Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District keeping an eye on DNR’s plans for basin water

In a letter last year to Reclamation Harris Sherman wrote, “Colorado intends that this water [the state is negotiating for 200,000 acre feet of water from the Aspinall unit] would be released downstream, but must ensure the water is used to benefit the entire state of Colorado, thus the details of the use would be determined during negotiations between the state and the (Bureau of Reclamation), with meaningful input from all water user stakeholders.” It seems that there are skeptics regarding the opportunity for “meaningful input” up in the Gunnison Basin. Here’s a report from Evan Dawson writing for the Crested Butte News:

While the Bureau of Reclamation waits for comments on its recently released plan of operations for the Aspinall water storage unit, which includes Blue Mesa Reservoir, the state of Colorado is looking to enter negotiations with the Bureau for a large quantity of the reservoir’s water. Although the potential contract between the state and the federal government has been on the table since last fall, local water officials remain concerned because the idea has not yet been discussed with stakeholders in the Upper Gunnison Basin…

Part of the local concern is that taking that much water out of Blue Mesa could leave little left over for recreation, since the state is asking for nearly a quarter of the reservoir’s total water storage capacity…

Part of the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District’s frustration is the DNR has been meeting with various groups across the state, such as the Colorado Water Congress and Club 20, but the state has yet to discuss the matter before the local water board. During the UGRWCD meeting on March 23, board member Steve Glazer recapped a Colorado Water Conservation Board meeting he attended on Tuesday, March 17 in Longmont that included a late addition to the agenda, titled “Blue Mesa Water Issues.” Glazer says at the meeting DNR water director Alex Davis announced she had been visiting with various organizations across Colorado and discussing the 200,000-acre-foot proposal. “She indicated the bureau has acknowledged receipt of the request but has taken no action,” Glazer said. “I indicated we had many questions and an awful lot of expertise in the basin and that it would be useful if they started discussions with us,” Glazer said. Board member Ralph Grover suggested writing a letter to Davis and Sherman asking them to meet with the UGRWCD.

UGRWCD manager Frank Kugel said Davis has been trying to meet with the board and was planning on coming to their May meeting.

Aspinall unit draft environmental impact statement

From the Crested Butte News (Evan Dawson): “A draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the Aspinall Unit Re-operations plan was released for review on February 13, initiating a 70-day public comment period that ends on April 24. The DEIS contains several different management alternatives that each involve storing and releasing water in the three dams in a different way, along with more than 600 pages of information and data. Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District (UGRWCD) attorney John McClow says the DEIS up for public review isn’t much different from an earlier draft that water officials saw last fall.”

[More…]

There are five alternatives included in the DEIS. As usual in federal environmental reviews, the bureau has included a “no action” alternative that would continue to employ current water management practices in the Aspinall dam series.

Alternative B is the bureau’s preferred alternative, and manages water for a series of spring flushing flows at different levels, along with downstream flow targets at varying points during the year. The minimum flow would be 300 cubic feet per second (cfs), and the maximum would be the 2,150 cfs capacity of the Crystal Dam hydroelectric power plant. In a March 17 written report to the UGRWCD board, McClow said one downside of the preferred alternative was it could result in a reduction of hydropower generation among the Aspinall dam series in all but the wettest years…

Alternative A presents a management plan intended to create strong spring peak flows with an over-abundance of water in the Aspinall Unit, but could pose a risk of spill at the Crystal Dam.
Alternative C includes longer “ramping up” periods for the flow targets, while Alternative D presents sharp jumps in flow levels…

During the UGRWCD’s regular meeting on March 23, McClow said he had a chance to speak with a representative of the Colorado River District and they were in support of the preferred alternative. “It looks like that will be the consensus of most of the Western Slope participants,” he said.

David Neslin named to lead Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission

From the Denver Business Journal: “David Neslin, who had been acting director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission for 17 months, has been given the job permanently…Neslin has been serving in an acting capacity while the commission has been working on new oil and gas regulations for drilling in the state. Those rules took effect for state land on Wednesday. Rules for federal lands begin May 1. A lawyer by training, Neslin also has served as assistant director for energy and minerals within the Department of Natural Resources since August 2007. He will step down from that position.”

Energy policy — oil shale: USGS revises estimates of total Piceance Basin reserves upward

From the Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Pete Fowler): “The U.S. Geological Survey now estimates the Piceance Basin has around 1.525 trillion barrels worth of ‘in-place oil shale resources.’ The agency also found an estimated 43.3 billion tons of nahcolite in the Piceance Basin. It’s embedded with oil shale in many places and produces ‘large quantities’ of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide when it’s heated in oil shale processing, the USGS said. At the time of the last USGS assessment in 1989, the agency said there was about 1 trillion barrels of oil in the Piceance Basin’s oil shale. It is not known how much of the oil is actually recoverable because developing oil shale “has significant technological and environmental challenges and no economic extraction method is currently available in the U.S.,” the USGS said in an announcement. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said in a statement, ‘The USGS scientific report shows significant quantities of oil locked up in the shale rocks of the Piceance Basin. I believe it demonstrates the need for our continued research and development efforts.'[…]

“Western Colorado Congress spokesman Duke Cox said the announcement is an interesting statistic but it’s never really been about exactly how much oil shale there is. He said, ‘There’s an enormous potential, but the problem is for 100 years, industry has been trying to figure out a way to unlock that potential, and we’re still not there.’ He said it will most likely take at least 10 years before anyone knows if they can harvest oil shale and turn a profit without government subsidies.”

Here’s the USGS release:

The U.S. Geological Survey has updated its assessment of in-place oil shale resources in the Piceance Basin in western Colorado. Development of oil shale has significant technological and environmental challenges and no economic extraction method is currently available in the U.S. Therefore it is unknown how much of the assessed in-place (total amount present) resource is recoverable. “For the first time in 20 years, we have an updated assessment of in-place oil shale in the Piceance Basin of Colorado,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “The USGS scientific report shows significant quantities of oil locked up in the shale rocks of the Piceance Basin. I believe it demonstrates the need for our continued research and development efforts.”

The Piceance Basin has an estimated 1.525 trillion barrels of in-place oil shale resources. This study also found an estimated 43.3 billion tons of in-place nahcolite resources in the Piceance Basin. This mineral is embedded with oil shale in many areas, and produces large quantities of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide when heated in oil shale processing. Oil resources can only be obtained from oil shale rock when heated to great temperatures, 530 to 930 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures are required because oil shale does not contain crude oil but instead contains kerogen, which is an organic precursor to oil that must be heated for oil production.

The Piceance Basin contains one of the thickest and richest oil shale deposits in the world and is the focus of most on-going oil shale research and development extraction projects in the U.S. This new assessment is about 50 percent larger than the 1989 assessment of about one trillion barrels. Almost all of this increase is due to assessments of new geographic areas and subsurface zones that had too little data for previous research and assessments. The USGS is updating its assessments of oil shale resources in support of recommendations in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The USGS is also conducting oil shale assessments in the Uinta Basin of eastern Utah and the Greater Green River Basin of southwest Wyoming.

To learn more about the “Assessment of in-place oil shale resources in the Green River Formation, Piceance Basin, Colorado,” please visit the USGS Energy Resources Program Website.

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Million Pipeline Project: Conflicting views for reservoir at Upper Williams Creek site near Colorado Springs

Here’s an interesting turn of events. Aaron Million and his partners have been looking at siting a terminal reservoir at the same location as Colorado Springs Utilities’ proposed Upper William Creek site, according to a report from Chris Woodka writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. Dueling projects? From the article:

“I was amazed when I found out,” Million said. “We have been focusing on our own project for so long. I didn’t realize it was part of theirs. They’re kind of crowding me in the cattle pen. “Colorado Springs doesn’t own the property for the proposed reservoir. Rancher Bob Norris, an old family friend of Million’s owns the site. Million said he targeted the site for his own project while helping Norris’ son, Steve, run cattle on the property last fall.

Late last year, Colorado Springs chose the Upper Williams Creek site as its terminal storage, rather than the Jimmy Camp Creek further north. Many of the comments in the draft environmental impact statement being prepared by the Bureau of Reclamation protested the Jimmy Camp Creek site. The Upper Williams Creek previously appeared in one alternative, but it was the site of choice in the final EIS. Another 185,000 acre-foot Cactus Hill Reservoir is planned northeast of Fort Collins. Meetings have been planned in areas that could be affected by the project. A meeting in Pueblo has been set for 6:30 to 9 p.m. April 22 at Risley Middle School, 625 N. Monument. Other meetings are: April 14, Green River, Wyo.; April 15, Vernal, Utah; April 16, Laramie, Wyo.; April 20, Fort Collins; April 21, Denver. For locations, visit the Web site…

Million also is pursuing a Bureau of Reclamation contract and Colorado water right to put water in the pipeline. “Specifically, the project is being designed to meet environmental and agricultural needs as well as municipal needs,” Million said. “We would allow some of the water to be used at prices that are reasonable to agriculture.” The project would bring water to the Front Range without the less-desirable alternatives of building a new transmountain project or drying up farms in both the South Platte and Arkansas basins, Million said. “Frankly, we have offered the state of Colorado a significant bank of water for the environment,” Million said. “It is important for me to give benefits to the environment.”

Using the drop in elevation from the Palmer Divide to the proposed T-Cross Reservoir also has the potential to develop 330 megawatts of hydroelectric power, Million said. “This could be combined with wind power to make 100 percent renewable energy,” Million said. While the Corps is the lead agency in the project, it would also need permits from other federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and Forest Service. The EIS is being developed by AECOM, a global engineering firm.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here, here, here and here.

Coyote Gulch turns seven

I completely forgot to remind you water nuts about my seventh anniversary here at Coyote Gulch. I started the weblog seven years ago on March 29th. I didn’t have much to say that night so I linked a series of photographs from someone’s hike in Coyote Gulch. The canyon that is, not the weblog. Of course the link is now dead.

Thanks to you readers for all the links, compliments, corrections and encouragement over the years.

Chaffee Citizens for Sustainability: Fundraiser April 4th

Salida Citizen: “The newly formed Chaffee Citizens for Sustainability (CCFS) announced that its first fundraiser is scheduled on Saturday, April 4, from 5:00-9:00 p.m., at the Victoria Tavern in downtown Salida.”

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Yampa: Don’t drink the water

From the Steamboat Pilot & Today: “Yampa residents should use bottled water for drinking, food preparation and other uses after the town’s main water line broke Monday night.”

Snowpack news

From the Montrose Daily Press (Kati O’Hare): ““Snow pack at the present time is 99 percent of average, but only 77 percent of last year,” said Dan Crabtree, water management group chief for the Bureau of Reclamation. Last year, the snowfall in the Gunnison Basin filled up reservoir storage resulting in some water being released early to make room for more runoff. The Uncompahgre Water Users Association reported that it didn’t have to dip into reservoir storage until April because of the wet spring and slow melt off. A recent storm that hit the area is helping the snow pack numbers. Currently, snow pack is at 99 percent of average, but is only 77 percent of last year, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. That is not the case this year, said Steve Fletcher, UWUA water master for the Olathe/Delta area.

“Crabtree said the Uncompahgre Valley has good storage rights in Taylor Reservoir, which is located at 9,900 feet and holds 106,000 acre-feet of water (there is 326,000 gallons per acre-feet). He said that reservoir looks to be in good condition and should fill.”

From the Steamboat Pilot & Today (Zach Fridell): “Steamboat Ski Area is in the running for its fifth-highest snow amount in the past 15 years with 368.5 inches reported Tuesday morning, half an inch shy of the total amount recorded in 1999. The amount is still far less than last year’s record 489 inches, but [National Wea ther Service forecaster Joe Ramey] said the snow will keep falling as several storms approach…

“Ramey said Steamboat is above average this year, with Rabbit Ears Pass at 110 percent of average snowfall and the Yampa and White River Basin at 106 percent of average.”

Energy policy — oil shale: The need for a regional debate on development

From Denver Post guest columnist Sharon Bronson writing about the development of oil shale: “Frankly, the oil shale debate in Colorado demands a broader regional conversation about energy development and water management in the West. We are all painfully aware of how rapid development, an extended drought and global warming are stressing our water resources. As the seven Colorado River basin states, along with Mexico, continue to fight over a shrinking water “pie,” how will the water for commercial oil shale development be supplied? What are the downstream impacts of pursuing this type of energy policy? Is producing oil shale a better use of this water than raising crops? We need straight answers to these hard questions. The BLM, even today, acknowledges that the development technologies for oil shale have yet to be proven as commercially viable, and their associated impacts are unknown.”

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Farm disaster on the South Platte

Here’s a look at the fallout from the shut down of wells earlier in the century in the South Platte Alluvial Aquifer, from the Associated Press via CBS News. From the article:

The farmers’ plight traces back to the late 1800s, when reservoir and ditch companies bought senior rights to the Platte. Some 30 years later, farmers drilled their first wells in the South Platte River Valley…

For years, the state water engineer worked out ad hoc deals with farmers, allowing them to pump their wells without replacing water required by the law. There was enough to go around, and senior rights holders were satisfied. But trouble cropped up during drought years earlier this decade. In 2003, the state Supreme Court ordered the engineer to force individual farmers to adhere to the law to satisfy the needs of senior rights holders. “We’re not interested in putting anybody else out of business,” said Tim Buchanan, an attorney for Harmony Ditch Company, a contingent of alfalfa farmers in Logan County. “We just want our share of the water.” The decision ultimately shut down or severely curtailed pumping at 4,000 area wells, said Doug Sinor, a water court attorney. As many as 2,000 farmers were affected: Potatoes, corn, beans, cabbage and sugar beets all dried up.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Windsor: Town Board approves water conservation plan

Here’s an update on Windsor’s efforts to secure funding for a sustainable water supply which starts with filing a conservation plan with the state of Colorado, from Ashley Keesis-Wood writing for the Windsor Beacon. From the article:

The conservation plan, which was discussed by the board in depth in December and January, will be used as the town applies for low-interest loans from the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority. Those loans will most likely be used to help the town cover its $33 million or $34 million share in the Northern Integrated Supply Project, a collaborative effort between 15 municipalities and water districts begun in 2000.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Irrigating the Surface Creek Valley

Here’s an article about John Spurgeon’s new book Irrigating the Surface Creek Valley, from Bob Borchardt writing for the Delta County Independent. From the article:

With help from the Black Canyon Chapter of the Audubon Society, the Surface Creek Valley Historical Society and the Surface Creek Winery and Gallery, local author John Spurgeon is receiving much deserved recognition for his book “Irrigating the Surface Creek Valley.”
According to Spurgeon, every community “has its own water story, even if it has been forgotten with the passage of time.”[…]Spurgeon said the irrigation ditches fascinated him, and he wanted to know why, how, and for what purpose these ditches came to be. “What’s this buying and selling of water all about?” he asked. His research and inquiries led to his writing of this easy-to-read and extremely fascinating book.

I’ve emailed the Independent for information on purchasing the book.

Arkansas River Basin Water Forum

Here’s a recap of the second day of the Arkansas River Basin Water Forum, from Chris Woodka writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

The creation of a Fountain Creek District, passed by the state Legislature this week and awaiting Gov. Bill Ritter’s signature, represents the fruit of more than two years of discussions that will lead to action, rather than just another plan. “Having grown up along that creek, I want to make it a living entity that both Colorado Springs and Pueblo can enjoy,” Pueblo County Commissioner Jeff Chostner told the Arkansas River Basin Forum Wednesday. “This is a real opportunity to create and preserve those traditional things about Fountain Creek that we enjoy.” About 150 people at- tended the two-day forum at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Chostner, along with Carol Baker of Colorado Springs Utilities and Heather Bergman of the Keystone Center, recounted the process that began with finger-pointing and is coming to conclusion in the form of a new district which will make funding projects in the no-man’s land between Pueblo and Fountain possible. The effort to form the district began in 2006, after more than a year of harsh rhetoric following major sewage spills into Fountain Creek in 2005 – only the latest incident in a long history of disputes. Chostner said there is still “mutually assured distrust” between the two radically different counties in the new district: Pueblo and El Paso. The difference is that a new nine-member board will take on decisions by consensus, instead of conflict. “You can build all the castles in the air you want and dream about what projects you want to do on the creek, but without money, you can’t get anything done,” Chostner said. “Ultimately, the controversy can’t go on forever.”

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Moab tailings cleanup to benefit from stimulus dough

Here’s an update on the cleanup of uranium mill tailings in Moab, from Gary Harmon writing for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article:

The federal government will provide $108 million from the economic stimulus package to push ahead more quickly with the cleanup of uranium mill tailings from Moab, Utah. The new spending will more than double the number of employees from 125 to at least 275, officials with the U.S. Department of Energy said. The cleanup is scheduled to begin April 20 and is estimated to cost about $1 billion, which will be paid by the Department of Energy. “Grand County has an astonishing economic stimulus package going on,” Bob Greenberg, chairman of the county council, said Tuesday.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

President Obama to nominate Anne Castle as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science

From The Cherry Creek News (Guerin Green): ” Castle has more than 25 years of experience in water rights, water quality and natural resources law. She currently serves as a partner in the Denver, Colo. office of Holland & Hart LLP. ‘Anne Castle is one of the nation’s foremost experts in water and natural resource law,’ said Secretary Salazar. ‘She will be an invaluable addition to our team as we work to address the water challenges facing our country and as we restore the role of science in decision-making at the Department of the Interior. Anne will help us find common sense solutions on some of the most difficult 21st century challenges we face, from climate change to water shortages.'”

Rio Grande Compact Commission votes not to certify river accounting figures

From the Valley Courier (Ruth Heide): “In an unusual turn of events during its annual meeting on Tuesday in El Paso, Texas, the Rio Grande Compact Commission voted not to certify the river compact accounting figures from the participating states of Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. ‘There was a little bit of an issue with the accounting for Elephant Butte Reservoir,’ said Colorado Division of Water Resources Acting Division Engineer for Division III Craig Cotten. He explained that some problems with the gauging station at Elephant Butte came to light only a week before the Rio Grande Compact meeting so they could not be worked out before the meeting. The engineer advisors for each state met in February to review compact accounting numbers but they did not know about the gauging station problem at that time. “Unfortunately in this case we just found out that there might be a discrepancy in the numbers just a week ago,” Cotten said. Therefore, the compact commissioners decided to wait until a separate compact meeting in June to finalize each state’s numbers. Cotten said all three states will check out the Elephant Butte gauging situation before that time.”

Arkansas River Basin Water Forum day 1

Here’s a recap of the Colorado Water Conservation Board Executive Director Jennifer Gimbel’s keynote on the first day of the Arkansas Basin Water Forum, from Chris Woodka writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

Water for energy – whether that means hydroelectric, biofuels, oil shale or power plant cooling involves choices for Colorado in a time when shortages are nearing critical points, a top water official said Tuesday. “When you are dealing with water, you are dealing with our future. It’s going to take choices, and it’s going to take trade-offs,” Colorado Water Conservation Board Executive Director Jennifer Gimbel said. Gimbel made her comments during the keynote speech of the Arkansas River Basin Water Forum being held at Colorado State University-Pueblo. The event continues today with the topic “Water to Fuel Our Future.”[…]

the state’s population is expected to triple by 2050, and climate change will mean warmer temperatures, a longer growing season, decreased flows in river, more rain, earlier runoff and increased variability in the weather, Gimbel said. Conservation and reuse will go only so far to meet anticipated shortfalls, she said. “We need to continue building infrastructure,” Gimbel said. “However, the infrastructure we do have needs to be managed collectively. That means more multiuse projects.”

Construction of dams, given a black eye in the public consciousness, benefits rivers by moderating flows and improving fisheries, Gimbel said. Her primary example was the Arkansas River voluntary flow agreement – made possible by balancing water accounts between dams – that created sufficient flows for the Arkansas River Headwaters State Recreation Area, which draws more rafters that any other American stretch of river.

New water projects are increasingly more difficult during tough budget times, however. About $45 million has been cut from CWCB construction funds to make this year’s state budget balance and deeper cuts could be looming in the future, Gimbel said. Other forms of energy development have varying impacts on water supplies. Wind farms use little water, but could impact birds; solar power may use more water than previously believed; ethanol production of 7 billion gallons annually eats up 19 million acres of farmland; oil shale has the potential to use more than double the amount of water imported into the Arkansas Valley each year; and coal-bed methane produces poor-quality water that state law deals with uncertainly.

Million pipeline project: Corps of Engineers to hold Wyoming ‘scoping’ meetings April 14th and 16th

Here’s an update on Aaron Million’s plans to build a pipeline from the Green River in Wyoming (Flaming Gorge) to the Front Range and points south, from Jeff Gearino writing for the Casper Star Tribune. From the article:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said this week the agency is beginning work on an environmental impact statement that will analyze the impacts of the proposed regional water supply project. Army Corps project manager Rena Brand said the agency has scheduled public “scoping” meetings in Green River on April 14 and Laramie on April 16 to discuss the project…

The pipeline would deliver about 250,000 acre feet of water to points as far south as Pueblo, according to project plans. The pipeline would operate on a perpetual basis through 2030 and beyond. The water would be obtained from the Green River Basin as part of the unused portion of water allocated to the state of Wyoming and Colorado under the Upper Colorado River Compact, according to plans. In Wyoming, about 25,000 acre feet of water would be delivered annually to users in the Platte River Basin. The remaining 225,000 acre feet of water would be delivered annually to the South Platte River and Arkansas River basins in Colorado. The most conservative estimates predict it would take five years or more to permit and build the pipeline once it overcomes significant political and logistical hurdles…

Drawing water from Flaming Gorge — which can hold up to 3.8 million acre feet of water — and the Green River would affect few irrigators and other water users, Million contends…

The potential water users for the proposed project would include agriculture, municipalities and industries in southeastern Wyoming and Colorado’s Front Range, according to an Army Corps notice in the Federal Register. Two water withdrawal facilities would be constructed as part of the project. One would be located on the east side of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir and the other on the east bank of the Green River, about 200 feet downstream from the boundary of the national wildlife refuge. A water treatment storage reservoir would also be constructed near the Green River intake system, according to plans. The water pipeline system would be about 560 miles long and would feature three water storage/flow regulation reservoirs along the route, including one in Wyoming at Lake Hattie west of Laramie. Officials said 16 natural gas-powered pump stations would also be constructed. Brand said the agency will examine a full range of reasonable alternatives as part of the environmental impact study, including alternatives with different withdrawal points or only one withdrawal point, and alternative storage reservoir locations.

Update: More background from Joy Ufford writing for the Sublette Examiner:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) recently published its notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposal by Aaron Million, of the Million Conservation Resource Group (MCRG), to build the proposed “Regional Watershed Supply Project” (RWSP) and pull about 250,000 acre-feet of new water a year to his customers. The planned EIS will “analyze the direct, indirect and cumulative effects of a proposed water-supply project in Wyoming and Colorado,” states the ACE notice…

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation would have to give Million a contract to withdraw water directly from Flaming Gorge and he would also need federal approval to cross public lands with the pipeline. The proposal also includes a water storage treatment reservoir near the Green River intake system, a water pipeline from 72 to 102 inches in diameter and about 560 miles long, a regulating reservoir at the pipeline’s western end, about 16 natural gas-powered pump stations along the pipeline route, temporary and permanent access roads and three water-storage/flow-regulation reservoirs (at Lake Hattie west of Laramie and the proposed Cactus Hill and T-Cross reservoirs in Colorado). Outlet structures at each reservoir would have water treatment facilities, onsite transformers, overhead power lines and water delivery systems to his water users, it says…

Million applied to the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office (SEO) for two permits, 15 months ago, which are still under review and will likely bring about public hearings and comment periods, according to State Engineer Pat Tyrrell. One is to divert water from the Green and the other is to use his proposed pipeline for Wyoming water use, Tyrrell said. The water sold to Wyomingites would count against the state’s apportionment, he added, just as the water piped to Colorado customers would count toward that state’s historic allocation. While the SEO permit to withdraw water does not require an environmental analysis or public hearings, the proposal is sensitive enough that the SEO plans to schedule meetings later this summer or fall, he said. “They were told from early on we would probably have hearings because of the size, nature and potential controversy that surrounds (the diversion and pipeline proposed),” he said.

Million has proposed four points for withdrawal to the SEO – three in the Green and one on the banks of Flaming Gorge. “We’re getting a lot of questions,” Tyrrell said. “There are concerns – can it be done without hindering Wyoming’s remainder of (its) portion?” Wyoming’s role is choosing whether or not to grant the two requested permits ‘is “only a smaller part of the much larger approval process,” he said. “We would be one domino in a much larger string.” Even assuming the SEO approved his permits, Tyrrell added, “That’s no green light for (Million).” The concept is “allowable” – but the project’s size is very “unusual,” he said…

ACE meetings in Wyoming will be held in Green River April 14, 6:30 to 9 p.m., at the Green River High School and April 16, 6:30 to 9 p.m. in Laramie at the Laramie High School. The public is invited to provide scoping input and comments through May 19. The notice is available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/20#89F78. Address questions and comments on the proposal and EIS to Ms. Rena Brand, Project Manager, US Army Corps of Engineers, Denver Regulatory Office, 9307 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton, CO 80128-6901; (303) 979-4120; mrcg.eis@usace.army.mil.

The Upper Green River Basin Joint Powers Board, representing Sublette, Lincoln and Sweetwater counties, has invited a coalition of concerned Wyoming and Colorado groups to meet but hasn’t “managed to nail down a date yet,” said board member Randy Bolgiano of Boulder.

The Wyoming Water Development Commission has scheduled an April 30 meeting with the Green River Basin Advisory Group and the coalition, 6 p.m. at the White Mountain Library in Rock Springs, to discuss the Million proposal.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Snowpack news

From the Greeley Tribune (Bill Jackson): “The first measurement [Todd] Boldt and John Fusaro took at the 10,276-foot summit of Cameron Pass at the top of the Poudre Canyon revealed 19 inches of new snow, and as it turned out about an hour later, an average of 83 inches of snow. Even better was the water content, 108 percent of the 30-year average…

“The late March, early April measurements are always the most important because, on average, about 80 percent of the snow the state’s mountains get in a season has fallen by the end of March. Information from monthly surveys allows hydrologists to predict the amount of runoff when the snow melt occurs in the spring. Water users, including those involved in agriculture, industry and municipalities, use that information for planning. As much as 80 percent of the state’s surface water supplies originate from the mountain snowpack.”