Day: October 8, 2010

Republican River Water Conservation District board meeting October 14

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From The Yuma Pioneer (Tony Rayl):

The board will hold its regular quarterly meeting Thursday, October 14, at the Wray United Methodist Church, 500 Blake St. It will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Public comment will be at 1 p.m.

Approving the 2011 budget is on the agenda, as is recognizing the appointment of five directors for new terms. Consideration of moving along with the construction of the Compact Compliance Pipeline is on the agenda. Arbitrator Martha Pagel was supposed to submit her decision on the pipeline arbitration on Thursday, October 7. Dealing with various water rights also is on the agenda for the October 14 meeting. For further information concerning this meeting, please contact General Manager Stan Murphy at 332-3552 or email at rrwcd@centurytel.net. The district also has a website at http://www.republicanriver.com.

More Republican River basin coverage here and here.

Republican River Basin: Arbitrator urges Colorado to accept Kansas’ proposals for compliance pipeline

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Update: Here’s the reaction from State Attorney General John Suthers via a report from Tony Rayl writing for The Yuma Pioneer. From the article:

“We’re obviously disappointed in the arbitrator’s decision.” Suthers said. “However, it is important to note that the arbitrator recognized Colorado’s fundamental right to proceed with a pipeline to assist in compact compliance, that the proposal provides a reasonable and necessary approach by Colorado, and that Kansas does not have an unfettered ability to block the project. Most of the arbitrator’s decision focused on additional details that she felt should have been included in the proposal. Colorado will continue to work to assure that we comply with the Republican River Compact while protecting the livelihoods and jobs of those living in the basin. I remain optimistic that Colorado and Kansas can reach an agreement on this pipeline to assure this happens.”

Update: More coverage from Tony Rayl writing for The Yuma Pioneer. From the article:

Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska — the three states involved in the Republican River Compact — now have until November 1 to give notice on whether or they accept the decision. If any reject the decision — and it likely would be Colorado if any of them do — it would enter the appelate court system. Pagel’s decision is non-binding, but it likely sets the tone for any further legal wrangling concerning the pipeline. While Pagel sided with Kansas on nearly every disputed fact brought forth in the arbitration hearing held in July, her final decision made it clear Colorado’s plan to use a pipeline as an augmentation source was reasonable, and she outlined how the sides could come to a reasonable compromise to get the plan approved by all three states through the Republican River Compact Administration (RRCA)…

Another key issue is if Colorado can replace overuse on the South Fork with water delivered to the North Fork. Pagel again recommended a compromise. She agreed the water from the pipeline can go toward determing Colorado’s overall compliance. However, she agreed with Kansas that Colorado still needs to meet the South Fork sub-basin test. She said the arguments presented by Kansas are not unreasonable. The concern is Colorado, over time, will “over-deliver” pipeline water into the North Fork sub-basin in order to build a surplus. That in turn would be a disincentive for Colorado to implement separate compliance measures in the South Fork sub-basin. Pagel concluded there is nothing currently in the pipeline proposal that would stop Colorado from doing so. She suggested the proposal be clarified to limit the amount of augmentation credit applied to the North Fork, and should not allow for overuse on the South Fork until Colorado comes into compliance in that sub-basin…

Pagel finally ruled in favor of Colorado in regards to changes to the accounting procedures with a pipeline in place. She noted the changes were included in the revised resolution in August 2009, and Kansas never identified specific further changes, so its objection lacks merit. Pagel did note that the accounting procedures need to be reviewed in any final agreement to assure consistency…

In the end, Pagel ruled that in general Colorado’s plan is reasonable and a necessary approach to meet compact compliance. She also ruled Kansas has not been unreasonable up to this point in regards to its objections to Colorado pipeline plan, meaning Colorado is not entitled to a recommendation from her that the pipeline proposal should be approved. However, she noted that it should be approved with the changes she recommended, and if Kansas continues to object at that point, it may suggest there is nothing Colorado can do to get Kansas’ approval.

From The Topeka Capitol-Journal:

…the arbitrator [Martha Pagel] urged Colorado to adopt most of Kansas’ proposals regarding construction of a “compliance pipeline” that would offset the effects of groundwater depletion on streamflows that affect the amount of water available downstream in Kansas.

Kansas officials, while encouraged that Colorado is exploring ways to meets its legal obligations under the compact, note that the states have yet to agree on details of the plan…

More information about the Republican River Compact, including the arbitrator’s decisions, is available on the Kansas Department of Agriculture website at www.ksda.gov/interstate_water_issues/content/142.

More Republican River basin coverage here and here.

Restoration: Volunteers needed for Eagle River watershed improvement projects

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From the Vail Daily:

This fall the Eagle River Watershed Council is back working in the Eagle River at Edwards. The purpose of the work is to restore the health of the river in this 1.6-mile stretch, making it run colder, faster and deeper during low flow — and creating a better habitat for fish. The council has several volunteer-based projects that will make a big impact on the river health.

The first project is to revegetate the newly reconfigured banks of the river, which had lost their vegetation to cattle grazing. Vegetation holds the banks, preventing erosion and shading the river, which makes the water cooler. As leaves and branches fall into the water, they create hiding places for fish and food for the bugs the fish eat.

The council needs teams to create “willow wattles” which will be staked in place on the river banks. Wattles are 16- to 19-inch bundles of willow branches, about 7 feet in length, stuffed with willow trimmings and wrapped with twine. The stakes will be made from dormant willows which will take root and produce willow plants next spring. The council needs lots of volunteers to create more than 700 wattles before the end of October. It also need volunteers to harvest 225 cottonwood branches, which will also be planted in the banks for the same project. If you would like to join a group to work down by the river, we have the following volunteer dates planned: Oct. 6, 9, 12, 17, 19, 20, 23, 26 and 27…

The council also has a done-in-a-day project on Friday, Oct. 8, with the U.S. Forest Service on Red Dirt Creek, a tributary to the Colorado River. The purpose of this project is to revegetate cattle grazing impact that has threatened a fragile population of Colorado cut throat trout that inhabit the degraded creek. Volunteers will plant willows and trees, relocate roses and create willow bundles. The Forest Service will pick up our volunteers at the Dotsero parking lot at 8 a.m. for a 45-minute drive up the Colorado, then west, to the project. Volunteers will leave the site at 3:30 p.m. There are five volunteer slots available.

Ever caught hundreds of fish in one day? The Watershed Council will be electrofishing on Gore Creek and the Eagle River with the Colorado Division of Wildlife today, Wednesday and Thursday. The council monitors impacts on water quality in Eagle County’s rivers, but also wants to know how the fish are dealing with these varied impacts. The fish collected are counted, weighed and measured, then returned to the stream. Volunteers wading in the river net fish and deliver them to the fish biologist’s holding tank. These positions are almost filled, but we can put you on a waiting list.

To become an Eagle River Watershed Council volunteer, contact the council’s office in Avon at 970-827-5406 or e-mail volunteer@erwc.org. Learn more about the projects on the council’s website http://www.erwc.org.

More restoration coverage here.

Arkansas Valley Conduit update

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From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

The conduit could serve more than 40 communities from Pueblo to Lamar. The largest eight are St. Charles Mesa Water District, La Junta, Lamar, Las Animas, Rocky Ford, May Valley, Fowler and Crowley County. They will meet today with the Southeastern district to discuss the next steps in the project…

[Jim Broderick, executive director of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District] said the local communities are enthusiastic about moving the project ahead, and are concerned about costs, but realize there are possibilities for partnerships. “The cost factor is a surprise,” Broderick said. “When you combine all of the things that are involved, the costs are favorable to getting this accomplished.” The estimated cost of the conduit several years ago was $300 million, and a state loan of $60 million was obtained for 20 percent of the cost. The federal legislation signed by President Barack Obama provides a 65-35 federal split, with revenues from excess-capacity contracts with Reclamation — such as Southern Delivery System, Aurora storage and the Southeastern district’s proposed master contract — paying part of the costs. One of the purposes of today’s meeting is to go over cost estimates and ranges, Broderick said.

While preliminary studies of the conduit indicate there would be a gap between current supplies and future needs, they do not identify how additional supplies would be acquired. [Dale Mauch, a farmer who supports the Arkansas Valley Super Ditch] said that could be an opportunity for farmers. “People ask me why I’m on this bandwagon to support the Super Ditch when I don’t want to lease my water. It’s just that I don’t like the circumstances now, but those circumstances can change if we get drier. It could change in a hurry,” Mauch said. “It’s amazing how everything is all tied together, and it all revolves around water.” Mauch pointed out that some of those who farm in the Lower Arkansas Valley also are served by water districts that provide domestic water and could benefit from the conduit.

More Arkansas Valley Conduit coverage here and here.

2010 Colorado elections: U.S. Senate debate recap

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From The Pueblo Chieftain (Peter Roper):

Both men [Michael Bennet and Ken Buck] said they wanted to protect rural water supplies but Bennet made a point of having supported the $5 million budget appropriation to begin work on the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a planned water pipeline from Lake Pueblo to 40 communities down the valley. Congress authorized the project in 1962 but had never appropriated money until this year.

Buck dismissed that to the crowd. “(Bennet) stood up and took credit for a conduit that others had worked on for 10 years,” he said.

More coverage from The Denver Post (Michael Booth):

After Bennet said he was proud to help the Congressional delegation and local leaders secure clean water and protect Arkansas River rights, Buck tried to force Bennet’s opinion on a controversial Northern Colorado reservoir project. Buck supports the plan, Bennet has not taken a position. “He took credit where he wanted to,” Buck said, “But then when he wants to duck an issue like (northern Colorado), he says the federal government doesn’t have any role.”

More coverage from the Associated Press (Kristen Wyatt):

For the first time, the Senate hopefuls also sparred over Colorado water. Buck backed the Northern Integrated Supply Project, a divisive proposal to capture water from the Cache la Poudre and South Platte rivers for a new reservoir north of Fort Collins. Bennet hasn’t taken a position on the project. The two disagreed over the role of the federal government in Colorado water disputes. Bennet said the federal government should stay out of intrastate water disputes, while Buck said, “It’s one of the places the federal government should have a role.”

More coverage from The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Gary Harmon):

[Ken] Buck, listed as a supporter of Referendum A, the water-storage measure that sunk a class of Colorado Republicans after it was defeated in 2003, said he remains a supporter of water-storage projects. “We keep sending water out of the state,” he said. “We shouldn’t do that.” The federal government shouldn’t be the only player in water storage, Buck said. Business interests also can play a role, he said.

More 2010 Colorado elections coverage here.