Day: December 19, 2010

Denver Water: Roberts Tunnel winter maintenance update

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From the Summit County Citizens Voice (Bob Berwyn):

The trans-mountain Roberts Tunnel, which transports water from Dillon Reservoir to the South Platte drainage, will remain shut off until April while Denver Water does major maintenance on the valves at the east end of the underground aqueduct…

“We’re in the process of draining it right now,” Steger said. The original plan was to shut off the tunnel in early November, but after talks with Keystone Ski Area, which uses some of the water from the tunnel for snowmaking, Denver Water decided to hold off on the project until mid-December, toward the end of the snowmaking season.

More Denver Water coverage here.

NIDIS Weekly Climate, Water and Drought Assessment Summary of the Upper Colorado River Basin

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Here’s the link to the Tuesday’s notes.

La Niña update

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From the Summit County Citizens Voice (Bob Berwyn):

“It’s too big to fade,” said Klaus Wolter, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate researcher who has helped develop medium and long-range forecasts based on factors like the La Niña-El Niño cycles. Wolter said some of this year’s La Niña impacts are typical, including above-normal precipitation in the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies. The National Climate Prediction Center explained that water temperatures are below normal along the full lengths of the Pacific Coasts of both North and South America. The coolness extends up to 600-feet deep into the water, making it likely La Niña will persist well into spring…

“There’s a lot of discussion about that right now,” Wolter said. And while the Front Range is expected to be somewhat dry during a La Niña, this year has been one of the driest on record for parts of the region, including Boulder, which has only seen 2 inches of snow through mid-December, putting this season on track to be the driest in 117 years of record-keeping. Wolter said one of the big factors in the Front Range weather has been the absence of any Arctic air masses moving south to help trigger precipitation. For December, that means temperatures have running 4 to 6 degrees above normal in many locations in Colorado.

Snake River: Rising levels of zinc may be due to climate change

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From Science Daily:

The study focused on the Snake River watershed just west of the Continental Divide near Keystone, Colo., where CU-Boulder researchers have observed a four-fold increase in dissolved zinc over the last 30 years during the lowest water flow months, said Caitlin Crouch. Crouch, a master’s degree student who led the study, said the high levels of zinc affect stream ecology, including deleterious effects on microbes, algae, invertebrates and fish. The team speculated the increased zinc concentrations may be tied to changes in groundwater conditions and stream flow patterns caused by climate change and the associated snowmelt that has been peaking two to three weeks earlier than normal in recent years, largely because of warming air temperatures. The result is lowered stream flows and drier soils along the stream in September and October, which increases metal concentrations, said Crouch. “While most of the talk about climate change in western waterways is about decreasing water quantities, we are evaluating potential climate influences on water quality, which is a whole different ball game,” she said…

The zinc in the Snake River watershed is primarily a result of acid rock drainage, or ARD, which can come from abandoned mine sites along rivers or through the natural weathering of pyrite in the local rock, said Crouch. Sometimes enhanced by mining activity, weathering pyrite forms sulfuric acid through a series of chemical reactions, which dissolves metals like zinc and carries them into the groundwater. McKnight, also a fellow of CU-Boulder’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, said there are nearly 2,000 miles of waterways in Colorado affected by ARD…

The elevated zinc in the Snake River comes from several ARD sources, said Crouch. Crouch’s study site — where an increasing trend in zinc concentrations is sustained by groundwater discharge — is above the Peru Creek tributary to the Snake River, where natural pyrite weathering is thought to be the main source of ARD. Peru Creek is largely devoid of life due to ARD from the abandoned Pennsylvania Mine and other smaller mines upstream and has been a target for potential remediation efforts.

McKnight said another factor involved in rising zinc levels in the Snake River watershed — which runs from the top of the Continental Divide to Dillon Reservoir — could be the result of the severe 2002 drought in Colorado. The drought significantly lowered waterways, allowing more pyrite to be weathered in dry soils of the watershed and in wetlands adjacent to the stream.

More Snake River watershed coverage here and here.

Energy policy — geothermal: Mount Princeton geothermal lease will be issued by the BLM January 1

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From The Mountain Mail (Joe Stone):

The lessee, 3E Geothermal, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young Life, which owns Frontier Ranch, a Christian youth camp on land above a portion of the lease…

[Vanessa Delgado, bureau public affairs specialist] said bureau specialists resolved protest issues quickly because the issues were addressed Sept. 7 in the National Environmental Policy Act Determination of Adequacy. Therefore, she said, they didn’t require additional lease stipulations. The determination of adequacy cites federal and state regulations that protect water quality, “including the Mount Princeton Hot Springs domestic water supply,” and notes the regulations “are applied when (the bureau) receives an application for development of geothermal resources in the lease area.” Among requirements for geothermal resource development are an environmental assessment and public comment periods.

Delgado said 3E Geothermal will have 10 years to develop and make beneficial use of the geothermal resource, or the lease will be terminated. Because the lease is for commercial development, Delgado said 3E Geothermal will need to develop a commercial use of the resource to retain the lease beyond 10 years…

Young Life officials earlier made clear their intention to protect the camping experience at Frontier Ranch by protecting the natural beauty of the area.

More geothermal coverage here and here.

Firestone scores some CWCB dough for rebates

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From the Carbon Valley Farmer & Miner:

The program provides a $125 rebate for any qualifying high water efficiency washing machine and a $75 rebate for any qualifying high water efficiency toilets. This rebate program applies to all eligible washing machines or toilets purchased after April 1. The total funds available are about $36,000…

Firestone is the first municipality to receive the water-efficiency grant from the board to automate the application process by using the town’s website. Go to http://www.ci.firestone.co.us and click on the Water Rebate icon on the left side of the home page. Contact Julie Pasillas, Firestone Water Department 303-833-3291.

More conservation coverage here.

Proposed Penley Dam Project reservoir update

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From the Douglas County News Press (Rhonda Moore):

The county planning staff recommends the county approve two options for the developer to choose from, one of which could result in construction of a 22,500 acre-foot water storage reservoir on nearly 430 acres.

Neighbors decry the proposal, with concerns the dam poses a potential safety hazard and will destroy mountain views, natural habitat and property values…

Ventana Capital proposes Penley Ranch as a development of more than 35 five-acre lots surrounding a non-recreational reservoir, which can provide a water storage solution for area water authorities. They came to the county with two options, a smaller, 14,000 acre-foot reservoir covering 292 acres, or the larger reservoir covering about 430 acres…

The planning staff recommends approval of both options, allowing the developer to decide which of the two will move forward. Among the conditions of approval are recommendations to perform detailed geotechnical and geologic investigations, provide the appropriate federal and state permits and comply with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requirements for the Preble’s Jumping Mouse. The dam site is identified as a potential habitat for the endangered mouse, according to a referral response from the fish and wildlife service. Another referral agency, the Colorado Geological Survey (CGS), responded with concerns that the dam is proposed on a site underlain by a complex series of faults.

Karen Barry, geological engineer with the CGS, says while the existing geotechnical report addresses whether the site soil can support embankments, further investigation can address potential hazards. “It is likely that geologic hazards and soil constraints can be mitigated,” Berry writes in her Jun 16 referral agency response. “Currently the application does not adequately identify or provide plans to mitigate such hazards.”[…]

The planning commission public hearing for the Penley Dam application continues at 7 p.m., Jan. 10 in the commissioner’s hearing room at 100 Third St. in Castle Rock.

More Penley Dam Project coverage here.

Orchard City hires new water superintendent

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From the Delta County Independent (Hank Lohmeyer):

During the Orchard city town Board’s regular meeting on Nov. 10, Town Administrator David Varley announced that Randy Haynes, a resident of Montrose who has been working in Mountain Village, has been named the town’s new water superintendent. The town’s former water plant operator and water system supervisor, Keith Peterson, had resigned earlier this year.

More Gunnison River basin coverage here.

Durango: St. Columba students participate in CDOW ‘River Watch’ program

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From The Durango Herald:

DOW spokesman Joe Lewandowski said the program, which began in 1989, enlists help from schools, organizations and some local governments to gather samples and conduct tests on 300 rivers and streams throughout the state. About 4,000 samples are collected every year and tested for aspects such as acidity, temperature and mineral content.

More education coverage here.

Water supply safety

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Here’s Part One of Dr. Joseph Mercola’s series Toxic Water running in the Pagosa Daily Post. It’s a nice in-depth look at drinking water supplies. From the article:

In other words, it’s typically the disinfection byproducts – not chlorine – that are responsible for the potential toxic effects of chlorinated water. Some of the more dangerous DBPs created from the chlorination of water include trihalomethanes (THMs) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These chlorine byproducts can trigger the production of free radicals in your body.

Here are some of the more dangerous chlorination byproducts and their associated suspected side effects:

Trihalomethanes (THMs):

– Cause cancer in laboratory animals
– Trigger the production of free radicals in your body

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs):

– Lead to central nervous system depression and drowsiness
– Can irritate skin and mucous membranes

More water treatment coverage here.

Colorado River District: Public radio stations team up for water issues series of reports

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From the Colorado River District website:

KDNK Community Radio and Aspen Public Radio team up to bring listeners an in-depth series looking at the threats to the region’s water. Reporters from the two stations examine how population growth, climate change, the loss of agricultural land, developments and the energy industry all put strains on Colorado’s limited resource.

Click through for the links to the audio presentations.

More Colorado water coverage here and here.