Day: January 11, 2010

Denver Water: Chips Barry to retire this spring

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Here’s the release from Denver Water:

Denver Water Manager Hamlet “Chips” Barry today announced his plans to retire later this spring.

“Making the decision to retire sounds easy from a distance, but it is more difficult than you might expect, especially from a great job, at a very highly respected place like Denver Water,” said Barry. “After nearly 20 years as general manager of Denver Water, I have decided to retire.”

“Chips has been discussing this with the Board for some months now,” said Penfield Tate, president of the Denver Board of Water Commissioners. “We are beginning a search process for his successor.”

“Chips’ contributions to Denver Water and our broader community are too numerous to list,” said Tate. “All of us have learned and benefited from his leadership, his integrity, his humor and his focused dedication to the mission of Denver Water. It is an honor to have worked with him and to now undertake the important effort to find an equally talented and capable successor.”

Barry is a Denver native who attended Denver Public Schools, graduating from George Washington High School in 1962. He graduated cum laude from Yale College in 1966 and earned a law degree from Columbia University Law School in 1969. Prior to his current position, he was the executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources for Gov. Roy Romer from 1987 to 1990. He was named manager of Denver Water in January 1991.

During his tenure at Denver Water, the utility implemented a conservation program that is nationally and internationally recognized as a model of success, built a recycled water distribution system, invested millions of dollars in improvements at its treatment facilities, monitored recovery from several devastating wildfires in Denver Water’s watershed and led the work to recover from one of the worst droughts in the city’s history. The 1997 Integrated Resource Plan, which details Denver Water’s long-term water supply plan, was adopted under Barry. He also has been very active in regional cooperative efforts to open up new relations and continual dialogues among water providers throughout Colorado, and in national efforts dealing with global climate change, water infrastructure funding and regulations concerning transfer of water from one basin to another.

Denver Water’s Board has hired Carolyn McCormick of Peak HR Consulting, LLC to help conduct a national search for the next leader of Denver Water. The Board’s goal is to identify highly talented leaders who are interested in the position. A selection is expected later this spring.

Update: More coverage from The Denver Post (Bruce Finley):

Since 1991, Barry, 65, has led Denver Water through dealings with other water suppliers, efforts to improve delivery systems, a major drought and negotiations to divert water from the Western Slope. During his tenure, the utility implemented a conservation program, built a recycled-water distribution system and invested millions of dollars in treatment facilities for its 1.3 million customers. “Part of his legacy is his wit, sense of humor,” said Penfield Tate, president of the Denver Board of Water Commissioners. “His style and his easygoing manner really helped set the groundwork for a number of cooperative ventures between Denver and its suburban neighbors and Denver and the Western Slope.”

More Denver Water coverage here.

State Representative Sal Pace plans to introduce legislation requiring mitigation for transbasin diversions

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Here’s an editorial from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel that downplays the chances of Pace’s bill getting to Govenor Ritter’s desk during the next legislative session. From the article:

…the sort of law being pushed by Pace has historically faced fierce opposition from Front Range water organizations.

It doesn’t help that Kathleen Curry, the Gunnison lawmaker who recently dropped her Democratic Party affiliation, lost her chairmanship of the House Agriculture Committee in the process. Curry, an outspoken advocate of protecting Western Slope water from Front Range attacks, will no longer have the power she once did to shepherd such a bill through that important committee.

Pace’s bill, as important as it is, will likely be swimming upstream at the state Capitol.

More 2010 Colorado Legislation coverage here.

CSU to present free seminars at the National Western Stock Show

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Here’s the release from Colorado State University (Jim Beers):

Colorado State University faculty members will host a series of educational seminars during the National Western Stock Show in Denver. The inaugural CSU Seminars, which are part of the university’s increased presence during this year’s Stock Show, are free and open to the public. Each seminar will be approximately one hour with an opportunity for audience questions at the end of the presentation. The seminars will be held in the Beef Palace Auction Arena, located on the lower level of the Hall of Education at the National Western Stock Show complex, 4655 Humboldt St., Denver, Colo.

The schedule includes:

Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 3 p.m. – Nolan Doesken, State Climatologist – “Weather Trends and Stock Show Weather.” [ed. emphasis mine]

Saturday, Jan. 16:

o 9:30 a.m. – Rusty Collins, Jefferson County Extension director, hosting a program titled, “Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy” presented by CSU Extension, and featuring keynote speaker Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture, John Stulp. There will also be two speakers discussing energy efficiency and solar power.
o 1 p.m. – Dean Hendrickson, director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital – “Equine Wound Care”
o 2 p.m. – Sherry Stewart, assistant to the dean for Admissions and Student Affairs in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences – “So You Want to be a Veterinarian…”
o 3 p.m. – Laurie Goodrich, assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, specializing in equine lameness and surgery – “Successfully Treating Equine Orthopedic Injuries with Stem Cells”

Monday, Jan. 18:
o 10 a.m. – Neil Grigg, professor of civil engineering – “Colorado Water – Cities and Farms Can Live Together” [ed. emphasis mine]
o 3 p.m. – Laura Bauer, assistant director of the Nutrition Center – “The Wild West Diet for Today, While Eating What you Like”
Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. – Jessica Davis, director of the Institute for Livestock and the Environment – “ILE’s Current Research Efforts”

For more information, contact Jim Beers at (970) 491-6401 or Jim.Beers@colostate.edu.

Fort Morgan: New city council to get chance to voice support for the Northern Integrated Supply Project

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From The Fort Morgan Times (John Brennan):

The one item of business on the organizational meeting agenda that is not tied to city organizing matters is a resolution that will test the new council’s commitment to the NISP water project. The resolution would authorize the mayor to “execute the fifth interim agreement with the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) Water Activity Enterprise,” for continued participation in NISP.

The city’s share of NISP expenses in 2010 is projected at $135,000, according to the agreement. Each of the 15 participants in the project contributes money based on its percentage share of the water from the project, to fund the work necessary to design and obtain permits for the water project. The total expenditure on these efforts for 2010 is expected to be $1.5 million, the agreement says.

The NISP project is now in its third phase, years 7 through 9, according to the agreement. The project has been delayed by a drawn-out permitting process through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as opposition to the project from some environmental groups. Northern Water officials have said they expect NISP to receive a permit this year. The Fort Morgan City Council, as well as the city’s water advisory board, have been solidly behind NISP as the best answer to the city’s long-range water supply needs. The city’s participation in the project is expected to cost in the neighborhood of $40 million over about 12 to 15 years, with the highest payments coming due when actual construction of the water storage project starts.

More Morgan County coverage here.

CWCB: Instream flow recommendations being accepted until February 10

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

Staff is now accepting new instream flow recommendations through February 28, 2010 for potential incorporation into Colorado’s Instream Flow and Natural Lake Level Program.

Pursuant to section 37-92-102(3), C.R.S. (2009), staff is formally requesting recommendations from the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, as well as the United States Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior. In addition, any other person or entity may submit a recommendation at this time. All recommendations must be in writing with specificity and must describe the natural environment to be preserved as well as quantify the amount of water necessary to preserve said natural environment to a reasonable degree.

The earliest these recommendations could be brought to the Board for appropriation is January 2011. A preliminary notice of all recommendations that are received by the February 28, 2010 deadline will be provided to this subscription mailing list in March 2010 and to the CWCB at its March meeting. A final notice will be provided in November 2010. All recommendations will be posted on the CWCB’s website.

Note that previously submitted recommendations that have been postponed for various reasons do not need to be resubmitted. Staff will continue to process these recommendations and address issues with the recommending entities and stakeholders…

For more information on the new appropriation process, please visit:

http://cwcb.state.co.us/StreamAndLake/NewAppropriations/

If you are interested in more information regarding new instream flow and natural lake level recommendations, please contact Jeff Baessler at 303-866-3441 x3202 or Robert Viehl at x3237.

More CWCB coverage here.