Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program: Memorial Day weekend coordinated water releases

Here’s some background on the coordinated release from six dams in the Upper Colorado River Basin designed to provide an approximation of historical spring streamflows to improve habitat for the endangered natives in the river system, from Mark Jaffe writing for the Denver Post. From the article:

The releases from Granby, Ruedi, Windy Gap, Williams Wolford Mountain, Dillon and Green Mountain reservoirs are designed to replicate spring peak flows on the Colorado before the dams were built. “This is a valuable step in in helping to restore these endangered species,” said Angela Kantula, assistant director of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program.

The extra water will flush sediment and build sandbars to improve the mating habitat for four endangered fish species — the Colorado pikeminnow, the bonytail, razorback sucker and the humpback chub — along a 15-mile stretch of the river near Grand Junction. The releases raised the flow of the river about 15 percent, to a peak of 20,000 cubic feet per second, according to the recovery program. Although the reservoir release program was developed in 1995, there has only been enough water in the reservoirs for the releases in five years, Kantula said…

The releases, which began in mid- May, sent a cue to fish that it was mating season, along with cleaning the riverbed cobbles, where the eggs are laid, and creating sandbars, behind which pockets of calm water offer habitat for the fry, Kantula said…

Between 1989 and 2008, $187 million has been spent on the recovery program, with about 80 percent coming from the federal government and funds from hydropower generators. Colorado has contributed $16 million.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Pueblo West Metropolitan District: Sessions on proposed Southern Delivery System

From the Pueblo Chieftain (James Amos):

Pueblo West Metropolitan District board members will discuss several items in open session before going behind closed doors Tuesday to talk with lawyers about negotiations over Colorado Springs’ water pipeline. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the district’s headquarters, 109 E. Industrial Blvd.

Pueblo West, which wants water from the pipeline, has sued Pueblo County over whether it should have to contribute water to a separate program that allows water to run through Pueblo’s kayak course in the Arkansas River. Other pipeline participants have pledged to supply water, but Pueblo West did not and argues that it can’t be forced to now.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Mount Werner Water and Sanitation District: Conservation plan public showing

From the Steamboat Pilot & Today (Blythe Terrell):

They’re sharing a wide-ranging water conservation plan with the public this week. Their first goal is to slash peak water use in the Steamboat Springs area by 10 percent by 2015. Lyn Halliday, principal of Environmental Solutions Un limited, has worked with city officials and the Mount Werner Water and Sanitation District to create a plan to hit that goal. The team will show the plan to the public and seek feedback Wednesday at Centennial Hall…

The 63-page plan serves a couple of purposes, said Jay Gallagher, general manager of Mount Werner Water. Water officials want to be able to respond to water emergencies such as droughts or wildfires. Also, the Colorado Water Conservation Act requires entities that supply at least 2,000 acre-feet of water a year to have a conservation plan…

The plan includes asking people not to water outside between the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and to use landscaping that doesn’t require much water. It includes stages with more severe conservation measures to be put in place during water emergencies. Gallagher; Halliday; Public Works Director Philo Shelton; Joe Zimmerman, water and sewer systems supervisor; and Senior City Planner Bob Keenan put together the plan, which they presented to the Steamboat Springs City Council in April. Wednesday’s event will include an open house that starts at 4 p.m. The plan creators will do a presentation at 5 p.m.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Yampa River Festival: Riverboarding demo

Here’s a recap of yesterday’s riverboarding demo at the Yampa River Festival, from Joel Reichenberger writing for the Steamboat Pilot & Today. From the article:

On Saturday, as [Danny Tebbenkamp] demonstrated the boards at the Yampa River Festival, it led to a seemingly endless line of questions from perplexed onlookers. Tebbenkamp first refers to a riverboard as a “boogie board that helps an adventure-minded soul ride the river.” Put away that first thought, though — these boards bear nothing in common with the thin panel of Styrofoam available for $2 on beaches across the world. The devices look more like a kneeboard meant to be dragged behind a boat than a traditional boogie board. A plethora of handles offer enough places to grab hold, and the boards are plenty light enough to haul around and buoyant enough to survive the rushing water of the Yampa.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Runoff news: Cache la Poudre surging

Here’s the link the the USGS Water Watch map for Colorado for your surfing pleasure.

From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Trevor Hughes):

In a week, the river level at the Poudre Canyon has jumped from about 300 cubic feet per second to a peak of about 1,600 cfs, driven by fast-melting snow and recent rains. Based on 127 years of historical data from the Colorado Division of Water Resources, the river averages about 1,200 cfs this time of year.

From the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Dave Buchanan):

Water flow data from the U.S. Geological Service shows the Gunnison dropping faster than the Rockies’ playoff hopes. Flows that climbed as high as 5,400 cfs a week ago from Crystal Dam have fallen to 1,890 cfs by mid-afternoon Friday, with more reductions on the way.

From the Loveland Reporter Herald (Jon Pilsner):

The water in the Big Thompson in Loveland was flowing at an average of 373 cubic feet per second, said Kevin Johnston with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management team. Normally this time of the year, the average is close to 100 cfs, Johnston said. Kara Lamb with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said water levels on the river below Olympus Dam east of Estes Park were as high as 250 cubic feet per second, but they will drop to about 175 this weekend…

Carter Lake is about full and will remain so over the weekend, according to numbers provided by Lamb. The water at Horsetooth Reservoir is a foot higher than it was at this time a year ago, and it will continue to climb this weekend, Lamb said.

Pueblo Board of Water Works to meet Thursday to finalize contract for sale of Columbine Ditch

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

Ginn Development, which plans to build Battle Mountain Ski Resort near Minturn, bid $30.48 million for the ditch in February. The bid was accepted by the water board. Ginn indicated in its bid that it would pay the full amount as soon as a contract is finalized. The city of Aurora bid less for the ditch, but will have 60 days to match the offer in the final contract under an earlier agreement signed with the Pueblo water board. Ginn and the water board have agreed on terms for the purchase and barring any unforeseen changes in the next week should be able to sign a contract, said Alan Hamel, executive director of the water board…

The Columbine Ditch was constructed 13 miles north of Leadville on Fremont Pass in 1931 to bring agricultural water into the Arkansas Valley from the Eagle River basin. The Pueblo water board purchased it in 1953. The ditch would yield about 1,300 acre-feet annually under limits in water court decrees, although its average yield to date has been 1,700 acre-feet per year. The amount of water that can be brought over is limited by 20- and 60-year caps. The water also comes mainly during the spring, and must be stored in order to be used by Pueblo. Ginn would be able to use the water rights within the Eagle River basin.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Arkansas Valley: New irrigation rules on track

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

The state is proposing the rules to ensure that irrigation improvements using surface supplies – sprinklers, ditch lining or pipes – don’t increase consumptive use. If they do, supplies to downstream users within the state and across the Kansas border could be reduced, raising the specter of more legal action over the Arkansas River Compact. The rules would cover improvements made in the Arkansas Valley since 1999, when Kansas and Arkansas reached agreement on historic consumptive use – the amount of water crops consume. The last committee meeting will be at 1 p.m. June 22 at the Pueblo Board of Water Works conference room, [State Engineer Dick Wolfe] said. By then, Kansas will have reviewed the rules a second time, and the state can consider those comments along with the concerns of in-state irrigators…

The state is not relying on the data from 40-50 years ago that was used in the Kansas v. Colorado lawsuit to build the new computer model for changes in consumptive use for surface irrigation improvements, Wolfe said. The state is using data from a lysimeter – a mechanical means of measuring how much water is used to grow a crop – and studying weather patterns to fine-tune the model accepted by both states in the Kansas v. Colorado lawsuit. Wolfe bristled at the notion that the problem is a small one. “Yes, it’s only 1,000 acre-feet now, but we want these rules in place as we move forward so people have certainty,” Wolfe said. “We’re trying to avoid another compact violation, as we have continued to point out.”

The state has proposed two basic ways to account for how water use changes when improvements are added. The first would require farmers to show how they have reduced acreage or are bypassing flows to account for higher consumptive use because of increased efficiency. The second are blanket plans that cover wider areas using models to account for impacts over entire ditch systems or laterals.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Parker: Group seeking to remove Parker Water and Sanitation board members appeals decision to throw out recall petition

Here’s an update on the recall petition for Parker Water and Sanitation board members, from Chris Michlewicz writing for the Parker Chronicle. From the article:

Transparency Advocates for Parker Water and Sanitation filed an appeal earlier this month to have a Douglas County District Court judge review whether there was a legal basis for throwing out the petition, which contained more than 500 signatures. Douglas County Clerk and Recorder Jack Arrowsmith ruled that false or misleading information was used when the group was circulating the petition. Now the Transparency Advocates are challenging the grounds for the dismissal because they say county officials misinterpreted the scope of their duties. “It pains me to point the finger at Jack Arrowsmith because I think he relied on faulty legal advice,” said Merlin Klotz, a member of the recall group.

In one claim, TAPWS did not accuse the water board members of legal wrongdoing, but rather suggested that they violated the public trust by circumventing Colorado’s open meetings law. The law requires public notice when three or more board members meet to discuss business. Some board members have admitted to speaking individually with one another about rescinding a water rate increase that was approved in December. The group says Arrowsmith should not have reviewed the allegation and dismissed the petition because his ruling stated that the evidence was insufficient to prove that the law was broken.

Arrowsmith could have scheduled a recall election that enables the public to decide whether four out of the five Parker Water and Sanitation District board members should be unseated…

The petitioners said Arrowsmith also failed to notify the recall petition targets on the day the petition was approved. The letters to the board members about the approval were dated March 11, four weeks later than required by law.

In its appeal to Douglas County District Court Judge Vincent White, TAPWS outlined several other examples of what it calls improper interpretations of the law when deciding to throw out the petition, which was submitted in February. Klotz said the clerk and county attorneys might have used the dismissal to cover up possible legal errors. County officials declined to address any specific allegations in the pending case. Arrowsmith dismissed the petition April 23 after finding that information on the opposition group’s Web site could have unfairly swayed the opinions of those who signed it. TAPWS maintains that the information was accurate.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Fairplay: Dave Stanford wins contract to run new treatment plant

From the Fairplay Flume (Linda Bjorklund):

Dave Stanford, owner of H2O Consultants, has been selected as wastewater operator of the new plant at the Fairplay Sanitation District. A $60,000-per-year bid submitted by him and Kaupus Laboratories Water Specialists was selected by the district board at its May 14 meeting. It was one of four proposals. Two other bidders proposed rates of $72,000 a year and $85,000 per year. The difference was in the hourly rates, which were quoted at $65 an hour for H2O and $90 for Kaupus. Board members said Stanford’s proposed rate was lower, and he had been doing the actual work on the plant during the construction period and had proven that he could do the job.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Meeker: Oil shale conference Tuesday

From the Craig Daily Press:

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Northwest Colorado Farmers Union, the Douglas Creek Conservation District and White River Conservation District will host a conference Tuesday in Meeker about how oil shale will affect the Western Slope’s water supply, agriculture and local communities. The conference will feature a presentation about oil shale’s suspected impacts to western Colorado, including reports by the Colorado River Water Conservation District, Yampa/White/Green River Basin Roundtable, Western Resource Advocates and Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado.

After the presentation, a panel featuring a local agriculture producer, a Rio Blanco County commissioner and a representative from the Colorado River District to discuss the issues. A representative from Shell Oil Company also will be there to provide an industry perspective and share some of its plans for western Colorado. Audience members will be allowed to ask questions of the presenters after the panel discussion.

The conference is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Old Public Library at the Fairfield center, 200 Main St. in Meeker. Sandwiches and drinks will be provided.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority: Suite of potential water supply options to choose from

The Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority is discussing their options for a sustainable water supply. They could be customers of any number of projects including, the Super Ditch Companay, a Flaming Gorge Pipeline(either Aaron Million’s or the Colorado-Wyoming Coalition) or Colorado Springs’ proposed Southern Delivery System. Here’s a report from Nicole Chillino writing for The Tri-Lakes Tribune. From the article:

The Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority continued discussions about its options for a future water source and it appears it will be a while before it can determine what its best course will be…Regardless of which project or projects the authority ultimately chooses, it will need to find a place to store the water. The authority has a few options, including the Pueblo Reservoir, but no storage location has been finalized.

Nestlé Waters Chaffee County Project: Chaffee County closes of public comments

Here’s a recap of this week’s Chaffee County Commissioner’s hearing on Nestlé Waters North America proposed Chaffee County Project, from Christopher Kolomitz writing for The Mountain Mail. From the article:

Submission of written comment ended earlier this month and the public’s chance to comment ended Thursday. “I think it’s a violation of the process,” Jay Hake, a Salida lawyer said. “When people haven’t had a chance to review (newly submitted Nestlé documents), I think it’s a serious problem.” He also pointed to new information county officials provide and the lack of public opportunity to comment and review. More criticism was aimed at multiple changes made in the Nestlé project since it was first submitted in November…

Additional arrows were aimed at the company, its testing, officials and the plan. Chip Cutler, a lawyer who lives in Howard, said the Nestlé’ pump testing should have been done at high levels replicating proposed pumping. Howard resident Alan Rule said he feared the burden of monitoring the Nestlé project would fall upon Chaffee County officials, something for which the county may not be prepared. Michele Riggo, member of a Salida sustainability group, asked if Nestlé’s commitment to a $500,000 endowment was in writing…

Daniel Zetler, another local lawyer, said he felt Nestlé tactics have been to offer as little information as possible and “throw bones” to the county when opposition arises. He said Nestlé has misled commissioners about property tax revenue generated by the project and had a goal of draining the local aquifer.

More coverage from The Mountain Mail (Paul Goetz):

Public testimony closed at 11:35 p.m. Thursday and Chaffee County Commissioners set a June 16 date to deliberate whether Nestlé’s 1041 application and special land use permit will be approved. Closing the comment period ended the seventh public meeting held on the issue which began at 1 p.m.

At the meeting Nestlé officials said the Bighorn Spring would be withdrawn from proposed development. Bruce Lauerman, natural resource manager for Nestlé Waters North America, Inc. western division, made the announcement to an audience of more than 150 at the Salida Steam Plant Theater. Lauerman said Nestlé remains committed to the Bighorn site, but water production would be from the Ruby Mountain Spring at about 124 gallons per minute. Lauerman said Nestlé will place both spring sites into a conservation easement. “Easements are not part of getting the permits,” he said, or that would negate the charitable act and spirit of an easement. In addition, Lauerman said Nestlé would allow in-stream fishing access only at both sites. However, “If it becomes problematic, we will reserve the right to shut it down.”

Don Reimer, county engineer and planning director, spoke about outstanding issues. Economic and water issues remained at the forefront of discussion. County economic impact consultant Jean Townsend of Coley Forrest told commissioners additional information provided by Lauerman early in the meeting will cause reduction of the assessed value. She said the assessed property is $6,300 for property tax and $10,500 for school tax. Nestlé consultants THK Associates estimate the county would receive about $375 per year for the highway users tax fund, and would receive $8,200 in property tax…

Commissioner Tim Glenn asked about the strength of the trucking company commitments to hire 50 percent locally. Lauerman said advertisements in the local newspaper were successful. He said if the company was to hire today, they would be able to hire seven local drivers. “Logistics people tell me we need about 15 drivers,” Lauerman said.

Glenn later questioned Jon Hollenbeck of ACA Products about the number of employees and duration they would be working on the project. Hollenbeck said the jobs would be temporary, and 10-12 people would be working…

County water consultant Jim Culichia of Felt, Monson and Culichia, said Nestlé will be subject to the same scrutiny as Coors. Nestlé will file in water court which will take about six months. It will take water court about five years to finish the application. In the interim, Nestlé will be allowed to transport water. Fairchild asked about exporting water outside Colorado before going to water court. She asked if the public trust doctrine mattered. Steve Sims, water attorney for Nestlé said there is no “public trust doctrine in Colorado.” Sims said, “If water court didn’t approve, Nestlé would not be able to pump.”

Several people asked about the cone of depression – whether the well (used to pump water from the spring source) would take water from the river. Lauerman said Nestlé specifically does not want river water, adding, “These springs are buffered, protected sites.”

Nestlé officials have collected data from a downstream weir for the past year, and were agreeable to adding a second weir and drilling a monitoring well if the trench were ever reclaimed to the wetland project. Lauerman was opposed to gathering more data, and said, “We have collected the data. I will strongly object for our project to be postponed while we collect more data.”

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Runoff news: Roaring Fork Valley streams running high

Here’s the link to the USGS Water Watch map for Colorado for your surfing pleasure.

From the Aspen Times (John Colson):

According to Ted Hinricks, a Colorado River ranger for the U.S. Forest Service stationed in Eagle County, the Colorado River surged on Monday to around 10,000 cubic-feet-per-second at a gauge station at Dotsero, near the eastern end of Glenwood Canyon…

The Roaring Fork River reportedly was flowing at around 2,400 cfs as of Monday afternoon at a gauge station near Emma, but by the time it got to Glenwood Springs, it was flowing at 6,700 cfs, according to Tom Trowbridge of Roaring Fork Anglers, who read the river gauge early on Tuesday…

Officials have said that the Crystal River is nearing the flood stage, but Ellen Anderson, emergency services manager for Pitkin County, said no serious problems are anticipated. “It looks as though we’re going to get to bankfull, but not much more,” Anderson said on Tuesday.

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Tracy Harmon):

The [Arkansas River] level was running at a healthy 3,330 cubic feet per second Friday morning at the Parkdale gauge just west of Canon City, prompting the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area to issue a high water advisory.

Pagosa Springs: Chasing dough to build wastewater treatment plant

The new wastewater treatment plant for Pagosa Springs — originally scheduled for a 2008 completion — still lacks complete funding. Here’s a report from Jim McQuiggin writing for the Pagosa Sun. From the article:

Those discussions, in the form of a conference call held May 6 that included Starks, Pagosa Springs Mayor Ross Aragon, Town Manager David Mitchem and representatives from the Colorado Health Department, the USDA, the Department of Local Affairs, and the Water and Power Authority, kick-started the arduous process of chasing down necessary additional funding for the project. Although both the mayor and Mitchem reported the outcome of the call was “very productive,” both conceded the call was only a first step towards acquiring those funds.

Following up on the call, Aragon and Mitchem met with USDA representatives Tuesday morning to learn what steps would be needed to grab federal money.

“They want us to jump through hoops,” the mayor said, “but they have the money we need. There’s still a lot we have to discuss.”

Aragon reported that the USDA representatives brought up the possibility of a rate hike (one of several ideas) but said, “That’s not really an option, as far as I’m concerned. We’ve already gone up sixty-seven percent, and that’s much more than I wanted.”

The mayor also stated that, although the idea of scaling back the project was floated by the USDA representatives, the town would continue with the current scope of the project, adding, “We don’t want to build it and then find that, five years down the road, we need something bigger.”

No less sanguine regarding the conversation with the USDA representatives, Mitchem was nonetheless optimistic that the town could meet federal benchmarks set out by the USDA. “We’re going to move ahead with our preliminary plans,” he said, “We’re going to refine some of the engineering, review our current environmental studies and fine tune the flood plain mapping. We’re under a tight deadline from the feds. Everything has to be approved by Washington by October 1.”

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Dry Gulch Reservoir: Land acquisition and easement strategies

From the Pagosa Sun (Chuck McGuire):

Effective May 12, a long-standing ranching family and two area water districts entered into an agreement with a local land trust to explore the feasibility of conservation easements on some or all of approximately 140 acres located nearly two miles northeast of Pagosa Springs. As Dry Gulch is now planned, a portion of the acreage will eventually lie beneath the waterline, while the remainder will become lakefront property.

The land in question is part of several hundred acres currently owned by the Laverty family, including Kitzel Farrah, Kurt Laverty and Steve Laverty. Entities hoping to acquire that portion of the Laverty property include the San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) and the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD), herein referred to as “the districts.”

Though the Lavertys have been reluctant to sell property to accommodate the reservoir, they are apparently willing to part with that which will ultimately be flooded, while preferably maintaining ownership of the rest. They are also reportedly inclined to donate certain property rights to the public (in the form of conservation easements), in order to preserve and protect the shoreline, view shed and water quality.

Of course, filling Dry Gulch may be possible without the Lavertys having to sell any land at all. According to Southwest Land Alliance (SLA) Executive Director Michael Whiting, many reservoirs exist over land permanently protected by more restrictive easements. Depending on the answers to a number of relative questions, the Lavertys might end up selling the districts all or a portion of the land, or simply holding on to it, while implementing multiple easements.

To answer questions and eliminate all doubt, the Lavertys, SLA and the districts agreed to investigate whether some combination of conservation easements and/or fee title acquisition would satisfy the districts needs, while also benefiting the Lavertys and the community overall.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

MIT: Probabilistic forecast for 21st century climate based on uncertainties in emissions (without policy) and climate parameters

From the Journal of Climate:

The MIT Integrated Global System Model is used to make probabilistic projections of climate change from 1861 to 2100. Since the model’s first projections were published in 2003 substantial improvements have been made to the model and improved estimates of the probability distributions of uncertain input parameters have become available. The new projections are considerably warmer than the 2003 projections, e.g., the median surface warming in 2091 to 2100 is 5.2°C compared to 2.4°C in the earlier study. Many changes contribute to the stronger warming; among the more important ones are taking into account the cooling in the second half of the 20th century due to volcanic eruptions for input parameter estimation and a more sophisticated method for projecting GDP growth which eliminated many low emission scenarios. However, if recently published data, suggesting stronger 20th century ocean warming, are used to determine the input climate parameters, the median projected warning at the end of the 21st century is only 4.1°C. Nevertheless all our simulations have a much smaller probability of warming less than 2.4°C, than implied by the lower bound of the IPCC AR4 projected likely range for the A1FI scenario, which has forcing very similar to our median project

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Rio Grande Reservoir: Expansion project final design stage

Here’s an update on the San Luis Valley Irrigation District’s plans to enlarge Rio Grande Reservoir, from Alex Rice writing for The Mineral County Miner. From the article:

The final design stage is in the fourth of five phases of the project, which would expand the large reservoir approximately 20 miles southwest of Creede by 10,000 acre-feet. The fifth stage would include the expansion of the reservoir, which is near the headwaters of the Rio Grande…

Currently in the third phase, the district is looking at its Reservoir Allocation Enhancement Model, which deals with how to operate the reservoir once the expansion project is completed, specific to the needs of the district and its water users, along with compact and direct flow storage. Smith, also the chairman of the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) and its representative on the Rio Grande Roundtable, said that this third phase will cost $100,000, and is being funded through the CWCB’s water supply reserve account. The district is currently consulting with the Colorado Division of Water Resources, the District 20 Water Commissioners, the Rio Grande Water Users Association, the Nature Conservancy and Trout Unlimited on the expansion project.

“It’s a 100-year-old reservoir, and it needs a fix,” Smith said when asked why the SLVID undertook the project in the spring of 2002. “It has physical repair issues that need to be addressed so you have a reservoir to meet the needs of the next 100 years.”

San Luis Valley: State engineer approves amendments to groundwater sub-district #1 management rules

The state engineer has approved proposed changes to the management rules for the San Luis Valley’s groundwater sub-district #1. Here’s a report from Matt Hildner writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

The revisions, posted (pdf) on the conservation district’s Web site Tuesday, include a revised plan of water management and appendices for an annual replacement plan, surface water credit calculation, an index of the subdistrict’s wells, budget plan and operational timelines. The replacement plan also includes provisions for the subdistrict to deliver water downstream when senior surface water users are curtailed under the Rio Grande Compact at a rate equal to or greater than the injurious depletions caused by pumping.

During a Tuesday hearing on the course of management for the September trial, Kuenhold ordered additional information be included on how the subdistrict plans to use the Rio Grande Decision Support System, a computer modeling program, to calculate depletions. He also agreed with the plan’s supporters to limit the issues that any new interveners in the case might raise, avoiding the risk of re-trying matters the court previously covered.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

CWCB awards grants for tamarisk removal

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

The largest grant, $150,000, went to the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District’s Arkansas River Invasive Plants Plan, to provide demonstration projects on 985 acres of river area in Pueblo, Otero, Bent and Prowers counties. The grant request was for $200,000, which would go toward the estimated $500,000 cost of the program. “The four projects included in this proposal were prioritized due to a high potential of flooding, to provide good demonstration sites for control, restoration and maintenance methods and to show collaboration between the states of Kansas and Colorado in order to increase future federal funding,” wrote Jean Van Pelt, Southeastern’s conservation coordinator, in the application. The project areas include Fountain Creek through Pueblo; the Arkansas River through La Junta and Las Animas, where tamarisks have clogged the channel and increased the risk for flooding; and a large area to be sprayed by air between Holly and the Kansas state line, in cooperation with Kansas.

Another grant for $100,000 was approved for the Branson-Trinchera Conservation District to treat areas near Trinidad. The district had requested $200,000 as part of a $400,000 project to control tamarisk on mostly private land in the Purgatoire River watershed. The project would aim at removing tamarisk from lightly infested areas.

The final award was $75,000 for the Sangre de Cristo Resource Conservation and Development Council for areas within Fremont and Chaffee County. The group requested $131,000 toward a $375,000 project. The project calls for demonstration projects on 400 acres.

CWCB staffer Steve Miller will work with applicants to determine if the partial funding would allow the projects to move forward and report back to the board at its July meeting.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Gunnison County: Conservation easement win for rancher

Gunnison County rancher Nick Hughes sued the IRS over their devaluation of his conservation easement and has won, mostly. He still will have to pay an additional $437,153 since the value of his land was determined to be less than the $3 million originally determined. Here’s a report from Seth Mensing writing for the Crested Butte News. From the article:

The IRS had audited Hughes after he filed his 2000 taxes with a $3.1 million charitable contribution for 2,413 acres he had donated to Black Canyon Land Trust Inc. The land was placed in a conservation easement to protect it from future development.
The IRS countered that the donated land was worth between $0 and $238,135, and not more than $3 million as claimed by Hughes, according to expert testimony from the IRS included in the ruling. But Judge Wherry disagreed and overruled the IRS, placing a value of $2 million on the land. Hughes will now have to pay taxes on the remaining $1.1 million. Hughes’ attorney Joseph Thibodeau told the Denver Post, “It was a given that the contribution was allowable. The only issue was the amount [the land was worth].”[…]

Lucy Goehl, executive director of Gunnison Ranchland Conservation Legacy, said there have been several audits of conservation easements conducted by the IRS in Gunnison County, “but they’re all over the state and Gunnison County is not exempt from that.”
The ruling pointed out that the IRS engineers evaluating conservation easements are not certified appraisers, who are the only professionals able to place a value on property donated as a conservation easement. “I think the fact that the court gave very little weight to the matrix the IRS was using in valuing the land makes this an encouraging decision,” said Goehl. In response to that part of the ruling, the IRS asked the Colorado Division of Real Estate to grant their engineers certified appraiser status.

Ann Johnston, executive director of Crested Butte Land Trust, thinks the ruling will have an indirect affect on the trust’s efforts to preserve open space by giving legitimacy to the idea that land held in a conservation easement still has value. “What I’m hoping will happen here is that when these programs in Colorado go through cases like this, it’s showing that the programs are valuable and it could encourage people to donate land,” she said.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

CWCB: Potential Division 4 Instream Flow appropriations in 2010

From email from the Colorado Water Conservation Board (Rob Viehl):

The Stream and Lake Protection Section of the Colorado Water Conservation Board is meeting with interested parties to discuss recommendations received for potential Division 4 Instream Flow appropriations in 2010 on Alpine Gulch, Big Dominguez Creek, Blue Creek (increase), Cebolla Creek, Cochetopa Creek, East Beaver Creek, Little Dominguez Creek, North Tabeguache Creek, Red Canyon Creek, San Miguel River, Spring Creek, Tabeguache Creek, and Willow Creek.

Two separate public meetings are scheduled on May 27th to discuss the proposed recommendations.

9:00 AM to Noon
Montrose County Administration Building
BOCC Board Room
161 S. Townsend Ave
Montrose, CO 81401

5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Lake City School
614 North Silver St.
Lake City, CO 81235

The Stream and Lake Protection staff will provide a brief presentation on the ISF program as a background for the discussion. For additional information on these segments, please visit the CWCB’s website at: http://cwcb.state.co.us/StreamAndLake/NewAppropriations/ISFAppropriationNotices/2010ProposedAppropriations/2010Appropriations.htm

Questions about new appropriations may be directed to Jeff Baessler at 303-866-3441 ext 3202 or Jeffrey.Baessler@state.co.us

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Alamosa: Salmonella outbreak lawsuits

From the Valley Courier (Ruth Heide):

The Marler Clark law firm out of Seattle, Wash., is handling most of the 40-plus claims for damages ranging from $100 to $1 million that the city received last year. None of the claims have yet turned into a lawsuit but claimants have up to two years from the March 2008 incident to file a lawsuit. The claims being handled by Marler Clark, in addition to a $1 million claim from Velasquez’s widow, involve claims for 14 minor children and seek upwards of $50,000 in damages per claimant.

Five other claims were submitted from folks not represented by Marler Clark – two family claims and three business losses attributed to the water crisis…

[City Attorney Erich Schwiesow] said in talking with the lead attorney on the phone recently, the attorney told Schwiesow he hoped the city would look at the information the firm had sent the city and think about paying off some of these people. “I told him I did not believe there’s negligence on the part of the city,” Schwiesow said. He said the attorney suggested otherwise…

In a drinking water report from the City of Alamosa this week the city told citizens that the new water treatment plant put into service last year to meet new arsenic standards and an ongoing enhanced testing program of Alamosa’s municipal supply would ensure that an outbreak like salmonella will not occur again. “The source of the contamination has not been determined and the investigation continues [to] identify possible ways in which it could have occurred,” the city report stated.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

CWCB: Wetlands grant at John Martin Reservoir, Neenoshe Reservoir and Fountain Creek

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

The $148,975 grant to the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District was approved after the Arkansas Basin Roundtable gave it the nod in March. It is one of the few grants which has been awarded through the Water Supply Reserve Account for a strictly nonconsumptive use…

The grant also includes wetlands on Fountain Creek already being studied by the Lower Ark district through a cooperative project with Colorado Springs. They were included primarily to fulfill a requirement for local cost-share. The grant would include in-kind contributions from the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Audubon Colorado.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Republican River Basin: Special RRWCD board meeting recap

Here’s a recap of the special board meeting held on Monday for the Republican River Water Conservation District, from Tony Rayl writing for the Yuma Pioneer. From the article:

Mike Sullivan, who was promoted to deputy state engineer last October, was in attendance at the special meeting, held at the Church of the Nazarene. He told the board the state has revamped a settlement agreement that is hopefully agreeable to all three states. Colorado’s leaders are having a private meeting with counterparts from Kansas and Nebraska today, May 21. He said Colorado will see if the other two states will accept what’s being offered. It possibly will be decided then when to continue the Republican River Compact Administration meeting that was continued from April 28, when Kansas and Nebraska representatives both stated they would continue to vote against the compact compliance pipeline due to issues the states cannot agree on. Sullivan said he feels good about a settlement eventually being reached, because Kansas and Nebraska cannot be unreasonable in their opposition to Colorado’s plans for coming into compliance with the Republican River Compact. A sticking point in Kansas approving the pipeline is the claim Colorado does not pass the “sub-basin” test on the South Fork of the Republican, and that a pipeline sending water into the North Fork will not satisfy the South Fork issue…

The RRWCD has taken the stance it will not move forward with the pipeline if the South Fork still remains a problem. Plus, there is the fact irrigated farmers along the South Fork are paying the same assessment fee as everyone else to pay for the pipeline, but could end up having their wells curtailed because of the sub-basin issue. If the wells in the South Fork sub-basin are shut down, which account for approximately one-half of Colorado’s wells in the Republican River Basin, that means the remaining well users will have to take on an even greater burden of paying for the pipeline project…

District engineer Jim Slattery said Monday draining Bonny is the only way to come into compliance on the South Fork — if Kansas is right in its assertion that the South Fork shortfall cannot be made up by the North Fork pipeline. Even, it would take years before Colorado would be in compliance on the South Fork. Sullivan said draining Bonny would help with the sub-basin test, but not on overall compliance. Board member Jack Dowell of Yuma told Sullivan that the state could recoup the revenue it loses from Bonny from other sources in the state, but that the farmers and communities in the region would be left high and dry with no chance to recoup losses if the wells are shut down so Bonny can remain open. Sullivan noted loans and grants have been used for work done at Bonny, and the state needs to make sure it does not hinder future efforts to receive federal funds before closing down Bonny…

Board President Dennis Coryell expressed frustrations that the RRWCD’s pipeline project has been delayed by nearly one year now because of the South Fork issue. Meanwhile, all irrigators are paying the new $14.50 per acre assessment fee for a pipeline that is not being built. He also noted the people in the basin are not getting much information from the state regarding the pipeline negotiations. He urged the state be as transparent as possible in the process so the locals can be informed…

Other discussion included options besides draining Bonny Reservoir. Sullivan said the only other is the “nuclear” option — shutting down all wells. (It has been shown even doing that would not get Colorado into compliance.) Reopening the compact also was brought up. Sullivan said doing so would mean it would have to be open to all parties, meaning even more entities could step in asking for a portion of the water. RRWCD legal counsel David Robbins said Colorado getting more water out of a renegotiated compact would mean convincing Kansas and Nebraska to give up water. He said Colorado would run the fundamental risk of ending up with even less water because the upstream states already are using all they are entitled to, and could very well seek more water out of a new compact…

Coryell noted that in an ag-driven economy, issues at Bonny Reservoir do not speak loudly. “It is not going to be a pretty thing if the South Fork wells are curtailed in order to keep open a facility that has seen its better days,” he said.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Bonny Reservoir: Test release of 900 acre-feet

From the Yuma Pioneer (Tony Rayl):

[State Engineer Dick] Wolfe ordered the release on May 4, and then ordered it stopped on May 11. About 900 acre feet was released during that time into the South Fork of the Republican River. The board was told at its regular meeting in April that there was an extra 3,992 acre feet of storage in Bonny. Therefore, many were left scratching their heads last week when the release was stopped while there was 3,000 acre feet left to drain. “We wanted to see what kind of response we got out of that (initial release),” Wolfe said. He explained the state did not want to release all the extra water only to find out it was not reaching the gage at Benkelman. It turns out that it was. In fact, approximately 50 percent of the released water was reaching Benkleman, which Wolfe said was very good…

Wolfe said it takes about two weeks to fully measure the impact the release is having a the gage. He said his office will meet with the Bureau of Reclamation on June 3 to evaluate the May 4-11 release and then decide when and if to release more of the “out of priority” water in Bonny…

He said the state could, conceivably, be in compliance with the Republican River Compact if the water released from Bonny keeps getting to Benkelman. However, he said there are a lot of factors to consider, noting that if Colorado experiences a wet year, the extra storage in Bonny would not be needed, and a lot of people would be questioning why the water was released. As for the RRWCD’s call to drain Bonny, Wolfe said “There are a lot of issues on the table to decide what to do long-term with Bonny.”

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Invasive mussels: Boat launch closures Arapahoe National Recreation Area

From the Sky-Hi Daily News:

Three boat launches in the Arapaho National Recreation Area are closed to trailered or motorized boats from May 15 through Oct. 31, 2009. The boat launches affected are: the two Willow Creek Reservoir boat launches, limiting the reservoir to hand-launched vessels such as kayaks, rafts, canoes and belly boats and the Hilltop boat launch located at the north end of Shadow Mountain Reservoir…

The Hilltop boat launch will be temporarily opened from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on two Saturdays, May 30 and June 6, to assist boaters in launching their boats for the season. All boats must be inspected prior to launching. The nearest boat inspection station to the Hilltop boat launch is located at the Town of Grand Lake’s public boat ramp on the north end of Grand Lake. Boats can also be inspected and decontaminated at the Green Ridge Boat launch located at end of Shadow Mountain Reservoir. Green Ridge boat launch will be open for boat launching and retrieval throughout the summer.

For more information about these closures, please call Sulphur Ranger District Visitor Information at 970-887-4100 or visit our website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/arnf/.

Sterling: Children’s Water Festival

Here’s a recap of Tuesday’s Children’s Water Festival up at Northeastern Junior College, from Callie Jones writing for the Sterling Journal Advocate. From the article:

This year’s offerings included a presentation by Rebecca Swisher and Gus Cummings from Xcel Energy, who spoke about water and electricity.

There was also a marine biology class led by Jennifer Talagrad, from the University of Colorado, where students got to learn about various life forms that can be found in the ocean, including sharks, whales, octopus, star fish and corral. They also got to see different types of sand.

Another class, Weather Works, offered students a chance to learn about how water is related to weather. During this class, students got to watch Anitta Frank from CU perform several different experiments, including creating a cloud.

In the “Earth Parfaits” class, led by Bruce Bosley from the Colorado State University Logan County Extension office, the students did an experiment where they drilled for water. They used Sprite as an aquifer, ice cream as soil and sprinkles as contaminants and then used a straw to drill water.

The Water Festival committee that helped organize this year’s event included: Joe Frank, general manager of the LSPWCD; Gary Miller, Rick Fleharty and Deanna Eskew from the LSPWCD; and Steve Cramer from the Colorado State University Logan County Extension office.

Stimulus dough for Park Center Water District

From the Cañon City Daily Record (Charlotte Burrous):

The Park Center Water District Board received good news Wednesday when it learned it was on the list for funding to drill a new well through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Located on BLM-administrated lands, the 80-year-old artesian well known as the Park Center Well developed a leak late last year. Since then, BLM and Park Center officials have been scrambling to solve the problem in order to accommodate the 4,000 water users in the Park Center Water District. “The BLM will coordinate the plugging of the old well with the drilling of the new one to minimize impacts to local water users,” said Royal Gorge field office manager Roy Masinton. “This should be possible unless the old well fails.”

More coverage from the Pueblo Chieftain (Tracy Harmon):

The artesian well is located on BLM land near Canon City and supplies water for the Park Center Water District. The district uses the water for fire suppression and for its 4,000 domestic users in North Canon…

As part of the replacement process, an environmental assessment is being conducted and should be complete by July. The drilling of the new well should be done by early 2010. Competitive bids will be sought. Exact cost of the replacement well will depend on the bids.

Yampa River Festival starts today, Paddling Life Pro Invitational Monday

From the Steamboat Pilot & Today:

Now in its 29th year, the river festival has two purposes, Van De Carr said. The event shows locals and visitors all the recreational possibilities of the river; it also brings awareness to outside factors that can affect the water, [Peter] Van De Carr said. “I just think that there are a lot of issues with the river — the pumpback project and the discussion of user conflicts. … And everybody who loves the river, this is a time to rally and show support and see what some of the issues are,” he said. New to the festival this year are a river boarding demonstration, a presentation by paddling enthusiast Eugene Buchanan about his descent into Peru’s upper Colca Canyon, and an 18-and-younger kayak freestyle competition. Van De Carr describes river boarding as “paddling down the river on a surfboard.” A tube rodeo, scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, is back for a second year. Competitors hang on to a tube in a rough part of the river for as long as possible and are judged for ride duration and style. The tube rider with the most points wins $100. Van De Carr said he hopes the festival will propel the cause behind Respect the Yampa, a coalition of groups formed earlier this spring to advocate for the environment of the river, people who use it and private landowners who surround it.

From the Steamboat Pilot & Today (Joel Reichenberger):

Competitors first will race on Fish Creek, starting at 10 a.m. The action at Charlie’s Hole will start at 1 p.m. Each paddler will get a crack at laying out tricks in Steamboat’s signature boating feature.

This year’s competition will feature a new scoring system. Last year, a panel of judges awarded one point for a trick and allocated other points based on quality and variety. This year, the judges will follow a more widely accepted standard, wherein different amounts of points are awarded for different tricks. “It’s a better way and more accurately gives points based on what they do out there,” freestyle supervisor Dan Piano said.

Organizers hope Monday’s event fits in with what is a wild few weeks in Colorado for the kayaking world. It comes just after a big event at Buena Vista and before major competitions in Glenwood Springs and Vail.

Fryingpan-Arkansas Project: Colorado congressional reps to hold town hall meeting over Aurora’s long-term contract with Reclamation

U.S. Representatives Betsy Markey, John Salazar and Ed Perlmutter all plan to be in the Arkansas Valley next week hosting town hall meetings to discuss potential legislation to allow Aurora to continue using the Fryingpan-Arkansas facilities to move water out of basin. Here’s a report from Chris Woodka writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

U.S. Reps. Betsy Markey and John Salazar will host a town hall meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Room 139 of the Bowman Building at Lamar Community College. Salazar and Rep. Ed Perlmutter will host a second town hall meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Gobin Community Center in Rocky Ford. All three are Democrats…

Aurora has used the Fry-Ark Project to move water out of the valley with one-year contracts since 1986. The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District protested the practice as illegal up until 2003, when it signed an agreement with Aurora that paid the district $25 million. Southeastern unsuccessfully tried to convince federal lawmakers for the next four years to change federal law to allow Aurora to use the Fry-Ark Project and remains committed to support federal legislation allowing the contract. In March, Salazar said he was caught off-guard by the Lower Ark-Aurora agreement and wanted to hear opinions about any potential legislation from Arkansas Valley residents at town meetings. He indicated he did not support legislation at that time. Markey and Perlmutter have not publicly said where they stand. In April, the Lower Ark and Aurora sent proposed legislation to members of the Colorado congressional delegation that attached the authorization for Aurora to a proposal to study the feasibility of enlarging Lake Pueblo and Turquoise Lake as well as studying other water storage sites in the Arkansas Valley. The legislation also would allow excess-capacity storage contracts to water users in the Arkansas Valley that are not within the boundaries of the Southeastern district. Pueblo City Council voted to support the legislation at an April meeting, saying it preserves flows in Pueblo through 2004 intergovernmental agreements. The excess-capacity contracts are included in separate federal legislation, already signed by President Barack Obama, that would allow the Arkansas Valley Conduit to be built. The agreement also pledges Aurora’s cooperation in the Super Ditch, either as a buyer or seller of water through the land fallowing-lease management program. It also allows the Lower Ark district to buy into future Aurora water storage projects in the Arkansas Valley. Aurora also is committed to pay $2 million for Super Ditch and Fountain Creek studies under the March agreement.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Runoff news

From the Aspen Times (Scott Condon):

An estimated 64,200 acre feet of water from the upper Fryingpan Valley will be pumped through the Boustead Tunnel this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. That’s about 34 percent higher than the annual average, but significantly less than last year’s amount…

A network of 17 diversion structures and 27 miles of tunnels taps water from 11 creeks and two branches of the Fryingpan River and sends the water east, according to reclamation bureau data. It is distributed to Colorado Springs, Aurora, Pueblo as well as farmers and other water users in the Arkansas River Valley.

Despite the diversion, Ruedi Reservoir, east of Basalt, will fill to capacity by about the second week of July this summer, the same as last year, according to Carlos Lora, a hydrologist with the reclamation bureau, which manages the reservoir. The U.S. Forest Service boat ramp just past the dam is already in water. The ramps at the Aspen Yacht Club and the east end of the reservoir will be in water by early June and remain until late September, Lora told a small audience that gathered in Basalt Thursday evening to learn about Ruedi Reservoir operations this year.

From the Summit Daily News (Bob Berwyn):

Just upstream of Dillon Reservoir, the Blue River was flowing at 407 cubic feet per second recently, compared to the 51-year median average of 182 cfs. A gauge on Ten Mile Creek was reading 556 cfs Wednesday morning, compared to the historic average of 299 cfs for the date…

Denver Water recently announced it will start to release more water from Dillon Reservoir as it anticipates peak runoff. Flows below the dam in the Lower Blue reached about 500 cfs Wednesday, according to a press release from Denver Water.

From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

As projected, we did hit a peak release of 750 cfs from Ruedi Dam to the Fryingpan [May 20] morning. Combined with snowmelt coming down Rocky Fork Creek, approximately 800 cfs flowed down the Fryingpan River through the day.

[May 21] we began curtailing our releases and scaled back by 50 cfs. We will continue to reduce releases from the reservoir to the river in 50 cfs increments through tomorrow morning. By tomorrow (Friday, May 22), releases from Ruedi should be at about 500 cfs with resulting flow in the Fryingpan around 550 cfs, or possibly a little less, depending on the contribution of Rocky Fork. We anticipate the 500 cfs release rate will last through the weekend.

From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

As part of our participation in the Coordinated Reservoir Operations program (press release and explanation included in last Thursday’s e-mail), we are increasing our releases from Green Mountain to the Lower Blue by another 200 cfs. [May 19] we bumped up from 750 cfs to 850 cfs. Around 4 p.m. [May 19], we will bump up from 850 cfs to 950 cfs.

From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

The following is another update on releases from Ruedi Reservoir and our participation in the Coordinated Reservoir Operations program, or “CROS.” The main message is that we are still planning to hit 800 cfs in the Fryingpan, but it will not last as long as we originally thought. More explanation follows. I have numbered the points for quicker reading.

1) Please keep in mind that we closely monitor the reservoir. Because of changing weather patterns and water demands, our projection for releases from Ruedi to the Fryingpan River are subject to change. I do my best to keep you all informed via this e-mail notification.

2) We bumped up our releases from Ruedi Dam to the Fryingpan River by 50 cfs this morning, raising our release from 600 cfs to 650 cfs. This afternoon, we will bump up from 650 cfs to 700 cfs. Currently, the Rocky Fork is contributing 50 cfs in snowmelt runoff. Our release plus flows from the Rocky Fork will put a total of about 750 cfs in the Fryingpan by late afternoon.

3) Tomorrow morning (Wednesday, May 20), we will bump up 50 cfs one more time to 750 cfs. With runoff from the Rocky Fork, the total in the Fryingpan River will be 800 cfs.

4) Ruedi Reservoir will fill this year.

The release schedule that is currently in place is due to our participation in CROS. Both a press release and an explanation of this program were included in my e-mail last Thursday. Several of you commented about the current water level at Ruedi Reservoir. I understand your concern. So, to clarify:

5) We only participate in CROS in years where we have enough snowmelt to both fill the reservoir and help augment the natural peak of the Colorado River.

6) The 800 cfs flow in the Fryingpan will NOT go through Memorial Day weekend as first projected. This is due to a change in the snowpack across the Colorado River Basin. Instead, the 800 cfs in the Fryingpan will only last a day. That means by Wednesday evening, we will begin scaling releases from the reservoir back down, in 50 cfs increments.

From the Fort Collins Coloradoan:

Water levels on the Poudre River have risen from 300 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 1,500 cfs in just one week.

Update: From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

… today flows in the Fryingpan are in the 500 cfs range. They will be in the 400 cfs range for Saturday, 300 for Sunday and back to 250 cfs for Memorial Day. We will maintain a flow of 250 cfs in the Fryingpan until further notice.

Colorado Springs Utilities installing smart grid technology

From the Colorado Springs Gazette (R. Scott Rappold):

Colorado Springs Utilities officials say they already have the equipment in place to launch a smart grid here. And there’s an 85 percent chance it’s already in your home. “There’s a lot of hype going around the country about smart grid technology,” said Gina McCurley, manager of Utilities’ Advanced Metering Infrastructure program. “What we’re doing here today is basically putting our smart grid program together.” The city-owned utility has spent $56 million since 2006 installing automated meters for gas, electric and water service in homes and businesses. They have 80,000 remaining of a total of 450,000 in the city. Officials hope to connect all residents by the end of this year and all businesses by the end of 2010. In most cases, workers can make the switch without contacting the resident, though they must gain access to the home to install some water meters, McCurley said. The switch has allowed Utilities to reduce the number of meter readers from 77 to 11, which will eventually drop to zero, a cost savings. The automated meters could also someday be tied into a tiered rate structure for electricity and natural gas, charging more for use during peak times and less during off-peak hours.

Runoff news

From The Mountain Mail (Christopher Kolomitz):

Recent temperature surges increased flow in the Arkansas River to 2,400 cubic feet per second Monday afternoon – high above the 100 year average of about 1,000 cfs…

The surge above the 100 year average at Salida started about 10 days ago when the river was running at about 800 cfs. A big jump in flow occurred May 12 and the river has been climbing steadily ever since…

A majority of the water in the river Tuesday was native flow. Outflow from Twin Lakes was about 845 cfs Monday, while inflow to the lakes from Lake Creek was 1,560 cfs. “What is spilling is the pass through – what (Twin Lakes) are not entitled to store,” Scanga said. O’Haver Lake, Boss Lake and Cottonwood Lake, storage reservoirs operated by the district, are full, he said. North Fork Reservoir isn’t storing any water and is about half full. Scanga said he’s waiting for snowmelt to clear the face of the dam and then it will begin filling. Rainbow Lake as been lowered so the big runoff can pass through and by the end of the month, Scanga expects it to begin filling. The key question river enthusiasts keep asking is, “Have we peaked?” “I don’t know,” Hopkins said. “I would guess we haven’t seen the peak, but who knows.”

Grand County: ‘State of the River’

Here’s a recap of the recent “State of the River” meeting put on by the Colorado River District in Grand County, from Tonya Bina writing for the Sky-Hi Daily News: From the article:

On May 1, the Upper Colorado showed 90 percent to 109 percent of average, according to Bob Steger, manager of raw water supply for Denver Water. During that same time period in the South Platte Basin, where Denver obtains half of its water in an average year, the water table showed 70 percent to 89 percent of average. The more water available on the South Platte, [Mike Eytel, water resources specialist for the Colorado River District] explained, the less pressure to divert West Slope water…

Quota-setting for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District was a gamble this year with a dry spell leading up to an April 1 quota date, according to Jeff Drager, deputy manager of Northern Water. Northern settled on an 80 percent quota. A 100 percent quota means each owner of one C-BT unit gets one acre foot — the higher the quota, the more East Slope water is supplemented by C-BT water…

Lake Granby, which when full amounts to about 539,000 acre-feet, was sitting at 283,835 acre feet on May 1. “We think that later this year in November it will be at about 400,000,” Drager said. “We are in better shape this year over last year because we’ve had more water stored in our East Slope reservoirs because of some work done on Carter Lake,” he said. Where Lake Granby is roughly 35 feet down at present, it’s expected to raise 15-20 feet — about 15 feet from full level — in July.

To take part in Shadow Mountain Reservoir and Grand Lake water-quality management, Northern plans to shut down C-BT-Adams Tunnel flows from July 31 to August 13 this year, during which water clarity studies are likely to take place. Drager said two weeks was as long as Northern could comply with shutting down C-BT operations due to power-generation constraints on the system.

“I am going to advocate that we agree to a more robust monitoring program for the two weeks stop-pump period and ask for a six-week period, two weeks preceding and two weeks following,” said Grand County Water Quality Specialist Katherine Morris. Grand County is part of a multi-agency group bound to investigate clarity problems in the C-BT system. “I think that’s a remarkable opportunity to learn of the effects of pumping and diverting water on water quality in Grand Lake and Shadow Mountain Reservoir,” she said.

Plans at Windy Gap are to pump 23,000 acre-feet this year, Drager said. Since May 11, both pumps have been in full swing, pumping 365 cfs at Windy Gap. Last year, Windy Gap pumped 30,000 acre feet…

…several other pressing water topics were explored during the meeting, such as: The Division of Wildlife’s newly adopted boat inspections program to stop the spread of zebra and quagga mussels; the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild and Scenic eligibility that includes a section of the Colorado River starting at Windy Gap, Muddy Creek below Wolford, Troublesome Creek, Rabbit Ears Creek, Kinney Creek and Sulphur Gulch; a nearly completed Upper Colorado Watershed Assessment — a study that identifies the area’s most critical watersheds that are main sources of drinking water vulnerable to wildfire damage; and the Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery federal mandate in which the West Slope may need to ante up at least $8 million for its participation by 2012.

Buena Vista: PaddleFest May 22-25

From the Chaffee County Times (Kathy Davis):

Buena Vista PaddleFest May 22-25 is one of the few whitewater festivals in the world and is open to people of all interests who can watch or participate in demonstrations, educational classes, a pro rodeo competition and a number of social events. PaddleFest is anticipated to draw about 1,000 people over the Memorial Day weekend…

But if the interest is not whitewater boating, something new this year is the very popular SUP – Stand up Paddling, a flat-water clinic. This new sport, a combination of surfing and canoeing, will be demonstrated at Town Lake in McPhelemy Park on Saturday and Sunday.

At the PaddleFest Pro Rodeo competitions, world champion professional paddlers run the waves in the playholes in the Arkansas River near Buena Vista River Park. Kayakers are judged based on the ability to perform high-end, free-style maneuvers in the whitewater playholes in Buena Vista Whitewater Park. Preliminary competitions are Friday afternoon and finals are on Sunday afternoon. Some of the top paddlers coming for the pro rodeo are Erick and Emily Jackson, Stephen Wright and Brian Kirk. Local kayakers Dustin and Katie Urban are running the pro rodeo and Katie Urban’s brother, Jed Selby, is competing. A series of free clinics, seminars and demonstrations both on and off the water are offered. The free clinics may be something to introduce beginners to the sport and how to prepare for kayaking. Dryland river rescue courses are offered for safety around or on the water. Professionals teach all the classes, Richmond said. The women’s specific courses are taught by women for women. People wanting to participate may sign up in advance for the classes or the day of the festival.

Arkansas Valley hopes that Arkansas Valley Conduit will lower costs to comply with water standards

Several municipalities in the Arkansas Valley are having trouble meeting state and federal water quality standards due to the high cost of installation of new treatment infrastructure to remove natural contaminants, including radium. They would look at reverse osmosis plants but then they have the problem of disposing of radioactive brine. The Arkansas Valley Conduit is their best choice for supplies going forward. Here’s a report from KOAA.com (Susan Davies):

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has studied the problem for several years and is working with roughly forty different systems struggling with radium and uranium levels above federal and state guidelines…

Many private, not-for-profit water associations are looking at joining with other groups to finance a solution. There is increasing support for a $300 million dollar conduit carrying Pueblo reservoir water into the Lower Arkansas Valley and connecting to Lamar. Reservoir water would be mixed with well water to bring it into compliance with federal drinking water standards. Operators say the conduit is their most economical solution for providing safe drinking water to the members they serve.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

CDOW get 3,000 acre-feet of water for John Martin Reservoir from Colorado Springs

From the Pueblo Chieftain:

“This purchase will help ensure the long-term storage needs for fishing and recreation at John Martin,” said Dan Prenzlow, DOW Southeast Region Manager. “Adding water to the permanent storage pool is an investment that will pay long-term dividends for outdoor recreation and the health of the fishery.” The state purchased the water in the one-time sale, known as a lease, at a price of $20 per acre-foot for a total cost of $60,000 split equally between the two agencies. The water is Colorado River water that was stored in Pueblo Reservoir.

Colorado Water Conservation Board: Geoff Blakeslee named as new chairman

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

Geoff Blakeslee, a Steamboat Springs ranch operator, was elected chairman, and Eric Wilkinson, executive director of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District was elected vice-chairman.

Gunnison lawyer John McClow was sworn in as a new board member by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers. Blakeslee and Wilkinson both commended outgoing chairman Travis Smith, a Del Norte rancher, for his two years of leadership on the board…

Smith, representing the Rio Grande, is considered to be from the Eastern Slope, although Wilkinson quipped it should be called the “South Slope.” Carl Trick, repre- senting the North Platte watershed, and Wilkinson were reappointed to the board and sworn in Tuesday. Other voting members of the CWCB are Reed Dils, Arkansas River basin; Barbara Biggs, metro area; Bruce Whitehead, Southwestern Colorado; and John Redifer, Colorado River basin. Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources is an ex-officio voting member.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Pueblo Board of Water Works starts work to close on Bessemer Ditch shares

The Bessemer Ditch shareholders approved bylaw changes last week that paved the way for the Pueblo Board of Water Works to purchase shares to convert to municipal use for the long-term supply for the city. Now Pueblo has to get the change of use through water court. Here’s a report from Chris Woodka writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

The Pueblo Board of Water Works expects to close contracts for its purchase of Bessemer Ditch shares in the next few weeks, but its work on converting the agricultural ditch water to municipal use is just beginning. “With the change in the Bessemer Ditch bylaws and articles of incorporation, we made one milestone. It’s ano-ther chapter in the novel,” Executive Director Alan Hamel told the board Tuesday. “We have a ways to go, but we made ano- ther step forward.”[…]

The purchase is part of a long-range water resources plan that will reduce Pueblo’s dependence on water imported from the Western Slope. The board Tuesday postponed action on another key piece of the equation: the sale of the Columbine Ditch. The board received a bid of $30.48 million from Ginn Development, which is developing the Battle Mountain Ski Resort near Minturn. “We’re still working on a very complex contract,” Hamel said. “This is something new to us, selling one of our assets. But we’re close and we’re optimistic we’ll have an agreement soon.” The water board could call a special board meeting in the near future to approve the Columbine contract. Even then, it would not be final, because Aurora would have 60 days to match the offer, under terms of an earlier agreement with the Pueblo water board.

Aurora is undecided about what it will do. “We haven’t seen the contract, so we don’t know what’s involved,” said Gerry Knapp, Aurora’s Arkansas Valley manager. “We will consider it, but we have made no decision.”

The Bessemer shares could yield up to 7,500 acre-feet, depending on what happens in water court. That will be a big concern of the water board as it works to close the sale, Hamel said. Hamel said financial, legal and engineering decisions will be needed before the sales are finalized by the end of this year. For two years after that, there will be legal action as the shares are taken through water court. After that, the water board will have ongoing responsibility for revegetation on the ditch.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Pueblo Board of Water Works approves lease to Colorado Water Protective and Development Association

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

The Colorado Water Protective and Development Association asked for the continuance of a long-standing lease agreement with the Pueblo water board this year after its prior agreement lapsed. The new lease, as this type of sale is called, will be at a higher rate that reflects changes in the long-term lease rates charged by the board, said Alan Ward, water resources administrator. The 2-year contract is for $178.27 per acre-foot for 1,000 acre-feet per year for the next two years. The rate is the same Aurora pays for buying 5,000 acre-feet a year from the Pueblo water board, and close to the amount of two leases approved in December for 2-year contracts with Mt. Massive Golf Club and Trans Colorado.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District: Tom Goodwin appointed to board

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka/Tracy Harmon):

Goodwin, a retired district ranger with the U.S. Forest Service, is the son of Denzel Goodwin, a longtime Fremont County rancher who was instrumental in forming the district and was a member of the board for many years.

Three other directors were reappointed for four-year terms: Tom French of Howard, Jeff Ollinger of Buena Vista and William McGuire of Penrose. They will serve with Glenn Everett of Salida, Robert Senderhauf of Westcliffe, Timothy Canterbury of Howard, Gregory Felt of Salida, Bill Donley of Westcliffe, Frank McMurray of Nathrop, Bill Jackson of Canon City, Mannie Colon of Canon City and John Sandefur of Penrose. The district, formed in 1979, represents water interests in Fremont, Custer and Chaffee counties and board appointments follow the boundaries of school districts in the three counties. Its purpose is to protect and secure water in the Arkansas River Valley west of Pueblo…

Judges making the appointments were Kirk Samuelson, chief of the 4th district; C.M. Barton, chief of the 11th district; and O. John Kuenhold, chief of the 12th district.

Grand County: No Colorado-Big Thompson stimulus dough for water quality

From the Sky-Hi Daily News (Tonya Bina):

Stimulus money granted to the Colorado-Big Thompson project will not be used to study water quality in Grand County’s Three Lakes, according to a May 1 letter to the county from Bureau of Reclamation Area Manager Michael Collins. The BuRec informed Grand County officials that it is unable to fulfill the county’s request. The county had asked that about $100,000 or more out of a $14 million stimulus grant be directed to a Colorado Big Thompson Project study that would launch finding a solution to Grand Lake’s water-clarity problems.

S. 787: Clean Water Restoration Act

Here’s a look at S. 787 the Clean Water Restoration Act, from Gary Harmon writing for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article:

The bill by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., would reduce the role state and local officials play in making decisions about water, Club 20 Executive Director Reeves Brown said. The upshot, Brown said, “is that the federal government takes everything, and the state and local governments are also-rans.” Feingold’s bill, S. 787, would extend the reach of the act, which was approved in 1972 to cover all navigable waters. The revision would encompass all the waters of the United States: interstate waters, intrastate lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, mud flats, sand flats, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playas and natural ponds, as well as tributaries to those waters. The measure, said Chris Treese of the Colorado River Conservation District, would affect “everything that is wet, ever was wet or ever might be wet.” Both Colorado senators, Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, said the bill was overly broad, and they couldn’t support it as written. It “could block access to waters for sportsmen and fishermen who have proven to be excellent stewards of our lands,” Bennet said in a statement. Udall said he was “encouraging stakeholders to develop compromise language.”

Runoff (snowpack) news: Crystal River near flood stage

Here’s the link to the USGS Water Watch map for Colorado for your surfing pleasure.

From the Aspen Daily News (David Frey):

The peak runoff is expected within days, and the Crystal River at Redstone is within inches of overflowing the bank. Early Tuesday morning, a gauge station near Avalanche Creek showed the river running at 4.5 feet. Carbondale Deputy Fire Chief Carl Smith said flooding is expected to occur at 5 feet. “We’re right below that,” Smith said Tuesday afternoon…

The Crystal is running at record-high levels for the date. On Tuesday afternoon, it was flowing at 1,680 cubic feet per second. That’s nearly double the average of 874 cubic feet per second over 53 years of record keeping. The last record flow for May 19 was 1,500 cfs, set in 1997. The National Weather Service in Grand Junction has issued a flood advisory for the Crystal above Redstone, warning that minor flooding in low-lying areas could come by today.

From the Valley Courier (Ruth Heide):

With unusually warm weather and dirty snow, the rivers in the San Luis Valley have peaked early this year so irrigators will have to look to summer rains for additional moisture. Colorado Division of Water Resources Division 3 Division Engineer Craig Cotten said the Rio Grande peaked on May 8, about a month earlier than usual. “Most of the SNOTELs [Snowpack Telemetry] on the Rio Grande are showing dry right now,” he said. “We have only got two of the SNOTELs on the upper Rio Grande Basin that are showing any water content at all.”

The two sites still showing some snowpack are the Upper San Juan and Wolf Creek Summit. Everything else is at zero or very close to zero, Cotten said. He said traditionally the Rio Grande experiences two peaks between May 15 and June 15 with the early snow coming off during the middle of May and the higher snows melting off the first part of June. This year the peak period is already over…

Cotten explained that the early snowmelt does not mean the water was lost to the Valley. In fact some ditches that would not normally receive water this time of year were able to get water because the system had so much of it at one time. The reservoirs on the Rio Grande and Conejos have also come into priority this year, something that does not happen every year. “That’s a fairly good indicator we have some good flows through the system,” Cotten said. The downside of the rivers peaking early could occur later this summer according to Cotten. “It does cause some concern especially that we may not have the amount of water we traditionally are used to later on in the season.”[…]

Curtailments on irrigators are holding steady if not less than earlier predicted. The curtailment represents the amount of water local irrigators are not allowed to use so it can be sent downstream to meet the state’s water obligation to New Mexico and Texas through the Rio Grande Compact. Cotten said the water division began curtailments of 12 percent on the Rio Grande on April 1 and was able to lower that to 10 percent currently. Curtailments on the Conejos River system began this year at 28-29 percent and have decreased to 20 percent, a far cry from last year’s curtailment that was above 50 percent on the Conejos at the beginning of the irrigation season. Cotten said he will look at the numbers again at the end of the month and may lower the curtailment on the Conejos River even further. Cotten said that during the high water peak the Conejos system was able to send more water downstream because the ditches that had called for water were taking it, Platoro Reservoir was in storage “ and we were still delivering a fair amount to the downstream states.”

From TheDenverChannel.com:

No homes have been jeopardized by flooding in Georgetown so far, but Clear Creek, which runs through the center of the small community, has risen four feet in the last week. The bigger concern is north of Georgetown where a 40-year-old water filtration plant has had to be shut down almost every day. The town’s water supply has been cut in half. The rushing water carries too many types of sediment to safely be processed.

From the Vail Daily (Scott Condon):

The Crystal River near Redstone was flowing at 1,580 cubic feet per second, according to a gauging station maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey. The median flow for that date is 809 cfs, and the previous peak for that date in the past 53 years was 1,450 cfs in 1966. The National Weather Service on Monday issued a flood advisory for low-lying areas of the Crystal River upstream from Redstone. The advisory will continue until Thursday afternoon. No problems from flooding were reported to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office on Monday. The Roaring Fork River also is flowing well above average. The river near Emma was at 2,400 cfs Monday afternoon. It’s median for May 18 is 842 cfs. Its prior high flow was 1,320 cfs in 2007…

Warm temperatures and the dust have combined to consume the Roaring Fork River basin’s snowpack. It was at just 43 percent of average Monday afternoon.

Climate change: Particle makeup in clouds

From environmental search web (Liz Kalaugher):

“Understanding cloud processes is key to reducing the uncertainties associated with climate change,” Kim Prather of the University of California, San Diego told environmentalresearchweb. “One of the largest unknowns is which particles form cloud seeds. Our measurements are some of the first measurements to characterize the size and chemistry of the individual cloud seeds in real-time.”

Prather and colleagues from Colorado State University, the University of Wyoming, Naval Research Laboratory, National Centre for Atmospheric Research, Oregons State University and the University of California, San Diego, took measurements from a plane about 8 km high on 7 November 2007 during the Ice in Clouds Experiment – Layer Clouds. They used aircraft-aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry (A-ATOFMS) of the residue remaining after water had been evaporated from the cloud’s ice particles. This resulted in the first aircraft-based, single-particle, dual-polarity mass spectrometry measurements.

The team found that mineral dust made up around 50% of the individual ice-crystal residues, and biological particles made up roughly 33%. The remainder was salts such as potassium and sodium chloride, organic carbon mixed with nitrate, and soot. The use of dual-polarity mass spectrometry enabled a clear differentiation between biological particles and carbonaceous inorganic and non-biological particles.

Around 87% of the dust particles were phyllosilicate clays, which are known to be ice nuclei. It looks like the particles had mixed with biological material, as 60% of them contained both organic nitrogen and phosphate, which may have increased the particles’ ice nucleation efficiency.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Senator Bennet and Representative Markey pushing Interior to fund produced water demonstration projects

From All American Patriots:

U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Congresswoman Betsy Markey are seeking funding for local efforts to turn “produced water” into a resource that could benefit drought-stricken communities and help ease the demand for water in Colorado and the West. In a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Bennet and Markey urged the Secretary to allocate funding from the Interior Department’s FY 2009 discretionary budget towards produced water demonstration grant projects. The lawmakers also stated a commitment to work with Congress over the coming year to acquire additional funding in FY 2010 for a grant program created under the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008.

Produced water is by far the largest volume byproduct or waste stream associated with oil and gas exploration and production. According to the National Energy Technology Laboratory, approximately 15-20 billion barrels of produced water are generated each year in the United States from nearly a million wells.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District: John Mihelich applies for board vacancy

From the Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

A retired Pueblo stormwater quality inspector has tossed his name into the hat to fill a vacancy on the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District. John Mihelich, who retired last year from the city’s public works department, said he is qualified because of his technical knowledge of drainage project planning and construction. “My work experience and availability to learn could be very useful to the district and would give a reason to my keeping of a Golden Future Frying Pan hanging on the wall for many years,” Mihelich wrote. The frying pan is a souvenir of the fundraising effort that led to the formation of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District and the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Colorado Water Conservation Board workshop tackles supply gap

Here’s a recap of Monday’s workshop seeking solutions to Colorado’s supply gap, from Chris Woodka writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:

The state water board is looking at a few big water projects, new ways to share water and conservation as ways to address the impending gap between future municipal water supplies and identified projects to meet the gap. But there are no good numbers on how much water could be conserved, whether lease-fallowing programs will work the way they’re intended or which project to bring Western Slope water to the Front Range could be pursued.

The board has been looking at the gap in the state’s water supply since 2002, and its latest estimates show that water demand will begin to outpace known projects to meet that demand as soon as next year. By 2030, there could be an 18 percent shortfall in water supplies and the number will only get bigger as the state’s population doubles by 2050. The search for an answer brought out a variety of viewpoints from board members, who reflected some of the attitudes about water and growth that were shared at a meeting of Front Range roundtables last week…

The big elephant in the room, however, was the limited reach of the water board. Urban conservation measures saving up to 40 percent of water could be easily obtained without drastically altering how Coloradans take showers, wash clothes and water their lawns, said CWCB drought planning chief Veva Deheza. But she was unable to estimate exactly how much water that would save without full reports from state water users. “We need 100 conservation plans, but we only have a quarter of them,” Deheza said. “Without those plans we can’t run the numbers.”

The board would have little authority for cities to set conservation goals, added Dan McAuliffe, deputy director of the CWCB. “We can’t say you need a conservation plan, much less set a goal,” he said.

The board also is limited in which major project could be used to help fill the gap. Front Range roundtables last week identified three projects last week that would provide 50,000 to 250,000 acre-feet of water each from the Colorado River basin: Green Mountain, Yampa pumpback and Flaming Gorge pipelines. While all would apparently fall within Colorado’s entitlement from the Colorado River Compact, it’s not clear who would provide the impetus to actually build projects. Roundtable members last week accepted those concepts, while rejecting the Big Straw plan to pump back water from Grand Junction. A Blue Mesa pumpback also was discussed by the roundtables, but did not appear to have much traction…

The board also looked at ways to minimize the pain to rural economies if agricultural water sales continue, the default option for Colorado. While CWCB Director Jennifer Gimbel told the roundtables last week there is no silver bullet to avoid the dry-up of ag land, the board and its staff will continue the hunt for proper ammunition. “No strategies rose to the top last week,” said Eric Hecox, who directs in-state water concerns for the CWCB. “A couple fell to the bottom.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Runoff (snowpack) news

Here’s the link to the USGS Water Watch website for your surfing pleasure. They’ve added Google Maps to their arsenal this season.

From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

After a conference call this morning, it was decided that Green Mountain Reservoir would bump up its releases another 150 cfs as part of its participation in the Coordinated Reservoirs Operations program. That change was made this morning at 11 a.m. As a result, the Lower Blue River below Green Mountain Dam is now running at 750 cfs and will stay at that level until further notice.

From email from Reclamation (Kara Lamb):

Also, today, releases from Ruedi Reservoir hit 650 cfs. We will start bumping up releases again tomorrow morning. We will bump up in 50 cfs increments. Tomorrow morning will see 700 cfs. Tomorrow afternoon will hit 750 cfs. Wednesday morning, we will bump up one more time to 800 cfs and hold there. We anticipate the 800 cfs will last through Memorial Day weekend. Apparently, the peak in snowmelt run off for the Colorado River is earlier this year than the last couple of years.

The annual Ruedi Reservoir operations meeting is Thursday (May 21):

The May 21 meeting will be held at the Basalt Town Hall, 101 Midland Avenue, Basalt,
from 7:00—9:00 p.m.

From the Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Scott Condon):

[Andy Barrett, a hydrologist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder] said computer models of conditions similar to this year indicate peak runoff in Colorado’s rivers and streams will come 20 to 30 days earlier than average. Peak runoff in the Roaring Fork Valley is typically in the third week of June, but the Crystal and Roaring Fork rivers were flowing much higher than usual Monday for May 18. The Crystal River near Redstone was flowing at 1,580 cubic feet per second, according to a gauging station maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey. The median flow for that date is 809 cfs, and the previous peak for that date in the past 53 years was 1,450 cfs in 1966. The National Weather Service on Monday issued a flood advisory for low-lying areas of the Crystal River upstream from Redstone. The advisory will continue until Thursday afternoon. No problems from flooding were reported to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office on Monday. The Roaring Fork River also is flowing well above average. The river near Emma was at 2,400 cfs Monday afternoon. It’s median for May 18 is 842 cfs. Its prior high flow was 1,320 cfs in 2007….

River conditions usually experienced in July might appear in June, [Mike Gillespie, snow survey supervisor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service] said. That could mean less water will be available for irrigation systems tied to rivers and streams. Landry said water for crops will be plentiful before farmers need it in large amounts. Less water might be available in July when farmers depend on it. The result is a mixed bag for managers of reservoirs. “We’re not looking at the quantity decreasing that much from this dust scenario,” Gillespie said. The same amount of water will flow into the reservoirs; it will just come sooner. Landry said that could produce challenges for water managers. They will have a shorter time to prepare reservoirs for inflow. Warm temperatures and the dust have combined to consume the Roaring Fork River basin’s snowpack. It was at just 43 percent of average Monday afternoon.

From the Denver Post (Scott Willoughby):

“Some (snow measurement) sites in the San Juans have already melted out as high as 11,600 feet,” Gillespie said. “It’s not unprecedented, but it’s extremely rare to have an above-average snowpack that melts out that quickly.” A brief glance at almost any hydrograph in the state bears out the acceleration observation. Flows on many of the state’s wild rivers are currently as much as twice as high as long-term historical averages for this date. SNOTEL Snowpack Summary graphs produced by the Natural Resources Conservation Service offer further corroboration, with statistics that rivaled 2008’s record snowpack as recently as the last week in April now plummeting to the below-average levels of 2007. Snow remaining in the Upper Colorado River Basin, for example, is currently capable of producing only 61 percent of the water the river typically sees and only 38 percent of the 2008 flow. The upshot is that much of that water has been or may still be stored in reservoirs for release later in the season.

From the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Andy Hamilton):

Runoff and snow melt is causing increasing water flows, which were recorded Monday afternoon at 16,600 cubic feet per second on the Colorado River near Cameo and 24,000 cfs on the Colorado River at the Utah state line. The area is downstream of the confluence of the Colorado River and the Gunnison River.

From CBS4Denver.com:

On Monday the National Weather Service issued flood advisories for Mesa, Pitkin, Eagle, Routt and Moffat counties — that’s where all the snow is coming down the mountains. The Eagle River in Gypsum looked swollen on Monday. The river has been rising very slowly every day. It peaked just below 3,000 cubic feet per second (CFS). No rivers in Colorado have yet to hit the flood stage. The Colorado Division of Emergency Management says the Crystal River near Redstone is the closest to tipping its banks into the flood stage.

From the Sky-Hi Daily News (Zach Fridell):

The peak for the Elk River, as measured at a site near Milner, is expected to rise to 7.2 feet Wednesday morning, just above the flood stage of 7 feet. The Yampa River in downtown Steamboat Springs also is expected to peak Wednesday morning at 6.2 feet. Flood stage for the Yampa is 7 feet. “This is going to be the week,” hydrologist Bryon Lawrence said. “We’re expecting the peak in Steamboat Springs to be Wednesday around 7 or 8 a.m.”[…]

Forecaster Jim Daniels, with the National Weather Service’s Grand Junction office, said a weather system expected to move in later this week could bring rain, which would push the rivers even higher.

From the Aspen Times:

A flood advisory is in effect for the Crystal River above Redstone, according to the National Weather Service…Flood advisories are also in effect for the Colorado River near Cameo in Mesa County, in far western Colorado; the Eagle River below Gypsum in Eagle County; the Yampa River at Steamboat Springs; the Elk River in Routt County and the Yampa River below Craig.

Grand County: Need for sponsors for stream temperature monitoring equipment

Here’s a release from Colorado River Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the East Grand Water Quality Board asking for financial sponsorships for stream temperature monitoring gear to gather data about the effects of transmountain diversions, via the Sky-Hi Daily News:

Shallower streams heat up to higher temperatures. Grand County streams are all cold water fisheries that can easily be damaged by higher stream temperatures. Three years ago, Grand County Water Information Network (GCWIN), the Colorado River Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the East Grand Water Quality Board received a grant to monitor the stream temperatures. We found that trout, which thrive at 55 degree, were experiencing temperatures warmer than 70 degrees. Temperatures this high are lethal to a cold water fishery.

This year we will continue to monitor Grand County’s stream temperatures but we need help to keep this important program alive. The equipment purchased from our original grant needs replacing. Since this is a local issue, we are hoping to get help from local residents to keep this program alive.

The equipment that we need to replace are the continuous temperature sensors placed in 28 locations from Berthoud Pass to the Gore Canyon. These sensors are called TidbiTs. We are asking people to sponsor their own TidbiT in a stream section that has significance to them.

The cost of sponsoring a TidbiT is $120. We encourage individuals, businesses, organizations or groups of friends to pool their resources and sponsor a TidbiT. To date, the information from this stream temperature monitoring program has played a significant role in helping to establish new Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment stream temperature standards. Additionally, this information was used extensively in developing the Grand County Stream Flow Management Plan.

Our stream temperature data is also being used in the mitigation planning for the Windy Gap and Moffat Tunnel diversions. Knowledge is power, and monitoring our stream temperatures is giving us the knowledge that gives us the direction to help our rivers. Please help us help the rivers.

For more information on the Sponsor a TidbiT program, please contact Jane Tollett of GCWIN at (970) 627-8162 or jtollett_gcwin@qwestoffice.net.

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