Day: April 1, 2025

Polluted discharge from the Moffat Tunnel continues to be released into the #FraserRiver — Sky-Hi Daily News

The pipeline, at the base of the Winter Park ski area, that moves water as part of the existing Moffat Collection System Project. The portal of the railroad tunnel is behind the pipeline, in this view. Photo credit: Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

Click the link to read the article on the Sky-Hi Daily News website (Meg Soyars Van Hauen). Here’s an excerpt:

March 25, 2025

According to Grand County Water Quality Manager Katherine Morris, polluted discharge from the Moffat Tunnel has adversely impacted the Fraser River. The Grand County water quality team recently wrote two letters to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, outlining its concerns with violations by Union Pacific Railroad, which manages the tunnel. During a Grand County Board of Commissioners meeting March 11, 2025 Morris explained that polluted water from the tunnel enters the nearby Fraser River, which is a main tributary of the Colorado River. This ongoing problem began after the tunnel was completed, and Grand County government began advocating to fix the problem nearly two decades ago…

James Peak via ColoradoWildAreas.com

In the early 2000s, residents and governmental officials raised alarm about pollutants and increased turbidity (or clarity issues) in the Fraser River when water was discharged from the tunnel. The tunnel bores through James Peak. Groundwater from cracks in the mountain rock seeps into the tunnel, and that water needs a way out. Coal dust, heavy metals and other particulate matter can travel into the Fraser River through the runoff. At the time, a water treatment plant existed on the east portal of the tunnel but not on the west portal at Winter Park. People questioned why there was no treatment plant to protect Grand County, home to the headwaters of the Colorado River. Over the years, Union Pacific received fines and a cease-and-desist order. The railroad finally built a treatment plant in 2017, but issues have continued — even worsened in some cases, Morris said. A water centrifuge at the plant is designed to separate solids from the water, creating a sludge-like “centrifuge cake” that is put in a drum and disposed of in Utah. (This disposal has raised its own concerns.) The remaining water is discharged into the river.

Tourism increases pressure on wastewater plant: Biological processes at city wastewater treatment plant impacted by tourism swings — Steamboat Pilot & Today #YampaRiver

Wastewater Treatment Process

Click the link to read the article on the Steamboat Pilot & Today website (Suzie Romig). Here’s an excerpt:

March 13, 2025

When the flow of visitors in Steamboat Springs rises during heavy tourism times, so too does the waste, making management of the Steamboat Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant a challenging and often smelly job.

“It’s significantly harder to run a wastewater treatment plant in a resort town that sees a big influx of visitors than in a city where your population is static,” said Jon Snyder, the public works director for Steamboat Springs. “Consistent population makes a biological process easier to manage.”

The plant’s operational status averages 60% capacity, but utilization can range from 26% during “mud season” when Steamboat sees fewer people in town to a record high of 72% in January 2022, explained Gilbert Anderson, plant superintendent. The maximum 24-hour flow into the plant can fluctuate widely during the year; for example, the flow in 2024 peaked at 7.14 million gallons per day on April 5 and was the lowest at 1.87 million gallons per day on Oct. 16, Anderson reported. During specific atmospheric conditions such as on cold mornings with temperature inversions — especially during the busy holiday times of Christmas, New Year’s and Presidents’ Day — the waste smells may be most noticeable to nearby homeowners, Snyder said. The vintage 1980 plant maintains a six-step process inside buildings to try to contain as much odor as possible, Snyder said. Yet, residents say the wastewater smells can be noticed at homes downwind and in nearby neighborhoods

Aspinall Unit operations / #GunnisonRiver flow change — Erik Knight (USBR) #UncompahgreRiver

Grand opening of the Gunnison Tunnel in Colorado 1909. Photo credit USBR.

From email from Reclamation (Erik Knight):

March 17, 2025

Releases from the Aspinall Unit will be increased from 700 cfs to 1200 cfs Tuesday, March 18th.  Releases are being increased to coincide with the start of diversions at the Gunnison Tunnel.

Flows in the lower Gunnison River are currently above the baseflow target of 1050 cfs. After this release change river flows are expected to remain above the baseflow target for the foreseeable future.

Pursuant to the Aspinall Unit Operations Record of Decision (ROD), the baseflow target in the lower Gunnison River, as measured at the Whitewater gage, is 1050 cfs for March through May.

Currently, Gunnison Tunnel diversions are 0 cfs and flows in the Gunnison River through the Black Canyon are around 650 cfs. After this release change Gunnison Tunnel diversions will be 450 cfs and flows in the Gunnison River through the Black Canyon will be around 700 cfs. Current flow information is obtained from provisional data that may undergo revision subsequent to review.

This scheduled release change is subject to changes in river flows and weather conditions. For questions or concerns regarding these operations contact:

Erik Knight at (970) 248-0629, e-mail eknight@usbr.gov

U.S. Representative Jeff Hurd working ‘behind the scenes’ to unfreeze funds for critical water rights purchase — #Colorado Public Radio #ColoradoRiver #COriver #aridification

This historical photo shows the penstocks of the Shoshone power plant above the Colorado River. A coalition led by the Colorado River District is seeking to purchase the water rights associated with the plant. Credit: Library of Congress photo

Click the link to read the article on the Colorado Public Radio website (Tom Hesse). Here’s an excerpt:

March 16, 2025

Western Slope water leaders hope bipartisan support can thaw $40 million in frozen federal money aimed at securing some of the Colorado River’s oldest water rights. The Colorado River District is spearheading an effort to purchase senior rights from Xcel Energy used at the Shoshone hydroelectric plant in Glenwood Canyon. The water allocated by the rights passes through the facility and back into the river, making them “nonconsumptive” rights, but by purchasing them for $99 million Western Slope leaders hope to ensure that water can continue to flow downstream and avoid the possibility it could be rerouted to Front Range users. The effort to buy the rights raised more than $50 million between the state of Colorado, the River District and more than two dozen entities on the Western Slope. In January, the federal government announced $40 million worth of support to the project. Just days later, the Trump administration took over, and that money was put on hold. 

“I think that has been frozen,” Republican Congressman Jeff Hurd, who represents Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, said in response to a question about the grant during a tele-town hall event on March 11. “Just know that we are working hard behind the scenes to see what we can do to make sure that that funding is allocated and completed.”

Andy Mueller, general manager for the Colorado River District, said the group anticipated delays in the funding from the start on account of the changing administrations. But, because the group has been working on pooling the money in advance, they’re not being left high-and-dry by the funding freeze just yet. 

“We’re one of the fortunate grantees, if you will, in that situation. I know there are a lot of grantees who were actually engaged in digging dirt and had hired staff in anticipation of grants,” Mueller said. He noted the deal is still pending a water court change case, giving the Shoshone purchase deal extra runway to haggle over the federal contribution.

Grant boosts the Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center’s education, outreach efforts — The #GrandJunction Daily Sentinel

Ruth Powell Hutchins. Photo credit: Colorado Mesa University

Click the link to read the article on the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel website (Dennis Webb). Here’s an excerpt:

March 14, 2025

A $110,000 state grant is enabling Colorado Mesa University’s Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center to expand its education and outreach program, including through a spring speaker series co-organized with CMU’s Environmental Science program. The center received the money from the Colorado Water Conservation Board last fall for two years of programs. According to a news release, Freddy Witarsa, the program’s interim director, will use the funds to facilitate programs to prepare students to join the water workforce and provide a platform for Western Colorado stakeholders to address the region’s water challenges…The water center facilitates research, education, outreach and dialogue to address the water issues in the region. The center has been led in recent years by interim directors. Witarsa also is an assistant professor of environmental science and technology at CMU. In January, the Colorado River District awarded the center $300,000 to support its efforts to grow over the next three years, including by hiring an executive director. That grant is being matched by a $300,000 grant from CMU.