Although portions of this report are used on occasion in Colorado Central Magazine, we do not publish the full report there, as we do on this website.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.
Wells are running dry in a 400-square-mile area of La
Plata County, and the county is once again asking residents
to vote on the creation of La Plata Archuleta Water
District and require residents to pay a special tax to fund
construction of a pipeline and water treatment plant to
provide a secure water supply to the southern half of the
Colorado county. Durango Herald; Sept. 19
durangoherald link
Twelve of Colorado's most knowledgeable water officials
met for the first time since the state passed a law
creating nine separate water roundtables to establish
ground rules for negotiations on the proposed $4 billion,
227-mile pipeline to carry 300,000 acre feet of Yampa River
water each year from northwestern Colorado to the Front
Range and fast-growing communities on the West Slope.
Denver Rocky Mountain News; Sept. 27
rockymountainnews link
The Denver University Water Futures Panel wants the
Colorado Legislature to revamp state water-court
procedures, but lawmakers said such a change was too big a
deal to rush through, and declined to act immediately.
Durango Herald; Sept. 28
durangoherald link
Some of Denver's wealthiest southern suburbs grew up on
groundwater, and officials of those developments have known
for more than a decade that the days of cheap groundwater
were going to end, and at a water summit in Denver, the
South Metro Water Supply Authority laid out its $1 billion
plan to ensure an adequate water supply for the region in
the future. Denver Rocky Mountain News; Sept. 26
denverpost link rockymountainnews link
A 20-year government = effort to restore the population
of an endangered native trout in Colorado has made little
progress because biologists have been stocking some of the
waterways with the wrong fish, a new study says. Advances
in genetic testing helped biologist discover the error,
which was called a potential black eye, but they said there
is still hope for restoring the greenback cutthroat trout.
enn link
After the employee = who normally orders the water
allocation from Storrie Lake to McAllister Lake left to
take a job in Nevada, no one ordered the water release,
leaving the New Mexico lake at about 40 percent capacity,
allowing the lake to warm beyond carrying capacity for
trout, resulting in a massive fish kill. Albuquerque
Journal; Sept. 4
abqjournal link
Navajo Nation and city of Gallup = have signed an
agreement that would allow the exchange of 500 acre-feet of
groundwater annually prior to construction of the
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. The Gallup Regional
System would provide greater flexibility in meeting the
region's water needs, with Gallup = wells supplying
chapters south of the city and Navajo wells meeting water
needs on the city's north side. =
gallupindependent link
New Mexico's 2007 River Ecosystem Restoration
Initiative will give U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and
its partners, the World Wildlife Fund and the New Mexico
Interstate Stream Commission, $518,500 to remove salt
cedar, establish native plants and remove sediment from six
miles of the Pecos River where it flows through the Bitter
Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Albuquerque Journal (AP);
Sept. 12
abqjournal link
While Santa Fe city and county officials work on a
project to divert water from the Rio Grande River, four
pueblos, Santa Fe County and New Mexico officials are
working on a settlement that would pull some water from the
Rio Grande River to settle water claims of both Indians and
non-Indians in the Pojoaque Valley north of Santa Fe.
Another in a series. Santa Fe New Mexican; Sept. 15
santafenewmexican link
Groundwater pumping done by Santa Fe city and county has
already created a deep crevasse in the ground that has
forever changed the landscape of the New Mexico county, and
the city and county's new plan to tap into the Rio Grande
River to provide water for a growing population will have
long-term effects as well. First in a three-part
series. Santa Fe New Mexican; Sept. 16
santafenewmexican link
New Mexico's water situation is growing more complex
as more demands overburden a dwindling supply of water, and
with 1.38 million cubic yards of nuclear and chemical waste
stored uphill from the Rio Grande River, which is an extremely important component of the
state's water supply, groups are raising concerns about nuclear
contamination in the river. Another in a series. Santa Fe
New Mexican; Sept. 17
santafenewmexican link
All across New Mexico, developers and local governments buy, sell and trade
water rights that may exist only on paper, while the true
wet stuff makes its appearance on Nature's whim. Santa Fe
New Mexican; Sept. 17
santafenewmexican link
Santa Fe city and county officials said that the New
Mexico area must find new sources of water within the next decade and a
half, and they are exploring options that include treating brackish
groundwater and injecting surface water into aquifers for
storage. Another in a series. Santa Fe New Mexican; Sept.
18
santafenewmexican link
New Mexico First, a nonpartisan group that engages citizens to formulate state policy,
held its third of five meetings scheduled across the state to gather
ideas and recommendations about water conservation which
will be used to compile the state's 2008 water plan.
Farmington Daily Times; Sept. 25
daily-times link
The Jordon River flows through 14 cities and three Utah
counties along its 44-mile stretch, resulting in a variety
of management decisions, and a coalition of stakeholders
want to dust off a 36-year-old master plan for the river corridor to create one unified
approach for the entire corridor. Salt Lake Tribune; Sept.
18
sltrib link
James Deacon, a professor emeritus of environmental studies at
the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, is the lead author of a
research piece published in the September issue of
Bioscience magazine that examined the effects of depleting
Nevada's groundwater and urges local officials to push
conservation over consumption, slow growth and improve
technology to improve water reclamation. Las Vegas
Review-Journal; Sept. 7
lvrj link
Nevada officials said they believed that a federal
judge's opinion that ordered the Department of Energy to
stop using Nevada water during drilling operations at Yucca
Mountain represented a significant victory in the battle to
keep a federal nuclear waste repository out of the state.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; Sept. 5
lvrj link.
The official in charge of drilling operations at the
Department of Energy's Yucca Mountain site informed the
Nevada State Engineer that drilling operations, using
Nevada water, would continue despite a federal court order
that such operations cease. Las Vegas Review- Journal;
Sept. 7
lvrj link
Nevada = State Engineer Tracy Taylor said that a Reno
engineer failed to prove that his plan to pump water from a
desert valley east of Pyramid Lake and pipe it to Fernley,
Warm Springs and Spanish Springs valleys and the
Reno-Sparks area wasn't for speculative purposes and denied
his application. Reno Gazette-Journal; Sept. 20
rgj link
One team of Nevada biologists delivering water to
remote manmade watering stations found 70 bighorn sheep
gathered around the "guzzler," waiting for water.
Reno Gazette-Journal; Sept. 7
rgj link
A federal court judge in California ruled last week that
state and federal water officials must maintain
sufficient water flows into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta by reducing
pumping or releasing more water upstream to prevent the
endangered delta smelt from being sucked into pumps.
eenews link
CA governor dusted off a failed dam proposal as a way
to shore up California water supplies in light of a federal
judge's ruling limiting shipments from the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta. Schwarzenegger's proposal includes two new
dams and the study of a canal to route fresh water from the
Sacramento River around the delta, in part to protect the
delta smelt.
mercurynews link
The Sonoran Institute wants to eke out three-tenths of one
percent of the Colorado River's annual flow to restore the Colorado
River Delta south of Yuma where it flows into the Gulf of
California, but even that amount may be a tough sell given
that the river's annual flows have fallen to 25 percent of
normal over the eight years. Los Angeles Times; Sept. 17
latimes link
Atlantic Richfield Co. filed court documents disavowing liability
for the U.S. Forest Service's mandated removal of the Mike Horse Dam
in Montana, but Asarco officials said the Anaconda Company,
purchased by ARCO in 1977, repaired the dam in 1975, making
ARCO responsible for at least part of the $26.5 million
removal cost. Helena Independent Record; Sept. 4
helenair link
The Association of = State Dam Safety Officials said
that, since 1999, the number of "high- hazard"
dams rated "deficient" has more than doubled,
with New Mexico and Arizona ranked 6th and 8th, respectively, in the
nation for the number of deficient dams, but in Colorado,
where dam funding has increased significantly, the number
has decreased the most. Christian Science Monitor; Sept. 13
csmonitor link
More than 10,000 state-managed dams -- including 1,333
deemed structurally unsafe -- pose safety risks, the
Association of State Dam Safety Officials said this week in
a bid to raise awareness and lure federal funding to
address the issue.
eenews link
The federal government tried one last time to
convince federal Judge James Redden that it is able to keep
producing hydroelectric power from Columbia River dams
while protecting and restoring the river's salmon
population. Redden threw out the previous two federal plans
for the dams saying they did not provide adequate
safeguards for salmon.
eenews link
Neither the Friends of Bighorn Lake based in Lovell,
Wyo., nor the Friends of the Bighorn River, a Montana contingent, heard what they
wanted at a Bureau of Reclamation public hearing since
agency personnel simply laid out several options for
managing water from the dam and in the river and said a
decision would be made after the public comment period ends
Oct. 4. Billings Gazette; Sept. 21
billingsgazette link
Nevada Sen. Harry Reid asked the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission to make passage for steelhead and salmon above Idaho
Power's Hells Canyon Dam complex as a condition for
re-licensing the dam, an indication of the changes Idaho
may see in the post-Craig era. Twin Falls Times-News; Sept.
19
magicvalley link
Now that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has waded into the debate on
salmon, federal bureaucrats are sure to listen, and it
could give Idaho a chance to restore salmon to the Boise
and Payette rivers. Idaho Statesman; Sept. 23
idahostatesman link
With Idaho Sen. Larry Craig gone from his leadership
positions on the Appropriations and Energy committees,
Senate Democrats are now hoping to use their slim majority
to tie relicensing of a series of dams on the Snake River
to efforts to make it easier for salmon and steelhead to
make their way upstream and to reverse Craig's effort to
use a federal spending bill to dictate water flow for Snake River fish. Casper
Star-Tribune (AP); Oct. 1
trib link
Water managers across the West are working to overcome
the "yuck," factor in providing recycled
wastewater for human consumption. An indepth look at where
the West's water comes from now, and where it will come
from in the future. High Country News; Sept. 17
hcn link
As water becomes more scarce across the West, local
governments are trying a variety of ways to encourage
conservation, and Bozeman's plan to lower rates for
residents who use lower than average amounts of water and
charge residents who use more a higher rate is a sensible
plan. John A. Baden, Foundation for Research on Economics
and the Environment; Sept. 20
headwatersnews link
Only a fraction of the water wells in Texas are
registered with the Texas Water Development Board, even
though the state requires registration for all water
sources. As a result the Trinity Valleys Groundwater
Conservation District staff is finding it
difficult to regulate water usage when so few of the
area's water wells are known to them. Jacksonville Daily
Progress
jacksonvilleprogress link
If there's any doubt that rivers are the lifeblood of
an industrial economy, consider what's happening in Alabama
this summer. With little water coursing through its
normally robust watershed, Alabama is teetering toward an
economic and environmental crisis, with major implications
for electric utilities and major industries such as pulp
and paper plants.
eenews link
Drought and mild temperatures have pushed Lake
Superior's water level to its lowest point on record for
this time of year, continuing a downward spiral across the
Great Lakes. Preliminary data show Superior's average water
level in September dipped 1.6 inches beneath the previous
low for that month reached in 1926.
enn link
The Senate voted 81-12 to send the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA)
conference report to the White House, where it is expected
to be greeted by the president's veto pen. WRDA authorizes
the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out hundreds of
hurricane protection, flood control, ecosystem restoration
and navigation projects. H.R. 1495 also creates an
independent review process for Corps projects and makes it
easier to deauthorize obsolete projects. Although lawmakers
added nearly $2 billion in new earmarks during conference
negotiations, WRDA was not deemed to be in violation of the
Senate's new ethics rules because iT is an authorizing bill.
Supporters sought to placate
concerns about WRDA's ballooning price-tag, which had
nearly doubled in conference. Congress is supposed to pass
WRDA every two years but has been unable to do so since 2000.
eenews link
Water levels = in Indian Kashmir's rivers and streams
have decreased by two-thirds as a result of global warming which is melting most of the
Himalayan region's glaciers, a voluntary group said
recently.
enn link
Rising seas will likely swamp the first American settlement in
Jamestown, Va., as well as the Florida launch pad that sent the first
American into orbit, many climate scientists are
predicting. Global warming is expected to cause oceans to
rise by one meter, or about 39 inches. It<
will happen regardless of any future actions to curb
greenhouse gases, several leading scientists say.
ap link
As reported in High Country News, the high, often dry,
mountain resort town of Cloudcroft will soon be pumping
treated wastewater through its taps, a concept all New
Mexicans and Southwesterners may soon be embracing, but
more research needs to be done on the effects
endocrine-disrupting chemicals which remain in the treated
water, may have on us. Santa Fe New Mexican; Oct. 1
santafenewmexican link
Horrific deformities in frogs are the result of a
cascade of events that starts when nitrogen and phosphorus
from farming and ranching bleed into lakes and ponds,
researchers say. The report says these nutrients from
fertilizers and animal waste create dramatic changes in
aquatic ecosystems that help a certain type of parasitic
flatworm that inflicts these deformities on North American
frogs.
enn link
Didymo, an algae commonly called "rock
snot," has the texture of wet wool and can carpet a
streambed, suffocating plants that fish feed on, has been
found in streams in Colorado, Idaho, Montana and South
Dakota, and now it has made its way into Wyoming's Lake
Creek, a tributary of the Snake River. Casper Star-Tribune;
Sept. 30
trib link
Private cabins ring Lake McDonald, an alpine lake set in
the middle of Glacier National Park in Montana, and new
studies show some of the septic systems of those cabins are failing, flushing
sewage directly into the lake, and efforts are under way to
either hook those cabins up to the park's sewage treatment
system or install new systems. Missoulian; Sept. 30
missoulian link
In the latest status report to the court, Wyoming
Attorney General Pat Crank asked the court to give Wyoming, Montana and the
Environmental Protection Agency until Oct. 7 to come up
with a plan to set salinity limits in rivers shared by the states needed because of
coalbed methane discharge waters being released into those
rivers. Billings Gazette; Sept. 1
billingsgazette link
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has accused the Interior
Department (DOI) of shirking a congressionally mandated
study of the environmental effects of coalbed methane
production on ground and surface waters. The Energy Policy
Act of 2005 said the study should gauge the effectiveness
of current mitigation in relation to federal and state laws
and recommend changes as needed to "address adverse
impacts." Waxman said DOI has failed to meet this
requirement = and has indicated that it does not intend to
meet it in the future.
eenews link
It's been more than a year since a well blow-out
caused groundwater contamination concerns in Clark, and now
that benzene, a carcinogenic, has been found in a private
water well at seven times the federal threshold levels, the
energy company and Wyoming are working to contain the
plume. Casper Star-Tribune; Sept. 27
trib link
The Greater Yellowstone Coalition and Caribou Clean
Water Partnership released a report Thursday written by a retired federal
hydrologist that said the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of
Land Management knew that phosphate mining in southern
Idaho was leaching selenium into rivers and streams for
decades but did nothing about it until animals
started dying. Salt Lake Tribune; Sept. 21
sltrib link
The disposal of coal ash in active and abandoned mines
is contaminating Pennsylvania's water, despite assurances
by state officials that the practice is safe, according to
a study released by environmentalists. The report says
groundwater and streams near 10 of 15 mines studied were
contaminated with high levels of toxic metals like arsenic, cadmium
and selenium.
eenews link
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