Day: June 18, 2013

Drought news: Another day closer to rain? #COdrought

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From the La Junta Tribune-Democrat (Candace Krebs):

For now, there’s no significant drought relief in sight and no reason for area farmers to shift out of drought survival mode. That’s the verdict of Dana Barth, conservationist with the Northeast Prowers Conservation District, who recently hosted a drought management meeting in Holly attended by around 60 producers.

Brian Bledsoe, a meteorologist based in Colorado Springs who has been giving dismal weather outlooks since last winter, saw no reason to change his tune during a presentation to the group.

“There’s nothing coming our way from what he’s seeing in his crystal ball,” Barth said. “Any rain is going to be scattered, none of the long soaking rains we would need to bring us out of the drought.”[…]

Even irrigated farmers in the area are running short of water. The Lower Arkansas Water Management Association, based in Lamar, has set restrictions on wells and ditch irrigation to honor a decades-old water compact with Kansas, Barth noted. However, farmers across the state border aren’t much better off, she added.

For now, most farmers are still able to joke that every day is one day closer to rain. But she also described them as “guarded,” wrestling with what to do next and with fear of the unknown.

Mental health professionals recommend farmers avoid becoming isolated by despair.

Here’s a guest post written by Taryn Finnessey (Colorado Water Conservation Board) that is running on the Denver Water Mile High Water Talk blog. Here’s an excerpt:

The Arkansas River basin, home to Colorado Springs, Pueblo and the delicious Rocky Ford cantaloupe has been hit the hardest with 40 of the last 49 months below average for precipitation — a total deficit of 22 inches. Over the last 13 months, Lamar has received a mere 5.81 inches of precipitation, and only about an inch since the beginning of the calendar year. The lack of precipitation, thousands of acres of failed crops (land where it is too dry to plant) and the warm summer temperatures have created the perfect conditions for dust storms that have battered the region.

The Rio Grande has also suffered since 2011, and spring streamflows this year have been well below normal. Many farmers and ranchers in the region said that they have never fully recovered from the 2002 drought. Reservoir storage is well below average at 54 percent, and streamflow forecasts are lower than 50 percent.

Over the last two years drought conditions in southwestern Colorado have been a mixed bag. The area has been fortunate enough to get some sizable winter snowstorms, but the hot summers have led to reports of drought impacts (including fires) affecting nearly all sectors. The Four Corners area remains dry, and the U.S. Drought Monitor has increased the severity of its drought classification from “severe” to “extreme.”

Even though each area has a unique situation, drought conditions persist across the entire state, and many municipalities have implemented water restrictions. To help customers determine what restrictions exist in their neighborhoods, the state has developed a Web portal at http://www.COH2O.co.

Sens. Bennet and Udall and Rep. Tipton are on board with Pueblo County’s application for Fountain Creek funds

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From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

Plans for flood risk management on Fountain Creek through Pueblo have gained more federal support. U.S. Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, both Democrats, and Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., sent a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers last week to support any federal efforts to remediate levee conditions on Fountain Creek through the East Side. The letter supports the Pueblo County commissioners’ request for a $3.5 million Army Corps project that could be applied to the levee for strengthening banks, planting native vegetation, improving wetlands and creating riparian buffer zones.

The project would stretch from Eighth Street to the confluence of Fountain Creek.

“Ironically, where we had a fire a few days ago could be turned into a beautiful riverside community park,” said Commissioner Sal Pace. “It’s about time Pueblo got its fair share.”

Vegetation on Fountain Creek near the East Fourth Street bridge caught fire Tuesday. The lower section of Fountain Creek is occasionally subject to flooding as well when rainfall upstream in the watershed is heavy.

The project was given high priority in a Corps study of Fountain Creek needs in 2009.

In January, commissioners requested congressional support for the project, also mentioning projects in El Paso County that could benefit Pueblo County as well. The letter highlighted cooperative efforts of the two counties through the Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District.

A local match of 35 percent would be required for the project. Local money for the project is $1.225 million, which would come out of the remaining $1.9 million Colorado Springs Utilities paid to Pueblo County for dredging Fountain Creek under the 1041 permit for Southern Delivery System. Another $300,000 of those funds was spent earlier on a Fountain Creek demonstration project for side detention ponds and in-stream dredging.

More Fountain Creek coverage here.

Ute Water opposes public trust initiatives in effort to protect Colorado’s system of water rights

Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority is seeking funding for a cooperative plan that leads to efficiencies

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From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

El Paso County water providers are banding together to study how their systems could work together more efficiently in the future. A $242,000 study would include Colorado Springs Utilities and the Southern Delivery System as possible delivery sources of water for other communities, as well as ways to integrate the assets of other water systems. The Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority is seeking a grant of $75,000 from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, while kicking $88,500 in cash and $78,500 in in-kind contributions. Colorado Springs and El Paso County are included in the in-kind contributions.

Those groups have been aggressively pursuing water development for more than 30 years to meet rapid growth. Some past projects have been undertaken collectively.

The Arkansas Basin Roundtable approved the state grant this week, because it would help fill the greatest part of the municipal gap identified in the Statewide Water Supply Initiative. “I think this addresses the gap in a way that goes beyond individual projects such as SDS,” said Betty Konarski, who represents El Paso County on the roundtable.

Roundtable member Jeris Danielson, a former state engineer, asked if the study would include new sources of supply as well.

Sean Chambers, manager of the Cherokee Metropolitan District, said the main purpose of the study would be to look at how current supplies could be better managed for the mutual benefit of other communities.

The gap in El Paso County is projected to be 22,000 acre-feet annually — enough water for about 60,000 homes — by 2050. Of that, 13,000 acre-feet will be to replace nonrenewable groundwater and 9,000 acre-feet will be needed for growth.

The gap is the vast majority of the shortfall identified by SWSI.

More Arkansas River Basin coverage here.

Salida: FIBArk recap — Andy Corra wins the Downriver race for the ninth time

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From The Mountain Mail (Calley McDermott):

For the ninth time, Andy Corra, 52, Durango, crossed the finish line first in the 26-mile FIBArk Classic Downriver Race, with a time of 2 hours, 20 minutes, 55 seconds. The seasoned racer won his first Downriver in 1985.

Racers in the Classic Downriver Race travel from the Salida Whitewater Park to Cotopaxi.

Despite flows that had “dropped a bunch” since Thursday, Corra said, “It was a nice flow, with good clean lines in the rapids. It sure was a treat over last year.” He said the medium flow of about 1,500 cubic feet per second resulted in a “medium time.” Corra finished the race in 1:58:07 in 2009, the fastest recorded time since 1995.

With nine wins under his belt, he admitted he would like to win at least one more because “there is something perversely satisfying about the number 10.” However, he said he plans to “pass it on to Wiley.” Wiley Corra, 10, took third place in the 10-mile Cadet Downriver Race.

Jeremy Rodgers, Boulder, finished second overall with a time of 2:26:50. Rodgers flipped in the Cottonwood Rapid, east of Coaldale, and struggled to resurface.

Ben Morton, a safety boater, assisted in turning him back over. “At this water level you have to be decisive, and I hesitated. Cottonwood punishes. It’s great when the water level is lower and higher, but it’s tricky at 1,500 (cfs),” Rodgers said.

Last year Rodgers finished fourth.

About Corra, he said, “Andy sure shows up every year. He shows us younger paddlers what experience does for you.”

Steve Holmes, Salida, finished third overall with a time of 2:29:04.

First woman finisher was Lisa Adams, Durango, in a C2 boat. Adams finished fourth overall. Her teammate was not listed.

Some of the later downriver competitors paddled through rain, thunder and some lightening in Bighorn Sheep Canyon.

For the first time, organizers had the rafts leave 1½ hours before the classic race started, to allow the rafters to run the course without slowing the other boaters. Volunteer June Gober, Salida, said the early raft start “worked out well.”

“Mark Mattson’s Crew” from Salida won with a time of 1:40:27.

“Holly Harz and Crew” from Buena Vista entered two rafts; one finished second with a time of 1:42:37.

The other raft, with two more people than paddles, finished third with a time of 1:59:47.

Watching the race from the sidelines, Larry Zuk, 90, said it was his first time watching “from the road.” He competed in the race 10 times and was a slalom race champion in both K1 and C2 in 1976. “I’m writing a book about early canoeing in the Rockies,” Zuk added. Zuk was inducted into the FIBArk Hall of Fame this year.

Corra said, “It’s good to keep the tradition (of the Downriver Race) alive.”

From The Mountain Mail (Calley McDermott):

The 65th FIBArk Whitewater Festival kicked off with induction of Larry Zuk and Steve and Eric Frazee into the FIBArk Hall of Fame during Business After Hours Wednesday at Salida SteamPlant.

FIBArk board member Christopher Kolomitz introduced FIBArk Hall of Fame inductee Eric Frazee, who also accepted the award on behalf of his late father, Steve Frazee. Steve Frazee was born in Salida in 1909 and served as the 1959 FIBArk commodore. His son Eric, a longtime paddler, represented the United States in the 1954 International Slalom Competition in Germany. “I think it’s a great honor. I’m happy to accept it. I’m also happy to accept for my father, who is long gone now, who worked his rear-end off to make kayak competitions in the United States a success here in Salida,” Eric Frazee said.

“Right here in Salida we have the top international kayakers come from around the world. All I had to do was get in my little truck and drive my boat down to the river and compete. That was pretty cool.”

Kolomitz said Larry Zuk, another 2013 FIBArk Hall of Fame inductee, was unable to attend the event. Zuk first raced in FIBArk in 1954, earned the national championship in the K1 slalom race at FIBArk in 1956 and competed in the 1976 Olympics. Zuk is also the founder of the Colorado Whitewater Association. He recently published the book “Stories of a Century of Canoeing and Canoes” and is in the process of writing a second book titled “Early White Water Canoeing and Kayaking in the Rocky Mountains 1949-1969.”

Kolomitz introduced 2013 FIBArk Commodore Ed Loeffel, who congratulated FIBArk organizers for the success of FIBArk over its past 65 years. “FIBArk and I both qualify for Medicare this year,” Loeffel joked. “I’m now looking forward to my next duty as commodore – no public speaking is going to be required – only drinking the first pour of Eddyline beer tomorrow afternoon at 4. Hope to see you all there.”

Loeffel also cast the winning bid in a live auction for a signed print of this year’s FIBArk poster, designed by Lindsay Sutton. He bid $630.

“We’ve got great weather, great water, and we’re looking forward to a great FIBArk,” Kolomitz said.

More whitewater coverage here.

US Rep. Scott Tipton is pushing small scale hydroelectric generation

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From The Greeley Tribune (Eric Brown):

Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., for the past couple years has pushed for a bill that would allow hydropower development on irrigation ditches in Colorado and across the West.

Joshua Green — press secretary for Tipton, whose 3rd Congressional District covers nearly all of southern and western Colorado — took time out of his schedule recently to discuss Tipton’s “Hydropower and Rural Jobs Act” and how the bill is moving along in Washington.

Below are portions of those conversations:

Q — First of all, what exactly is this bill aiming to do?

A — This would lift restrictions on hydropower development for irrigation districts, specifically on Bureau of Reclamation conduits, so they could use that water to generate electricity. The bill eliminates duplicative environmental analysis on these existing pipes, ditches, canals, etc., that have already received a full review under the National Environmental Policy Act. This bill asks that small-scale hydropower projects, five megawatts or less, can be put in place without having to go through further federal processes. The bill streamlines the federal regulatory process, and it reduces administrative costs for these ditch managers to install small hydropower projects.

Q — This is the second year Tipton has introduced the bill aimed at hydropower development on irrigation ditches. Why is this bill so important to him?

A — Costs are increasing to repair these aging water-supply systems, and making them more energy-efficient would save the ditch managers money. The electricity from these projects could also be sold to bring in money and help cover their expenses. The bill would also add clean electricity to the grid to power homes and communities. And this is a rural job creator; we would need people to build and then maintain these hydropower projects.

Q — What is the driving force behind this bill? Is hydropower development on irrigation canals something that Tipton’s constituents have been talking about for a while?

A — There’s absolutely an interest in Colorado and throughout the West. The Interior Department has identified at least 28 Bureau of Reclamation canal sites in Colorado, and 373 nationwide, that could be developed for hydropower purposes. These are small hydropower projects we’re talking about, and would cost relatively little to construct. However, with the way things are now, the federal permitting costs add up to be more than the construction itself, and that’s deterring people from going forward with these hydropower projects

Q — How are the discussions in Washington coming along?

A — Things are going very, very well. The bill passed the House 416-7 in April. Obviously we have the support and have had it for a long time. Rep. Tipton’s hydropower bill had passed the House last year, but we ran out of time to push it all the way through before the session was over. A companion bill from the Senate recently passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, so things are going well over there, as well. Now, we’re just waiting to get all of this pushed through and see this become law.

Q — I read recently where there’s a similar hydropower bill in the House being pushed by Rep. Steve Daines of Montana. How are the two bills different?

A — Our bill amends the Reclamation Project Act of 1939, which authorized the vast majority of projects on Reclamation facilities. The Water Conservation and Utilization Act of 1939, on the other hand, authorized 11 Bureau of Reclamation facilities. Unlike the Reclamation Project Act of 1939, which our bill amends, a statute under the WCUA allows for only the federal government to develop hydropower on these 11 facilities. Daines’ bill seeks to address that statute in the WCUA and remove those hurdles, so private hydropower development in those facilities can move forward.

More hydroelectric coverage here and here.

Greeley Water is piloting an online water conservation tool

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From The Greeley Tribune:

In another effort to conserve water, Greeley officials have launched a pilot program that pinpoints residents’ water use though an online program. The WaterSmart program will allow 2,600 Greeley residents to personalize their water use online based on things like family size and the age of their toilets and sinks, according to a news release. It’s a new tool to complement the water budget, which city officials rolled out to all residential water customers this year, said Ruth Quade, a Greeley water conservation coordinator.

The water budget accompanies Greeley residents’ water bills each month, showing how much each household used compared to what was needed based on historic averages. Randomly selected residents in the WaterSmart program can now compare their household water use with neighbors, and the program will suggest targeted conservation techniques.

The pilot program will also allow residents to create a water savings plan and update their information for more accurate savings suggestions — all for free.

If the program is successful, it may go citywide.

In a test program for the water budget, city officials found that most Greeley residents are conservative with their water use, with about 18 percent using far more than necessary.

Jon Monson, Greeley’s water and sewer director, said before the program was rolled out to all residents this year that if every household in the city that exceeds the budget could bring use down to what the city recommends, Greeley could save 700 acre-feet of water, or about $70 million worth of new water, each year.

More conservation coverage here.