Day: March 17, 2013

Forecast news: Snowfall predicted for the northern and central mountains today #codrought #cowx

From the National Weather Service Grand Junction office:

A vigorous cold front will move over the area today bringing mountain snows and gusty winds to the northern valleys. A winter weather advisory has been issued for the northern and central mountains for snow accumulations of 3 to 8 inches through 6pm this evening. Aside from the snow, gusty winds in the mountains will reach up to 50 mph which will create areas of blowing snow dropping visibilities to less than 1/4 mile at times. Gusty winds are also expected over the northern valleys and the Uinta basin so a wind advisory has been issued from noon through 7pm for west winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts upwards of 45 mph. Once this system moves through tonight, ridging will build in for Monday and Tuesday until the next system brings another round of rain and snow Wednesday and Thursday.

Colorado water law: ‘The complication is that we don’t explain it’ — Justice Gregory Hobbs

justicegreghobbs2012cowatercongannualconvention

Here’s an in-depth look at Justice Hobbs’ presentation at last week’s forum hosted by Colorado Livestock Association at Morgan Community College, from Dan Barker writing for the Fort Morgan Times. Click through and read the whole article. Here’s an excerpt:

People often talk about how complicated water law is in Colorado, but it is not really that complex. “The complication is that we don’t explain it,” Hobbs said.

There are people concerned about pressures on the water in Colorado who do not understand why it is used the way it is in the state, he said. He often hears that the trouble in Colorado is all those producers growing hay. They think farmers waste water because they see photos of flood irrigation, Hobbs said. They do not understand the whole process of how water works and how it is used, he said. They see flood irrigation and do not realize that much of that water goes back into the rivers, so it is not wasted, Hobbs noted…

The first territorial water law formed in [1861] did not mention anything but agriculture, since mining did not really consume much water, he said. This law provided a right to move water to where it was needed, and created a right of way to allow for ditches to take the water to farms as long as those using it paid for the right of way, Hobbs said. People need to be careful when they talk about private property rights. For instance, a landowner cannot block a person from operating an irrigation ditch. In Colorado, people do not earn the right to water simply because they use it or divert it somewhere. It must be put to beneficial uses, he said.

More water law coverage here and here.

‘They ruined my way of life, and the state agencies turned a mute ear to my complaints’ — Brett Corsentino

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

The damage to farm ground caused by water released from gas wells has been lasting while state protection has proven elusive for Huerfano County dairy farmer Brett Corsentino. “I can’t raise feed and I can’t hold anyone accountable. The bottom line is that the state agencies failed to protect me,” Corsentino said. “It’s all about the money these gas companies have. There’s no way to pierce the corporate veil.”

Corsentino farms is in the Cucharas River basin, which is north of the Apishapa and Purgatoire river basins where oil and gas exploration is most active in Southern Colorado. Pioneer Energy and XTO Energy are active in the lower watersheds. They are engaged in studies to show the water quality is sufficient in some cases for release into streams. Some landowners in the Apishapa and Purgatoire watersheds have asked the Colorado Department of Health and Environment to allow CBM releases.

But Corsentino said he was blind-sided by releases from Petroglyph Energy that began in the Cucharas basin in the late 1990s. He claims the water was high in salts and barium, which broke down the soil on his farm. “I used that water and put it on my fields, but didn’t know about (the releases) until 2006,” he said.

The productivity of his soil fell to one-third of its former level, and one-time soil amendments were paid for by Petroglyph. But the state never followed up with testing, and the Oil and Gas Commission said he had proven damage. “It was a joke. Sucks to be me,” Corsentino said.

His warning to other landowners is clear. “There have been four generations of my family here since my greatgrandfather came over from Sicily in 1905. It’s a hard life. We’ve taken care of the ground and it’s taken care of us,” Corsentino said. “We’ve gone through a reorganization, and I’ve lost the equity. At this point, I just want to be able to raise feed for my animals.”

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):

Some Las Animas County farmers and ranchers in the Apishapa River basin are concerned that releases of water from oil and gas drilling could render cropland useless. They want water tested — and even treated — before it is released into the river system, saying the danger of increased salinity outweighs any benefit of more water during a drought. “Our main concern is that what happened in Huerfano County doesn’t happen to our soil,” said Gary Waller, who holds senior water rights for fields he irrigates near Aguilar. “We want to be proactive and make sure we do not get contaminated.”

Ken Valentine, whose family irrigates further up in the basin, said a spring above one of its fields was potentially contaminated by a release from coal-bed methane drilling last year. He is also alarmed that CBM water is routinely sprayed on gravel roads throughout the area. “The water should be treated before it’s released into the watershed, either at the company’s expense or those people who are using it for things like livestock ponds,” Valentine said.

They want to avoid the types of troubles Huerfano County dairy farmer Brett Corsentino experienced when Petroglyph Energy dumped CBM water into the Cucharas River in the late 1990s. Water high in salinity and barium ruined his farm ground. “I was harvesting 18-21 tons of corn silage per acre before, and it dropped to six tons after,” Corsentino said. “They ruined my way of life, and the state agencies turned a mute ear to my complaints.”

While the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission required Petroglyph to stop dumping water in 2006 and to help Corsentino try to restore farmland, it ruled in 2011 that Petroglyph no longer had any liability. All say the state should be insisting the water produced by Pioneer Natural Gas in the Apishapa River basin is either of equal quality to surface water, and reinjected into deep wells if it fails to meet standards.

While some in the area contend the water is suitable for livestock and wildlife, the farmers fear it will contaminate their fields — particularly during a drought when there is less natural surface water to dilute the effects. “If the water is good, it should be utilized,” Waller said. “But if it’s not, it will get into the groundwater and onto our place eventually.”

Meanwhile, oil and gas producers in the Purgatorie River watershed have asked the state to relax standards for discharged water. Here’s a report from Steve Block writing for The Trinidad Times. Here’s an excerpt:

A leader of a regional environmental protection group said she’s deeply concerned about the possible lowering of water quality standards in the Purgatoire River Watershed, and asked the Las Animas County Board of Commissioners to write a letter to the Colorado Water Quality Commission, protesting the potential change.

Paula Ozzello of the Southern Colorado Environmental Council (SCEC) spoke at Tuesday’s board work session about the potential dangers of the reduction in water quality standards.

Ozzello, chairperson of SCEC, said XTO Energy and Pioneer Natural Resources have proposed to the commission a reduction in water quality standards for the Lower Arkansas River Basin, specifically the Purgatoire River Watershed and the Apishapa Watershed. She said the XTO and Pioneer proposal would reduce the surface water quality standard, by increasing the allowable level of boron in water used for agricultural purposes from its present level of 0.75 milligrams (mg) per million to a new, and higher, standard of 5.0 mg per million.

More coalbed methane coverage here and here.