primary cause of the problem: nitrogen- rich farm runoff. Click here to download a copy of the <http://report.http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2006/10/19/#9> Return to November, 2006 Table of Contents |
Subscribe to Colorado CentralIDAHO WATER DEAL MAY SAVE TREASURE TROVE OF FOSSILS
LITTLE CONSENSUS SO FAR IN NEW PLAN FOR IDAHO AQUIFER
IDAHO FARMERS WORRY THEY MAY LOSE WATER TO URBAN CLAIMS
IDAHO COURT DECISION WILL DRIVE WATER TO TOP OF LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
IDAHO LAWMAKERS PITCH TAX PLAN TO PROTECT AQUIFER
SALMON RAISED IN HATCHERIES CANNOT REPRODUCE IN THE WILD, STUDY FINDS
COUNCIL GIVES MONTANA $28 MILLION TO MITIGATE DAMAGES FROM DAMS
MONTANA RIVER SYSTEM MANAGES TO STAY PRISTINE, BUT FACES THREATS
MONTANANS SAY CANADIAN COAL MINE COULD DEGRADE WATER
AMEREN TO PAY LARGEST FINE IN FERC HISTORY FOR RESERVOIR COLLAPSE
REGULATOR MAY STOP SELLING SHORELINE ALONG TENN. RIVER FOR HOUSING
PAIR MAKES WATER OUT OF AIR
CITIES EXPLORE WAYS TO USE WETLANDS TO CLEAN WASTEWATER
NEW BACTERIUM EATS NITRATES IN WASTEWATER
'GOOD SAMARITAN' LAW COULD HARDLY MAKE COLORADO POLLUTION WORSE
PRISON, FINES FOR DUMPING
GROUPS ASK N.M AGENCY TO PROTECT STREAMS IN ROADLESS AREAS
ARIZONA CITY WILL AUCTION WASTEWATER TO DEVELOPERS
PERCHLORATE THYROID RISK FOR WOMEN FOUND
HOW PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ARE POISONING OUR WATERS
NEW RULE BOOSTS PROTECTION OF UNDERGROUND DRINKING WATER
POLLUTION PUTS DRINKING WATER AT RISK FOR MILLIONS OF CHINESE
'DEAD ZONES' PROLIFERATING