Day: October 27, 2010

Beautiful snow

A picture named snowflakesbentley.jpg

Its the time of the year when irrigators and water supply folks keep one eye on the sky hoping for a walloping snowpack in Colorado’s mountains. This week we saw the first big statewide mountain storms of the year. Here’s a report from the Associated Press via The Denver Post. From the article:

About 18.5 inches of snow fell at the Eisenhower Tunnel on the road west of Denver, said Frank Benton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder. Weather spotters reported 19 inches near Silverthorne in Summit County.

From The Aspen Times (Janet Urguhart):

Winter arrived quickly in Aspen on Monday, shutting down the airport and Highway 82 over Independence Pass, and dumping about 9 inches of fresh snow on the upper ski slopes by early afternoon…

The first round of snow tapered off after depositing 6 to 7 inches of snow in town on Monday morning. The slopes of Aspen Mountain were covered, though the tall grass was poking through the blanket of white. Snowmass was sporting 18 inches of snow on the Big Burn by early afternoon — 9 inches that fell Monday morning and 9 inches from previous snowfall, according to Jeff Hanle, Aspen Skiing Co. spokesman. Aspen Mountain had 13 inches on top, including 3 or 4 existing inches.

From the Sky-Hi Daily News:

The storm dropped more than 8 inches new snow in some places in the Gore Range and Rabbit Ears Pass, and on Tuesday afternoon Winter Park Resort reported 18.5 inches in the past 24 hours and 22.5 inches total for this storm at mid-mountain. Granby and lower elevations saw 3-4 inches of snow on the ground.

Grand County: Denver Water and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District plan to coordinate efforts to manage the impacts of the Windy Gap Firming Project and the Moffat Collection System Project

A picture named coloradorivergranby.jpg

Here’s a report from Tonya Bina writing for the Sky-Hi Daily News. From the article:

The news that Colorado’s largest utility companies Denver Water and Northern would be working together to manage impacts of their respective firming projects was a small victory for West Slope residents, who’ve feared either project could be approved without factoring in river depletions from the other. The Colorado Division of Wildlife is charged with working with each water provider to “create a healthy system downstream of Windy Gap,” said Ken Kehmeier, the Division of Wildlife’s senior biologist of northeast Colorado, speaking of the threatened upper Colorado River. “We hope the workshops with stakeholders can be a give and take, to come up with the most viable plan we can for the river.”[…[

“We need to be very diligent and thoughtful about what we put together,” said John Singletary, a Pueblo rancher and one of three Wildlife Commissioners who were present at the SilverCreek Convention Center in Granby on Oct. 28, “because too often in Colorado’s past, mistakes were made that can’t be corrected. And so I hope we are very diligent … I for one am delighted to hear the Northern District and Denver are going to work together on this thing, because I don’t know how we could ever make a decision on the future of the Colorado River without having that … The Colorado is a special place, and if we don’t treat this right, this will truly be the river of no return.”

Representatives from both Northern and Denver say the pledge to approach river health jointly is simply a continuation of what the agencies have already been doing…

Northern’s Windy Gap Firming Project Manager Jeff Drager maintains that the “accumulative impacts” of the two projects already have been addressed in the district’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement and in the joint proposal of April 2009. But if working with Denver on the DOW’s plan “alleviates the fears from West Slope friends, then we’re fine with it,” he said…

Northern anticipates its Final Environmental Impact Statement will be released by this January, and Denver Water is planning for a mid-2011 release of its Moffat Final EIS, presently under review by the Army Corps of Engineers.

At its public meeting in Grand County, before individuals went to the microphone for the chance to voice their views, the Colorado Division of Wildlife presented its own data of East and West Slope impacts along with data from the Windy Gap draft EIS. The DOW highlighted a long list of river threats, such as decreases in trout populations, increased water temperatures, reduction in flows and decreases in fish food such as stoneflies and mayflies below Windy Gap, increased sedimentation, lower levels in Granby Reservoir and increased nutrient loading in Granby and Shadow Mountain reservoirs and Grand Lake. With the firming projects, the impacts would also affect kayaking and rafting on the Colorado River, create limited access to boat ramps on locations of Lake Granby, and create a detriment to fishing guide businesses — all hurting the local economy.

More Windy Gap coverage here and here. More Moffat Collection System Project coverage here.

2010 Colorado elections: The Glenwood Springs Post Independent endorses Kathleen Curry for state house

A picture named riflegap.jpg

From the Glenwood Springs Post Independent:

And, while incumbents of all political stripes are finding it hard to hold on to their seats in this season of political discontent, it’s Curry’s brand of common sense politics, as opposed to toe-the-line partisan politics, that makes her a breath of fresh air, even as an incumbent. We feel Curry’s move to leave the Democratic Party last year and become an unaffiliated independent legislator, as bold and risky as it was, is exactly what voters are desperately seeking in their elected representatives and candidates this election. In addition, Curry can be counted on to take a consistent and thoughtful stand on the issues that are important to the constituents in her district, not some prescribed platform that may not necessarily serve those interests. She also brings an educated and persuasive point of view on the water issues that affect Colorado as a whole, and, in turn, relate to so many other important issues, from agriculture and energy development to recreation and tourism. Her voice in these matters is invaluable.

More 2010 Colorado elections coverage here.

Brush: City council approves wastewater treatment plant construction contract

A picture named wastewatertreatmentwtext.jpg

From the Brush News-Tribune (Jesse Chaney):

The approval of the $8,663,916 bid is contingent on the Oct. 29 closing of the loan between the city and the Colorado Water Resource and Power Development Authority. It is also contingent on the resolution of a possible patent infringement that has arisen with one of the subcontractors supplying a piece of equipment to the plant…The council approved a second motion granting Brush Administrator Monty Torres authority to issue a notice to proceed to Moltz Construction when the two contingencies identified have been resolved to his satisfaction.

More wastewater coverage here and here.

Aurora inks deal with the Arkansas Valley Super Ditch Company

A picture named arkbasinditchsystem.jpg

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

The board sees the move as a way to preserve water rights ownership in the Lower Arkansas River basin while providing Aurora with the certainty it needs in water resource planning. “The reason we started working on the Super Ditch was because of the reality that the cities have water needs, part of which was going to come from agricultural water,” said John Schweizer, Super Ditch president. “These leases will allow us to spread the effects of moving water over a number of ditches and avoid the bad effects of buy and dry. These leases will provide farmers with another crop with a guaranteed price and help them manage their risk and their business.”

Under agreements reached with other water users in the Arkansas Valley, Aurora can lease water only three years of every 10. The leases are confined to years when Aurora’s water supply is at less than 60 percent capacity, as a way to make up for lost yield from the Arkansas Valley water rights it owns in Crowley, Lake and Otero counties…

Major provisions of the agreement between the Arkansas Valley Super Ditch and Aurora:

– Aurora could buy up to 10,000 acre-feet of water per year until 2048 for any three years in a 10-year period up to a maximum of 145,200 acre-feet, provided that Aurora may lease more frequently in the final 15 years. The terms are the same as in Aurora’s 2003 agreement with the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, which was reaffirmed in a six-party intergovernmental agreement in 2004.

– Aurora would pay $500 per acre-foot annually, which would be adjusted according the Colorado Municipal League index of Colorado utility costs.

– The Super Ditch, in cooperation with the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, will provide legal counsel, engineering and other services to change water rights on the participating ditches. Aurora may participate as a co-applicant.

– Aurora is responsible for storage and exchange above Lake Pueblo. Aurora has obtained a contract from the Bureau of Reclamation for storage in Lake Pueblo and exchange to Twin Lakes for 10,000 acre-feet of water annually until 2048.

– Aurora agreed to support in concept legislation that would allow administrative approval of long-term temporary water transfers by the State Engineer.

– Aurora agreed to work with the High Line Canal board of directors and shareholders to sustain support of the Super Ditch water leasing program. Aurora reached a similar leasing agreement with the High Line board in 2008.

– The agreement is contingent on the signup of a sufficient amount of water, since water right owners in the Super Ditch are not required to participate in any specific lease agreement.

– Bylaws of participating ditches must be amended by Feb. 1, 2011.

– Aurora must comply with its 2009 agreement with the Lower Ark district, which stayed a federal lawsuit by the Lower Ark district against Reclamation over the Aurora contract. That agreement would extend restrictions on moving water out of the valley past the current 2048 date.

– County 1041 permits and Aurora City Council approval are required.

More Arkansas Valley Super Ditch coverage here and here.