From 9News.com (Christina Dickinson/Dan Weaver):
The National Weather Service says much of the eastern half of Colorado, including Denver, is in a moderate drought. They say portions of Southeastern Colorado are in a severe drought…
Day: December 29, 2010
NIDIS Weekly Climate, Water and Drought Assessment Summary of the Upper Colorado River Basin
Here is the link to this week’s notes from the Colorado Climate Center.
Energy policy — hydroelectric: Reclamation Extends Comment Period on Hydropower Resource Assessment at Existing Reclamation Facilities Draft Report
Here’s the release from the Bureau of Reclamation (Peter Soeth):
The Bureau of Reclamation has reopened the comment period for the Hydropower Resource Assessment at Existing Reclamation Facilities Draft Report from December 6, 2010 to January 27, 2011.
The Bureau of Reclamation issued a Federal Register Notice announcing the availability for public review and comment the Hydropower Resource Assessment at Existing Reclamation Facilities Draft Report on November 4, 2010. This draft report is an assessment of the economic and technical potential for hydropower development at existing Reclamation owned non-powered dams and structures.
It provides an inventory of hydropower potential at existing Reclamation sites using broad energy and economic criteria. It does not make any recommendation for development of the sites included in the report.
Comments may be submitted by mail or email no later than January 27, 2011 to:
Michael Pulskamp
Bureau of Reclamation
Denver Federal Center, Bldg 67
PO Box 25007
Denver, CO 80225<
Email: mpulskamp@usbr.govThe draft report and Federal Register Notice are available for download on Reclamation’s website at www.usbr.gov/power/.
Energy policy — nuclear: Colorado industry update
Writer, Bobby Magill, whose work often appears in the Fort Collins Coloradoan has a post up on the High Country News blog A Just West about the proposed Piñon Ridge uranium mill and the industry in general in Colorado. He’s pointing to The New York Times article I linked to on Monday (now behind the NYT paywall). From Magill’s post:
So, when a company proposes a new uranium mill, those wary of the industry’s trustworthiness have volumes of Colorado history supporting a conclusion that it’s reasonable to turn a skeptical eye toward new uranium projects and the regulations created to safeguard people and the environment.
But does rigorous skepticism toward the Piñon Ridge Mill necessarily lead to saying “Not in my backyard”? The answer will become clear if Colorado regulators give the mill a green light in January, when western Colorado’s nuclear legacy could be set on a course for a new era in uranium production.
Snowpack news: Jim Cooksey — ‘As a farmer, you live a lot on hope. You put a lot of faith in mother nature and God to bring moisture to make a crop’
Click on the thumbnail graphic to the right to view the latest snowpack map from the NRCS. It’s still early but Colorado is ending the year in great shape except the eastern plains. Click here for the current U.S. Drought Monitor map.
Meanwhile winter wheat crops are threatened by the drought on the eastern plains, according to Sharon Dunn writing for The Fence Post. From the article:
“Now, it’s probably the worst we’ve seen in 30 years,” said Jim Cooksey of Cooksey Farms southeast of Roggen. Four months of little to no moisture is taking its toll on the crop, which blankets fields across northern Colorado. That means hopes for even an average harvest next summer are starting to dwindle. The Cooksey family’s 3,600 acres of winter wheat so far are patchy at best. By now, the winter wheat crop should be up a good 3-4 inches heading into its winter dormancy, Cooksey said. Winter wheat is planted in the fall so it shoots up into a nice ground cover before it hits the winter dormancy. The crop will wake back up in the spring and is harvested in the summer. While hardy, it also depends on moisture, which should be kick-started in the fall. Subsoil moisture is a good 6 inches below the surface. Without moisture to bridge that gap, the crop struggles.
“We usually have at least one storm in fall, but that hasn’t happened this year,” Cooksey said. “As a farmer, you live a lot on hope. You put a lot of faith in mother nature and God to bring moisture to make a crop.”[…]
“They say the winter wheat crop has nine lives,” [Darrell Hanavan, executive director of Colorado Wheat in Fort Collins] said. “Some of the farmers have said we’ve used two or three so far. It’s not over yet. … If we can get the right conditions, we could still have the potential for an average crop.”
Norwood and other providers are looking to shore up water rights in advance of possible instream flow appropriation for portions of the San Miguel River watershed
From The Norwood Post (Ellen Metrick):
“It isn’t just us,” said Norwood Town Administrator Patti Grafmyer. “The water court is going to be inundated by filings from San Miguel and Montrose counties, too.”
The town and Norwood Water Commission (NWC) are working to plan ahead for the area, and figure they’ll need another 1,056 acre-feet of water by the year 2060 to cover the projected growth. “We have to plan ahead that far, at least,” said NWC president Mark Muniz. Right now, the town and water commission have an agreement with Farmers Ditch Company for 300 acre-feet, and have the option to purchase more, but the ditch company has been waiting to hear back from the Forest Service on a new ditch bill that may change regulations on municipal water being carried through Forest Service property.
The town owns water rights in the San Miguel River, but the problem — and the expense — lie in getting the water up the hill. The proposal that is being worked on is to move the location where Norwood can draw its water from, which is currently near the bridge at the bottom of Norwood Hill. The town has several areas they are looking at, and several possible plans for enlargement of ditches, new ditches, and reservoir sites, though none is yet set in stone. Grafmyer said the filing for the water has to be finalized by this Friday. “It’s still in draft form right now. The engineers and legal firms are still working on the final draft.”