Messing with Maps: #ColoradoRiver edition — Jonathan P. Thompson (@LandDesk) #COriver #aridification

The Imperial Irrigation District in southern California uses more Colorado River water than the entire state of Colorado. The Southern Nevada Water system’s consumptive use (shown here) is the difference between total withdrawals from Lake Mead (404,065 af) and Las Vegas Wash return flows (227,809 af). Source: USBR. Credit: Jonathan P. Thompson/The Land Desk

Click the link to read the article on The Land Desk website (Jonathan P. Thompson):

December 12, 2023

The lopsided ways of Western water law

Back in 1996, the town of Silverton, Colorado had a rude water awakening. It had been a sparse winter and spring, snow-wise, in the San Juan Mountains, though nothing compared to what would come over the next couple of decades. By mid-summer the streams were running fairly low, and downstream irrigators began to worry that they might not be able to divert enough water for their uses. That prompted rumblings of a possible “call” on the river, in which senior water rights holders force junior rights holders — including Silverton — to shut off their spigots.

Silverton, Colo., lies an at elevation of 9,300 feet in San Juan County, and the Gold King Mine is more than 1,000 feet higher in the valley at the left side of the photo. Photo/Allen Best

Silverton, which sits near the headwaters of the Animas River, gets its municipal water from Boulder and Bear Creeks, two small streams that have remained mostly unsullied by acid mine drainage and heavy metal loading, natural or otherwise. The creeks weren’t in danger of running dry that year, and continued to carry plenty of water to supply the town and then some. But a call could very well force the town to shut off its pumps and to watch all of that water flow by. Why? Because under Colorado water law, usually summed up as “first in time, first in right,” Silverton’s right to pull water from the streams are inferior — or junior — to many downstream users.

Silverton was founded in 1874 and settler-colonial miners had been diverting water for a few years by then. That, theoretically, would have put them near the top of the “first in time” list for beneficial users of Animas River water (behind the Ute, Navajo, and Pueblo people who preceded them by centuries, of course). The earliest appropriation dates on the Animas River (and southwestern Colorado, in general) are in 1868, which is probably tied to the Ute Treaty of that same year. The Animas Ditch, diverted from the river south of Durango, has an 1868 date, while the Animas Consolidated, Reid, and Wallace Ditches north of Durango have mid-1870s dates. 

But Silverton’s founders — perhaps believing their proximity to so many streams’ headwaters would guarantee unfettered access to all the water they’d need in perpetuity — failed to secure their water rights. As a result, their earliest appropriation date, for the Boulder Creek diversion, is 1883, and the Bear Creek diversion is in 1904. That puts both of Silverton’s main water sources way down the priority line (number 123, in fact), meaning if downstream senior rights holders were not getting their allocated water, they could put Silverton into a pickle.

This 1916 map shows how the Upper Basin provides all of the water. I added a few red arrows showing the river’s largest users, all in the Lower Basin. The arrows in southern Nevada show the 404,065 acre-feet withdrawn from Lake Mead along with the 227,809 acre-feet of return flows via Las Vegas Wash (which is credited against their total withdrawals). So they end up with a consumptive use of 177,276 acre-feet. If the map is blurry, go to LandDesk.org and click on this post to see the larger photo. Source: USGS.

This small town’s woes came to mind recently when I stumbled upon this 1916 map of the Colorado River, which shows the approximate amount of water each tributary contributes to its total flow. The takeaway? Nearly every drop of water in the river originates in the Upper Basin States, or Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. (This isn’t a surprise, but seeing it laid out so simply on a map really drives the point home.) And yet the river’s largest users and most senior water rights holders are in the Lower Basin States, namely California. So basically it’s a macro version of the Silverton situation: The Upper Basin produces the water, and the Lower Basin uses it and controls it. 

Okay, that’s a rather crude way of explaining a rather complicated situation, but it’s really not that far off. For example, in 2023, the Imperial Irrigation District in Southern California consumed 2.3 million acre-feet of Colorado River water; the entire state of Colorado used just 2.1 million acre-feet (MAF).2

And what about the downstreamers controlling the water?

Upper Basin States vs. Lower Basin circa 1925 via CSU Water Resources Archives

The Colorado River Compact divided the presumed 15 MAF in the river equally, with 7.5 MAF going to the Lower Basin and 7.5 MAF going to the Upper Basin. That sounds fair, right? Thing is, the Compact doesn’t just cut the total annual flow of the river in half, which would be fair. Nor does it allow the Upper Basin to withdraw its 7.5 MAF, leaving the remainder to flow downstream. Nope. It requires that the Upper Basin leave enough water in the river to ensure that 7.5 MAF flows past the Lee (or Lee’s or Lees) Ferry gage into the Lower Basin each year.3 That mandate holds regardless of how much water is actually in the river, meaning that if there is anything less than 16.5 MAF, the Upper Basin’s gotta eat it (and it also forces the Upper Basin to include evaporative losses into its total water use, since it leaves that much less water to send downstream). That potentially puts the entire Upper Basin into the same boat as Silverton, just on a much larger level. 

That’s where reservoirs, especially Lake Powell, come in. The Upper Basin can save surplus water during wet years and release it during dry years to comply with the Compact’s downstream delivery mandate. And it also explains why Lake Powell is in danger of hitting dead pool: The Upper Basin has been burning up its savings to make its annual payment to the Lower Basin.

And that brings us to today’s second map: a profile of the entire Colorado River Basin with existing and proposed dams, circa 1946. I’m including this here for a couple of reasons. First off, I think it’s a really cool way to map a river system in quasi-3D without a bunch of technology. Second, the number of dams that might have been built if the mid-century water buffaloes had their way is mind-blowing.

This is from 1946, more than a decade after Hoover Dam had been completed but before construction had begun on Glen Canyon Dam. It may have been the peak for potential dam Viewing the picture works best on the website at LandDesk.org. Source: USBR

Zoom in on the profile and you’ll see that Glen Canyon Dam was still only an itch in Floyd Dominy’s proverbial pants. It got built not long afterward, though. Also proposed: The Marble Canyon and Bridge Canyon Dams in the upper and lower Grand Canyon, respectively; a whole series of dams on the lower San Juan River; the Echo Park Dam on the Green and Yampa; the Dark Canyon, Moab, Dewey, and Whitewater Dams on the Colorado River between Grand Junction and Glen Canyon; and the Desolation and Rattlesnake Dams on the Green River. 

Had all those structures been built, there’d only be a handful of stretches of actual river remaining. Yikes! 

General view of the Sunnyside Mine and Lake Emma, southwestern Colorado photo via the Denver Public Library

Silverton’s 1996 water scare died down after the rains came that year. Had the call actually gone through, though, the town would have had an interesting way of keeping its water taps from going dry. The Sunnyside Mine would open up the valve on its American Tunnel bulkhead and release the required volume of water from the mine pool — a 1,200-foot-deep underground reservoir of water backed up inside the byzantine workings of the Sunnyside Mine. 

It just goes to show you that water in the West is important and that Western water law is weird.

“Snow Drought” Threatening Western U.S. — WeatherNation #snowpack

Westwide SNOTEL basin-filled map December 12, 2023.

Click the link to read the article on the WeatherNation website (Lucy Bergemann). Here’s an excerpt:

After a record setting 2022-23 winter season for the Southwest U.S. including 12 atmospheric rivers that brought heavy rain and snow to California, Nevada and the 4 Corners region, the 2023-34 Winter season is getting off to a slower start. In fact, 73% of western U.S. snow reporting stations are seeing Snow Water Equivalent [SWE] below normal and 42% of stations are below the 30th percentile for SWE. Some of the most drastic conditions are in the Sierra Nevada and northern Montana. NIDIS attributes the drought conditions due to the minimal precipitation or “snow drought” seen across the region. In Colorado and Utah, most reporting stations are seeing SWE right around average with the worst of the conditions in the Rio Grande Basin and the Sangre de Cristo mountains of southern Colorado and New Mexico. 

Of course snow drought isn’t the only reason why the intermountain west is experiencing drought conditions. A lackluster monsoon season in New Mexico can be blamed for setting up extreme (level 4 out of 5) drought conditions from summer into early fall. In the latest Drought update, the National Integrated Drought Information System with NOAA announced that the southern 4 Corners region of Arizona and New Mexico are experiencing high levels of drought with 96.8% of New Mexico in drought conditions…

The other factor has been warmer than average temperatures, due in part to a strong El Nino pattern which typically results in warmer temperatures for the western states and northern Rockies. That pattern is likely to continue into the winter months. The other factor with El Nino is the likelihood of drought conditions expanding across the Southwest U.S. which could be trouble for an area that is still recovering from decades-long drought. Despite the active 2022-23 winter and meaningful moisture contributing to low reservoirs across the mountain west, “Lakes Powell and Mead continue to run very low with respect to long-term averages, given the overall dryness and warmth of the last couple of decades” according to Curtis Riganti of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Nebraska.

Arctic Report Card 2023: From wildfires to melting sea ice, the warmest summer on record had cascading impacts across the Arctic — The Conversation #ActOnClimate

Giovanna Stevens grew up harvesting salmon at her family’s fish camp on Alaska’s Yukon River. Climate change is interrupting hunting and fishing traditions in many areas. AP Photo/Nathan Howard

Rick Thoman, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Matthew L. Druckenmiller, University of Colorado Boulder, and Twila A. Moon, University of Colorado Boulder

The year 2023 shattered the record for the warmest summer in the Arctic, and people and ecosystems across the region felt the impact.

Wildfires forced evacuations across Canada. Greenland was so warm that a research station at the ice sheet summit recorded melting in late June, only its fifth melting event on record. Sea surface temperatures in the Barents, Kara, Laptev and Beaufort seas were 9 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 7 degrees Celsius) above normal in August.

While reliable instrument measurements go back only to around 1900, it’s almost certain this was the Arctic’s hottest summer in centuries.

A map shows Arctic temperatures in 2023 and a chart shows changing heat over time.
Summer heat extremes in 2023 and over time. NOAA, Arctic Report Card 2023

The year started out unusually wet, and snow accumulation during the winter of 2022-23 was above average across much the Arctic. But by May, high spring temperatures had left the North American snowpack at a record low, exposing ground that quickly warmed and dried, fueling lightning-sparked fires across Canada.

In the 2023 Arctic Report Card, released Dec. 12, we brought together 82 Arctic scientists from around the world to assess the Arctic’s vital signs, the changes underway and their effects on lives across the region and around the world.

Heat’s cascading effects throughout the Arctic

In an area as large as the Arctic, setting a new temperature record for a season by two-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit (0.1 degrees Celsius) of warming would be significant. Summer 2023 – July, August and September – shattered the previous record, set in 2016, by four times that. Temperatures almost everywhere in the Arctic were above normal.

A closer look at events in Canada’s Northwest Territories shows how rising air temperature, sea ice decline and warming water temperature feed off one another in a warming climate.

A map shows 2023 spring snow cover duration. A chart shows Arctic snow cover falling since the 1980s.
Arctic snow cover in 2023 and over time. NOAA, Arctic Report Card 2023

The winter snow cover melted early across large parts of northern Canada, providing an extra month for the Sun to heat up the exposed ground. The heat and lack of moisture dried out organic matter on and just below the surface; by November, 70,000 square miles (180,000 square kilometers) had burned across Canada, about a fifth of it in the Northwest Territories.

The very warm weather in May and June 2023 in the Northwest Territories also heated up the mighty Mackenzie River, which sent massive amounts of warm water into the Beaufort Sea to the north. The warm water melted the sea ice early, and currents also carried it west toward Alaska, where Mackenzie River water contributed to early sea ice loss along most of Northeast Alaska and to increased tundra vegetation growth.

A map shows Arctic sea surface temperatures in 2023 and a chart shows temperatures rising over time.
Sea surface temperatures have been rising. NOAA, Arctic Report Card 2023

Similar warmth in western Siberia also contributed to quickly melting sea ice and to high sea surface temperatures in the Kara and Laptev seas north of Russia.

The Arctic’s declining sea ice has been a big contributor to the tremendous increase in average fall temperatures across the region. Dark open water absorbs the Sun’s rays during the summer and, in the autumn, acts as a heating pad, releasing heat back into the atmosphere. Even thin sea ice can greatly limit this heat transfer and allow dramatic cooling of air just above the surface, but the past 17 years have seen the lowest sea ice extents on record.

Subsea permafrost: A wild card for climate

The report includes 12 essays exploring the effects of climate and ecosystem changes across the Arctic and how communities are adapting. One is a wake-up call about the risks in subsea permafrost, a potentially dangerous case of “out of sight, out of mind.”

Subsea permafrost is frozen soil in the ocean floor that is rich in organic matter. It has been gradually thawing since it was submerged after Northern Hemisphere ice sheets retreated thousands of years ago. Today, warmer ocean temperatures are likely accelerating the thawing of this hidden permafrost.

Just as with permafrost on land, when subsea permafrost thaws, the organic matter it contains decays and releases methane and carbon dioxide – greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and worsen ocean acidification.

A map shows most subsea permafrost off Siberia but also some off Alaska and Canada.
Known permafrost zones in the Northern Hemisphere. Greens are subsea permafrost. GRID-Arendal/Nunataryuk, CC BY-ND

Scientists estimate that nearly 1 million square miles (2.5 million square kilometers) of subsea permafrost remains, but with little research outside the Beaufort Sea and Kara Sea, no one knows how soon it may release its greenhouse gases or how intense the warming effects will be.

Salmon, reindeer and human lives

For many people living in the Arctic, climate change is already disrupting lives and livelihoods.

Indigenous observers describe changes in the sea ice that many people rely on for both subsistence hunting and coastal protection from storms. They have noted shifts in wind patterns and increasingly intense ocean storms. On land, rising temperatures are making river ice less reliable for travel, and thawing permafrost is sinking roads and destabilizing homes.

A map with disasters and indicators of trouble in a warming Arctic.
Highlights from the Arctic Report Card 2023. NOAA, Arctic Report Card 2023

Obvious and dramatic changes are happening within human lifetimes, and they cut to the core of Indigenous cultures to the point that people are having to change how they put food on the table.

Western Alaska communities that rely on Chinook salmon saw another year of extreme low numbers of returning adult salmon in 2023, scarcity that disrupts both cultural practices and food security. Yukon River Chinook have decreased in size by about 6% since the 1970s, and they’re producing fewer offspring. Then, in 2019, the year when many of this year’s returning Chinook salmon were born, exceptionally warm river water killed many of the young.

The returning Chinook salmon population has been so small during the past two years that fisheries have been closed even for subsistence harvest, which is the highest priority, in hopes that the salmon population recovers.

The inability to fish, or to hunt seals because the sea ice has thinned, is not just a food issue. Time spent at fish camps is critical for many Alaska Indigenous cultures and traditions, and kids are increasingly missing out on that experience.

As Indigenous communities adapt to ecosystem changes, people are also working to heal their landscapes.

A man in colorful jacket and hat stands surrounded by dozens of reindeer.
A Sámi reindeer herder in traditional clothes counts new calves while preparing the herd for the arduous winter months. In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images

In Finland, an effort to restore damaged reindeer habitat in collaboration with Sámi reindeer herders is helping to preserve their way of life. For many decades, commercial logging was allowed to tear up hundreds to thousands of square miles of reindeer peatland habitat.

The Sámi and their partners are working to replant turf and rewild 125,000 acres (52,000 hectares) of peatlands for reindeer grazing. Degraded peatlands also release greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change. Keeping them healthy helps capture and store carbon away from the atmosphere.

Temperatures in the Arctic have been rising more than three times faster than the global average, so it’s not surprising that the Arctic saw its warmest summer and sixth warmest year on record. The 2023 Arctic Report Card is a reminder of what’s a stake, both the risks as the planet warms and the lives and cultures already being disrupted by climate change.

Rick Thoman, Alaska Climate Specialist, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Matthew L. Druckenmiller, Research Scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder, and Twila A. Moon, Deputy Lead Scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda Provides $16.5 Million to Support Tribes Impacted by #Drought — U.S. Department of Interior

Photo credit: U.S. Department of Interior

Click the link to read the release on the Department of Interior website:

December 12, 2023

Funding will provide relief to Tribes confronted by drought conditions threatening homelands, food sources and cultural resources

The Department of the Interior today announced the availability of $16.5 million through the Bureau of Reclamation to expand access to clean, reliable water supplies for Tribes confronted by drought conditions that threaten Tribal homelands, food sources, and cultural resources. Two funding opportunities are now available through Reclamation’s Native American Affairs Program: a $12.5 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda — funded through the Inflation Reduction Act — and $4 million in annual funding for technical assistance and cooperative agreements.  

Funding from Reclamation’s Native American Affairs Program has previously supported projects including irrigation projects; municipal, industrial, and rural water systems; dam construction and dam safety; drought relief; emergency assistance; planning and engineering studies; and other activities that facilitate the negotiations and implementation of Indian water rights settlements. This round of funding is available without cost-share or matching requirements, making it easier for smaller and less-resourced Tribes to access this critical funding.  

“As Tribal communities across the West experience severe drought conditions, we are bringing every tool and every resource to bear, including historic investments through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, to conserve and secure local water supplies, and ensure no community is left behind,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “Today’s funding opportunity will allow us to partner with Tribes on projects that can have a real, tangible impact in Indian Country.”

“Reclamation is committed to working with sovereign nations to mitigate the devastating impacts of drought while securing ongoing investments in Tribal water projects,” said Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “This year’s additional emergency drought funding has no cost-share or matching requirements, helping get dollars to Indigenous communities swiftly and leveraging near-term efforts to build drought resilience in the face of a changing climate.”

Commissioner Touton announced the funding opportunity at the third Post-2026 Federal-Tribes-State partnership meeting — a new forum to enhance Tribal engagement and promote equitable information-sharing and discussion among the sovereign governments as the Department develops guidelines for the next several years of management of the Colorado River.

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda represents the largest investment in climate resilience in the nation’s history and is providing much-needed resources to enhance Western communities’ resilience to drought and climate change. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, Reclamation is investing nearly $4.6 billion to advance water system conservation and mitigate drought impacts, building on $8.3 billion provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to revitalize aging water infrastructure systems, advance water reuse methods and deliver water resources to rural and hard to reach communities.

Tribes and Tribal organizations in the 17 Western states in which Reclamation operates are encouraged to apply for both funding opportunities. Technical assistance grants and cooperative agreements are available up to $400,000. Grants for emergency drought relief must provide drought relief benefits within two years from the date of award and be completed within three years. The maximum award per project is limited to $500,000, and the maximum total awards per Tribe is limited to $1 million.

This funding opportunity advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s ambitious environmental justice agenda through the Justice40 Initiative, which set the goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain covered Federal investments flow to disadvantaged or Justice40 communities, which include all Federally Recognized Tribes and Tribal entities.

More about these and other funding opportunities can be found at Reclamation’s website.

Civil engineer and horticulturist join forces for stormwater and green roof research at #Colorado State University Spur’s Hydro Backyard

Jen Bousselot and Amanda Salerno plant seedlings at CSU Spur alongside City of Denver employees Colin Bell and Austin Little.

Click the link to read the release on the Colorado State University website (Jana Crouch)

December 11, 2023

In the semi-arid Colorado climate, long periods of hot and dry conditions are often broken up by rapid torrential rains. Stormwater runoff can contribute to water pollution and cause flooding and erosion, creating a paradox of water being precious and scarce, yet hazardous and contaminated.

What if stormwater could instead be collected in biological green spaces to minimize runoff and filter the water for reuse as irrigation?

Two CSU researchers are collaborating with municipal officials in Denver to improve urban landscaping design for green stormwater management systems. Professors Sybil Sharvelle, civil and environmental engineering, and Jennifer Bousselot, horticulture and landscape architecture, have joined forces to integrate green infrastructure and stormwater reuse into the urban landscape.

The many dimensions of water and vegetation

The multi-faceted project will examine how different types of captured water (i.e., graywater, stormwater, etc.) affect various combinations of soil and vegetation. Additionally, the researchers will collect data on vegetation in street-level planters and green roof systems that will maximize the removal of toxins and pollutants from water.

Jen Bousselot, Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. Photo credit: Colorado State University

“Typically research focuses on one element. By approaching this work with equal weight given to the agriculture side and the engineering side, we have a robust project that is more valuable and useful to the end users,” said Bousselot, an expert in green roof development and urban horticulture.

By testing different sources of water, soil, and vegetation, their research will identify ideal combinations for urban landscaping that reduces pollution, minimizes damage from flooding and runoff, and sustainably treats and reuses stormwater. The four-year project will also capture how the vegetation responds in each weather season in Colorado.

CSU Spur serves as collaborative hub

At the Hydro Building of CSU Spur, the team has access to concrete test plots in Hydro’s Backyard to function as experimental bioretention cells mimicking streetside planters commonly found in urban landscapes. Spur’s Hydro Building also has a green roof space for testing the viability of vegetation irrigated with different non-potable water types.

Sybil Sharvelle, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Photo credit: Colorado State University

“I love that Spur serves as a space to connect CSU’s agriculture and water engineering programs where we have enhanced collaboration opportunities. We can work on projects in the same location, and with the Terra Building right beside the Hydro Building, it is an area for elevated research where students get great experience,” said Sharvelle, an expert in urban stormwater management and head of the Water Technology Acceleration Platform Lab (Water TAP) at Spur.

“The outdoor lab at Hydro is a great place to interact with the public. I think school kids will love to visit, learn about how we are trying to protect our water resources, and hopefully be inspired to help too,” stated Colin Bell, Senior Engineer at the Division of Green Infrastructure within the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure for the City and County of Denver.

Sharvelle and Bousselot are co-advising civil engineering PhD student Amanda Guedes Salerno. Salerno will manage plant growth, measure water outflow from the bioretention cells and green roof, and other hands-on data collection at Spur. She earned her undergraduate degree in environmental engineering in her home country of Brazil, then came to CSU for a master’s degree in horticulture.

Her current PhD research is in many ways a continuation of her master’s research with green roof systems.

“The facility at Spur is amazing,” said Salerno. “As a master’s student, I studied green roof infrastructure but had to perform research in small simulation boxes. Now, we can access the fully functional green roof at Spur. The integration between the water science and horticulture science in one place is incredible.”

Partnering for the public good

The results of this research will provide guidance on stormwater treatment, water quality improvement, and the viability of vegetation in bioretention cells and green roof systems. The guidance will then inform future projects by the Division of Green Infrastructure and the Denver metro area’s Mile High Flood District(MHFD), who are jointly funding the project.

“This has been a really exciting collaboration with our local utilities and municipal partners. We are able to perform research and water quality testing at a level they may not have the resources for, and it has a direct impact on them,” said Sharvelle.

The Director of Research and Development at Mile High Flood District, Holly Piza, shared “The CSU and MHFD partnership at Spur allows us to connect academic research with practitioners in our region. This research is informing our regional criteria and advancing the practice of stormwater management.”

“It’s a great team. CSU brings the research expertise and an amazing facility, MHFD has a strong history of developing innovative stormwater criteria, and DGI will use the findings to build on an existing network of over 200 facilities in Denver,” said Bell.

The Colorado Water Congress is hiring a #ColoradoRiver Project Coordinator to represent #CORiver water users in #CO, #WY, and #UT in the implementation of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program

Screen shot from the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program website August 28, 2021:

Click the link to go to the Colorado Water Congress website to apply:

Contract Opportunity

The Colorado River Project Coordinator (Coordinator) represents Colorado River water users in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah in the implementation of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (Recovery Program) (https://coloradoriverrecovery.org/uc/). A broad coalition of twenty-three water users in Colorado and Utah provide funding for a Coordinator through the Colorado Water Congress Colorado River Project (Project). Each contributing water user is a member of the Project’s Executive Committee and provides guidance and direction to the Project Coordinator and is kept informed of Recovery Program activities through regular meetings with and correspondence from the Coordinator.

The successful candidate will collaborate with the current Coordinator for sufficient time to gain a complete understanding of the Program and the responsibilities of the position. The water users have benefitted from having the current Coordinator since the inception of the Recovery Program with one point of contact and consistent, successful representation in all of the Recovery Program facets. The water users realize how unique the arrangement has been with the longevity and the waters users will have an ongoing need for a Coordinator as long as the Recovery Program exists. The Recovery Program or its successor is expected to be permanent. A candidate that has a vision to provide a way for historic knowledge learning, retention and application, along with the ability to look toward the future, for a time period of 10-years or more is desired.

Coordinator will be an independent contractor and not an employee of the Colorado Water Congress (CWC). Coordinator could be an individual or a company. If a company wishes to apply, please identify and provide qualifications of the primary person responsible for the scope of work and any additional supporting staff. The company must provide a commitment that one person will serve as Coordinator and that any change in staff must be approved by the Executive Committee.  This does not preclude that person from other duties. The estimated time requirement averages 20 hours per week. The applicant must disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

Compensation range: $120 – $200 per hour, depending on knowledge, skills, and experience.

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Planning, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Science, Watershed Science, Engineering, or related field. Minimum 6 years of related work experience. Any equivalent combination of certifications, education, or experience that provides the required skills, knowledge, and abilities for the position.

Preferred Qualifications: A candidate with skills/experience in working with Congress on appropriations/authorizing legislation, a track record of successfully working with members of diverse groups to achieve consensus on difficult issues, ESA experience, and knowledge of the Recovery Program is preferred.

Here’s the detailed Scope of Services.

Applicant Submittal Information

Please submit your letter of interest and resume or documents using the portal on the Colorado Water Congress website HERE.

The position will be open until filled. Initial interviews are anticipated to be conducted the week of January 29thcoordinated with the Colorado Water Congress Annual Convention, January 31 to February 2, 2024, in Aurora, Colorado.

Please direct any questions to John McClow at jmcclow@ugrwcd.org

This is an equal employment opportunity.

Background

In mid-1983, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a draft proposal to restrict future water development in the Upper Colorado River Basin in order to protect native fish species listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.  The Colorado Water Congress (CWC) Colorado River Project was established on December 1, 1983 by a coalition of Colorado and Utah water users.  The objective of the Project was to develop an acceptable administrative solution to resolve conflicts between protection of federally listed endangered fish species and development and management of water in the Upper Colorado River Basin.  Negotiations among federal agencies, the states of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, water interests, and environmental organizations between 1984 and 1987 resulted in establishment of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Implementation Program (Recovery Program) on January 22, 1988 by agreement of the Secretary of the Interior, the Administrator Western Area Power Administration, and the governors of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.  The Recovery Program has the objective of recovering endangered fish while water development and management activities proceed in compliance with the ESA, Reclamation project authorizations, and state water and wildlife law.  This objective is being achieved.

Current participants in the Recovery Program include four federal agencies (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, and Western Area Power Administration), the states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, Upper Basin water users, Colorado River Storage Project power customers (Colorado River Energy Distributors Association), and environmental organizations (The Nature Conservancy, Western Resource Advocates).

Recovery Program actions taken to recover the species include construction of fish passages, fish screens, habitat improvements, non-native fish control, enhancing instream flows in accordance with state water law and interstate compacts, stocking, monitoring, and research.  These actions provide the ESA compliance for water depletions and water management in the Upper Colorado River Basin for federal, non-federal, and tribal water projects.  In entering the agreement to establish the Recovery Program, the United States agreed that any water needed for endangered fish would be acquired in accordance with state law and interstate compacts, and that there would be no taking of water or condemnation of water rights.  The states, water users and the Bureau of Reclamation committed to finding ways to provide water for endangered fish in accordance with state law, interstate compacts and Reclamation project authorizations.

As of December 31, 2022, the Recovery Program has provided ESA compliance for 2,203 water projects depleting approximately 2.8 million acre-feet/year in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah.  This includes 1,262 projects in Colorado depleting 2.1 million acre-feet per year, 266 projects in Utah depleting 619,439 acre-feet per year, and 434 projects in Wyoming depleting 124,463 acre-feet per year.  No lawsuits have been filed on ESA compliance provided by the Recovery Program.

Role of the CWC Colorado River Project in the Upper Basin Recovery Program 

The CWC Colorado River Project (Project) plays a key role in Recovery Program implementation.  The Project supports participation by the water users’ representative in the Recovery Program’s governing and technical committees.  Participation ensures that the Recovery Program is implemented in accordance with existing agreements.  The Coordinator confers with and seeks input from the Executive Committee on key Recovery Program issues and provides assistance to water users throughout the Upper Colorado River Basin when needed to assure that ESA Section 7 consultations on water projects are carried out in accordance with Recovery Program agreements.

Because the Project is not part of a federal or state agency, it has considerable latitude in dealing directly with the United States Congress and presidential administrations with respect to Recovery Program matters.  Since its inception, the Project has been involved in successful efforts to secure federal funding for the Recovery Program.  In 2000, the Project garnered Congressional support for and coordinated passage of federal legislation (P.L. 106-392) that authorized federal cost sharing for the Recovery Program and use of Colorado River Storage Project hydropower revenues for Recovery Program activities, and recognizes non-federal cost sharing.  This legislation also authorized funding for the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program (https://coloradoriverrecovery.org/sj/). The Project has played a leading role in passage of subsequent amendments to expand federal cost-sharing as needed.  Each year the Project works with other non-federal participants in both recovery programs to secure annual appropriations by Congress for the Recovery Program and the San Juan Recovery Program in accordance with the authorizing legislation.  The annual appropriations are divided between the two programs pursuant to the authorizing legislation.  As of September 30, 2023, Congress has appropriated $173,552,000 in support of the Recovery Program and authorized $115,774,000 in Colorado River Storage Project Colorado River Project hydropower revenues to support the Recovery Program.  Total Recovery Program costs from FY 1989 through FY 2023 were $478,919,000, including non-federal contributions and credits to participants for various activities.

Study finds that livestock growers need more compensation for water #conservation: Costs of buying hay high in extreme drought year of 2020 — @AspenJournalism

Early morning fog hangs in the valleys above this irrigated field outside of Kremmling in July 2021. The pasture is part of a study that aims to learn about the impacts of using less water on high-elevation fields. CREDIT: HEATHER SACKETT/ASPEN JOURNALISM

Click the link to read the article on the Aspen Journalism website (Heather Sackett):

December 8, 2023

The results of a recent economic study of Grand County irrigators show that certain water conservation programs may be worth it for irrigators who grow hay but not for those who grow cows.

In 2020, a group of nine flood irrigators in the Kremmling area, scientists and conservation groups began a multiyear research project to find out what happens when irrigation water is withheld from high-elevation fields for a full season and a half-season. The project, officially called “Evaluating Conserved Consumptive Use in the Upper Colorado,” is ongoing through 2023, but preliminary results from 2020-22 show that the effects of taking water off a field linger beyond one season and that these types of programs may not make financial sense for irrigators who raise livestock. 

In 2020, control fields were irrigated normally; some fields received no irrigation water and some received irrigation water only through June 15. Normal irrigation practices were resumed in 2021, 2022 and 2023. But the fields with no or less water in 2020 did not fully bounce back and produce the same crop yield as the control fields in subsequent years. The amount of water used by the plants, known as consumptive use, as well as the amount of forage crop production, lagged behind the control fields even two years after resuming normal irrigation, something maybe partly due to the extreme drought in the summers of 2020 and 2021.

Perry Cabot, a researcher with Colorado State University, and Hannah Holm, associate director for policy with environmental group American Rivers, worked on the project and presented their findings to the Colorado Basin Roundtable last month.

“2020 was such an awful, horrible drought year, especially late in the season,” Holm said. “We are wondering if the fact that there was basically no precipitation falling from the sky, and that summer of 2021 [was also dry], might have knocked back the treatment fields that much harder. … We do see substantial recovery when returned to full irrigation, but it’s not uniform across the fields and it seems to not be 100% a couple of years later.” 

Where water was removed for half of the irrigation season, irrigators received $281 per acre, and those with full irrigation withdrawal received $621 per acre in 2020.

The study was funded by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, with support from the Colorado Basin Roundtable, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited and American Rivers.

The 2020 Economics and Enterprise Budgeting Report, released in August as part of the preliminary project report, found that these amounts need to be increased for irrigators who also raise livestock to make participation in the program worth it for them. The report, which is based on interviews, financial data and budgets from six of the participating irrigators, said agricultural producers who relied on their hayfields to feed cattle experience a net loss of profit, despite the payments. 

Producers with livestock would have needed an average payment of at least $971 per acre to fully compensate them for the additional costs of not irrigating their fields. This was mostly due to the high cost of having to buy hay in a drought year to replace the hay they didn’t grow.

Those just growing hay saw an average of a $197 increase in income per acre on the full-season treatment fields; those growing hay saw an average $46 loss per acre on the half-season treatment fields. Those who also had a herd of cows to manage in addition to growing hay lost an average of $350 of income per acre on the treatment fields.

Paul Bruchez, a Kremmling rancher and CWCB member, is one of the project’s leaders. 

“We were part of creating a deficit in our local hay market,” he said. “That was compounded by what was a natural drought. And then the end result was that hay was off-the-charts expensive.”

Many ranchers continue irrigating late into the season after their last cutting of hay so that they can grow back a little bit of grass, alfalfa or other forage crop on which their cattle can graze for several weeks in the fall before they start feeding them hay. Ranchers who participated in the project also lost this bit of fall grazing because they didn’t irrigate. 

“They had a loss of production initially for the harvesting of the hay to feed them through the winter, but then they also lost fall grazing,” said Jenny Beiermann, an agriculture and business management specialist with Colorado State University, who co-authored the economics study. “They incurred a lot of additional expenses compared to those who were just harvesting hay, and that’s why they needed a higher rate of payment for their fields.”

These cows live on the Fetcher ranch in Clark, north of Steamboat Springs. The results of a recent economics study found that certain types of water conservation programs may be worth it for irrigators who grow hay, but not for those who raise livestock. CREDIT: HEATHER SACKETT/ASPEN JOURNALISM

System conservation

These findings could have basinwide implications for the Upper Colorado River Commission’s System Conservation Program, which in September water managers voted to continue in 2024. The federally funded program pays irrigators to forgo watering their fields for a season with the goal of protecting critical elevations in the nation’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The 2024 program will have a narrower scope that explores demand-management concepts and supports innovation and local drought resiliency on a longer-term basis. 

For the 2023 System Conservation Program, water managers set the opening payment to producers at $150 per acre-foot conserved, a number that some producers told Aspen Journalism was insultingly low. Producers could then negotiate up from there. SCP project participants in Colorado were paid an average of about $394 for every acre-foot conserved. The average price per acre-foot across the four upper basin states — Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico — was $422. 

For 2024, the program will offer Colorado irrigators a fixed price of $509 per acre-foot conserved. 

UCRC Executive Director Chuck Cullom said the agency used projected commodity prices and crop budgets from CSU to arrive at the amount of compensation offered to producers for 2024 and did not take into account whether an irrigator had a cow/calf operation.

Another thing the project is studying is how birds use irrigated agricultural lands. But the results through 2022 of an avian monitoring project by Audubon Rockies were inconclusive. Researchers expected that when irrigation was resumed in the years after 2020, there would be more water-associated birds. The number of bird species counted did increase in 2021 — the first year irrigation water returned — but not in 2022. 

“In some regard, the results from 2022 were diminished from those in 2020 (treatment year), which further opposed our expectations,” the report reads. “Birds are highly diverse, mobile creatures that use a wide array of habitats for many different seasonal purposes, often making it challenging to interpret the outcomes of avian monitoring efforts.”

The thing to keep in mind about the economics study, Beiermann said, is that it was small and that conditions in high-elevation Grand County can be particularly brutal, with long winters. Drought and water availability can vary widely across the upper Colorado River basin and from year to year. Still, a key takeaway is that these types of water conservation programs may be better suited for irrigators who grow only hay.

“Agriculture is a really risky business and being profitable is really tough,” she said. “There are too many variables (for livestock producers). Generally speaking, they are going to have a lot higher costs.”

This story ran in the Dec. 9 edition of The Aspen Times.

Mountain snow in the last week brought the total snow water equivalent at the Upper #ColoradoRiver and #SouthPlatteRiver SNOTEL sites to approximately 90% of median — @Northern_Water #snowpack #COriver

Last week, gains at the Upper Colorado sites were about 112% of normal and the South Platte sites had gains of 122%.

Emily Ransdell, One Finch Singing

A male American Goldfinch in summer plumage in Michigan, USA. By Rodney Campbell – Goldfinch Uploaded by snowmanradio, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20388809

From Emily Ransdell’s new book of the same name, “One Finch Singing”

From the poet’s website:

One Finch Singing

Some days I want to fill my pockets
with everything I’m afraid of losing.
How much milkweed to save
the monarch? How many foil blankets
to keep an ancient redwood alive?

I worry about finches. Smaller
than a fist, wingspan no bigger
than an open hand. I keep thinking
of what it took for them to get here, flying
all those miles up to Oregon. I keep thinking
of heat. Cities hitting triple digits. London
for god sake. Italy on fire.

There’s smoke again in Ashland,
like the time Kay and I went for a getaway.
All we had were bandanas, useless
against that stench and ash. We walked
the streets like grandmotherly bandits,
drank gin with the Airbnb windows shut.
By then I knew she was terminal.
Still, it felt impossible she could die.

I worry about beetle kill and rivers
missing their fish, the dry tinder of California
as creeks in Kentucky rage.
I read that finches can live on thistles, as if
to say, There’s hope. The ancients thought
finches carried souls to the afterlife, and the sound
of one finch singing meant an end to grief.

Last week a brush fire ignited within sight
of my porch — just like that — flames leapt
from slash and grass to standing firs.
Two thousand acres burned.
Where did the birds go then?

I miss my friend.
I want to know those finches are somewhere.
Safe and singing. From meadow rush
and ditch shrubs, calling
to their kind.

‘Clearer heads’ and calls for tribal inclusion as #ColoradoRiver bigwigs prep for Las Vegas meeting — KUNC #COriver #aridification #CRWUA2023

Greg Hobbs rehearsing his presentation for the 2017 CRWUA Annual Conference.

Click the link to read the article on the KUNC website (Alex Hager). Here’s an excerpt:

The biggest water policymakers in the arid West (and Coyote Gulch) will soon convene at the Colorado River’s marquee annual event – the Colorado River Water Users Association meeting in Las Vegas. Ahead of this year’s conference, leaders say they have more bandwidth to find a solution to the growing supply-demand imbalance that is straining the river. The event brings together hundreds of scientists, politicians, tribal members, farmers and others with a stake in the future of the water supply for roughly 40 million people across the Southwest. While they’re still facing the daunting challenge of agreeing on cutbacks to water use by farms, ranches and cities from Wyoming to Mexico, many say last year’s wet winter helped clear the way for more productive talks…

Since the earliest days of Colorado River management, Indigenous people have been on the fringes of talks about how to share its water. Some of the 30 federally-recognized tribes which use water from the Colorado River say they’re still being kept out of the rooms where important decisions are made about water policy. Calls for greater inclusion of tribes have been a staple of recent annual meetings in Las Vegas, but tribal water advocates say there’s still a need for more.

“We want our participation to be institutionalized,” said Lorelei Cloud, acting chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. “That is going to be key.”

Cloud, whose tribe sits in the southwest corner of Colorado, said she and other Indigenous water leaders are pushing for legally-protected seats at the table in post-2026 water management. Those seats, she said, should be designed to withstand changes in tribal, state or federal administrations. Tribal leaders say some progress has been made to give them a larger role in water talks. Cloud, who recently became the first Native American person to serve on the Colorado Water Conservation Board, praised the efforts of her state and the Upper Colorado River Commission. That body helps give Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico a unified voice in region-wide water talks.

“We’ve had to hash out a lot of historical traumas and things that have happened to us, preventing us from being a part of those conversations,” she said. “In the Upper Basin, I think we’re blazing that trail right now. We’re ahead of the game.”

[…]

“As we listen to the agreements, you would think that our rate of consumption was significantly less than it had ever been after any other wet year, and that is not the case,” said Jack Schmidt, who directs the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University. “We are sort of using water at a similar rate as in other years.”

Schmidt wrote about the current status of reservoir storage around the Colorado River basin in a blog post showing that the boost from last winter has been relatively modest and is being depleted in a way that could quickly erase any temporary gains. He said the region is currently using water at a rate that is “unexceptional,” comparing the current situation to 2011, 2017 and 2019, when big winter gains were consumed or lost to evaporation within two years.

“New plot using the nClimGrid data, which is a better source than PRISM for long-term trends. Of course, the combined reservoir contents increase from last year, but the increase is less than 2011 and looks puny compared to the ‘hole’ in the reservoirs. The blue Loess lines subtly change. Last year those lines ended pointing downwards. This year they end flat-ish. 2023 temps were still above the 20th century average, although close. Another interesting aspect is that the 20C Mean and 21C Mean lines on the individual plots really don’t change much. Finally, the 2023 Natural Flows are almost exactly equal to 2019. (17.678 maf vs 17.672 maf). For all the hoopla about how this was record-setting year, the fact is that this year was significantly less than 2011 (20.159 maf) and no different than 2019” — Brad Udall

#ColoradoRiver Water Users Association 2023 Annual Conference — Constructing a Resilient Future: Rebuilding from the Ground Up #CRWUA2023 #COriver #aridification

Coyote Gulch at Hoover Dam.

I am psyched for the conference this week. You can follow the sessions on Twitter with the hash tag #CRWUA2023.

CRWUA website here.

Conference agenda here.

2023 Blog here.

CRWUA Instagram here.

“New plot using the nClimGrid data, which is a better source than PRISM for long-term trends. Of course, the combined reservoir contents increase from last year, but the increase is less than 2011 and looks puny compared to the ‘hole’ in the reservoirs. The blue Loess lines subtly change. Last year those lines ended pointing downwards. This year they end flat-ish. 2023 temps were still above the 20th century average, although close. Another interesting aspect is that the 20C Mean and 21C Mean lines on the individual plots really don’t change much. Finally, the 2023 Natural Flows are almost exactly equal to 2019. (17.678 maf vs 17.672 maf). For all the hoopla about how this was record-setting year, the fact is that this year was significantly less than 2011 (20.159 maf) and no different than 2019” — Brad Udall

#Snowpack news December 11, 2023

Colorado Snowpack basin-filled map December 11, 2023.
Westwide SNOTEL basin-filled map December 11, 2023.

The latest Intermountain West Climate Dashboard briefing is hot off the presses from Western Water Assessment

Click the link to read the latest briefing on the Western Water Assessment website:

December 6, 2023 – CO, UT, WY

November was generally drier and warmer than average across the region. Regional snowfall was also below average during November and the month ended with Colorado at 54% snow water equivalent (SWE) statewide and Utah at 60% of average SWE. Drought conditions expanded slightly to cover 14% of the region with the most severe conditions in western Colorado. Strong El Niño conditions currently exist and there is an 80% chance that El Niño conditions continue through spring. NOAA seasonal forecasts suggest an increased probability of above average December–February precipitation for much of Colorado and Utah and an increased probability of below average precipitation for northern Wyoming.

November precipitation was below normal for much of the region, especially in Colorado and eastern Wyoming where large areas received less than 50% of average monthly precipitation. A few locations in southern Colorado received record-low November precipitation. Locations in southwestern and central Wyoming received average to above average precipitation. In Utah, November precipitation was a mix of below and above average conditions.

Regional temperatures were above average during November. In Utah, western Colorado and southwestern Wyoming, November temperatures were slightly above average. In eastern Colorado and much of Wyoming, temperatures were generally 2-4 degrees above average.

November snowfall was below average across the region. As of December 1, snow water equivalent was below to much-below average for all river basins; statewide SWE was 60% of average in Colorado and 54% of average in Utah. A prolonged winter storm affected the region on December 1-3, significantly improving snowpack conditions across most of Utah, western Colorado and parts of Wyoming.

Monthly streamflow during November was lowest relative to the average in Colorado where many sites along the Arkansas, Rio Grande and San Juan Rivers reported below to much-below average streamflow, coinciding with regions experiencing the worst drought conditions. November streamflow in Utah was near-average at most streamflow gauges except for a few drier sites in central and southeastern Utah. In Wyoming, November streamflow was average across most of the state except for northern Wyoming where November streamflow was above average. The Colorado Basin River Forecast Center will issue its first water supply forecast of the season by December 13.

Regional drought conditions expanded slightly during November and now cover 14% of the region, a 3% increase from late October. Drought conditions remained largely unchanged in Utah and Wyoming, but expanded in Colorado. By late November, most of western Colorado was in drought and extreme (D3) drought developed in the Rio Grande River Basin.

El Niño conditions continued during November and Pacific Ocean temperatures are consistent with a strong El Niño. There is over an 80% probability of El Niño conditions persisting through spring and a 55% chance of a strong El Niño continuing through mid-winter. The NOAA temperature outlook for December suggests an increased probability of above average temperatures for much of the region. The NOAA seasonal forecast for December–February suggests an increased probability of above average precipitation for much of Utah and Colorado and an increased probability for below average precipitation across much of Wyoming. In northern Wyoming, there is an increased probability of above average temperatures from December–February.

Significant weather event. December 1-3 winter storm. November was a relatively quiet month for regional weather, but December began with a very powerful winter storm impacting most of Utah, northern Colorado and western Wyoming. The three-day storm began very cold with snowfall across all elevations, but warmed significantly during the second half of the storm. Utah saw the most significant snowfall and statewide SWE improved from 60% of average before the storm to 113% of average after the storm. Colorado’s statewide SWE improved from 54% to 85% following the storm. While early season snowpack as a percentage of average can change dramatically with single storms, snowfall, especially in northern Utah, was significant. Snowfall and SWE totals from the storm included: 38” of snow (6.6” SWE) at Tony Grove Lake near Logan, 50” of snow (6.6” SWE) at Ben Lomond SNOTEL near Ogden and 51” of snow (4.7” SWE) at Alta. The storm also brought prolonged periods of very strong winds with peak gusts approaching 110 mph at 11,000 feet in the central Wasatch Mountains.

Breckenridge, CO. December 2. Photo credit: Ethan Knight
Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT. December 3. Photo credit: Seth Arens

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $6 Million for Innovative Solar Panel Installation Over Canals in #GilaRiver Indian Community #ActOnClimate

Photo credit: U.S. Department of Interior

Click the link to read the article on the Department of Interior website:

Projects funded from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will generate renewable energy, increase water efficiency 

December 8, 2023

The Biden-Harris administration today announced $5.65 million from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda for the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona to construct and install solar panels over the Casa Blanca Canal. Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton celebrated the investments with the Gila River Indian Community today.  

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is unlocking resources for new and innovative ways to combat the climate crisis, including simultaneously generating renewable energy and increasing water efficiency,” said Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. “In partnership with local stakeholders, the Interior Department will continue to invest in essential water infrastructure projects that mitigate the worst impacts of climate change and invest in communities across the country.”  

“We look forward to working with the Gila River Indian Community on this novel idea to conserve water and generate renewable energy with funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act,” said Reclamation Commissioner Touton. “Reclamation is working hard on projects that support water conservation and energy efficiency. This project will help inform similar projects to better understand their impacts and make that information publicly available so that we can all understand the scale and corresponding benefits they provide.”

Solar panels placed over canals have the potential to create several significant benefits, including:  

  • Generating renewable energy; 
  • Reducing evaporation losses of the canal; 
  • Increasing efficiency and production of solar panels because of the cooling effect of the water beneath the panels; 
  • Creating land savings for open space and agricultural use; 
  • Reducing facility maintenance by mitigating algae and/or aquatic plant growth; and 
  • Reducing the energy footprint and carbon emissions required to operate and maintain the facility. 

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation will work with the Gila River Indian Community to cover 2,782 linear feet of the Casa Blanca canal with approximately 2,556 solar panels. The solar panels are expected to generate 1.31 megawatts of clean energy, providing 2.26 million kilowatt-hours of annual electricity to the Gila River Indian Community. This pilot will serve as a five-year study period and provide important information for future solar projects over canals and for the Gila River Indian Community as they seek to include solar panels over 18.5 miles of canal.  

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda represents the largest investment in climate resilience in the nation’s history and provides much-needed resources to enhance Western communities’ resilience to drought and climate change. The Inflation Reduction Act made available $25 million for the design, study and implementation of projects to cover water conveyance facilities with solar panels. Today’s announcement is the first award of this funding, with more expected in the coming months.  

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Reclamation is also investing $8.3 billion over five years for water infrastructure projects, including rural water, water storage, conservation and conveyance, nature-based solutions, dam safety, water purification and reuse, and desalination. Over the first two years of its implementation, Reclamation selected 372 projects to receive almost $2.8 billion.

This funding is also advancing President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain climate, clean energy, and other federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

Welcome to the Polar Vortex Blog! — NOAA

Click the link to read the post on the NOAA website (Amy Butler and Laura Cisato):

We are excited to announce that NOAA Climate.gov, home of the highly popular ENSO Blog, is venturing into a colder, darker, and windier corner of the atmosphere with the new Polar Vortex Blog. We plan to explore various facets of the winds, climate, and chemistry within the fascinating region of the atmosphere known as the polar stratosphere, and explain how this region can sometimes drive big changes in our weather patterns!

While ENSO may be the seasoned celebrity in the seasonal forecasting world, in recent years the stratospheric polar vortex has become a rising star: constantly making headlines and being stalked by the paparazzi, but often misunderstood or misrepresented. We hope to clear up misconceptions, highlight new research, and discuss what the polar vortex is up to and how it may affect our winter’s weather. We expect there to be 1-2 posts per month between December and March, with the initial focus on the Northern Hemisphere polar vortex (yep, there’s one down south, too!).

So who’s on the team?

  • Amy Butler is a research scientist at the NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory and an expert on the stratosphere and its influence on weather;
  • Laura Ciasto is a meteorologist at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center. She leads the development of stratospheric and teleconnection forecast products, but is also a Week 3-4 forecaster (NOAA’s description for forecasts of weather conditions 3-4 weeks in the future);
  • The Climate.gov graphics and data visualization team and managing editor, Rebecca Lindsey, with the NOAA Climate Program Office.

While we [Amy & Laura] are the lead editors of the blog, we hope to have guest contributors who can share their own perspectives and research on the polar vortex and related topics. And of course, this blog will not succeed without active engagement from you, our readers. We are happy to hear your constructive feedback and suggestions, and are excited to engage with you on this topic!

After reading this introduction, the first question you might have is likely: What is the polar vortex? And so, that’s where we’ll begin!!

What is the stratospheric polar vortex?

In recent years, most people have heard the phrase “the polar vortex”, which has made regular appearances in media headlines, often with an exciting, albeit sometimes ominous “Day after Tomorrow”, flavor:

  • “Get ready: here comes the polar vortex”
  • “Northeast U.S. latest to experience polar vortex temperatures”
  • “Polar vortex invades central U.S.” 
  • “Polar vortex breaks record-low temps, snaps steel, empties cities”

But the “polar vortex” is not actually a synonym for “cold snap”; rather, it’s a well-known feature of Earth’s atmosphere that describes the high-altitude winds that blow around the pole every winter, miles above us in a region called the stratosphere.

The polar vortex is in the polar stratosphere, above the layer of the atmosphere (the troposphere) where most weather, including the jet stream, occurs. NOAA Climate.gov graphic.

The stratospheric polar vortex forms in the winter hemisphere when the Earth’s pole is pointed away from the sun. The polar stratosphere enters darkness and becomes cold relative to the tropical stratosphere [footnote 1]. The temperature contrast makes for strong winds in the stratosphere that blow from west to east. This wintertime stratospheric wind is what we call the Arctic polar vortex [footnote 2].

An atmosphere dance party: who’s the wallflower, and who’s the extrovert?

If we were at a dance party, your first impression might be that the stratospheric polar vortex is the wallflower standing alone on the upstairs balcony, while the tropospheric jet stream is showing off on the dance floor with its flamboyant troughs, ridges, and cut-off lows. But as is so often true, first impressions are not always correct: while the polar vortex often doesn’t mind doing its own thing, it is not a passive watcher of the atmospheric dance down below. With some encouragement, polar vortex can actually become one of the most dynamic dancers there.

Making an impression

Why does the polar vortex matter to us, given it is so high and far away in the polar atmosphere? That’s one of the things we hope to explore in much more detail on this blog. But one of the main reasons is because the vortex does not always sit quietly by itself. Though it might (literally) need a little push from the troposphere to get its groove on, it can really break down with a move called a “sudden stratospheric warming”.

In this move, the polar vortex may wobble, swing far from its normal position over the pole, or stretch itself way out, sometimes even splitting in two (doing the “splits”? We can hear the groans from here…). And when this happens, the chances of cold weather across many populated regions can increase for many weeks afterwards.

When the Arctic polar vortex is especially strong and stable (left globe), it encourages the polar jet stream, down in the troposphere, to shift northward. The coldest polar air stays in the Arctic. When the vortex weakens, shifts, or splits (right globe), the polar jet stream often becomes extremely wavy, allowing warm air to flood into the Arctic and polar air to sink down into the mid-latitudes. NOAA Climate.gov graphic, adapted from original by NOAA.gov.

Alternatively, sometimes the vortex does another extreme move where it becomes super fast and stable, encouraging the cold air at the surface to stay over the pole, which increases the chances of winter heat extremes in some regions. We will be getting into all the details of these events and their influence on our weather in future blog posts.

Polar vortex groupies

It’s hard to not be fascinated by the strong silent type that suddenly wows you with its awesome dance moves, particularly when those moves can cause extreme weather impacts, so scientists and forecasters have increasingly appreciated the need to monitor what the polar vortex is doing. We usually start by looking at the zonal (east-west) winds at 60N (the latitudes near Anchorage, AK or Oslo, Norway) at around 19 miles (30 kilometers) in altitude, where the air is so thin that the pressure is only 10 millibars (10 hectoPascals). By looking at a time series of these zonal winds we can get an idea of whether the polar vortex is really strong and stable, or weakening and ready to bust into its sudden stratospheric warming moves. 

In early December 2023, NOAA’s Global Ensemble Forecasting System (GEFS for short) began hinting that the winds of the Northern Hemisphere polar vortex might be about weaken. The spread of the individual forecasts is still pretty wide (thin pinkish-purple lines), but the average (heavier, bright purple line) predicts that winds will be weaker than average (royal blue line) in December. Climatology of highest and lowest daily values is from Climate Forecast System Reanalysis. NOAA Climate.gov graph, adapted from original by Laura Ciasto.

In addition to the strength of the vortex, we often want to know more about its shape. A great way to do this is by simply looking at a map of the thickness of the atmosphere. Throughout the winter, the polar vortex can shift, stretch, or just wobble from its usual spot over the pole, kind of like dancing in place. During strong events or sudden stratospheric warmings, these moves become much more distinct. Seeing the shape shows us which areas are poised to feel the biggest impacts of any unusual polar vortex behavior. There are other cool ways to see what the polar vortex is up to and whether it’s interested in tangoing with the troposphere but we’ll leave that for another post.

The polar vortex on December 4, 2023. Because the air within the polar vortex is generally much colder than the air outside of it, the polar vortex shows up on maps of atmospheric thickness (“geopotential height”) as a region of low thickness. The 10-hectoPascal geopotential height is the altitude at which the pressure is 10 hectoPascals. NOAA Climate.gov image, based on Global Forecasting System (GFS) data from Laura Ciasto.

So what’s the polar vortex doing now? For the last few weeks it’s been embracing its wallflower persona as it sits over the polar region with stronger than average westerly winds. However, it does look like the stratosphere is at least thinking about joining the winter dance. If we look at the average of all the model forecasts from NOAA’s operational forecasting system (known as the Global Ensemble Forecasting System, or GEFS), it predicts that the zonal winds will weaken through the start of the new year.

The real question is whether the polar vortex just wants to dance in place (like it often does) or really show its steps. If we look at the individual forecasts that make up the average, some indicate that those polar vortex westerlies will not only weaken but change direction to blow from east to west [footnote 3], which is how we define a sudden stratospheric warming. In addition, the leading forecast system for Europe (the ECMWF model, short for European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasting) shows an even higher likelihood that the vortex will be weaker than normal during December. These hints of a shift towards a weaker polar vortex means we will keep a close eye on whether the polar vortex wants to join an early winter party or sit this one out.

Further Reading

If you can’t wait for the next post to learn more about the polar vortex, our friends at the ENSO blog and at Climate.gov have posted several primers on the polar vortex and some of its most recent disruptions.

Other good references on the polar vortex:

Footnotes

  1. Now, you might be thinking, “But isn’t the stratosphere always colder at the poles than it is at the equator? No! In the summer, it’s actually warmer. We’ll cover this in a future post.
  2. Most of our descriptions in this post are talking about the Arctic polar vortex, but there is also an Antarctic polar vortex at 60S. It has some of the same features as its Arctic counterpart, but the Antarctic polar vortex is also unique, often dancing to the beat of a different song. We’ll delve into that more in future posts.
  3. When the winds blow from west to east, as is typically the case with the stratospheric polar vortex, this is said to be “westerly” flow, and is marked by zonal wind speeds that are positive in sign. When the winds blow from east to west, which is what happens when a sudden stratospheric warming occurs, the flow is instead called “easterly” and is denoted by zonal wind speeds that are negative in sign.

Study: Front Range cities most vulnerable to possible #ColoradoRiver cuts — The #Aspen Daily News #COriver #aridification

Colorado transmountain diversions via the State Engineer’s office

Click the link to read the article on the Aspen Daily News website (Austin Corona). Here’s an excerpt:

As competition grows for Colorado’s limited water resources, Front Range cities are disproportionately vulnerable to interstate water cuts on the beleaguered Colorado River, according to a recently updated study. The study found that 96% of Front Range water use from the Colorado River is subject to possible cuts under an interstate agreement. Updated this year by Hydros Consulting, the study was conducted on behalf of the Colorado River Water Conservation District. It is part of a seven-year effort to analyze the potential impacts of water cuts under the Colorado River Compact in Colorado…

While the vast majority of Front Range water use is theoretically subject to compact curtailment, only 30% of Western Slope water use — consumptive use, not diversions — shares the same vulnerability. In addition, the Front Range accounts for 48% of the state’s curtailable Colorado River water use, despite only making up 23% of the state’s overall use of the river. The majority of Front Range water rights on the Colorado River are vulnerable to curtailment because they are newer than the Colorado River Compact, which was signed in 1922. In Colorado water law, water rights receive priority during shortages according to their age, meaning the compact trumps any water rights newer than it…

The study found that under current hydrologic trends and reservoir operations, Colorado’s growing water demand is not likely to trigger this situation. [ed. emphasis mine] A sustained period of severe drought, however, could make it happen. In the last 20 years, the Colorado River’s average flow dropped to 11 million acre-feet for a period of seven years (the longer-term norm has been 13 million). Study facilitators say that if that seven-year stretch were to become the new normal, river flows would drop below the lower basin’s entitlement, even if Colorado’s water demand stays flat. If Colorado’s water demand follows future growth projections, it would likely speed up that process, potentially decreasing annual flows by an additional half-million acre-feet. Even without a natural drop in river flows, rising Colorado water demand could cause other interstate issues on the river outside of the Colorado River Compact. Under Colorado water demand projections for 2050, created by the Upper Colorado River Commission, the upper basin could fail to meet its obligation of sending an additional .75 million acre-feet downstream to Mexico.

“New plot using the nClimGrid data, which is a better source than PRISM for long-term trends. Of course, the combined reservoir contents increase from last year, but the increase is less than 2011 and looks puny compared to the ‘hole’ in the reservoirs. The blue Loess lines subtly change. Last year those lines ended pointing downwards. This year they end flat-ish. 2023 temps were still above the 20th century average, although close. Another interesting aspect is that the 20C Mean and 21C Mean lines on the individual plots really don’t change much. Finally, the 2023 Natural Flows are almost exactly equal to 2019. (17.678 maf vs 17.672 maf). For all the hoopla about how this was record-setting year, the fact is that this year was significantly less than 2011 (20.159 maf) and no different than 2019” — Brad Udall

An exit interview with #Colorado State Engineer Kevin Rein — @AlamosaCitizen #RioGrande

Kevin Rein. Credit: Alamosa Citizen

Click the link to read the article on the Alamosa Citizen website (Chris Lopez):

December 9, 2023

State Engineer Kevin Rein is retiring at year’s end and agreed to join The Valley Pod podcast for an interview with host Chris Lopez before he departs. We’re calling it an exit interview.

In it, Rein talks about the importance of bringing sustainability to the unconfined aquifer of the Rio Grande Basin, how the economic future of the San Luis Valley and its agricultural industry is at stake without a sustainable aquifer system, the unique nature of the Rio Grande compared to the Colorado River Basin and others, and the urgency of achieving sustainability in the face of prolonged drought and climate change.

“I wish there was enough water for everybody, but we developed agricultural and municipal uses in a state that is largely a desert and it often has an abundance for a couple months out of the year,” Rein said. “I think it’s good for us to at least feel comfortable that we have that structure in place. But the other thing we need to know, as I alluded to, is that that structure is going to cause us to make difficult decisions, especially as we see climate change, the effects of climate change reducing our water supply, and we see our demands grow.”

Here’s an edited version of the conversation. The full Valley Pod episode is here.

ALAMOSA CITIZEN: Thank you again for giving us some of your time as you exit. And again, congratulations on your retirement. Is the stress of the job starting to subside?

KEVIN REIN: No. The stress, if we can call it that, is not subsiding at all. This trepidation that I face with the idea of retirement and ending a job that I really love doing, weighs pretty heavily on me and wanting to get in every last bit of good work I can do. That’s weighing on me. Yes. Yeah, it’s very important for me to try to finish this. We’re doing as much as I can.

Rio Grande and Pecos River basins. Map credit: By Kmusser – Own work, Elevation data from SRTM, drainage basin from GTOPO [1], U.S. stream from the National Atlas [2], all other features from Vector Map., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11218868

AC: We want to start with some local issues with you of the Rio Grande Basin and then stretch more into the role of the state engineer for Colorado, if you don’t mind. First, can you sum up the importance of the upcoming year 2024 and the influence upcoming water court trials will have on the Rio Grande Basin? And we’re thinking specifically of the water trial around Subdistrict 1 Plan of Water Management, the alternative plan for operating in that particular subdistrict with the Sustainable Water Augmentation Group court filing, and then the idea of the U.S. Supreme Court weighing in on a new settlement between Texas, New Mexico and Colorado when it comes to the Rio Grande Compact. 2024 seems like a significant year in water court.

REIN: It’s going to be very significant that affects the people in the Valley to greater or lesser degrees depending on those three items that you just mentioned. And so that is critical. And Chris, I’ll apologize to you and the listeners that I’m going to be very cautious about my comments on these because of the legal implications and the fact that it’s really active litigation in three areas and regarding the lawsuit on the Rio Grande Compact with Texas and New Mexico. And then as you mentioned the United States, I will probably not say much at all about that because the facts are there and I don’t want to step in front of our good legal staff and say something that is not quite true to the case in terms of the legal implications of what’s going on. But when it comes to SWAG and that case and the groundwater management plan containing the plan of water management for Subdistrict 1, those are very important issues. And I will admit that I’m going to be a little guarded in my comments about those two because pardon me, as you know, the SWAG case was dismissed, but they have re-filed and we may see that play out in a similar fashion. And without saying too much about that and the groundwater management plan for the subdistrict, from my perspective as a state engineer, there’s one critical aspect of that for both cases and that is the sustainability of the unconfined aquifer. As we know, that’s a difficult component of groundwater management in the Valley because we have a statutorily required sustainability objective. And that has found its way into the rules and into the groundwater management plan for the subdistrict. And I’ll speak to the existing groundwater management plan that’s in place right now that has a deadline of 2031 to meet the objectives, the sustainability objectives, that that very plan sets out. As we all know, and I’ve been on record through letters and public comments, that it’s going to be very difficult to meet that sustainability objective under that existing plan of water management. And I know that the subdistrict has worked hard toward an alternative in this current plan that I approved and is before the court and the way that plays out is going to be so important to the irrigators in the Valley under the rules under their annual replacement plans. And I look forward to seeing the resolution of that. Obviously I won’t be the state engineer at the time and I’m not certain to what extent I personally will stay involved in that, but it is critical to get resolution on that for the irrigators. And since we are under active litigation, if I can use that term for the groundwater management plan component of the plan of water management, I’ll stop right there, but I will mention that as we know, the SWAG applicants have also attempted to address sustainability, at least in their previous application they did. That was dismissed. And for this upcoming application, I’ll admit that I have not reviewed that in detail yet, but that will be also very important to properly review and respond to sustainability objectives in the upcoming SWAG case.

AC: Why is it important for the water court to be dealing with these particular issues now? Can you address the importance of the court doing its work in 2024 and what’s the best scenario in terms of how the court adjudicates these trials or deals with these cases?

REIN: The importance of the water court’s involvement now is because the issue is important now in 2024. The reason it’s important right now is because we’re currently working under the 2031 deadline, and that seems, it doesn’t just seem it is seven years away, it seems like a lot of time, but as we know, we’re under sustained drought in the valley and obviously the economic future is at stake. We can’t just shut down production. So we need to find that way to address sustainability now. And as I said, we’re under sustained drought. There’s no confidence I think from anyone in saying that that will turn around and end. You have to assume a difficult case scenario. And with that seven years is not a lot of time to make up the perhaps 1 million acre-foot gain that would be necessary to get to the sustainability standard. Therefore it is timely.

AC: Do you think groundwater users as a whole in Division Three are making good or reasonable enough progress in solving our water security challenges and what stands out for you there?

REIN: Yeah, so a broader water groundwater availability use challenges, and I need to break away from this sustainability discussion for a minute and just talk about the efforts of all the water users through seven subdistricts under the rules in the Rio Grande Basin. And as we know, the rules that became final in 2019 and are now completely applicable do hold the water users to a high standard. It’s a standard that we have statewide. It’s a standard that came out of our 1969 water right Determination and Administration Act that we need to administer groundwater in conjunction with surface water in the prior appropriation system. That’s what came upon the water users in the Rio Grande gradually over the last 10 to 15 years, but again, in 2019 and certainly a couple years later, finally hit them. And what they have done is developed very comprehensive, very complex annual replacement plans that allow them to pump and comply with the law. What is compliance with the law? Basically it means replacing depletions to the stream system in time, location and amount to prevent injury to senior surplus water rights, and obviously the stay of compliance with a compact. And let me just say quickly, we have a unique situation in Division Three, the Rio Grande Basin, that instead of replacing depletions, they can enter into forbearance agreements to just compensate financially for that. But that’s what they have done to respond to this groundwater challenge is they have developed these annual replacement plans, they have gotten their sources of replacement water, they operate according to the Rio Grande decision support system to ensure that their depletions are properly recognized at the time, location, and the amount so that they can be replaced. I think it’s very gratifying. I wish I could take more credit, but I think it’s very gratifying that the water users, excuse me of the basin, have responded as they’ve needed to, but responded in such a complete and detailed and verifiable way. And I really can’t say that without also addressing the division of water resources staff in our Alamosa office, Craig Cotton and his highly competent staff, they’ve just put in countless hours to analyze and verify and approve these annual replacement plans. Without those, the wells just simply are not pumping.

AC: I want to ask you one more question about 2024 and the Rio Grande Compact because there’s a lot of people scratching their heads around the federal government’s opposition to the negotiated agreement between Texas, New Mexico and Colorado is also a party, too. And I just wonder if you’ve figured out the federal government’s motivation in that case?

REIN: Chris, that’s a very good question and if you don’t mind, I’d like to just not answer that because of the legal implications and I leave those questions to our attorney general staff.

AC: No, I appreciate that. One of the issues or one of the programs right now is the Groundwater Compact Compliance Fund and the $60 million that was put into that fund through Senate Bill 28. What should be the overall outcome of that $60 million for both the Rio Grande Basin, the Republican River Basin as it’s spent? What’s the expectation and what is the advantage gained by spending that money on those two basins? 

Kansas River Basin including the Republican River watershed. Map credit: By Kmusser – Self-made, based on USGS data., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4390886

REIN: The ultimate outcome for both basins is similar but distinct and the mechanism by which those outcomes are realized is also pretty similar. But let me just start with the end game. The outcome for the Republican River Basin, first of all, is to assist in the retirement of irrigated acres to comply with a 2016 resolution entered into by the states of Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado. And it’s tempting to get into great detail, but just let me say at a high level that part of compact compliance in the Republican River Basin is operating a compact compliance pipeline to deliver water at the state line to make up for overuse of Colorado’s allocation in the Republican River Basin. That works well except for a detail that not all the water is delivered exactly where it should be. And to deal with that, the three states entered into a resolution that among other things, allows a consideration that Colorado is meeting the compact. If Colorado retires 25,000 acres, this began in 2016, by the year initially 2027 but now 2029, with that background, how to retire 25,000 acres, it’s very difficult because people own land, they have water rights, they want to continue irrigating. So it’s through funding. The funding is difficult, you’re assessing fees, you are asking people to help fund this out of their economic development. Senate Bill 28 for the Republican (River Basin) then brought that $30 million in to help fund the irrigated acres, the reduction of irrigated acres, and it’s just purely economic incentive. People want to do the right thing, but it’s very helpful to have that economic incentive. So thank you for letting me go into some detail, but that is the outcome. The desirable outcome is to stay in compact compliance by tying that 25,000 acres in the south port and it’s working well. We’ve met an intermediate goal for the Rio Grande. It is a similar situation as you know, with great interest toward meeting sustainability obligations in the unconfined aquifer, but in general throughout the basin, reducing groundwater usage. And then to do that, and let me just go back specifically to our sustainability discussion in the unconfined aquifer. Subdistrict 1, reduce those irrigated acres. Their current plant of water management has a goal of reducing 40,000 irrigated acres. Reduce that and then you’re going to reduce groundwater consumption. That helps the water balance so that the aquifer can begin to, and they can meet their sustainability obligation. But we have to say that it’s not limited to Subdistrict 1 or the unconfined if we are reducing groundwater usage throughout the basin. The endgame again is to meet the sustainability obligations and also it makes it easier to comply with a compact if we do that, but reduce the pumping from the aquifers and reduce that groundwater usage.

AC: Does it look to you now that that money, all $60 million, $30 million for each basin will get appropriated at this point? Does it look like the conservation districts have put in place enough of the programs for that money to get spent?

REIN: I believe first of all on the Republican (River Basin) that since they had a structure in place and were already retiring acres in the south, just not at the pace they wanted, that with that structure in place, they are on a good pace to use that funding. For the Rio Grande, they did not have as much of a structure in place and have developed that. But with that development, I believe they have the interest, the applications, I can’t quantify that or go into detail on that, but they certainly will have the interest. And I believe that I would have to really check in with some of the district and subdistrict folks to see what their projection is. But certainly the need is there and the funding is there. So we would hope those come together to see the effective use of all that funding to accomplish the goals.

AC: When you think of the work that’s been done and being done both on the Rio Grande Basin and then Colorado River Basin, what lessons, if any, can be learned from those efforts as we work to bring sustainability to our water resource, our water supply? What are the lessons or what is the work that stands out for you now.

Map credit: AGU

REIN: My role as state engineer, I like to keep my eyes on a few different things just to ensure balance. And we need to look in both the Rio Grande Basin and the Colorado River Basin, first and foremost at the importance of agriculture and how important that is in the Rio Grande Basin. It’s the culture, it’s the economy, it’s a way of life. That’s what sustains that basin. And that’s also true in the Colorado River Basin, but in different ways for the Rio Grande. We just need to balance that attention to the importance of agriculture, to compliance with the law, balance those and balance the importance of agriculture with a compact. And that’s why we have to make these difficult decisions to reduce irrigated acreage because with drought and with demands, the water is just not there. We can’t achieve a water balance. And so that’s how we do that. And I can’t therefore go to the Rio Grande Basin and encourage as much beneficial use as they can possibly accomplish because that would run counter to this effort to comply with the Arps and to achieve sustainability in a slightly different way. I have to deliver a message to the Colorado River Basin that says, yes, our balance is important to the way we regard agriculture and it’s important. And my message to them is, if you have water available and you have a beneficial use and you have the right to water as your water administrator, I’m going to tell you to divert it. I don’t have a basis to tell you to try to conserve, to try to curtail because this is important. I deliver a message of beneficial use on the Colorado River Basin. Now that’s within their water right. And within our system of prior appropriation and in consideration of the fact that in the Colorado River Basin, those tributaries in Colorado and the other three upper basin states, we use less than our allocation under the compact. But there’s no basis to tell people as the state engineer, I want you to conserve. That might be a message from someone else, but not from me. And that’s the message I have to deliver there. But at the same time, we need to be mindful of what other obligations could be put on Colorado in the future. And perhaps you or others who’ve heard me talk about that in the Colorado River Basin right now, we are well in compliance with a compact 75 million acre-feet over every running 10 years. Well in compliance. I spoke to the task force about it just a couple days ago, and we have to be mindful of that number. And if we ever do drop below that number as four upper basin states, the next question is ‘Did we cause it?’ Which really goes to the language of the compact. So it’s very complex and it’s inquiry based. I can’t really project in the near future that we would be out of compliance with a compact. So that’s that different message. But still responsible water usage is the same.

AC: I want to switch to another general topic here, and that’s water for the state of Colorado and the Front Range communities as a whole. In your judgment, have Front Range communities secured enough water for their future or what has to happen for the Front Range to be able to maintain any of its population growth?

REIN: I’m going to give you some quick background as far as our role, and then I’ll be giving you a couple of thoughts on your question. But first of all, it’s good to understand that the role of the Division Water Resources from a statutory standpoint is somewhat limited. And certainly when there’s a development in an unincorporated area, we have a statutory responsibility to provide an opinion to the county, whether the water supply for that developing area is adequate and can be delivered without causing injury. So we do that and that really helps the developments incorporated areas take the steps to ensure that they don’t overextend themselves so that they don’t develop land that has no reliable water supply. When we look at the big municipal and quasi-municipal water providers along the Front Range, it’s a different approach because we don’t have that role or that authority to review their portfolio, review their developments, and ensure that they have enough water. And my observation, even though it’s not a statutory obligation, is that their approach is to develop their water supplies, look closely at their developments, and then they have their role, to things like water and restrictions or other steps. They might take incentives for turf removal, conservation measures, funding conservation measures, or encouraging conservation measures. And that’s how they, and by they I mean greater minds than mine, run municipal water systems. That’s how they keep that balance and ensure that they’re able to provide the water they need to, for their communities in the future.

AC: We’re used to associating you with the enforcement of groundwater rules in the San Luis Valley and Rio Grande Basin. But in reality, that’s just a portion of what the state engineer’s responsible for. Explain the larger role and where the majority of the focus is in the state engineers position.

REIN: The state engineer’s role is just so interesting, and I can’t help but go back about 140 years to 1881 when the position of the state hydraulic engineer was created. And that was created largely to major stream flows so that we could implement these tenets of our prior appropriation system and know the stakes of our 10 newly appointed water commissioners, how to administer water rights that called for the state hydraulic engineer. And over time some of those responsibilities developed to approving bridge design and highway design and reviewing county surveys. But it has both narrowed and expanded in the last 140 years and actually, beginning a hundred or more years ago, to administering these water rights in prior appropriations statewide and supporting our local staff that does that. And of course our dam safety and our water information program. But to answer your question more directly, it is that oversight and support of on-the-ground, bread-and-butter water administration. We have a hundred, 120 water commissioners on the ground that do this work and do it well. What do we need to do to support them? That’s often engineering and technical support. And that comes to a large degree through our involvement in water court, ensuring that we have decrees that are administrable that can be implemented through proper accounting. And then one other facet of that that is very significant, Chris, that I’d like to highlight is what I call or what are known as administrative approvals. And those administrative approvals substitute water supply plans or in the case of the Valley, annual replacement plans, or in the case of the Arkansas, replacement plans. And these are plans that allow water users to use water out of priority, which otherwise would just be disallowed, and recognize their efforts to quantify their impacts to the stream and mitigate those impacts usually through replacement water. This is a significant matter, particularly in the South Platte, the Arkansas and the Rio Grande Basin, and it’s much of what we talked about earlier. It is recognition that groundwater, our formal recognition in 1969, groundwater impacts surface water diversions and we need to account for that in prior appropriation. So since we talked about that in depth before, I will say that much of our staff is actively reviewing the engineering and the administration and the legal aspects of these plans to use groundwater out of priority with replacement to the stream to keep the stream and therefore the other water users whole.

AC: What should the general public know about water as a resource when you think of the years ahead?

REIN: First, I would say that we’re very fortunate in Colorado that we started 150, 160 years ago with a structure in the system called prior appropriation that although it can be very rigid and very harsh, gives us structure and order in what we do so that people have a reasonable ability to project how their water supply may or may not be affected by future conditions and how it might be administered. That structure is so important. I wish there was enough water for everybody, but we developed agricultural and municipal uses in a state that is largely a desert and it often has an abundance for a couple months out of the year. I think it’s good for us to at least feel comfortable that we have that structure in place. But the other thing we need to know, as I alluded to, is that that structure is going to cause us to make difficult decisions, especially as we see climate change, the effects of climate change, reducing our water supply, and we see our demands grow. Those two curves have unfortunately crossed and when they cross, we call it over-appropriation. So we’ve got to implement that. But I think people should also know that Coloradans are smart, they’re creative, they’re solution-oriented. So a lot of these areas where we do see that crossing of those curves, that conflict of the water balance between demand and supply, we’re trying to solve that in ways that address people’s needs. And that may be, or it is so well articulated in our Colorado water plan, but it also is what you see daily on the ground as people maybe seek new initiatives to the general assembly on ways to do things or just creative ways to share water with each other all within the legal structure of our prior appropriation system. Of course. And that’s what I see for the future of Colorado water. We’ve got a difficult balance to achieve, but people are being creative within the system to achieve it.

Water sustains the San Luis Valley’s working farms and ranches and is vital to the environment, economy and livelihoods, but we face many critical issues and uncertainties for our future water supply. (Photo by Rio de la Vista.)

AC: What is the effect of these drought periods and the warming temperatures that we definitely are feeling in the San Luis Valley and across Colorado?

REIN: Let me be very specific and then work my way out to a more geographically diverse answer to that. But let’s go back to the unconfined aquifer again. Why are we struggling? The fact is that with the prolonged at this point, 20-plus year drought, oh, we’ve had a couple of good years, but the trend is, it’s a 20-year drought that reduced inflows into the unconfined aquifer. There are sources that recharge either through import or through natural inflow. These sources recharge the unconfined aquifer and provide water for the wells to pump, plain and simple. When that inflow is reduced, there’s less water to pump. And that’s also made more difficult by the fact that under these drought conditions, higher temperatures, drier climate, then those crops are going to demand more water. So we get hit twice by that climate impact, and that’s just the unconfined aquifer. If we look at the Rio Grande Basin in general and the reduced snowpack and the San Juans and the Sangres, then we’re going to see less water in the rivers available for diversion. And of course, the compact is somewhat complex in the way that flows are indexed within the state and result in the need to deliver a certain amount to the state line. That’s of course more difficult because of the prolonged drought and the climate change. That’s the impact in the Rio Grande statewide, because we are this headwater state, because we rely so heavily on snowpack that occurs in our central mountains and flows out of the state, then that reduced snowpack is a big part of what’s going to impact us and we’ll get less runoff typically. And that reduced runoff also may occur later, earlier in the season, more likely earlier, and that changes the dynamics. But then the crops are going to demand irrigation at different timing. And again, like I said, for the Rio Grande, the crops have a higher demand if we have a hot or drier climate, so we get hit twice. Again, all in all, it’s that reduced supply generally from snow, excuse me, generally from snowpack that’s going to impact our water users. Now you’ve noticed my focus is really on agriculture because as most Coloradoans know around 85 percent of our diversions go toward agriculture. Now consumption is always a different, more complex matter, but at least 85 percent or so of our diversions go toward agriculture. The municipal supplies are being managed, but that’s where we see the big impact, our lion’s share of diversions.

AC: What is the most worrisome aspect you see when it comes to water as a natural resource?

REIN: I would say that the most worrisome aspect is, again, watching your irrigators. Let me say our irrigators in the Valley. I’ve spent enough time and I seem to know those folks and have a high regard for them. So hopefully they’ll let me say our irrigators in the Valley and the impacts it has on them as they try to deal with this reduced water supply. It’s happening in the Republican River Basin, it’s happening on the South Platte, all of our irrigators in their diversions in the Colorado River Basin. And when I say that, I mean all the tributaries from the YM of the white, the Colorado main stem, the Gunison, the San Juan Animas, La Plata, Dolores, all those areas on the west slope that contribute to the Colorado River. Their irrigation diversions are incredibly important to them. They’re necessary. It’s part of the economy on the west slope. So I spent a lot of time thinking about their need for solutions and strategies and initiatives. That’s an answer to your question of what is worrisome to me. But again, I need to go back to what I said earlier, it’s worrisome but then I also watch creative people with creative solutions. So maybe that takes away some of my worry.

AC: Are there improvements that have to happen so Colorado and the Division of Water Resources get a better at reading snowpack levels with what we’re seeing in the changes of the environment? Because you hear different things about the snowpack itself and is it really as strong as it appears?

REIN: I think that Colorado can benefit from more measurement. I won’t say that Colorado has to get better because Colorado does so many things so well, but I’ll be geographically specific and address the Rio Grande Basin. Due to the nature of the compact and the way Craig Cotton has to administer the compact, I know that he is uniquely interested in good snowpack data because he needs literally to forecast amounts of water so that he knows how much will need to be delivered to the state line on a year-to-year, sorry, maybe I should say on a month-to-month basis. And in order for him to do that, he is actively curtailing water rights again, just to ensure that he comes close to hitting that target and that target is so dynamic based on the types of flows that are occurring. So he has that unique interest in being able to see what’s up in the mountains early on and what could occur as runoff around the state in general, we do have an interest in that. It helps our water users, our municipalities, our producers, forecast what they’re going to see and maybe they can make their own economic decisions too. More data is always good, so I won’t deny that, but I’ll fall short of saying Colorado needs to do better.

AC: Fair enough. Again, we really appreciate all the time you’ve given us. Let me ask you, what’s the advice you leave for your successor when dealing with the Rio Grande Basin and Colorado River issues moving forward?

REIN: My advice for my successor in the Rio Grande and the Colorado River Basin probably applies statewide, but you are right on target that those are two very sensitive areas. And my advice is we really need to give our water users the assurance that the structure I described –  prior appropriation, water court decrees – are in place and they’re there for a reason. They’re there for us to abide by them, but we also need to keep one eye on solutions that are based on flexibility, technical innovation that you described, new ways of looking at old problems and being very thoughtful and deliberative about those potential solutions. Can we, under our very rigid system, entertain those solutions? And of course, the answer should be yes, but it requires a character that is willing to say, let me look at that. Let me consider, even though I have concerns right now, let me consider whether there are ways that we can make that work and not injure other water users and not step outside of our very important legal tenants that we have to follow.

AC: What’s next for you?

REIN: Oh boy. I am so looking forward to doing more things with my wife, who, of course, she’s my bride all that time and love in my life, and I have kids and a grandson. And so to have so much of my time opened up to do that is important. Will I step away from water? That would be very hard to do. Do I have a specific plan? No, but I do intend to, either as an observer or something beyond a passive participant, I plan to stay mentally engaged in water.

“I can’t downplay the frequency of the ‘bad water years’ and the fact that persistent drought has impacted both surface water users and groundwater users; that impact is felt across the Basin.” – Kevin Rein, director of the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Photo credit: Alamosa Citizen
Kevin Rein, Colorado state water engineer, explains why Colorado needs stepped-up measuring of water diversions in the North Park and other rivers in Northwest Colorado while Erin Light, Division 6 engineer, looks on during a meeting in Walden on Oct. 22, 2021. Credit: Allen Best
The Colorado Water Conservation Board is hoping the nine basin roundtables adopt their code of conduct. From left, back row: Steve Anderson, Dan Gibbs, Kevin Rein, Jim Yahn, Heather Dutton, Russell George, Curran Trick, Greg Felt; front row: Jessica Brody, Gail Schwartz, Celene Hawkins, Jaclyn Brown, Becky Mitchell. CREDIT: HEATHER SACKETT/ASPEN JOURNALISM
Kevin Rein. Photo credit: Aspen Journalism

The San Juan Water Conservancy District Conservancy discusses next steps on reservoir — The #PagosaSprings Sun #SanJuanRiver #ColoradoRiver #COriver #aridification

View to the south into the snaking West Fork of the San Juan River as seen from US 160, halfway up to the summit of Wolf Creek Pass. By User:Erikvoss, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61976794

Click the link to read the article on The Pagosa Springs Sun website (Josh Pike). Here’s an excerpt:

At a Nov. 16 meeting, the San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) Board of Directors discussed a report from Ehat Consulting and next steps on the district’s reservoir project. SJWCD board president Al Pfister opened the discussion, noting that the board previously discussed se- curing a grant from the Southwest Basin Roundtable to fund a project coordinator for the reservoir project, though SJWCD grant writer Renee Lewis subsequently advised the board that the roundtable does not typically fund staff and conversations with roundtable staff indicated that “it’s a very gray area” on whether the grant would be successful.

Pfister added that the effort to secure funding for the coordinator is “ongoing” and that he also wanted to propose to the board hiring a contractor in 2024 to locate land for a land exchange with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to secure all the land necessary for the proposed reservoir. He added that he believes the board is making progress and that the SJWCD’s volunteer board members should not be expected to oversee the entirety of the reservoir project without assistance.

#PagosaSprings considers raising santitation rates — The Pagosa Springs Sun

The springs for which Pagosa Springs was named, photographed in 1874. By Timothy H. O. Sullivan – U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17428006

Click the link to read the article on The Pagosa Springs Sun website (Derek Kutzer). Here’s an excerpt:

After a Pagosa Springs Sanitation General Improvement District (PSS- GID) Board of Directors special meet- ing on Dec. 5, it appears that the board is poised to raise its fee rates to $66.50 — the rate recommended by the hired consultant Roaring Fork Engineering, who analyzed the town’s wastewater system and conducted a rate study analysis for the district.

The rate for the district’s customers is currently set at $53.50, but after problems with a wastewater conveyance system that sends wastewater several miles uphill to the Vista wastewater treatment plant (run by the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District, or PAWSD), as well as confronting the reality of aging infrastructure, the board is “seeing increased operational costs and mounting costs for capital projects tomaintainandplanforfutureneeds,” states agenda documentation.

Interim Town Manager Greg Schulte explained that the board is faced with three choices, and that all of them include raising rates. The board could choose to raise rates to the $57.25 number that’s in the 2024 budget draft; it could raise them to the level recommended by Roaring Fork, $66.50; or it could arrive at a number somewhere in the middle.

Business owner undertakes #YampaRiver #restoration project at former concrete plant site — Steamboat Pilot & Today

Yampa River Valley from Yampa River State Park July 20, 2021.

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

Residents and river lovers may have noticed weeks of river cleanup and streambank restoration work that took place this fall along the Yampa River in south Steamboat Springs at the site of a former concrete batch plant of decades past. For about five weeks this fall, workers removed dozens of dump truck loads of concrete, rebar, debris and an old concrete truck, said Mitch Clark, owner of Snow County Nursery, who purchased the 10-acre site located off Dougherty Road just south of the current southern end of the Yampa River Core Trail. Heavy machinery could be seen in the river this fall moving huge boulders…

Clark purchased the land on either side of the Yampa River adjacent to his existing nursery, garden center and landscape company. The business owner received a floodplain development permit to clean up the river bank, stabilize the bank, prevent erosion, increase sediment transport and provide habitat, according to Alan Goldich with Routt County Planning. The river work was designed by Landmark Consultants in Steamboat..

“The floodplain permit does allow for that type of activity, and he did receive an Army Corps permit as well,” Goldich noted.

Clark received significant grant support for the restoration project through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services EQIP program, or Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers, said Vance Fulton, NRCS engineering tech in Steamboat…Fulton said the Yampa River through the property was too wide and too shallow, so material was being deposited in that section of the river during high water runoff in the spring.

Fridays on the Farm: Brewing Success with Farm Loans — Farmers.gov

Click the link to read the release on the USDA website (Elizabeth Thomas):

December 8, 2023

This Friday meet Audrey Gehlhausen and Chris Dellabianca of Billy Goat Hop Farm LLC, located in Montrose, Colorado. Chris and Audrey’s passion for the industry started while working in different microbreweries in Idaho, and they eventually decided to start the process of owning an operation to grow hops. This operation is a dream come true for these beginning farmers, and it was made possible with hard work, determination, and a beginning farmer loan from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).

Billy Goat Hop Farm is a dream come true for beginning farmers Audrey Gehlhausen and Chris Dellabianca. Photo courtesy of Billy Goat Hop Farm LLC.

Chris found an internship with an 800-acre Idaho hop farm where he experienced all the aspects of the job throughout a full hop season. After the season, Chris and Audrey packed up their life to go on a road trip across five states to learn more and find the right land to start their own operation, eventually planting roots in Montrose in 2017.

Settling Down in Colorado

“We really enjoyed the craft brew scene, the people we were around, and the outdoors,” Audrey said. The town’s access to outdoor activities and agricultural resources like local cooperatives, irrigation companies, and a local USDA Service Center made Montrose a great fit.

Local resources and outdoor activities made Montrose a great fit for Chris and Audrey’s operation. Photo courtesy of Billy Goat Hop Farm LLC.

Once settled in Colorado, Audrey and Chris reached out to their local FSA office to apply for a farm ownership loan to purchase their land.

Farm ownership loans can be used to purchase or expand a farm or ranch. This loan can help with paying closing costs, constructing or improving buildings on the farm, or to help conserve and protect soil and water resources.

“We would not have done this if that didn’t exist and that opportunity was not there,” Audrey said. “I don’t think we would have even gone on the road trip looking at properties without the FSA loan. We were really starting at ground zero for everything and a [traditional] bank isn’t going to loan you that kind of money.”

Once settled in Colorado, Audrey and Chris reached out to their local FSA office to apply for a farm ownership loan to purchase their land. Photo courtesy of Billy Goat Hop Farm LLC.

Once the land was purchased, Audrey and Chris utilized FSA’s operating loans to establish the stand of hops and to purchase farm equipment for harvesting, drying and baling. Operating loans help producers start, maintain, and strengthen a farm or ranch.

Billy Goat Hop Farm sits on 32-acres where they produce hops and brew beer, in addition to offering brews from other farms. They are currently partnered with eight local breweries on the eastern slope of Colorado and sell microbrews to over 120 different breweries across the United States.

Growing for the Future

Audrey and Chris recently received the prestigious Cascade Cup Award, judged by the Hop Quality Group. They submitted their sample and won first place, being the first ever to win outside of Washington or Oregon, the largest hop producing states in the country.

Outside of their success, Audrey and Chris are passionate about bringing awareness to communities about agriculture and the smaller producers.

FSA’s operating loans helped establish the stand of hops and to purchase farm equipment for harvesting, drying, and baling. Billy Goat Hop Farm

FSA’s operating loans helped establish the stand of hops and to purchase farm equipment for harvesting, drying, and baling. Billy Goat Hop Farm

“[People] have gotten used to looking for local products and that’s normal,” Audrey said. “When you go to a local craft brewery, you are looking at supporting the local brewery, but you aren’t necessarily thinking where the ingredients come from.”

Audrey and Chris don’t plan to slow down any time soon. They have high hopes for the future and have set goals of selling out their hops before the next harvest and building a client base that cares.

More Information

Visit local farms, ranches, forests, and resource areas through our Fridays on the Farm stories. Meet farmers, producers, and landowners who are working to improve their operations with USDA programs.

USDA offers a variety of risk management, disaster assistance, loan, and conservation programs to help producers weather ups and downs in the market and recover from natural disasters as well as invest in improvements to their operations. Learn about additional programs.

For more information about USDA programs and services, contact your local USDA service center.

Elizabeth Thomas is the communications coordinator for FSA in Colorado.

Assessing the U.S. #Climate in November 2023 — NOAA

Click the link to read the article on the NOAA website:

Record-warm seas fuel active Atlantic hurricane season and a lake-effect snowfall buries portions of the Northeast in more than three feet of snow

Key Points:

  • Record- warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic basin brought 20 named tropical systems during 2023, ranking fourth for the most named storms in a year since 1950. Three of these storms made landfall—Hurricane Idalia and tropical storms Harold and Ophelia.
  • The first significant lake-effect snowstorm of the season occurred on November 27–29, bringing snow accumulations of greater than 40 inches to portions of New York state.
  • Year-to-date temperatures across the eastern U.S. have been warmer than average in 2023 with 31 states experiencing a top-10 warmest January–November.
  • Although no new events were identified in November, a total of 25 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters have been confirmed this year—the most events on record during a calendar year. The total cost of these events exceeds $81.0 billion.
  • November 2023 was the 19th-warmest November on record for the nation, and precipitation ranked 12th driest in the historical record for the month.

Other Highlights

Temperature

The average temperature of the contiguous U.S. in November was 44.4°F, 2.7°F above average, ranking 19th warmest in the 129-year record. Generally, November temperatures were above average across much of the contiguous U.S., while below-normal temperatures were observed in parts of the Northeast. No state ranked among their top-10 warmest or coldest November on record.

The Alaska statewide November temperature was 20.3°F, 8.6°F above the long-term average, ranking fourth warmest in the 99-year period of record for the state. Above-normal temperatures were observed across the entire state during the month.

The meteorological autumn (September–November) average temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 56.1°F, 2.5°F above average, ranking sixth warmest on record. Temperatures were above average across most of the contiguous U.S., with record-warm temperatures observed in parts of New Mexico, western Texas and northern Maine. New Mexico and Texas each ranked third warmest on record, while Maine ranked fourth warmest for this autumn season. An additional 10 states ranked among their top-10 warmest on record for this period.

The Alaska autumn temperature was 29.6°F, 3.7°F above the long-term average, ranking 13th warmest on the record for the state. Temperatures were above average across most of the state of Alaska while some parts of south-central Alaska saw near-average autumn temperatures.

For January–November, the average contiguous U.S. temperature was 55.8°F, 2.0°F above average, ranking 10th warmest on record for this period. Temperatures were above average from parts of the Southwest to the East Coast and along much of the Northern Tier, with near- to below-average temperatures from the central Rockies to California and in parts of the northern and central Plains. Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi each ranked warmest on record while Massachusetts, Connecticut and Florida each ranked second warmest for the January–November period. An additional 25 states had a top-10 warmest year-to-date period. No state experienced a top-10 coldest January–November.

The Alaska January–November temperature was 30.5°F, 2.5°F above the long-term average, ranking 18th warmest in the historical record for the state. Much of the state was above normal for the 11-month period while temperatures were near average across small parts of western and interior parts of the state.

Precipitation

November precipitation for the contiguous U.S. was 1.38 inches, 0.85 inch below average, ranking 12th driest in the historical record. Precipitation was near to below average across most of the contiguous U.S., while above-normal precipitation was observed in parts of southern California, the Rockies, central and southern Plains and Southeast. No state ranked in their top-10 wettest November on record for this period. On the dry side, Indiana ranked third driest on record for the month, while four additional states in the Midwest ranked among their top-10 driest November on record.

Across the state of Alaska, the average monthly precipitation was 4.62 inches, ranking as the 16th- wettest November in the historical record. Precipitation was above average in parts of the North Slope, Interior and along parts of the Gulf of Alaska, while precipitation was near normal across much of the West Coast and in parts of the Southwest, northeast Interior and Panhandle. Below-normal precipitation was observed in the parts of the Aleutians during the month.

The U.S. autumn precipitation total was 5.66 inches, 1.22 inch below average, ranking 15th driest in the September–November record. Precipitation was below average across much of the eastern half of the U.S., the Southwest, California and in parts of the Northwest and central Plains. Autumn precipitation was above average from the northern Rockies to the western Great Lakes and in parts of the Great Basin, southern Plains, Northeast and Southeast. Tennessee ranked third driest with three additional states in the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys ranking among their top-10 driest autumn season on record. No state ranked in their top-10 wettest on record for the September–November period.  

For autumn season precipitation, Alaska ranked in the wettest third of the record with wetter-than-average conditions observed across much of the state. Near-normal precipitation was observed in parts of the Interior and south Central Alaska, while below-normal precipitation occurred in parts of the Southwest and Aleutians during this season.

The January–November precipitation total for the contiguous U.S. was 26.89 inches, 0.70 inch below average, ranking in the driest third of the 129-year record. Precipitation was near to above average across much of the Northeast, from the northern Plains to the West Coast, as well as in parts of the central and southern Plains, northern Great Lakes, Lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast. Wyoming ranked seventh wettest on record, while four additional states ranked among their top-10 wettest for this year-to-date period. Conversely, precipitation was below average from parts of the Southwest to the Gulf of Mexico and in parts of the Northwest, upper and central Mississippi Valley and Mid-Atlantic during the January–November period. Louisiana and Maryland ranked seventh and eighth driest on record, respectively, for this 11-month period.

The January–November precipitation ranked ninth wettest in the 99-year record for Alaska, with above-average precipitation observed across most of the state. Near-normal precipitation was observed in parts of the Southwest, while parts of the Aleutians experienced below-average precipitation during this period.

Other Notable Events

Persistent heat brought above-normal temperatures to much of the U.S. during 2023. Approximately 32 million people were impacted by record heat during the January–November period.

By November 21, more than 39 inches of snow accumulated in Anchorage, Alaska, with this November becoming the snowiest November since record-keeping began in 1953—the previous record was 38.8 inches set in 1994.

Much of the country observed temperatures 10–20°F below average during the late part of November. On the morning of November 29, record-low temperatures occurred over parts of the eastern U.S.

A Kona Low brought heavy rains and flooding to parts of the Hawaiian Islands during late November. Parts of the Big Island received up to 7 inches of rain while higher elevations reported up to 5 inches of snow.

Drought

According to the November 28 U.S. Drought Monitor report, about 36.1% of the contiguous U.S. was in drought, down about 0.4% from the end of October. Moderate to exceptional drought was widespread across much of the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Tennessee Valley, central Great Plains and Southwest, with moderate to extreme drought across parts of the southern Great Plains, Hawaii and in parts of the Florida Peninsula. Moderate to severe drought was present in parts of the Northwest, Mid-Atlantic and New York, as well as moderate drought in parts of the Great Lakes and Puerto Rico.

Drought conditions expanded or intensified across much of the central Mississippi and Ohio valleys, and in parts of the Southwest, central plains, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Hawaii this month. Drought contracted or was reduced in intensity across much of the Northwest and southern Plains, and in portions of the Southeast, Great Lakes and Puerto Rico.

Monthly Outlook

According to the November 30 One-Month Outlook from the Climate Prediction Center, above-normal monthly average temperatures are favored for much of the contiguous U.S. and parts of northern Alaska in December, with the greatest odds across parts of the Mississippi River Valley. Below-normal temperatures are most likely for parts of Southwest Alaska this month. Much of the Pacific Northwest and parts of the central and southern Plains to the East Coast, as well as eastern Alaska are favored to see above-normal monthly total precipitation while below-normal precipitation is most likely to occur for parts of North Dakota to northern Michigan. Drought improvement or removal is forecast along parts of the Pacific Northwest coast, for parts of the central and southern Plains, Hawaii, and in parts of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Persistence is more likely across much of the Northern Tier, Southwest and upper Midwest.

According to the One-Month Outlook issued on December 1 from the National Interagency Fire Center, the islands of Hawaii have above-normal significant wildland fire potential during the month of December.

This monthly summary from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides to government, business, academia and the public to support informed decision-making. For more detailed climate information, check out our comprehensive November 2023 U.S. Climate Report scheduled for release on December 13, 2023. For additional information on the statistics provided here, visit the Climate at a Glance and National Maps webpages.

‘So Far, So Good’ for the #ColoradoRiver Watershed in 2023 — Jack Schmidt (Center for Colorado River Studies) #COriver #aridification #CRWUA2023

“New plot using the nClimGrid data, which is a better source than PRISM for long-term trends. Of course, the combined reservoir contents increase from last year, but the increase is less than 2011 and looks puny compared to the ‘hole’ in the reservoirs. The blue Loess lines subtly change. Last year those lines ended pointing downwards. This year they end flat-ish. 2023 temps were still above the 20th century average, although close. Another interesting aspect is that the 20C Mean and 21C Mean lines on the individual plots really don’t change much. Finally, the 2023 Natural Flows are almost exactly equal to 2019. (17.678 maf vs 17.672 maf). For all the hoopla about how this was record-setting year, the fact is that this year was significantly less than 2011 (20.159 maf) and no different than 2019” — Brad Udall

Click the link to read the article on the Utah State University website (Jack Schmidt):

December 7, 2023

In Summary

By the end of November 2023, storage in the reservoirs of the Colorado River watershed had been reduced 1.73 million acre feet from the high of mid-July. We’ve used 21% of the gains from the exceptional 2023 runoff, a drawdown slower in the annual cycle than in it has been in all but one year of the previous decade. New policies to reduce basin-wide consumptive use may be working. To date, about one-third of losses were from Lake Powell and Lake Mead, one third from CRSP reservoirs upstream from Lake Powell, and one-third from other Upper Basin reservoirs. Losses in the combined storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead specifically have been much less than in previous years.

Farview Reservoir Mesa Verde NP

Reservoirs are the ultimate buffer between water use and a water crisis, especially during extreme dry spells, such as occurred in 2002-04 and 2020-22. Although the runoff in 2002-04 was worse than the later event, the later one caused relatively more alarm, as reservoir storage was already low. Then the exceptional water year in 2023 provided the second largest runoff of the 21st century and restored some lost storage in the reservoirs. We still have a long way to go to return the reservoir system to full conditions (see blog post, Water Year 2023 in Context: a cautionary tale). There is an imperative to retain as much of the 2023 runoff as possible to create a buffer, especially if another dry spell occurs.

During the 1983 Colorado River flood, described by some as an example of a “black swan” event, sheets of plywood (visible just above the steel barrier) were installed to prevent Glen Canyon Dam from overflowing. Source: Bureau of Reclamation
Some Context

The last time the basin’s reservoirs were completely full (in fact, a bit overfull) on July 15, 1983, they held 63.6 million acre feet (af) of water, as reported in Reclamation’s basin-wide reservoir database. Today, the maximum capacity of the reservoir system is a bit extended, due to completion of few new reservoirs (e.g., McPhee and Nighthorse). Reclamation’s database, although quite complete, and reporting the status of 42 reservoirs, does not include every reservoir in the basin (for example, Wolford Mountain, Stagecoach, and Elkhead reservoirs). The data as it stands is still useful for assessing the present condition of basin reservoir storage.

During the 21st century, 60-80% of all reservoir storage (not including storage on Lower Basin tributaries) has been in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two largest reservoirs in the United States. Further downstream on the mainstem river, 4-8% of the basin’s storage occurs in Lake Mohave and Lake Havasu. These reservoirs are typically maintained near full pool. Lake Havasu is operated to provide a stable pumping forebay for California’s Colorado River Aqueduct and for the Central Arizona Project, and Lake Mohave is operated to maximize hydroelectric power generation and to reregulate releases from Lake Mead. These four reservoirs – from Lake Powell to Lake Havasu — store water to meet the needs of the Lower Basin and Mexico. Because there are no significant withdrawals from Lake Powell or in the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell and Lake Mead can be considered one integrated reservoir unit, even though the reservoirs are in the Upper Basin and Lower Basin, respectively. The reservoirs upstream from Lake Powell provide storage for Upper Basin agriculture and trans-basin diversions and account for 16-32% of the total storage in the watershed.

The amount of water in a reservoir is a result of the difference between the amount of water that flows in, and the amount released downstream, as well as the amount that evaporates or seeps into the regional ground water. For ease of writing, “loss” here means the amount of reservoir storage decline—loss results from changes in reservoir inflows, reservoir releases, and evaporation.

How are we doing this year?

Conditions this year are “so far, so good.” Between July 13, 2023, when total storage reached its maximum — 29.7 million af — and November 30, 2023, storage declined by 1.73 million af (Fig. 1). The total gain in storage that occurred from the 2023 snowmelt runoff was 8.38 million af. We have now lost 21% of that original gain. Losses between mid-July and November 30 were only 68,000 af greater than the total losses between mid-July and October 31 (see blog post, Protecting Reservoir Storage Gains from Water Year 2023: how are we doing?), and 79% of the total reservoir storage gained in the 2023 runoff season remains.  

Since mid-July, the loss in storage has occurred in three places:

  • Total storage in Lake Mead and Lake Powell between mid-July and November 30 has declined by 540,000 af;
  • Total storage in other Upper Basin reservoirs of the Colorado River Storage Project (Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, Crystal, Fontenelle, Flaming Gorge, Navajo) during the same period declined by 500,000 af; and,
  • Total storage in other Upper Basin reservoirs, such as Granby, Dillon, McPhee, Strawberry, Starvation, and Nighthorse, declined by 620,000 af.
Figure 1. Graph showing reservoir storage in 2023 in three parts of the watershed, as well as the total storage. Note that most of the loss in basin-wide storage was due to decreases in storage upstream from Lake Powell. Credit: Jack Schmidt

The rate of loss this year is much lower than in any other of the previous ten years (except for 2014 when there were large monsoon season inflows), suggesting that current policies of reducing consumptive use may be working. I calculated the loss in each of the last ten years, beginning on the day of maximum basin storage (Fig. 2). Each curve in this graph represents the loss in storage from the peak of each year. For example, on November 20, 2020, reservoir storage was 4.42 million af less than the peak storage that had occurred on June 18, 2020. In contrast, storage on November 30, 2023, was only 1.73 maf less than the peak storage that occurred on July 17, 2023.

Figure 2. Graph showing loss in basin-wide storage from the maximum storage of each year. Note that the losses in 2023 have been less than in any other year except 2014. Credit: Jack Schmidt

Management policy concerning where storage is retained and where storage is reduced appears to be in transition. In contrast to previous years, storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead is being reduced very slowly (Fig. 3). Today, storage in these two reservoirs is only 544,000 af less than the mid-July peak, whereas storage in these reservoirs in 2020 was 2.85 million af less than the maximum storage of that year.

Figure 3. Graph showing loss in the combined contents of Lake Powell and Lake Mead from the maximum storage in each year. Note that the losses in 2023 have been less than in any other year, indicating that the combined water storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead remains relatively high. Credit: Jack Schmidt

Next week, Colorado River water users and managers will gather for the 2023 Colorado River Water Users Association meeting in Las Vegas. The river’s stakeholders are in the midst of negotiating new agreements on how to share the pain of water shortage during the ongoing Millennium Drought, and there is significant interest centered on this event.

Although we ought to feel good about our collective effort to retain desperately needed storage, we must remain vigilant to continue the hard work to reduce consumptive use. Today’s total watershed reservoir storage of 28.0 million af is the same as it was in early May 2021 in the middle of the 2020-2022 dry period (Fig. 4). Let’s hope for a good 2023/2024 winter and spring snowmelt.

Figure 4. Graph showing reservoir storage in the 21st century in three parts of the watershed, as well as the total storage. Note that conditions on 30 November 2023, at the far right hand side of the graph, are similar to conditions in early May 2021 and less than during most of the 21st century. Credit: Jack Schmidt

Acknowledgment: Helpful suggestions to a previous draft were provided by Eric Kuhn.

Power of Progress – 2023 Annual Report — The Sonoran Institute

Download the report here.

Click the link to read the release on the Sonoran Institute website.

As we near the end of another impactful year, we are delighted to present our 2023 Annual Report, titled “Power of Progress.” This report embodies our focus on delivering results with a commitment to diverse and equitable outcomes for communities across the North American West.

Inside our 2023 Annual Report, you’ll learn how our more than two decades of work restoring and reconnecting communities to the Colorado River Delta is now a proposed state park that protect as much as 85,000 acres from the U.S.-Mexico border to the Upper Gulf of California for generations to come. Our $4.3 million partnership with California Water Boards promises to reshape the lives of more than 200,000 people in Mexicali and Calexico and improve water quality in the New River. Our award- winning program Growing Water Smart has expanded from Colorado and Arizona into California and along the U.S.-Mexico border to provide tools for the Colorado River communities to address the worst drought in modern history. Our One Basin initiative has assessed the water needs of 19 Tribal Nations, setting the stage for accessing much-needed capacity building partnerships. The Santa Cruz River Program’s three decades of restoration have revitalized the river, drawing diverse communities to a thriving ecosystem. In Tucson, volunteers collected 11,000 pounds of trash during river cleanups, turning these events into vibrant community celebrations.

Your support has been instrumental in these accomplishments. As the year ends, consider making a meaningful year-end gift to continue powering our progress and inspiring positive change.

Thank you for being a part of the Sonoran Institute’s journey and mission.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $72 Million from Investing in America Agenda to Restore the #SaltonSea #ColoradoRiver #COriver #aridification

The Salton Sea is shallow saline lake located near Palm Springs, CA. Photo credit: USBR

Click the link to read the article on the Reclamation website:

December 7, 2023

The Biden-Harris administration today announced $72 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to accelerate restoration of the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake. The funding will expedite implementation of the state’s 10-year Salton Sea Management Plan by accelerating dust suppression, aquatic-restoration, and water conservation efforts needed to protect the important wildlife habitats and the surrounding communities.

Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel-Davis and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton announced the agreements during an event with leaders from the California Natural Resources Agency, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and other members of the Salton Sea Coordinating Committee.

“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to bringing every tool and resource to bear to help manage the drought crisis and provide a sustainable water system for families, businesses and our vast and fragile ecosystems,” said Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. “As we seek to stem the impacts of the drought crisis on wildlife, habitats and communities, historic investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda are helping to support the Imperial and Coachella Valley and the environment around the Salton Sea.”

“This funding is a critical step in our collective efforts to address the challenges at the Salton Sea and our important partnership with the State of California, the Imperial Irrigation District and the Coachella Valley Water District,” said Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “As we look to conserve critical water supplies in the Colorado River, we are united in our desire to preserve the Salton Sea, not only as a vital link in the Pacific Flyway but also as a valuable resource for the people of Southern California, in protecting their health, and in protecting the regional economy.”

Today’s agreements, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, include:

  • $70 million to the state of California to fund expansion of the Species Conservation Habitat Project, which will create up to 7,000 acres of aquatic habitat for wildlife and cover exposed lakebed.
  • $2 million to the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians over five years to expand the Tribe’s technical capacity by funding positions entrusted with supporting Salton Sea project implementation.

An additional $178 million of funding will be made available upon the implementation of voluntary conservation actions by the Imperial Irrigation District and Coachella Valley Water District under the Lower Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program.

The Inflation Reduction Act investment complements the $583 million in state funding committed to date for Salton Sea projects. 

Approximately 60 miles from Palm Springs, California, the Salton Sea has suffered from declining inflows of water in recent years because of the impacts of climate change, including reduced agricultural runoff. The exposed lakebed is contributing to dust emissions in the surrounding environment, and declining water levels have reduced important wildlife habitat.

Map of the Colorado River drainage basin, created using USGS data. By Shannon1 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

#NewMexico’s #drought persists as winter looms — Source NM #aridification

New Mexico Drought Monitor map December 5, 2023.

by Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
December 8, 2023

Winter is coming, and New Mexico’s outlook for much-needed moisture this season remains uncertain.

The water year has been like a rollercoaster. Rivers overbanked and ran high after surprise spring snows boosted rivers across the state during the springtime melt.

Wet winter buoys NM rivers, but drought tempers optimism: https://sourcenm.com/2023/04/20/wet-winter-buoys-nm-rivers-but-drought-tempers-optimism/embed/#?secret=b3z6YumKdX#?secret=z7O46ys1uC

However, scorching temperatures, and a ridge of high pressure prevented the seasonal storms from dropping rainfall, as temperatures soared across the globe. In August, much of the river dried between Socorro and the Isleta Pueblo.

The El Niño pattern “loads the dice for a colder, wetter winter” for the Southwest, said Andrew Mangham, a hydrologist for the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque.

El Niño describes a pattern of atmospheric and ocean temperatures in the Pacific, which impact U.S. weather patterns.

But it’s uncertain how much snow may hit New Mexico, and where it might accumulate.

Many factors – not just atmospheric patterns – impact how weather will behave, said Andrew Mangham, a hydrologist for the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque.

Here are the typical outcomes from both El Niño and La Niña for the US. Note each El Niño and La Niña can present differently, these are just the average impacts. Graphic credit: NWS Salt Lake City office

Forecasters are less certain with prediction because there’s not very much data for more intense El Niño patterns. Mangham said only a dozen of those events have happened over the past 50 years.

“I don’t want to make a strong statement like, ‘yes, everyone get out your snowshoes, we know we’re gonna, we’re gonna have a great winter.’ That’s not what I’m saying,” he said. “But on the whole, looking at the past 50 years looking at about 12 events, typically, we do see more snow.”

Currently, more than 96% of the state is in varying degrees of drought. Drier areas include pockets in the Northwestern portion of the state and banded across much of southern New Mexico.

In a presentation on Dec. 5 , climate technologist Curtis Riganti, with the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska Lincoln said that drought is expected to persist through the end of the month, but additional snows through the winter “may improve drought conditions.”

“We’re not necessarily forecasting for the drought to get significantly worse; we’re just also not forecasting for any better,” Mangham said.

New Mexico’s snowpacks are vital sources of water for its rivers, people, crops and ecosystems. The snowpacks are shrinking overall, as climate change has made conditions across the Southwest hotter and drier. Snow water is a measure of how much moisture is contained in a snowpack when it’s melted down, and is often measured in inches.

Recent storms blanketed mountains in snow and boosted snow-water averages for the state for this time of the year. But New Mexico snowbanks often don’t peak until February or March.

Meteorologist Randall Hergert told Source NM there are some chances for the very northern portion of the state to see snow this weekend, but not very much.

“We’re forecasting the storm system to give the majority of the forecast area unfortunately, a lot of wind,” Hergert said.

Another storm system shows potential for another storm to hit the state the weekend of Dec. 15, but it’s too soon to tell if it’ll be cold enough for snow in eastern New Mexico.

“The question right now is just how that storm system is going to evolve and if that’s going to be a majority rain or snow,” he said.

Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Shaun Griswold for questions: info@sourcenm.com. Follow Source New Mexico on Facebook and Twitter.

At #COP28, a Growing Sense of Alarm Over the Harms of Air Pollution — Inside #Climate News

Denver’s Brown Cloud via the Denver Regional Council of Governments.

Click the link to read the article on the Inside Climate News website (Victoria St. Martin):

In one home video, Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah bops to a choreographed Beyoncé dance. In another, she looks at the camera, and her mom and plants a big kiss on her lips. Then there is a photo of her mid-laugh when she told her mom she could not climb any more steps at a monument. And in some of the final images taken of Ella as she neared the end of her all-too-brief life, the 9-year-old lies in a London hospital room struggling to breathe, an oxygen mask covering nearly all of her tiny, oval face.

When she died in 2013, after years of seizures and a long struggle with asthma, Ella’s death marked a grim milestone in the planet’s battle against climate change: She is believed to be the first person for whom “air pollution” was listed as her official cause of death.

“Not only do you have to grieve, but to carry this and to fight this is huge,” Ella’s mother, Rosamond Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, said of her work as an advocate for clean air during the decade since her daughter’s death. “You do have to thank God for His mercy. But I think it’s the injustice of it all, seeing it all continue. I think that’s also quite heartbreaking.”

If, in the years since her death, Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah has emerged as a symbol of the fight against air pollution, then this year’s COP28 conference on climate change in Dubai stands as a reminder of how the crisis continues to worsen.

On the eve of the conference, a peer-reviewed study in the British Medical Journal found that there were more than 8 million deaths each year that are attributable to air pollution and fine particulate matter. Roughly 5 million of those deaths, the scientists said, could be directly traced to the air pollution caused by fossil fuels.

“I think it’s easy when we hear these statistics to let them wash over us,” said Jane Burston, chief executive officer and founder of the Clean Air Fund, during the conference’s first ever “Health Day” on Sunday. “They’re big, big numbers; we listen to them, and then we forget. But the people that don’t forget are the families who are absolutely devastated by the quality of life of their loved one’s deteriorating, and ultimately their death.”

Burston noted that deaths from air pollution are rising—a 2020 study cited 6.6 million related deaths in 2019— and are expected to double by 2050.

Those deaths are also expected to disproportionately affect low-income communities and people of color, who, researchers say, because of limited economic opportunities, bias and other systemic factors are often compelled to live in areas where air quality is worse than their wealthier and white counterparts.

With that in mind, many attended the conference, which began Nov. 30 and ends on Dec. 13, with environmental justice and equity as issues at the top of mind.

Robert Bullard, a distinguished professor of sociology at Texas Southern University who is regarded as the father of the environmental justice movement, was in attendance at the conference and said in an interview that he was disappointed by the relative dearth of attention paid to addressing systemic inequities.

Bullard said that he was also discouraged by comments from Sultan al-Jaber, the president of the conference, who said last week that there was “no science” to support the contention that phasing out the use of fossil fuels could slow global warming.

Robert Bullard, a Texas Southern University professor, was disappointed by the handling of environmental justice issues at this year’s COP28. Credit: Courtesy of Robert Bullard

“It’s almost like ignoring the facts, ignoring the data and ignoring all of the studies that are showing the health benefits of getting off of fossil fuels,” Bullard said. “This is not some low-level bureaucrat. This is the person over this whole thing. And if that’s the framing, then it means that going forward, there’s probably less of a chance of taking health as seriously. It’s as if you were going to keep doing the same thing.” 

Bullard noted that the handling of environmental justice issues contrasts sharply with what he experienced at last year’s gathering in Egypt, an event where organizers seemed determined to “bring the world’s climate justice, environmental justice, organizations and institutions and friendly governments under one big umbrella and one big tent.”

This year?

“This COP seems to be taken over by the oil and gas, fossil fuel entities,” he said. “And it’s to the point where it’s really a bit disturbing given the urgency in which we need to move away from that type of energy.”

Given that this year’s meeting was held in the United Arab Emirates—which produces about 2.8 million barrels of oil a day—Bullard said that he expected a significant presence from industry officials.

“But to have it come forward in such an in-your-face way is a bit disturbing,” he said. 

Many researchers were encouraged by a declaration on climate and health that was signed by over 100 countries recognizing “the urgency of taking action on climate change” and noting “the benefits for health from deep, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, including from just transitions, lower air pollution, active mobility, and shifts to sustainable healthy diets.” 

In addition to concerns about air pollution, the conference also focused attention on other ways that climate change is affecting public health—from weather changes to the spread of illnesses and pathogens.

“I think it just bears reminding that the evidence abounds showing that rising temperatures and sea levels, more frequent and intense extreme weather events, the heavy rains and typhoons, cyclones, heat waves, floods,” said Avril Benoît, executive director of Doctors Without Borders. “In addition to all these events, we’re seeing altered patterns of infectious diseases, malaria, dengue, shifting to new zones.” 

Benoît said she hopes that this COP will highlight these issues and drive home the important link between the environment and our health. 

“You need concrete political action to implement all those solutions that we know are out there to limit climate change, to limit the devastating impacts of it on humanitarian crises,” she said.

Cecilia Sorensen, a physician and director of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education at Columbia University, said that researchers have found evidence of air pollution in placentas. 

“It gets into this very, very, fragile, delicate developing child system,” Sorensen said. “And this is why the World Health Organization predicts something like 90 percent of health impacts are going to be on this next generation because they start experiencing these exposures even before they’re born.”

Sorensen said those impacts are amplified throughout the life of the child.

“There’s been really good data looking at when you’re able to shut down fossil fuel producing facilities and in neighborhoods where there’s populations who are pregnant, that birth outcomes improve,” she said. “You can think about the benefits of that to the health and longevity of those individuals, but also about the avoided health costs and the benefits to the economy and to society. It’s huge.”

Mitigating those crises in her own small way is now Rosamond Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s mission. She continues to work to keep other families from experiencing the pain that has endured for her family since Ella’s death.

#ColoradoRiver #Drought Task Force Shows Support for State Water Projects and #Colorado Water Plan — Colorado Department of Natural Resources

The Colorado River and other crucial sources of water in the West are declining, thanks to climate change. brewbooks/CC Flickr

Click the link to read the release on the Department of Natural Resources website (Chris Arend):

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) would like to congratulate the Colorado River Drought Task Force, who voted today to recommend a number of drought mitigation concepts for consideration by the Colorado General Assembly for potential legislation.

“The 17 members of the task force, representing diverse interests throughout Colorado, worked diligently on a short timeline to come together and support thoughtful and impactful ideas on how we can protect Colorado’s most precious resource– our water,” said Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Department of Natural Resources. “I want to thank the Task Force for their hard work and conscientious consideration of drought, water supply and infrastructure, and wildlife issues these past few months. I also want to thank the engagement and initiative of the Colorado legislators who formed the Task Force, particularly Senator Dylan Roberts and Speaker Julie McCluskie. Their leadership has elevated these critical issues and we look forward to working with them and continuing conversations on relevant legislative proposals in the upcoming 2024 legislative session.”

“The Colorado River Drought Task Force’s representation gave a voice to those who have and will be most directly affected by our challenges on the Colorado River,” said Kate Greenberg, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture. “The grim hydrologic reality that Colorado’s farmers and ranchers in particular have been living with for the past several decades has now reached a crisis point for others. The agricultural community will continue to lead the effort to live within the means of the river. Along with the recommendations of the task force, we hope that their example and efforts will see tangible, impactful results in the coming years for the Colorado River Basin.”

In addition, the Sub-Task Force on Tribal Matters has worked collaboratively to understand the barriers preventing the Southern Ute Tribe and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe from fully developing their water rights. 

“I want to thank Letisha Yazzie with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Lisa Yellow Eagle with the Southern Ute Tribe for this valuable opportunity to identify solutions and funding that will undoubtedly benefit each Tribal Nation,” said Rebecca Mitchell, Colorado’s full-time Commissioner to the Upper Colorado River Commission, and member of the Sub-Task Force. “I look forward to when the Sub-Task Force finalizes its recommendations on Dec. 8.”

The work of the Drought Task Force comes at a time when the Colorado River faces significant challenges. Decades of unprecedented climate change-fueled drought, coupled with years of overuse in the Lower Basin States, means there’s now less water in the reservoirs. The Tribes and States that share this vital resource are confronted with the extraordinary challenge of creating new operating rules for Lake Powell and Lake Mead to sustain and share this dwindling resource.

Many final recommendations of the Drought Task Force align with the ongoing work of the Colorado Water Plan, which conserves and protects Colorado’s water for present and future generations. The Colorado Water Conservation Board oversees the Colorado Water Plan, and DNR is excited to see the Drought Task Force support items like prioritizing forest health and wildfire-ready watersheds, increasing funding for the state’s turf removal program, and expanding tools to support environmental streamflows.

The CWCB’s proposed 2024 Projects Bill, which makes recommendations to the legislature to support water projects and loans, includes more than $23.3 million for Water Plan Grants, $2 million for turf replacement efforts, $4 million for programs aimed at improving drought resiliency, and $1.8 million for high-tech water measurement. 

For Rebecca Mitchell, it is clear that the responsibility to live within the means of the river, and to build healthy reservoirs to see us through dry years, starts with the states downstream of Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Last year, the three Lower Basin states used an estimated 10.3 million acre-feet of water from the Colorado River. The four Upper Basin States only used an estimated 4 million acre-feet. It is obvious that any durable solution needs to begin with addressing this systemic overuse.

At this critical juncture, Commissioner Mitchell is focused on negotiating a sustainable path forward for the post-2026 operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead, one that is protective of both Colorado’s significant interests in the Colorado River and the 40 million people who rely on it. Commissioner Mitchell has developed priorities that will serve as her North Star throughout these negotiations. One of them is that water users in the Upper Basin are just as important as those in the Lower Basin. The hard work of the Drought Task Force has made this clear.

One of DNR’s top priorities is to help Colorado build resiliency in the face of challenging hydrologic conditions in the Colorado River Basin so that we have vibrant communities, robust agriculture, and thriving watersheds. We are better able to make long-term, viable decisions when we work together. DNR and CDA appreciate the Task Forces and legislature’s recognition that, to make this future a reality, we need to unite around consensus-based solutions that do not hinder Colorado’s ability to protect its interests in the Colorado River at this pivotal time.

DNR and CDA look forward to working with legislators, water providers, municipalities, agricultural interests, conservation organizations, and other stakeholders on drought resiliency solutions that provide for long-term sustainable solutions that benefit Colorado’s economy, communities, and environment.   

#ColoradoRiver #Drought Task Force offers slate of potential fixes to drought-proof ailing waterway — Fresh Water News #COriver #aridification

“New plot using the nClimGrid data, which is a better source than PRISM for long-term trends. Of course, the combined reservoir contents increase from last year, but the increase is less than 2011 and looks puny compared to the ‘hole’ in the reservoirs. The blue Loess lines subtly change. Last year those lines ended pointing downwards. This year they end flat-ish. 2023 temps were still above the 20th century average, although close. Another interesting aspect is that the 20C Mean and 21C Mean lines on the individual plots really don’t change much. Finally, the 2023 Natural Flows are almost exactly equal to 2019. (17.678 maf vs 17.672 maf). For all the hoopla about how this was record-setting year, the fact is that this year was significantly less than 2011 (20.159 maf) and no different than 2019” — Brad Udall

Click the link to read the article on the Fresh Water News website (Jerd Smith):

December 6, 2023

Colorado could spend millions more to replace water-hungry lawns, keep extra water in streams to protect fish and their habitats, and repair water-wasting farm and city delivery systems, according to a list of potential fixes from a state task force hoping to drought-proof the Colorado River.

The 17-member panel finished its preliminary list of recommendations [December 1, 2023]. It will finalize the list Thursday and hone it for a final report to lawmakers due December 15, 2023.

The task force’s job has been to identify new policies and tools to help save water and ensure neither Colorado water users nor the environment are adversely affected by any new federal Colorado River agreements designed to protect the drought-strapped river across the seven-state region where it flows.

Created by lawmakers last spring when they approved Senate Bill 23-295, the task force includes representatives of environmental and agricultural groups, urban and rural water users, and the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes, among others.

In all, 24 recommendations will be voted on this week, covering a broad range of options, including small storage projects, more flexibility in sharing water stored in reservoirs, and new tools to measure water so that conservation programs can operate effectively.

“It has been a very short timeline, but it has been concentrated time,” task force chair Kathy Chandler-Henry said. “People showed up every other week in far-flung places for five-hour meetings and we have worked well together. It has felt as if it was a common goal to do something positive for drought in Colorado and get something useful to the legislature.”

The recommendations could make their way to lawmakers next year, or could be addressed by water agencies if no legislation is required to make the changes.

Among the proposals is a request to dramatically boost funding for a new state program that gives cities, water districts and nonprofits cash to help residents and businesses tear out thirsty lawns and replace them with water-saving landscapes. Last year, lawmakers provided $2 million for the work, including $1.5 million in actual grants. But some task force members would like to see that number rise significantly, perhaps as high as $5 million, according to Randi Kim, utilities director for the City of Grand Junction. Nevada spends $24 million on such programs, according to the task force.

“The current levels are helpful,” Kim said. “We received a $25,000 grant and we can do about 50 single-family homes. More money would have a broader effect.”

Also on the list are several proposals that would bolster tools used to keep water in streams, including a state program that allows water to be loaned to a stream for a certain period of time. Under one task force recommendation, the loan program could be operated for longer periods of time.

In another proposal, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is asking that water rights it controls, which are used to help run its coal plants in the Yampa River Valley, be preserved once the plants are shut down, a process that is scheduled to occur between 2025 and 2028. The recommendation isn’t specific only to Tri-State, but could include other utilities with coal-fired power plants and creates a pilot program in the Yampa Valley.

Under Colorado law, the rights to water that is no longer used must be transferred or sold to another user or the water  must be returned to the river. Traditionally, the idea has been to prevent water right holders from hoarding water they are not using. But the utility is asking that its water rights be protected and left in the river even if they are not being used through 2050, in case they are needed for future green power projects.

Such proposals have won the support of environmental groups, including Conservation Colorado, which maintain that finding ways to leave additional water in streams offers more protection for the environment, and the communities and recreation economies that rely on the waterways.

“The Western Slope in particular has been threatened by drought, by river closures due to low flows, and fish kills due to low flows. These measures could help Colorado become more resilient,” said Josh Kuhn, senior water campaign manager for Conservation Colorado.

There also are recommendations to provide more funding to improve leaky water systems for irrigators and cities. Though water funding has increased from some sources, such as tax revenue from sports betting in Colorado and from the federal government, task force members said funding is still difficult to come by and needs to be prioritized.

Steve Wolff, a task force member representing the Southwestern Water Conservation District in Durango, said it’s unclear how many of the recommendations will turn into on-the-ground drought fixes.

“I certainly think it’s been a good discussion,” Wolff said. “But a lot of these things involve more funding. We need to understand if by doing these things, are we taking money from elsewhere and is that fair? I think it would be helpful to start prioritizing, whether it should be for aging infrastructure, or more storage, or other things.”

More by Jerd SmithJerd Smith is editor of Fresh Water News. She can be reached at 720-398-6474, via email at jerd@wateredco.org or @jerd_smith.

Map credit: AGU

After Clean Water Act ruling, states that want to protect affected wetlands need millions

Millions of acres of wetlands recently lost federal protection under the Clean Water Act after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Some states are attempting to fill the void, but permitting programs — and the staff needed to enforce them — have proven costly. Flickr/USDA NRCS TX

by Alex Brown, Stateline
December 5, 2023

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court stripped federal oversight from millions of acres of wetlands long protected under the Clean Water Act. Now, erecting safeguards to ensure those waters are not polluted, drained or filled in by developers falls to the states.

They’re finding that it’s not easy.

“States and tribes already didn’t have enough funding to support the programs they have, and now they are being put in a position where they need to step up,” said Marla Stelk, executive director of the National Association of Wetland Managers, a nonprofit group that represents state and tribal regulators.

Wetlands play a crucial role in filtering pollution and nutrient runoff. They also absorb stormwater, help to recharge aquifers and provide essential habitat for many species. When wetland areas are lost, water managers say, communities may suffer from flooding, become more vulnerable to droughts or require expensive treatment plants to make water safe to drink.

In some states, the loss of federal rules means that many waters are now largely unregulated. Some lawmakers, mostly in Democratic-led states, are looking to craft rules to replace the lost Clean Water Act protections, but they expect a yearslong process just to get new regulations on the books.

Other states have had strong rules in place even without the federal coverage. But now they can no longer rely on federal partners such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help enforce those standards. Regulators in those states are asking lawmakers for millions of dollars to hire more staff to process permits and monitor water quality.

States and tribes already didn’t have enough funding to support the programs they have, and now they are being put in a position where they need to step up.

– Marla Stelk, executive director with the National Association of Wetland Managers

Meanwhile, some conservative states view the rollback as an opportunity for developers and industry. Soon after the court decision, North Carolina passed a law eliminating all state protections that exceeded the federal standard. Environmental advocates say other business-friendly states are unlikely to enact their own protections, and fear that some will follow North Carolina’s lead by cutting existing rules.

“It ought to help with regard to costs and predictability,” said Ray Starling, president of the NC Chamber Legal Institute, the legal strategy arm of the business advocacy group, in a June interview with Stateline. “The Supreme Court knew that this would end up yielding quite a bit more jurisdiction to the states. We would argue that’s actually good.”

State leaders say they remain unclear on exactly which waters have lost federal oversight following the Supreme Court decision and a subsequent EPA rule based on it. Officials expect plenty of litigation as they attempt to make sense of murky legal definitions from the feds. Some fear that developers may take advantage of the confusion, using states’ uncertainty as implicit permission to bulldoze wetlands.

“Every state’s risk has increased,” said Julian Gonzalez, senior legislative counsel for policy and legislation at Earthjustice, an environmental law group. “The whole point of the Clean Water Act was to ensure that there’s not a patchwork of regulations. Even when EPA had full jurisdiction, there were tons of enforcement issues all across the country. This is only going to exacerbate them.”

Staffing shortfalls

In May, the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Water Act does not cover wetlands that lack a continuous surface connection to a larger body of water, which excludes many waters that connect underground. The court also narrowed the law to exclude from protection “ephemeral” streams that flow only seasonally.

Of the nation’s 118 million acres of wetlands, more than half could lose federal protection under the new definition, Earthjustice estimated. The EPA in August issued a new rule revising its regulation known as the “waters of the United States” rule to meet the court’s limitations.

Half the nation’s wetlands just lost federal protection. Their fate is up to states.

https://stateline.org/2023/06/16/half-the-nations-wetlands-just-lost-federal-protection-their-fate-is-up-to-states/embed/#?secret=HZPvD6wZlu#?secret=oxXGJjKM3F

“We still don’t know how [courts] are fully going to interpret what constitutes a surface connection, but we’re still assuming that at least 50% of [Washington’s] wetlands are no longer jurisdictional [under the Clean Water Act],” said Lauren Driscoll, manager of the wetlands program with the Washington State Department of Ecology.

With the feds bowing out, Driscoll’s agency may have to process an additional 50 to 100 permits a year, up from the 12 or so it currently handles. The agency is currently enforcing state wetland standards using a customized administrative order for each permit. Regulators are asking state lawmakers to enact a dedicated permit program that would create a standardized application process.

The agency also is seeking 10 more staffers to process permits, and three more temporary workers to help develop the new program. Once established, the permit program will cost about $2.2 million per year to administer, Driscoll said.

In California, regulators say they’ll also need more funding and staff to enforce state wetlands laws. For waters that are losing federal protection, states such as California will lose access to environmental analyses, expertise and staff capacity from federal partners such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“We are anticipating no longer having support from the [U.S.] Army Corps of Engineers for things we’ve relied on them to do on the technical side” in waters that are no longer protected as waters of the United States, said Karen Mogus, deputy director of the Division of Water Quality within the State Water Resources Control Board. “We have protections in place, we have state authority, but we are certainly seeking additional resources to cover the gap that we have estimated is going to be opened up.”

While the agency’s specific funding request remains confidential, Mogus said, the loss of federal support could delay the issuance of permits. Regulators also might have to set up a state version of a federal pollution discharge program that covers wastewater plants and other industries.

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A few states already have passed laws that are broader than the federal standard, with well-established permit programs to uphold them. In Minnesota, for instance, state officials say their efforts will be largely unaffected by the court decision. But they acknowledge that other states may be hard-pressed to enact protections such as Minnesota’s 1991 Wetland Conservation Act.

“It would be very difficult to even consider doing something like that today,” said Dave Weirens, assistant director for programs and policy with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. “Democrats and Republicans found it easier to find common cause to solve problems than they do today.”

Last year, New York lawmakers passed a measure to expand the wetlands covered by state regulators, in part because of the pending Supreme Court case. Officials with the state Department of Environmental Conservation did not grant an interview about that effort, but supplied a statement saying the expansion would protect an additional 1 million acres of wetlands.

Making investments

Other states are working to put firmer protections on the books. In New Mexico, officials already had been working prior to the ruling to establish a surface water permitting program.

While the state currently has standards to protect wetlands, it’s enforcing them via administrative orders rather than a well-defined program. Agency officials have been coordinating with counterparts in Washington state, which is also using administrative orders, even as both states work toward a more defined program.

“We’d like to get away from boutique permits, these individual one-off permits and standardize this,” said John Rhoderick, director of the Water Protection Division within the state Environment Department. “Each permit is an adventure to say the least.”

Rhoderick said it will take about five years to get the state program fully established, requiring an additional 35 to 40 staff members and $5 million to $6 million per year. He said state lawmakers have been supportive of that effort, and he anticipates they will empower his agency to begin a rulemaking process late next year.

More States Want Power to Approve Wetlands Development

https://stateline.org/2022/05/11/more-states-want-power-to-approve-wetlands-development/embed/#?secret=J9XXl4rZeN#?secret=rvaHPQI8eS

Colorado is among the states without strong wetlands protections. Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, has proposed $600,000 in his budget request as an “initial investment” toward developing a program, spokesperson Katherine Jones said in an email. The governor’s office declined an interview request seeking more details on that proposed program. Developers in the state say they’re monitoring the process, while environmental advocates say they’re working with officials to craft laws that will restore protections for Colorado’s waters.

“We are fully intent, both advocates and the government, to get a program in place that will at a minimum return us to where we were at [with federal oversight],” said Ean Tafoya, Colorado state director with GreenLatinos, an environmental justice organization. “What’s frustrating is that we could have been taking these steps a few years ago.”

While Polis’ budget request may help to kick-start a rulemaking process, Tafoya said, establishing a full regulatory program will cost millions of dollars. While specific bill language hasn’t been released, he said he expects lawmakers to consider legislation that would direct the state Water Quality Control Division to establish standards by a certain date.

Illinois activists also are pushing for legislative action.

“Wetlands are one of the few natural tools we have to filter our nutrient pollution, and they have the capacity to hold water, which helps mitigate flooding,” said Eliot Clay, land use programs director with the Illinois Environmental Council. “They are going to help us get through some of the worst impacts of climate change.”

At present, Clay said, the state’s wetlands protections are vague, and the state Department of Natural Resources is understaffed. But he believes Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker is interested in bolstering the state’s standards, and advocates expect to see a bill in the legislature next year.

Pritzker’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

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Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and Twitter.

Romancing the River: What Am I Talking About? — George Sibley (Sibley’s Rivers) #ColoradoRiver #COriver #aridification

Colorado River “Beginnings”. Photo: Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

Click the link to read the article the Sibley’s Rivers website (George Sibley):

Romancing the River – I am aware, as you are probably aware, that when I title these posts ‘Romancing the River,’ I am talking about the life work of the kinds of people who do not usually think of themselves as ‘romantics,’ or of their water-related work as ‘romancing the river.’

Engineers, lawyers, politicians, managers, career bureaucrats, scientists – they all see themselves as rational beings just doing what must be done to rationalize a random force of nature, to put the river to beneficial use feeding, watering, powering and even entertaining us. That’s ‘romancing the river’? It’s almost an insult to call these serious public servantsromantics, a term which resonates with most people today as not really very serious, just ‘love stories’ – so unserious it’s hardly worth them answering me when I call them romantics (which they don’t); easier for them to just dismiss me as some kind of nut (which they might).

“New plot using the nClimGrid data, which is a better source than PRISM for long-term trends. Of course, the combined reservoir contents increase from last year, but the increase is less than 2011 and looks puny compared to the ‘hole’ in the reservoirs. The blue Loess lines subtly change. Last year those lines ended pointing downwards. This year they end flat-ish. 2023 temps were still above the 20th century average, although close. Another interesting aspect is that the 20C Mean and 21C Mean lines on the individual plots really don’t change much. Finally, the 2023 Natural Flows are almost exactly equal to 2019. (17.678 maf vs 17.672 maf). For all the hoopla about how this was record-setting year, the fact is that this year was significantly less than 2011 (20.159 maf) and no different than 2019” — Brad Udall

So let me try again to explain myself – and why I believe it is neither criticism nor praise to suggest that the army of engineers, lawyers, politicians, career bureaucrats, scientists who have remade the Colorado River have been ‘romancing the river.’ It is a perspective to get up on the table and think about, as we find ourselves at a kind of still point: trying to figure out how to go forward from a century of river development that has ended uncomfortably close to a systemic collapse. It is hard to see 2022-23 as anything other than that, and we’ve only been temporarily reprieved with a wet winter and Biden’s infrastructure bucks giving us time to figure out how to do better for the future.

A stopover during Powell’s second expedition down the Colorado River. Note Powell’s chair at top center boat. Image: USGS

My thinking on this started with the book, mentioned here in posts more than a year ago, by Frederick Dellenbaugh, who came right out and said it in his title: The Romance of the Colorado River. Dellenbaugh, remember, first encountered the Colorado River as seventeen-year-old, in a boat with Major John Wesley Powell, on the scientist’s second trip down the canyons of the river in 1871-2.

Major Powell was better prepared and more experienced on that second trip, and actually able to accomplish some scientific work rather than just trying to survive. But for young Dellenbaugh, it was a big eye-opening experience – life-shaping, really: he spent the rest of his life exploring other unknown parts of the still-wild West, and collecting the stories of other adventurers.

He published The Romance of the Colorado River in 1902, thirty years after his formative trip with Powell – and the year the federal Reclamation Service was created as a branch of the U.S. Geological Survey, within 20 years the organization orchestrating the river’s development.

Dellenbaugh pulled no punches in describing his sense of the river and the challenge it represented. After noting in his introduction that ‘in every country, the great rivers have presented attractive pathways for interior exploration—gateways for settlement,’ serving as ‘friends and allies’ – he launches into his impression of the Colorado River:

THE GRAND CANON, ​​​​​​​LOOKING EAST FROM TO-RO-WEAP From “Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries” By J. W . Powell, 1875

‘By contrast, it is all the more remarkable to meet with one great river which is none of these helpful things, but which, on the contrary, is a veritable dragon, loud in its dangerous lair, defiant, fierce, opposing utility everywhere, refusing absolutely to be bridled by Commerce, perpetuating a wilderness, prohibiting mankind’s encroachments, and in its immediate tide presenting a formidable host of snarling waters whose angry roar, reverberating wildly league after league between giant rock-walls carved through the bowels of the earth, heralds the impossibility of human conquest and smothers hope.’

There’s Dellenbaugh’s ‘romance of the river’ – an adventure story of rising to meet a challenge, a call to action to overcome obstacles. A veritable dragon refusing to be bridled? Impossible? Prohibiting encroachment? Smothering hope? We would see about that!

And while it’s not a conventional love story, passion is involved, the kind that can turn on a dime between love and hate. We loved the presence of water in a dry land – but the water was fickle at best, destructive at worst. Every farmer trying to irrigate from its two-month flood that turned into a trickle when they most needed it knew that love-hate relationship; it became the century-long (thus far) story of a strong and ornery people testing some new-found technological strength through picking a fight with a strong and ornery protagonist: we would teach the river to stand in and push rather than cutting and running.

Dellenbaugh was not the only one turning it into a romantic adventure. When the Colorado River Compact had been hammered out in 1922, the Commission Chair and Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover announced that ‘the foundation has been laid for a great American conquest.’  In a 1946 report cataloging all the possible developments for the Colorado river’s upper tributaries, the Bureau of Reclamation carried forward Dellenbaugh’s assessment in its subtitle: ‘A Natural Menace Becomes a National Resource.’ These were the official public perceptions guiding our relationship with the Colorado River.

For three-quarters of the century that followed publication of Dellenbaugh’s Romance, America embraced that romantic challenge, answering the call to conquest, taking on those obstacles, not just individually but as a national project, a big last step in the ‘Winning of the West.’ And fueled by the power unleashed by buried carbon fuels, we were ready for the fight; it was the Early Anthropocene, and it was our planet to reform.

Graphic via Holly McClelland/High Country News.

Remarkable things were done to the river as a result. The ‘veritable dragon’ has been broken and bridled for commerce and ‘utility everywhere.’ Its breaking and taming for commerce and utility is so massive that it practically requires the satellite view to take it in – the vast new ‘desert delta’ where the waters of the former desert river are spread from Phoenix and Tucson on the east, around through large squared-off green agricultural developments spotted with towns and cities, through the Imperial and Coachella valleys to Los Angeles and San Diego on the west…. And that’s just downriver; upriver are the tunnels through the mountains, taking water from the headwaters into the Platte, Arkansas, Rio Grande Basins, and into the Great Basin itself – how long will it be before Anthropocene math calculates that there might be enough water left in the Green River to move some through the Central Utah Project workings to help recharge the Not-So-Great Salt Lake?

For me, the ‘utility’ that cements the idea that this has been a big romantic adventure is the way we have kept significant reaches of river ‘wild’ enough for industries replicating Dellenbaugh’s formative adventure. Slipping onto the tongue and into the thrashing maw of Lava Falls, it is still easy to imagine a ‘veritable dragon,’ and millions of people from all over the planet come out of the Grand Canyon having relived Dellenbaugh’s romantic adventure.

But at the same time…. We also have to face some things that are less to be celebrated. Which brings me to Mary Austin again, another writer of the southwestern deserts mentioned here before, and her skeptical observation on Arizona’s ‘fabled Hassayampa,’ an intermittent tributary of the Gila River west of Phoenix, ‘of whose waters, if any drink, they can no more see fact as naked fact, but all radiant with the color of romance.’ Phoenicians have been drinking from the Hassayampa for a century now, wrapped up in the romance of the happy golden years in green and sunny places – and the underlying standard American romance of great wealth to be harvested fulfilling such romantic dreams.

But the ‘naked facts’ don’t go away just because we don’t want to see them, and there’s a kind of cosmic irony in the fact that, right where the Hassayampa flows into the Gila (when it’s actually flowing), two big developments, Buckeye and Teravalis, have been shut down at least temporarily on further development because they can’t present evidence of a hundred-year water supply. (See this post last spring.) 

The mayor of Buckeye, Eric Orsborn, who also owns a construction business, is not discouraged by this. ‘My view is that we’re still full steam ahead,’ he said in an article in The Guardian. ‘We don’t have to have all that water solved today…. What we need to figure out is what’s that next crazy idea out there’ for bringing in a new water supply. An idea under consideration currently is a desalinization plant down in Mexico on the Gulf of California, and a pipeline to bring the desalted water a couple hundred miles uphill to central Arizona. Crazy, and very expensive – but we’ve been saying in Colorado for decades now, as though it were a mother truth, ‘Water flows uphill toward money.’

But other naked facts have also been dimming the radiance of the Anthropocene conquest of the Colorado River. Water users have been coping for half a century with water quality issues stemming from using water over and over to irrigate alkaline soils. We also didn’t really know – and some states continue to refuse to acknowledge – how much water would be lost to evaporation from big reservoirs, hundreds of miles of open and unlined canals, and flood or furrow irrigation on subtropical desert lands. About a sixth of the river is vaporized annually.

The basic explanation for why CO2 and other greenhouse gases warm the planet is so simple and has been known science for more than a century. Our atmosphere is transparent to visible light — the rainbow of colors from red to violet that make up natural sunlight. When the sun shines, its light passes right through the atmosphere to warm the Earth. The warm Earth then radiates some of its energy back upward in the form of infrared radiation — the “color” of light that lies just beyond red that our eyes can’t see (unless we’re wearing infrared-sensitive night-vision goggles). If all of that infrared radiation escaped back into space, the Earth would be frozen solid. However, naturally occurring greenhouse gas molecules, including not just CO2 but also methane and water vapor, intercept some of it — re-emitting the infrared radiation in all directions, including back to Earth. That keeps us warm. When we add extra greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, though, we increase the atmosphere’s heat-trapping capacity. Less heat escapes to space, more returns to Earth, and the planet warms.

But the biggest, most unforeseen collateral fact diminishing our conquest of the river is the turbulence we’ve wrought in the climate – increasingly an unignorable ‘naked fact.’ All the heavy technology and concrete we’ve invested in controlling the river, as well as all the technology of daily living that depends on burning carbon fuels, not to mention the methane from livestock and human waste – all our gaseous carbon emissions have increased the heat-holding capacity of the atmosphere, which in turn increases the heat energy driving our weather systems. We’ve seen this just this past year: how that changing balance can result in ‘atmospheric rivers’ of vapor forming over the ocean and dumping huge snowpacks when it condenses over the mountains – but then being back on the ‘abnormally dry’ edge of drought within a few months of the day-to-day water-sucking aridification that is the shape of the future.

So we Anthropocenes have conquered the river, bridled the dragon – but as we saw in the previous post here, we lost a full third of the river as the collateral consequences, unforeseen or just ignored, of the conquest. And all responsible prognosticators project that we will lose maybe another sixth of the river by mid-century to our drying out of the planet.

There are a number of ways to look at this. One would be to say, like Eric Orsborn, okay, there have been setbacks, but we can’t stop now; we need to finish the job. And he is far from the only Phoenician saying that. The state has a governor now and a Water Resources Department who know when it’s time to call a halt, but the state also has a Water Infrastructure Finance Authority charged with creating new water supplies for the state. The Mexican desal plant and megamile pipeline is just one idea in WIFA’s portfolio of possibilities; the old unkillable idea of bringing water over from the Missouri or Mississippi Rivers is still on their list.

‘Those are big, audacious ideas, but I don’t think any are off the table,’ WIFA director Chuck Podolak told The Guardian. ‘We’re going to seek the wild ideas and fund the good ones.’ The romance of conquest throbs on; Hoover Dam was a wild idea a century ago, so why stop now?

A water policy analyst at Arizona State University, Kathryn Sorensen, toldThe Guardian that ‘the degree of [Buckeye’s] success will depend on the degree to which people are willing to pay for those more expensive solutions. But it’s absolutely feasible. We pave over rivers, we build sea walls, we drain swamps, we destroy wetlands, we import water supplies where they never would have otherwise gone. Humans always do outlandish things, it’s what we do.”

There is diminishing enthusiasm today, however, for the romance of conquest; dwellers in the megacities are increasingly reluctant to embrace higher water bills in order to finance more growth, more people, more traffic, longer lines everywhere – San Diego is an example today. The same is true for urban/suburban water conservation; there is a romantic appeal to helping one’s city by conserving in an emergency situation, a drought period or a maintenance shutdown; but conservation-in-perpetuity just to make more water available for growth lacks that romantic appeal.

For many of us, the ‘romance of the river’ has probably shifted 180 degrees over the past half century to a belated appreciation for the ‘natural river’: the Colorado River that once flowed to the ocean in a two-month flood and watered a beautiful wild delta, the river that would flow through a resurrected Glen Canyon if the dam were taken down, et cetera. This eco-rec perspective nurtures the belief that the world would be a better place if we would ‘just stop digging’ and leave it to nature to heal itself from our efforts. This idea has the ‘radiant color of romance’ for many of us, but it also has its underlying naked facts – not least of which are nature’s extreme remedies for a swarming species overpopulating its resource base.

I tend to think, myself, that, yes, we can’t stop now with our tinkering and meddling; we are all too deeply into this love-hate relationship with nature. Just as we will continue to thwart nature with vaccines against its leveling pandemics, we will continue to try to keep passable water in the pipes and faucets, on the fields, and in the recreational reaches for an ever-growing population because that is who we are; it’s what we do.

For many of us, the ‘romance of the river’ has probably shifted 180 degrees over the past half century to a belated appreciation for the ‘natural river’: the Colorado River that once flowed to the ocean in a two-month flood and watered a beautiful wild delta, the river that would flow through a resurrected Glen Canyon if the dam were taken down, et cetera. This eco-rec perspective nurtures the belief that the world would be a better place if we would ‘just stop digging’ and leave it to nature to heal itself from our efforts. This idea has the ‘radiant color of romance’ for many of us, but it also has its underlying naked facts – not least of which are nature’s extreme remedies for a swarming species overpopulating its resource base.

I tend to think, myself, that, yes, we can’t stop now with our tinkering and meddling; we are all too deeply into this love-hate relationship with nature. Just as we will continue to thwart nature with vaccines against its leveling pandemics, we will continue to try to keep passable water in the pipes and faucets, on the fields, and in the recreational reaches for an ever-growing population because that is who we are; it’s what we do.

Map credit: AGU

#Drought news December 7, 2023: Higher elevations in the Tetons and Wind River ranges in N.W. #Wyoming, the Wasatch Range in N. #Utah, and the #Colorado Rockies all received significant snowfall accumulations that helped to boost #snowpack levels

Click on a thumbnail graphic to view a gallery of drought data from the US Drought Monitor website.

US Drought Monitor map December 5, 2023.
High Plains Drought Monitor map December 5, 2023.
West Drought Monitor map December 5, 2023.
Colorado Drought Monitor map December 5, 2023.

Click the link to go to the US Drought Monitor website. Here’s an excerpt:

This Week’s Drought Summary

This U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) week saw continued improvements on the map in drought-affected areas of the South, Southeast, and Pacific Northwest. In the South and Southeast, heavy rains over the weekend impacted areas of the Mid-South, and Gulf Coast states with isolated locations in southern Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle receiving up to 7-inch accumulations. In the Pacific Northwest, a series of atmospheric rivers delivered heavy rainfall to western Oregon and Washington as well as significant mountain snow to the higher elevations of the Olympic Peninsula, Cascade Range, and the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. Some of the highest precipitation accumulations (8-15+ inches liquid) were observed in the Olympic Mountains, Cascades of southwestern Washington, and in the coastal ranges of west-central Oregon. Further inland, higher elevations in central Idaho and northwestern Montana ranges, Northern Great Basin ranges, the Tetons and Wind River ranges in northwestern Wyoming, the Wasatch Range in northern Utah, and the Colorado Rockies all received significant snowfall accumulations that helped to boost snowpack levels closer to normal to above normal levels. Likewise, high-elevation snows were observed in the mountains of the Southwest including along the Mogollon Rim and Chuska Mountains of Arizona as well as in the Nacimiento and Sangre de Cristo ranges of New Mexico. In California, snowpack conditions continue to lag normal levels with the statewide snow water equivalent (SWE) at 29% of normal (12/5). According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) SNOTEL network (12/5), region-wide (2-digit HUCs) percent of median snow water equivalent (SWE) levels were as follows: Pacific Northwest 73%, Souris-Red-Rainy 70%, Missouri 73%, California 73%, Great Basin 102%, Upper Colorado 86%, Lower Colorado 78%, Rio Grande 65%, and Arkansas-White-Red 64%. In areas of the Midwest, Great Lakes, and northern New England, light-to-moderate snowfall accumulations (ranging from 1 to 12+ inches) were observed during the past week with the highest totals (12+ inches) reported in areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. In areas of the Hawaiian Islands, locally heavy showers and flash flooding were observed last week in association with a Kona Low system that helped to ease drought conditions across the island chain…

High Plains

On this week’s map, some widespread one-category improvements were made across southeastern Kansas in response to precipitation during the past 30-60 days. According to the USGS, streamflow levels in the southeastern and east-central part of the state are normal to above normal. Conversely, numerous stream gauges are reporting much below-normal flows (< 10th percentile) in the central part of the state. In the Dakotas, conditions on the map remained status quo. In terms of snowpack conditions, the NWS NOHRSC reports the Upper Midwest Region (which includes the Dakotas, eastern Montana, and northeastern Wyoming) is currently 4.8% covered by snow with a maximum depth of 10 inches. Average temperatures for the week were generally above normal (2 to 10+ degrees F) with the greatest departures observed in the Dakotas. Today (12/5), high temperatures in North Dakota are expected to reach near 60 degrees F…

Colorado Drought Monitor one week change map ending December 5, 2023.

West

On the map, improvements were made across areas of the Southwest and Pacific Northwest including New Mexico, Oregon, and Montana. In northern New Mexico, areas of Extreme Drought (D3) were reduced in response to recent precipitation (past 14-day period) including high-elevation snowfall in the Nacimiento and Sangre de Cristo ranges. According to the NRCS SNOTEL network (12/5), sub-basin (8-digit HUCs) percent of median SWE levels were above normal in several New Mexico sub-basins including: Rio Grande-Santa Fe 116%, Jemez 170%, Chaco 161%, Rio Puerco 212%, and Upper Gila 192%. In the Pacific Northwest, an extended atmospheric river event delivered much-needed precipitation to the region including heavy rains and high elevation snowfall in western portions of Oregon and Washington as well as in the far northwestern corner of California, leading to one-category improvements on the map. According to the USGS, streamflow levels across western Washington and Oregon are ranging from normal (southern Oregon) to well above normal (northwestern Oregon and western Washington). The highest flows, including areas with severe flooding (i.e., Skagit and Snohomish rivers), were observed in western Washington. For the week, average temperatures across the region were generally above normal (2 to 8 degrees C) with the greatest positive departures observed in central portions of Oregon and Idaho and across the eastern two-thirds of Montana…

South

In the South, locally very heavy rainfall (up to 9 inches) was observed along the Gulf Coast regions of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi leading to one-category improvements in areas experiencing severe drought conditions. In Texas, areas of Extreme Drought (D3) expanded on the Edwards Plateau and South Central due to a combination of factors including long-term precipitation deficits and poor hydrologic conditions (streamflows, groundwater, and reservoir storage). Statewide reservoir conditions in Texas were at 68% full (12/6), with some poor conditions being reported including in the San Angelo area reservoirs which were at 22.9% full, according to Water Data for Texas. In northeastern Oklahoma, recent precipitation events led to some minor improvements in areas of Moderate Drought (D1) and Severe Drought (D2) while areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) were added in the Panhandle region. According to the Oklahoma Mesonet (12/5), the Panhandle region has gone 64 consecutive days with less than 0.25 inches of rainfall. In Tennessee, reductions in areas of Severe Drought (D2) and Extreme Drought (D3) were made on the map in response to precipitation during the past 14-day period. However, 4-to-8-inch precipitation deficits (60-day period) remain across the state as well as areas with poor surface water conditions…

Looking Ahead

The NWS Weather Prediction Center (WPC) 7-Day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF) calls for moderate-to-heavy precipitation accumulations ranging from 2 to 5+ inches (liquid) across western portions of Washington and Oregon as well as northwestern California, while 1 to 2+ inch accumulations (liquid) are expected in areas of eastern Washington and Oregon, Idaho Panhandle, and northwestern Montana. In the Intermountain West, accumulations around an inch are expected in areas of the northern Great Basin, and the Rockies (central and northern). In the eastern tier of the conterminous U.S., accumulations of 1 to 4 inches are expected with the heaviest totals anticipated in western North Carolina. The NWS Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 6-10 Day Outlooks call for a moderate-to-high probability of above-normal temperatures across California, Arizona, Nevada, southern Oregon as well as in the northern Plains, New England, and south Florida. Conversely, temperatures are expected to be below normal across most of the Gulf Coast region, Texas, and eastern New Mexico. In terms of precipitation, below-normal precipitation is expected across most of the conterminous U.S. except for areas of Texas, Florida, and upper New England.

US Drought Monitor one week change map ending December 5, 2023.

Tri-State Generation &Transmission’s plans for its #coal plants — Allen Best (@BigPivots) #ActOnClimate #KeepItInTheGround

Craig Station. Photo credit: Allen Best/Big Pivots

Click the link to read the article on the Big Pivots website (Allen Best):

December 1, 2023

Wholesale power provider for 42 electrical cooperatives hopes for federal help as it pivots from coal-heavy portfolio during the next few years.

In planning for the years 2026-2031, Tri-State Generation and Transmission wants to hasten its exits from two coal plants and add a ton of new wind and solar generation plus battery storage. This is to supplemented by new electrical production from natural gas.

The electric resource plan is to be filed with the Colorado Public Utilities by 5 p.m. [December 1, 2023]. However, these details were obtained by Big Pivots from a memorandum sent to members of the Colorado Solar and Storage Association. Important details were confirmed by other stakeholders.

Two accelerated coal plant retirements will be identified in the PUC filing. At Craig, in northwest Colorado, the utility proposes to advance the retirement of its last coal-burning unit to no later or earlier than Jan. 1, 2028, two years earlier than is currently the plan.

The proposal also calls for retirement of Springerville Unit 3, a 400-megawatt coal-burning unit in Arizona. Tri-State had not previously announced plans for retiring the plant, in which it holds a 51% interest, according to a September 2023 Securities and Administration filing. The proposal calls for a retirement no later than Sept. 15, 2031, but leaves the door open for a sooner date.

Tri-State does not see getting out of fossil fuels. It will retain an interest in a coal plant near Wheatland, Wyo., called Laramie River Station.

It also proposes to augment its existing natural-gas-burning fleet with a combined-cycle gas plant. That plant could also be coupled with carbon capture and sequestration technology. Tri-State has 8 member cooperatives in Wyoming in addition to 18 in Colorado, with others in New Mexico and Nebraska. Tri-State has significant transmission across the four-state region.

Not least, Tri-State proposes to add 1,240 megawatts of new renewable generation plus 210 megawatts of energy storage in four installations.

Many of these ambitions depend almost entirely upon federal funding to buy down debt on assets stranded as the United States tries to dampen its greenhouse gas emissions. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 allocated $9.7 billion for a national program called New ERA (Empowering Rural Communities).

In September, Jeff Wadsworth, chief executive of Poudre Valley Electric, one of the largest of Tri-State’s 42 member cooperatives, told Big Pivots that the New ERA was the “single biggest investment for electric cooperatives since the New Deal.” The law creating the Rural Electrification Administration was passed by Congress in 1936, providing federal aid for extension of electrical lines to rural areas.

As the IRA was being crafted in 2022, Tri-State representatives lobbied Congress and the Biden administration hard to carve out funds for the energy transition in rural communities.

Tri-State has filed a letter of interest in applying for $970 million in federal funds. Whether it will get full funding is uncertain. In its SEC filing Tri-State reported overall long-term debt of $2.9 billion.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, or NRECA, in September pointed out that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal agency responsible for administering the program, had received 157 letters of interest from electric co-ops for 750 projects. The money is to be divided between small- and medium-sized cooperatives as well as Tri-State and other large cooperatives.

The federal agency has not set a timeline for a decision on federal funding, but stakeholders in the Tri-State process at the PUC expect a decision from commissioners by early summer. This presumed a decision by federal funding by mid-spring.

In a memo sent to some members of the Colorado Solar and Storage Association on Tuesday, the organization’s president, Mike Kruger, and general counsel, Ellen Howard Kutzer, said they believe it is best to support Tri-State in its quest for federal aid.

“We continue to believe it is better for the Colorado energy market to have a solvent and functioning Tri-State making an energy transition,” they said.

COSSA and several other key groups involved in the proceeding at the PUC agree to a stipulation that expresses their broad support while reserving the right to push back on elements that aren’t part of the plan that presumes federal money through the New ERA program. Other signatories include Western Resource Advocates, the Sierra Club, and the Colorado Energy Office as well as two of Tri-State member cooperatives. At least two other groups declined.

The Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate, the state agency with the mission of speaking on behalf of consumers, also supported the narrow agreement.

“We are supportive of the broad concept that Tri-State has laid out in their electric resource plan, although we think there is a lot of work to do,” said Joseph Pereria, deputy director of the agency. “There are a lot of unknowns, but a good process has been started.”

Tri-State’s insistence that it needs more natural gas backup for its major expansion into renewables is likely to be a major source of disagreement going forward. Xcel Energy and Platte River Power Authority are making the same argument as they prepare for a life of making electricity without coal.

Another major discussion will likely be about what constitutes just transition for Craig as it closes its coal-burning units. In adopting its goals for dramatic decarbonization in 2019, Colorado legislators also created an Office of Just Transition. The mission as summarized by the agency is to help “workers transition to new, high-quality jobs, to help communities continue to thrive by expanding and attracting diverse businesses, and to replace lost revenues.”

What this means in practice, though, is unclear. In the case of Pueblo, Xcel Energy has agreed to pay property taxes for 10 years after the last of the three coal-burning units at the Comanche Generating Station closes by 2031. As part of that process, Xcel will be conducting what is called a just transition electric resource plan. Xcel will see what kind of assets needed for its business can be located in Pueblo to replace the lost tax base and jobs.

Northwest Colorado communities need the same level of consideration and assistance, said Pereira.

Pueblo has started the conversation. “Craig and Moffat County are in a different part of the state, with different needs and concerns,” he said. “So it’s important that we listen to those communities and that we think big about how we can help them plan for a future without coal.”

Wade Buchanan, director of the Office of Just Transition, said only that it’s useful to have certainty when planning for retirements of coal plants and mines.

Panel recommends #Wyoming spend $37.5M on six energy projects — @WyoFile #ActOnClimate

The University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources, and its partners, are advancing multiple CO2 capture and sequestration demonstration projects at Basin Electric’s Dry Fork Station north of Gillette, seen here on Sept. 2, 2022. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile)

Click the link to read the article on the WyoFile website (Dustin Bleizeffer):

State seeks public comment on proposals submitted by Black Hills Energy, natural gas pipeline giant Williams Companies and others.

The Wyoming Energy Authority has recommended Gov. Mark Gordon award a combined $37.5 million to support six energy projects, including coal-to-hydrogen and carbon capture proposals.

To pay for the initiatives, Gordon would tap a $150 million pot of Wyoming taxpayer money that the Legislature established in 2022 and set aside for the governor to spend at his discretion. The Wyoming Energy Authority, which screens proposals for the Energy Matching Funds program, is accepting public comment on the projects through Sunday. 

The agency is looking for both technical input and comments regarding the merits of each project, according to spokesperson Honora Kerr. None of the six recommended applications include renewable energy proposals that don’t involve fossil fuels. 

Summaries of the six projects can be viewed at the Wyoming Energy Authority’s website, and comments can be submitted to wea@wyo.gov.

Wyoming utility Black Hills Energy and natural gas pipeline giant Williams Companies are among the six private firms to potentially receive state matching funds. The state’s $37.5 million investment would leverage a total $120 million in federal and private funding, according to the Wyoming Energy Authority.

This map depicts the location of the proposed Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub. (Bureau of Land Management)

Gordon approved Energy Matching Funds appropriations for two other energy projectsearlier this year: $9.1 million for the Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub in southwest Wyoming, and $10 million for a “nuclear microreactor” effort to assess the manufacture and deployment of small-scale nuclear reactors in the state and beyond.

The aim of the Energy Matching Funds program is to give Wyoming-based clean- and low-carbon energy projects a competitive edge by providing matching funds needed to land federal dollars available via the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act, according to the energy authority.

Recommended projects

The Wyoming Energy Authority compiles and updates questions and answers about project proposals to this spreadsheet. Here’s a brief description of each of the six energy projects.

° Black Hills Energy and Wyodak Resources Development Corporation’s “BrightLoop – CCS Demonstration Plant: Converting Wyoming PRB Coal to Hydrogen“; $15,995,451 in two phases of funding.

° Cowboy Clean Fuels, LLC’s “Triangle Unit Carbon Capture and Storage Project“: $7,792,653. 

° Flowstate Solutions’ “CO2 and Hydrogen Pipeline Safety: AI-Driven Leak Detection“: $2,000,000. 

° Membrane Technology and Research, Inc.’s partnership with the Department of Energy for carbon capture and storage efforts at Basin Electric’s Dry Fork Station: $8,000,000. 

° The University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources “Integration of Produced Water Thermal Desalination and Steam Methane Reforming for Efficient Hydrogen Production“: $2,750,000. 

° Williams Companies, Inc.’s “Echo Springs CarbonSAFE Storage Complex Feasibility Study“: $975,000.

President Biden puts a plug in oil and gas flatulence: @EPA finally finalizes meaningful #methane rules — Jonathan P. Thompson (@Land_Desk) #ActOnClimate #KeepItInTheGround

Interested in methane and other greenhouse gas emissions near you? Check out http://climatetrace.org, which allows you to see emissions from oil and gas fields, large individual facilities, and more. You can also break it down by industry.

Click the link to read the article on The Land Desk website (Jonathan P. Thompson):

A bunch of world leaders, a handful of activists and oodles of fossil fuel lobbyists are convened in the United Arab Emirates for the annual United Nations climate conference, or COP28. They’re doing a lot of talking about climate, but are they doing any doing to solve the climate crisis? Not a lot, but they did do some talking about doing. 

The Biden administration used the occasion to announce that it has finalized a rule aimed at slashing emissions of methane and other harmful pollutants from new and existing oil and gas wells, including low-producing or stripper wells. While it’s not the fossil fuel phaseout advocates may be hoping for, it is meaningful action that will protect the climate and the people who live in and near the nation’s oil and gas fields. 

Methane is the main ingredient in natural gas and is a potent greenhouse gas, having about 86 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over the near-term (methane in the atmosphere breaks down into carbon dioxide and water over the long-term). Methane naturally occurs in coal seams and in oil and gas reservoirs. Oil wells also contain methane and other “associated gases” that can include health-harming volatile organic compounds and deadly hydrogen sulfide.

Sometimes the methane is captured, processed, and marketed as natural gas. But the entire system is prone to leakage, some of it intentional, most not. And when the driller is focused on oil, the methane and other gases are often vented directly into the air or flared, i.e. burned off. Either way, the oil and gas industry emits gobs of methane and other compounds, including nasty carcinogens like benzene. This is not only bad for the environment, but also wasteful: Natural gas lost to leaks or flaring is not taxed and generates no royalties, meaning the state and federal governments — i.e. the taxpayers — are losing out on millions of dollars each year. 

The Obama administration and then the Biden administration worked for years on regulations to tackle these emissions, but previous proposals have often come up short. Obama’s EPA, for example, implemented rules that would only cover new oil and gas wells, leaving the tens of thousands of wells contributing to the Four Corners Methane Hot Spot, for example, untouched (the BLM had its own set of rules for existing facilities). Earlier iterations also weren’t strong enough on flaring, didn’t regulate pneumatic controllers (a major emissions source) and exempted the low-producing wells that are common in the Western U.S. and that tend to be leakier than the big producers. 

The new rules, while providing some flexibility for operators, fill in most of the gaps in earlier drafts. They will phase out flaring on new wells; require leak-detection surveys on a monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly basis (depending on type and size of facility); and require even low-producing wells to pipe associated gases to market or use them to replace other fuels onsite if at all possible. The rules also allow the EPA to “leverage data collected by certified third parties to identify and address ‘super emitting’ sources.” 

Land and public health protectors generally have praised the new rule. “The U.S. EPA has taken bold action to cut methane pollution from oil and gas production,” said Robyn Jackson, Executive Director of Diné C.A.R.E., in a written statement. “Inspections at smaller wells with leaky equipment are especially important at the older infrastructure we see in Navajo Country.” Jackson emphasized that it is now up to the Navajo Nation EPA — and other tribal nations and state governments — to implement the rules for existing sources, adding: “Both federal and tribal government action is critical to protect our communities, our health, and our future.”

For more on this topic, check out our four-part series, Methane Madness, from 2021:

Methane Madness: Part I

Methane producers in Southwest Colorado (a coalbed methane well and cattle). Jonathan P. Thompson photo.

Methane, it’s all the rage these days. Or maybe it would be better to say that it’s the outrage, since that’s what this greenhouse gas, consisting of one part carbon and four parts hydrogen, is causing. The alarm and outrage have surged in the wake o…

Read full story

 Data Dump #

Some folks will read the news about the methane rule and whatnot and get all upset about Biden waging a war on American energy production and compromising our energy independence and putting a bunch of roughnecks out of work. The data say: Not quite, buddy. 

In fact, U.S. crude oil production hit a new all-time daily record high in September of this year and is on pace to set a new annual record, as well. That is to say, the hundreds of thousands of wells that pockmark the nation will suck nearly a billion more barrels of oil from the earth this year than they did during the energy crises of the 1970s and 80s. Ack!

Credit: Jonathan P. Thompson/The Land Desk

Most of the gains are due to a drilling frenzy in the Permian Basin, which stretches across southeastern New Mexico and western Texas. It’s one of the most productive fields in the world; it’s also one of the planet’s largest methane emitters.

  • 1.36 million: Tons of methane emitted from the New Mexico side of the Permian Basin oil and gas fields in 2022. 
  • 3.38 million: Tons of methane emitted from the Texas side of the Permian Basin oil and gas fields in 2022.
  • 133: Tons of methane emitted by the HollyFrontier Navajo Refinery in southeastern New Mexico in 2022. 
  • 35,951: Tons of methane emitted from the Colorado side of the San Juan Basin coalbed methane fields in 2022. 
  • 19,010: Tons of methane emitted from the now defunct San Juan Coal Mine in northwestern New Mexico in 2022. 
Credit: Jonathan P. Thompson/The Land Desk

And when you hear about how the new methane rules are going to hit oil and gas operators in the pocketbook, just keep this one number in mind:

$26.33 billion: Third quarter 2023 combined profits for the Permian Basin’s ten largest operators: Pioneer, EOG, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Occidental, Diamondback, Devon, Chevron, Mewbourne, and Endeavor. Yes, that’s for just one quarter!

This isn’t happening because of Biden, necessarily, but it’s also not happening in spite of his administration’s policies. Indeed, Biden is walking a fine line on oil and gas, approving big projects like Willow up in Alaska and approving thousands of drilling permits on public lands, while also implementing new regulations, establishing national monuments, and withdrawing millions of acres of federal lands from future oil and gas leasing.

Biden is approving public land drilling permits at about the same rate as Obama did during the height of the drilling boom. Note: The high numbers in fiscal year 2021 are mostly attributable to the Trump administration, which issued thousands of permits in the months before Biden was inaugurated. So even though more permits were issued in 2023 than in 2022, Biden’s approval pace is still slower than Trump’s was in his final two years in office. Source: BLM; graphic by Land Desk.

Parting Shot

Photo credit: Jonathan P. Thompson/The Land Desk

Multi-group collaboration spawns better fishing in #Colorado — American Water Works Association #FraserRiver #ColoradoRiver #COriver #aridification

Fraser River fishing. Photo credit: Denver Water

Click the link to read the release on the AWWA website:

A collaborative agreement among several water partners will increase flows and improve the health of stretches of the Fraser River in Grand County, Colorado, popular for recreational activities. 

Several years of discussion and analysis led to the agreement, which stipulates that Colorado Water Trust, a nonprofit organization, will pay Grand County Irrigated Land Company (GCILC) to release water from the Meadow Creek Reservoir to increase flows in a section of the Upper Fraser River. This 10-mile stretch, between the cities of Winter Park and Tabernash, is a popular spot for fly fishing and an area where brown trout spawn in the fall.

The water released from the reservoir will go to Denver Water’s Moffat Collection System. In exchange, Denver Water will divert about five cubic feet per second less water from the Jim Creek collection point. The Coca-Cola Company and Swire Coca-Cola (Coca-Cola’s distributor in the western United States) are funding the transaction.

The agreement is for one year, but all parties involved hope to extend the agreement as part of a long-term solution to increase Fraser River flows.

“Historically, the Upper Fraser River near Winter Park has seen low flows, particularly in August and September when resident trout are starting their fall spawning migration,” said Tony LaGreca, project manager for the Colorado Water Trust, in a press release. Since 2001, the nonprofit has restored nearly 21 billion gallons of water to 600 miles of Colorado’s rivers and streams by developing and implementing voluntary, water sharing agreements.  

“Boosting flows at this time can help those fish have successful spawning runs and keep this valuable recreational fishery healthy,” LaGreca said. “We are fortunate to have an excellent partner in GCILC and we look forward to working with them long into the future to keep the Fraser River flowing strong.”

GCLIC, located in Granby, Colorado, operates an irrigation ditch that transports water to shareholders and leasing properties.

“By partnering with the Water Trust, GCILC hopes the releases of water from Meadow Creek Reservoir will, in a small way, help to mitigate the impacts to the watershed from the trans-mountain diversions, and be consistent with the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement,” said Mike Holmes, president of GCILC.

“Water in Colorado is complex, and this project has a lot of different entities involved to make sure Denver Water is kept whole in terms of water,” said Nathan Elder, manager of water supply at Denver Water. “Denver Water has the infrastructure to make it happen, Grand County Irrigators brought the water and Colorado Water Trust brought the money. All those made it work together.”

Colorado River Basin in Colorado via the Colorado Geological Survey

#Mancos Conservation District to receive $2.48 million federal grant — The #Cortez Journal #MancosRiver #SanJuanRiver #ColoradoRiver #aridification

Thanks to a federal grant through the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Mancos Conservation District will build three permanent diversion structures on the Mancos River that will better facilitate irrigation and fish passage. The improved structures, seen here, are tiered so that fish can still swim upstream. (Courtesy of the Mancos Conservation District)

Click the link to read the article on The Cortez Journal website (Reuben M. Schafir). Here’s an excerpt:

The grant, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is a ‘game-changer’ for the small district.

The funding will be used for infrastructure improvements, such as permanent diversion and water monitoring structures, and 650 acres of wildfire mitigation in the Mancos River watershed…

“We’re so grateful and thankful for this opportunity,” said MCD Executive Director Gretchen Rank. “We are really looking forward to working with our team at the Bureau of Reclamation and our private landowners here.”

The Mancos River headwaters meet north of its namesake community, pass east of Mesa Verde before cutting southwest and ultimately converging with the San Juan River.

The grant will fund the conservation district’s work to benefit irrigators, as well as the ecosystem. The MCD will build three permanent diversion structures, replacing the push-up dams currently in place. The existing dams are made of stream bed material and are washed away regularly and tend to block fish passage. Instead, the push-up dams will be replaced by permanent tiered structures that create a consistent flow of water for irrigators and allow fish to pass…The project is part of an ongoing effort to enhance fish passage in the Mancos River. In addition to the three diversion installations, 10 existing diversion points will be upgraded with advanced metering technology…There are over 50 irrigation ditches in the Mancos River watershed, Wolcott said. Federal funding will also support wildfire mitigation work on 650 acres of forested private land and riparian zone invasive plant removal.

San Juan River Basin. Graphic credit Wikipedia.

#Snowpack news December 6, 2023: Significant precipitation over the weekend brought most of our SNOTEL stations much closer to the median for this time of year — @Northern_Water

Credit: Northern Water

The total snow water equivalent at the Upper Colorado sites is on average 89% of median and the South Platte sites are at 87% of median.

What They’re Saying Following Release of #Colorado’s #Climate Preparedness Roadmap

Click the link to read the release on Governor Polis’ website:

December 1, 2023:

Today, the Polis administration released the first on-its-kind Climate Preparedness Roadmap that identifies ways Colorado can better understand, prepare for, and adapt to the impacts of climate change, and outlines actions the administration will take to protect Colorado’s future. The report looks at risks facing Colorado specifically and how the impacts of climate change will affect the future of the state. 

Here is what leaders, experts, and organizations are saying about Colorado’s action to better prepare for the future impacts of climate change:  

“The completion of Colorado’s first-ever climate adaptation-focused roadmap by the Office of Climate Preparedness and Disaster Recovery is a huge milestone, underscoring the state’s proactive stance in preparing for and addressing our climate challenges. This vital work not only signifies a commitment to resilience but also exemplifies Colorado’s leadership in taking tangible steps towards an adapted, sustainable and climate-ready future,” said Ben Livneh, Associate Professor, CU Boulder and Director, Western Water Assessment, a NOAA CAP/RISA Team. 

“We know that climate change is impacting Coloradans and the state’s rich wildlife resources in substantial ways.  The Climate Preparedness Roadmap is an important step in approaching these impacts proactively to ensure a future where people and nature thrive,” said Carlos Fernandez, Colorado State Director, The Nature Conservancy.

“It’s exciting to see the Polis administration building on its efforts to combat the impacts of climate change. The Climate Preparedness Roadmap does an excellent job identifying and prioritizing the most impactful actions that must be implemented in the future if we are to ensure that the most vulnerable communities are not subject to further environmental injustices,” said Luke Schafer, West Slope Director, Conservation Colorado. “While efforts to reduce emissions are critical, we must strive to have a more equitable Colorado and this means creating resilient systems that help communities across the state alongside the lands, waters and wildlife that make our state unique and beloved.”

Jeri Curry, Executive Director of Marshall ROC-Restoring Our Community, the Marshall Fire long term recovery group said “We are encouraged by the efforts of the Governor and the Office of Climate Preparedness and Disaster Recovery and their commitment to coordinating a multi-stakeholder and community level approach to wildfire mitigation and adaptation actions. The need to prepare for, and help to prevent, future catastrophic wildfires in Colorado is urgent.”

“Increasing our resilience in the face of climate-driven stresses and hazards is a major challenge. I’m excited for our state’s leadership in this arena and applaud the Governor’s office for tackling the challenge of improving coordination across various state efforts and with partners across Colorado,” said Courtney Schultz, Associate Professor of Forest and Natural Resource Policy, CSU and Director of the Climate Adaptation Partnership. “We look forward to continued partnership and work together as we collectively draw upon our strengths to build a climate-resilient future for Coloradoans.”  

“Colorado has undertaken a monumental effort to engage communities statewide and coordinate action across agencies to address our climate challenges. Colorado now has a data-driven roadmap to build climate preparedness over the next critical few years. The commitment to revisiting this plan every three years shows that Colorado is serious about tracking progress and updating strategies on climate adaptation over time. This plan represents a strong step in the right direction,” said David Rojas-Rueda, MD, MPH, PhD, Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, Colorado State University, CDPHE Environmental Justice Advisory Board Member. 

“The roadmap marks another great step for Colorado partners and our great outdoors,” said Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Executive Director Jackie Miller. “Its focused, forward-thinking approach to climate adaptation will help inform Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy, a regionally rooted, statewide vision and action plan for conservation, recreation, and climate resilience,” said Jackie Miller, Executive Director, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO).

“This roadmap represents a proactive approach to the critical work of helping our communities adapt to climate change and become more resilient.  It reflects the best-available science and data to inform management scenarios that are going to make Coloradoans better prepared for our future.” said Jennifer Balch, Associate Professor of Geography, CU Boulder and Earth Lab Director, fire ecology researcher.

“It is inspiring to see the State of Colorado take action and invest in projects like the Climate Preparedness Roadmap. Risk to communities—from hazards such as wildfires, floods, and drought—has grown substantially in the past decade. It is critical to apply the best science, evidence-based practice, and resources to prepare for, mitigate against, and adapt to the changing environment,” said Jennifer Tobin, Assistant Director, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder. “This Roadmap is building the foundation for a safer and more sustainable Colorado.” 

“Acclimate Colorado, a health and climate initiative of the Colorado Health Institute, is honored to have partnered with the governor’s Office of Climate Preparedness and Disaster Recovery in the release of the state’s inaugural Climate Preparedness Roadmap,” said Karam Ahmad, Director, Acclimate Colorado, Colorado Health Institute. “The roadmap and its implementation signal a crucial step in advancing climate adaptation to safeguard Coloradans from the pressing impacts of climate change. These actions, led by state agencies, alongside the collaborative efforts of the Climate Preparedness Office, will lead to tremendous progress toward the preparedness and protection of Colorado’s communities.”

“Climate change is a real and growing threat to Colorado. We are experiencing longer and more severe heat waves, increased severity of wildfires, changing streamflows, and increased water stress all around our state. As someone who has helped document climate vulnerability and impacts on agriculture and other ecosystems, I believe we need to both respond now to current conditions and prepare for the continued changes that are projected over coming decades. This is why I am so excited to see the Governor and his team develop a climate preparedness roadmap for our state. Thinking ahead on a statewide level can help us adapt effectively, safeguard our communities, reduce risks to businesses and livelihoods, and protect the ecosystems and natural areas that are so important to all of us,” said Peter Backlund, Associate Director, School of Global Environmental Sustainability. 

“The focused climate adaptation information in this Roadmap will help inform the Colorado Resiliency Framework update in 2025. Given the scale of the challenge, our partnership grows the state’s capacity to foster a more resilient Colorado,” said Anne Miller, Director of the Colorado Resiliency Office in the Colorado Department of Local Affairs

“Cities have unique challenges and opportunities when it comes to the impacts of the climate crisis, and Denver is proud to work hand in hand with the State of Colorado to ensure our communities are climate adaptive, resilient places where all Coloradans can thrive,” said Elisabeth Cohen, Adaptation and Resiliency Manager with Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency.

Here’s the executive summary from the roadmap:

Colorado will celebrate its 150th birthday in 2026 and urn 200 in 2076. As we imagine what we want Colorado to be like at those milestones, we recognize that better understanding, predicting, preparing for and adapting to the realities of a changing climate are foundational to a healthy and prosperous Colorado.

Colorado is already experiencing the impacts of climate change. These trends have been described for decades by the world’s foremost climate experts, many of whom call Colorado home. They have long described the realities we now see unfolding in real time. In both large and small ways, Coloradans are being affected by extreme heat and warming temperatures, wildfires, drought, flooding, and combinations of these events. These hazards have very real impacts on natural systems, the built environment, economic sectors, and people and communities, especially those communities that face higher vulnerabilities and disproportionate impacts.

Colorado has important differences from other states and regions. Our elevation, low humidity, topography, and other special characteristics significantly influence how we experience climate change and can provide some notable opportunities and benefits compared with other states or regions.

The Climate Preparedness Roadmap places a focus on climate adaptation — the state’s near-term actions to reduce risks and prepare for the future impacts of climate change. At the same time, Colorado continues to be a national leader in reducing Greenhouse Gas pollution, and is concurrently producing its second roadmap focusing on reducing the pollution that causes climate change through the deployment of clean technologies across all sectors of Colorado’s economy. While these efforts are coordinated, they maintain distinct areas of focus, analysis and outcomes.

This roadmap shares state government agencies’ actionable and achievable near-term steps toward climate adaptation. Included in this roadmap are next-step actions across multiple agencies and offices for near-term implementation. Where needed, these actions are coordinated with any other plans or actions to avoid duplication amongst ongoing state efforts. Updated every three years and based on iterative learning, the Climate Preparedness Roadmap charts the next steps on the path for a climate adapted, healthy, and prosperous future Colorado.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Colorado statewide annual temperature anomaly (F) with respect to the 1901-2000 average. Graphic credit: Becky Bolinger/Colorado Climate Center

Colorado Faces Significant Climate Hazards and Risks

Colorado is already experiencing the impacts of climate change. A warming climate is projected to increase these impacts through hazards such as extreme heat, wildfire frequency, and drought, while decreasing snowpack and water availability. These are key hazards with high levels of certainty, and they pose high climate risk to Colorado.

Topographic map of the US. Credit: Epic Maps

Approaches to Climate Adaptation: Must Factor in Colorado-Specific Needs

Adaptation solutions should take into account Colorado-specific needs and Colorado-specific opportunities. Unique characteristics like elevation, dry air and topography will influence how Colorado experiences climate change impacts. Our understandings and interventions should take these into account to support better prioritization, efficiency, and Colorado-specific outcomes.

Denver City Park sunrise

Climate Risk is a Function of Multiple Interconnected Factors, and Varies Across Colorado

A climate risk assessment layers climate influenced hazards with types of exposure on top of areas of vulnerability to provide an aggregated view of the domains and geographic regions most at risk. By analyzing these interplays, we can better develop Colorado-tailored adaptation strategies and prioritize near-term actions. For instance, extreme heat will have the most pronounced effects on the Eastern Plains and specific areas of the Western Slope, as well as population centers when overlapped with urban heat island effects. The state’s overall aging population and disproportionately impacted communities face higher vulnerabilities and exposures to many types of climate impacts.

Lands in Northern Water’s collection system scarred by East Troublesome Fire. October 2020. Credit: Northern Water

Near-Term Progress on Climate Adaptation Requires: Identifying and Understanding Areas of Focus

The state has and continues to do a great deal on climate resilience and adaptation — even indirectly. This report found several areas that deserve prioritization or continued direct climate adaptation focus, including: extreme heat; adaptation within natural systems including biodiversity; drought and water scarcity; agriculture and outdoor workers; wildfire mitigation and preparedness; compounding impacts such as flood after fire; and areas home to disproportionately impacted and vulnerable communities. In addition, actions supporting improved coordination and collaboration, education and technical assistance, research and integration into existing programs, and community-centered approaches deserve proactive focus. While the state should and will continue to act and adapt to known climate risks throughout state government, new or increased coordinated efforts and focus are important for these priority areas.

Here is the storm total snowfall analysis of this past weekend’s storm — @NWSBoulder #snowpack

The big winner was at the Columbine SNOTEL site, near Rabbit Ears Pass, where an estimated 49 inches of snow fell!

2 Eagle County water entities opt out of #PFAS-related settlements — The #Vail Daily

With four locations within the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority and one location with the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District showing elevated levels of the “forever” chemical PFAS, the two entities have decided to opt out of current lawsuits against PFAS producers 3M and Dupont in expectation of future developments on the topic. Eagle River Water & Sanitation District/Courtesy image

Click the link to read the article on The Vail Daily website (Zoe Goldstein). Here’s an excerpt:

Board members cited confusing language in the lawsuits, potential for significant future knowledge and regulation developments regarding PFAS

During a special joint meeting on Nov. 30, the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District and the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority both decided to opt out of accepting settlements resulting from class action lawsuits between thousands of United States public water systems against 3M and a collective of companies including DuPont de Nemours, Inc., The Chemours Company, and Corteva, Inc. Eastern Eagle County’s drinking water entities began sampling for PFAS, the catch-all name for a collection of thousands of so-called “forever chemicals,” five years ago, at the request of the state of Colorado. Three studies have been conducted in the county, with the most recent study in 2023. The 2023 data shows that PFAS has been detected in five out of 11 sources throughout the county, with four detections within the Authority, and one in the District. All five detections were below the maximum contaminant level of four parts per trillion. For reference, one part per trillion is a single drop of water in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools…

“The main reason I put this up is to emphasize that this is super limited data. We have three sampling events, and they are snapshots in time. We have no idea about variability, and we have no idea how this data is trending over time,” said Brad Zachman, District director of operations.

PFAS contamination in the U.S. October 18, 2021 via ewg.org.

2024 #COleg: #Colorado lawmakers expected to consider state permit program protecting wetlands: Goal is to fill regulatory gap left by Supreme Court decision — @AspenJournalism #WOTUS

A wetland area along Homestake Creek in Eagle County. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision says only wetlands with a direct surface water connection to a stream or permanent body of water are now protected under the Clean Water Act. Photo credit: Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

Click the link to read the article on the Aspen Journalism website (Heather Sackett):

Colorado lawmakers are expected to consider legislation next session aimed at providing project permits while still protecting wetlands, which were left vulnerable after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in May.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act has protected the “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) since 1972. But exactly which wetlands and water bodies fall under the definition of WOTUS has long been the subject of litigation and policy that changed with each presidential administration. In Sackett v. EPA, the U.S. Supreme Court found that the definition of WOTUS did not include wetlands adjacent to streams. Only wetlands with a direct surface water connection to a stream or permanent body of water are now protected under the Clean Water Act.

While it is not always clear whether a wetland has a direct surface connection to a qualifying stream, experts say the decision removed federal protections from at least half of Colorado’s wetlands. The ruling also excludes from protection many ephemeral streams that run only seasonally during spring runoff or summer monsoons.

Colorado Rivers. Credit: Geology.com

The state will have to decide how to protect the wetlands that now fall outside the purview of the Clean Water Act, which water policy experts are calling “gap waters.”

According to a policy brief by Andrew Teegarden, a water fellow at the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment at the University of Colorado Boulder, “the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett created a gaping hole in Colorado’s program for protecting and regulating discharge and fill activities and the current state of the law in Colorado is inadequate to fill the gap.”

“Sackett was more devastating than anyone envisioned it being,” said Alex Funk, director of water resources and senior counsel at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Basically, if it’s not a continuously flowing stream or interstate river, it’s no longer protected.”

The main way many wetlands had federal protection under the Clean Water Act in the past was through a permitting process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Developers and property owners had to get a 404 permit — also known as a dredge-and-fill permit — if they wanted to undertake certain projects that involved wetlands. The corps applied guidelines and criteria for making sure the project would not destroy or degrade the waters.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is now expected to present to lawmakers a state-level permitting process that would step in to fill the regulatory gap left by Sackett v. EPA. Last summer, CDPHE enacted a new policy that requires notice of discharge into state waters and allows the agency to take enforcement actions when unpermitted discharges of dredge and fill materials takes place. This policy was intended to be temporary while the state comes up with a permanent program.

CDPHE has also been meeting with and taking input from stakeholders — including environmental groups, agriculture interests and water providers — to explore creating a more permanent regulatory program to protect Colorado’s streams and wetlands to the same extent they were protected before the Sackett v. EPA decision.

In August, Trisha Oeth, CDPHE’s director of environmental health and protection, told lawmakers at a meeting of the Water Resources and Agriculture Committee that the agency has been hearing from stakeholders that any program should have a clear scope and also avoid permitting delays. She said stakeholders want to maintain the status quo and do not have an interest in developing a program that goes beyond the scope of what was federally protected prior to Sackett v. EPA.

“We are going to need to be creative here in Colorado to address those concerns about balance — preserving the status quo with having an efficient program,” Oeth said. “We’ve also been hearing it’s really important to protect source waters.”

These wetlands along Homestake Creek in Eagle County may no longer be protected under the Clean Water Act after the Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. EPA. Colorado will now have to decide how to protect the wetlands without a direct surface connection to a stream, which water policy experts are calling “gap waters.” Photo credit: Heather Sackett/Aspen Journalism

Fens could be at risk

One example of those source waters is a type of sensitive, high-country wetland now potentially left vulnerable: fens. These are groundwater-fed wetlands that form peat over thousands of years, are home to rare plants and insects, and cannot be easily restored if destroyed. Fens are sometimes isolated with no stream as an outlet.

“All of our groundwater-fed wetlands are outside of the Clean Water Act regulation now,” said David Cooper, a senior research scientist at Colorado State University and a fen expert. “In the San Juan mountains, we did a project and I think we estimated there were about 10,000 fens, and most of them, because of the Sackett decision, would not be considered adjacent to navigable waters.”

Cooper said most of the water that feeds streams in Colorado goes through fens in the highest part of watersheds, which remove sediment and pollutants. They are also a key piece of the ecosystem that support biodiversity, he said.

“Fens occupy a 10th of 1% of our landscape, but they support probably 25% of species in Colorado,” Cooper said. “Their importance greatly exceeds their tiny presence on the landscape.”

Aaron Citron, a senior policy adviser for The Nature Conservancy, said any new state program should provide regulatory certainty, redirect development to less environmentally sensitive areas and be consistent with the best available wetlands science.

“Every presidential administration has kind of redefined the scope of the 404 program,” he said. “And that’s not good for regulated entities; it’s not good for the natural environment. It just makes everything more complicated. So, one of the goals is to just set a standard and decide that Colorado knows what’s best for Colorado waters.”

Photo credit from report “A Preliminary Evaluation of Seasonal Water Levels Necessary to Sustain Mount Emmons Fen: Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests,” David J. Cooper, Ph.D, December 2003.

Why these homeowners tore out their turf: A growing number of Coloradans want to kill something, namely their grass. “Living in a semiarid environment,” says one, “we shouldn’t just be throwing water on the ground.” — Allen Best (@BigPivots)

Heather Brubaker has used Resource Central services as she nibbles at her large yard in Longmont. PhotosAllen Best

Click the link to read the article on the Big Pivots website (Allen Best):

This story, a collaboration of Big Pivots and Aspen Journalism, is part of a series that examines the intersection of water and urban landscapes in Colorado.

by Allen Best

Heather Brubaker had a sprawling yard of Kentucky bluegrass at her home in Longmont. Mowing the turf took her more than two hours. During summer, her monthly  water bill jumped to $400.

To what good purpose, she asked herself. “It’s not really doing anything for anybody. And the grass is not native to Colorado,” she said.

Three years later, the lot at the corner of a cul-de-sac has not shrunk. Most of it remains in grass. But in increments, Brubaker has started replacing the thirsty turf with waterwise landscaping, also called xeriscaping or Coloradoscaping.

Cactuses and rocks do not define this new front yard. Colorado’s Front Range has a semiarid climate, but it’s not in the Mojave Desert. The result has spurred Brubaker’s neighbors to inquire as to her landscaper. “I tell them that my children and I have done most of the work,” she said.

Brubaker’s front yard is part of a broad and accelerating shift in Colorado’s towns and cities. Many homeowners and some businesses have started replacing lawns of Kentucky bluegrass and other varieties of thirsty cool-weather turf with vegetation that needs less water. 

Mrs. Gulch’s landscape September 14, 2023.

Outdoor water use constitutes roughly half of the water used in Colorado’s towns and cities. Many water utilities have offered rebates for these water-saving landscape shifts, reasoning that more-efficient use of existing water supplies will be far cheaper than development of new sources to meet growing populations. This reduced demand can also insulate them from the extremes posed by a changing climate. 

Kentucky bluegrass and other cool-weather grasses are imports from wetter climates. Philadelphia, for example, gets 44 inches of annual precipitation. Even Oklahoma City gets 36 inches. Denver averages 15.6 inches. Bluegrass requires between 24 and 29 inches of water in the metropolitan area. Waterwise landscapes can reduce outdoor water use by half and, depending upon choices, even more. 

Change, however, can be hard. There’s the sod itself. Once established, it is very difficult to remove. For most homeowners, that’s the most arduous task in a landscape conversion. Deciding what to plant in place of the thirsty grass can also be perplexing.

Brubaker started in 2021 with a narrow 100-square-foot strip along her front porch. She had volunteered for research being conducted by a team from Colorado State University that wanted to see how well pollinator-attracting plants would grow along the dripline of her front porch without supplemental irrigation. She now has many more buzzing visitors.

Emboldened by that success, Brubaker then applied for grants offered through Longmont’s municipal water provider. In two sequences, each involving sod removal and then plantings, she replaced other and larger portions of her front yard. The new section will need only half the water of before. She also created a place for whiling away languid summer evenings around a fire pit.

After rebates, she has spent $1,500, which will be recouped in time with reduced water bills.

Crucial to the success of Brubaker’s transformation was Boulder-based Resource Central. Spawned by the 2002 drought, the nonprofit’s first and still most popular program is called Garden In A Box. Designed with the aid of landscape architects, these do-it-yourself kits include quart-size perennial plants, plant-by-number maps, suggestions for seasonal maintenance and recommendations for water.

You want variety? This program has it. Consumers have at least six choices based on preferences for colors, full sun or shade, and whether attracting pollinators is a goal. Each box also delivers instructions about spacing and soils. Too sandy? Too much clay? How can it best be amended? Orders are made in March for May and June plantings, and again in June for August and September plantings. 

“Everything a person needs to get started is included in their packaging, and it’s laid out very simply about what plants to put together and how to maintain them,” said Brubaker. “If you’re a novice, you can still do it easily with all the education that they put into the Garden In A Box program. It really made me want to try it.”

Resource Central volunteers Josh Kingen loads a tray of plants while volunteer Ellen Olson and event staff member Jeff Jordan await their turns during a Resource Central distribution in Westminster. Photo credit: Allen Best/Big Pivots

Making it easy to conserve

Neal Lurie, executive director of Resource Central, said the nonprofit seeks to meet people where they are. Often, they are pressed for time and not fully knowledgeable. Learning about how to transform landscapes can be overwhelming.

“If you make it easy to conserve water, they will do it,” he said. “If you make it really difficult, then they will come back to it when they have time. That is the reason that so many people continue with their current landscaping year after year. It takes time to make changes.”

Resource Central this year expanded Garden in a Box offerings by 30% — and still sold out in just four weeks. This year, the nonprofit distributed 13,000 boxes while working with 47 municipal and other partners for its various programs from Fort Collins to Pueblo. It secures its plants from local nurseries who agree to grow the sets without aid of chemicals that will harm pollinators.

Those ordering can pick up their choices at central distribution locations. For example, volunteers and staff quickly delivered the boxes to cars and pickups that made their way through a queue in the parking lot of the Westminster Municipal Building on a Saturday in August. Customers arrived when they wished. Waits at fast-food restaurants are often longer.

Turf removal is among Resource Central’s newer programs, a result of focus-group research that in 2019 found it was a key reason that even more people didn’t convert their lawns. Sod can be removed in several ways. All have challenges or difficult choices.

Convinced this was a needed service, Resource Central reached out to more than 30 landscape firms but found no potential partner. “The reason is that landscape service companies are in the business of mowing lawns, not removing lawns,” said Lurie.

Undeterred, Resource Central launched the service and this year removed 600 lawns, among them the plot at Brubaker’s house. This relieves homeowners of the hard part, leaving them with the fun of planting and creating. The removed turf is composted by A1 Organics and other companies.

The Colorado Water Conservation Board in September awarded Resource Central $1.6 million for turf replacement and removal. The two overlapping grants were the largest for water conservation ever awarded by the state agency. The terms require Resource Central to expand its water-conservation programs to new participants and communities. The Western Slope is one of the targeted regions.

“Our vision is to help make beautiful waterwise yards the new norm in Colorado,” said Lurie.

In many ways, Brubaker is typical of those wanting to shift their landscapes in that she hopes to be part of the answer to the West’s water limits. “I know we have a water crisis, and we have to conserve water,” Brubaker said. 

She also wanted to provide “places for the bees.” In that, she has much company. Concern about pollinators ranks third among motivations for Resource Central customers, up from seventh a few years ago. Native vegetation does that. 

Once established, maintenance of native grasses can be far easier. Other low-water landscapes, though, can still require considerable work.

There’s also this: The goal of a lawn is to grow something that, once harvested, is promptly thrown away. To some, that amounts to silly.

Retired and with her children grown, Lois Witte decided it was time to save water and help out pollinators by replacing the front-yard turf at her Lakewood home. Photo/Allen Best.

Attracting pollinators and reducing water use motivated Lois Witte. A retired water attorney, she decided last year that with her kids on their own, it was time to replace plants in her front yard with plants mostly native to the region.

Plant species with flowers from elsewhere, such as the East Coast or Europe, may attract bees and insects, said Witte. But plants native to the region will attract far more insects. After all, they evolved together.

To kill the grass, she and her husband, Scot Kersgaard, began in the late summer of 2022 using what is called a lasagna method. First came cardboard, then wood chips, followed by horse manure that a friend with a barn full of it was only too happy to share. On top of that were more wood chips, then dirt and pea-size gravel, called squeegee. Nine months of this method killed the grass — but not the bindweed. 

By late this past summer, Witte’s work was enough to spur praise from neighbors out for evening walks. Little water will be needed once the new plants are established. Until then, however, they can take more water. 

So, what spurred Witte and her husband? “In general, it’s a good idea, living in a semiarid environment,” she said of low-water landscapes. “We shouldn’t just be throwing water on the ground.”

When chaos can be good 

In south Denver during August, a street corner proved to be an ideal place to meet women — and a few men, too — who loved talking about birds and bees. They were on a tour organized by the Front Range chapter of the Wild Ones, a national organization devoted to the transformation of outdoor places to habitats for native species.

“We’re not going to save the world, but we’re going to do our part,” said Vicki Saragoussi Phillips. After she and her husband, Rick Phillips, began converting their Kentucky bluegrass lawn, water use dropped from 45,000 gallons a month to 15,000. They expect even less water use once the garden becomes fully established.

Vicki described her yard as a place of chaos. Vegetative chaos, she believes, is good. Most front yards in their upper middle-class neighborhood, near South Colorado Boulevard and Interstate 25, suggested a different aesthetic. They were deep green, possibly the result of chemical treatments. They were also mowed with the care that a shirt might be pressed to eliminate wrinkles.

Owners of this house in southeast Denver describe their front yard as a place of chaos. They belong to the Front Range chapter of a national group called Wild Ones. Photo/Allen Best

A young woman from the neighborhood, pushing her baby in a stroller, confided to the couple that when she rounded the corner to see their yard, she felt liberated.

Resource Central classifies most of its customers as early adopters. The nonprofit hopes to see their enthusiasm for alternative landscapes expand to create a paradigm shift. And if that helps save water — well, so much the better.

“Just say no to lawns and exotics,” Leslie Klusmire said in response to a Facebook post. She lives in Monte Vista, where she now has a yard in its third year of restoration to native plants. If some neighbors were skeptical about the weeds of spring, later they were admiring her wildflowers.

“If you look at my meadow now, it’s alive,” she said in early October. “It’s full of butterflies and bees and everything. That’s the point, to create an environment for everything.”

This is not new for Klusmire. Her father, a landscaper for Caltrans, the transportation agency in California, talked frequently about how imported grasses wasted water. Studying landscape architecture at Cal Poly Pomona in the 1970s, Klusmire got the same message.

For many homeowners, finding a contractor can be a challenge. It was for Lakewood resident Rebecca Cantwell. 

Cantwell grew up in Denver during the 1950s, a time of drought that resulted in Denver Water going forward with its boring of the Roberts Tunnel and the damming of the Blue River, creating Lake Dillon. Denver supplies water to Lakewood, a city of 157,000, and about half of that water comes from the Blue and other Colorado River tributaries.

“The crisis in the Colorado River is waking up a lot of people, but our long-held assumption that everyone deserves a bluegrass lawn is just not really OK anymore,” she said.

Cantwell knew she didn’t want rock and juniper bushes to replace the grass. “That’s a false choice,” she said. “I wanted something beautiful.”

She finally found a landscape contractor to execute her vision, but it took awhile.

With rebates from municipal water providers, consumers can choose from a great variety of plants through Resource Central’s popular Garden In A Box program. The program will be expanded next year to the Western Slope. Photo by Allen Best

In another part of the metropolitan area, professional landscaper Kevin Cox has been eager to help homeowners and businesses shift to what he calls “sustainable landscaping.” That generally involves eliminating all cool-weather, high-water turfs except in areas where specifically needed.

His company, Centennial-based Professional Landscape Services, has a dozen large commercial clients, a few dozen medium to smaller commercial accounts, and 80 to 90 residential homes across the metro area, including Castle Rock, Aurora and Denver.

Mowing bluegrass is part of what Cox’s company does. But he also suggests landscape alternatives. When he does, he sometimes gets pushback.

“Everyone still wants their green grass. They say, ‘I don’t want it to look like Arizona.’ I’ve heard that a thousand times,” said Cox. “The other thing I hear is the amount of money it costs to rip out grass. They say, ‘That buys a lot of water.’”

Pay now or pay later, Cox tells them. Water will only get more expensive over time.

Beyond money, Cox sees what he calls low-water landscapes being the moral high road. “It just starts with ethics. Water is a finite resource,” he said.

Although a good case can be made for keeping some cool-weather grasses, such as for ball fields and places where toddlers play, Cox finds much of it wasteful.

“I mean, some of this grass nobody even looks at. We’re the only ones that look at it. It’s just there for us to mow, especially in some of these people’s backyards. They’re not even there half the year.”

The best way for Front Range cities such as those where his customers live, Cox said, is to do it right the first time. When new homes and business parks are developed, they should create landscapes that use less water. Led by Aurora and Castle Rock, more jurisdictions are deciding that it’s better to get it right first instead of correcting later. And in early 2024, legislators are almost certain to hear a bill that would make that state policy.

Next in this series: Aurora, Castle Rock and other municipalities in Colorado have aggressively limited new water-thirsty turf. Should the state have a broader role? Legislators in January will take up a bill that would impose restrictions on new water-thirsty turf everywhere. Expect a lively debate about state vs. local control.

ColoradoScaping helps improve the biodiversity of the city. Adding new habitats in the Quebec Street medians provides “fuel stops” for birds and bees as they move around the city. Photo credit: Denver Water.

“The whole thing starts moving and creaking with these really crazy sounds when you’re out on it. It’s a sound show” — Al Beyer via The #Aspen Daily News

The dam on a frozen Ruedi Reservoir as seen on March 24, 2024. CREDIT: HEATHER SACKETT/ASPEN JOURNALISM

Click the link to read the article on The Aspen Daily News website (Austin Corona). Here’s an excerpt:

…when it finally freezes, [Ruedi Reservoir’s] surface becomes an ephemeral world all to itself. Al Beyer, an Old Snowmass-based architect who has been skating Ruedi’s winter surface since the 1990s, sees the ice as dynamic and complicated. Beyer said a person can even notice the ice forming its own kind of tectonic plates, which press and warp one another in a slow drama.

“It has tension and compression to it,” Beyer said.

The lake chatters, whistles and peals as vibrations run for miles across the lake. The sound of the ice is almost entirely unique — something between the sound of wind against high-tension bridge cables and a whale’s song.

“The whole thing starts moving and creaking with these really crazy sounds when you’re out on it. It’s a sound show,” Beyer said.

Map of the Roaring Fork River drainage basin in western Colorado, USA. Made using USGS data. By Shannon1 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69290878

Tackling the Climate Crisis: Prioritizing action on climate change for a more equitable and sustainable future — Department of Interior

Teshekpuk caribou Northeast National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. Photo credit: Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management

Click the link to read the release on the Department of Interior website (Deb Haaland):

“At the Department of the Interior, I believe we have a unique opportunity to make our communities more resilient to climate change and to help lead the transition to a clean energy economy.”  — Secretary Deb Haaland

The United States faces a profound climate crisis, and the Department of the Interior is taking action to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of that crisis and meet the moment. The climate crisis is transforming where and how we live and presents growing challenges to human health and quality of life, the economy, and the natural systems that support us. In 2022, the U.S. experienced 18 separate weather and climate disasters costing at least 1 billion dollars.

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is delivering historic resources to make communities more resilient to climate change. Combined, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act represent the largest investments in climate resilience in the nation’s history and provide unprecedented resources to support the Administration’s comprehensive, all-of-government approach. 

As the climate crisis disproportionately affects underserved communities, the Department of the Interior is supporting the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to tackle the climate crisis and put environmental justice at the center of its mission. Because decision-making often overlooks the disparate and cumulative impacts of the climate crisis on Black and brown communities, we are charting a new and better course —listening and learning from affected communities — as part of a whole-of-government approach to address the climate crisis.

In doing so, we are working to build a modern, resilient climate infrastructure and clean energy future that will create millions of good-paying union jobs, while protecting the communities, natural, and cultural resources on which we rely.   

As directed by Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, Interior joined other federal agencies in the release of its Climate Action Plan on Oct. 7, 2021.

The Climate Action Plan demonstrates the Interior Department’s commitment to use science as the foundation for decisions, recognizing that the Department’s approach to adaptation should evolve as science informs an understanding of climate change risks, impacts, and vulnerabilities. 

As part of the implementation of Executive Order 14057, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability, Secretary Haaland issued Secretary’s Order 3407, Department-Wide Approach to Reducing Plastic Pollution on June 8, 2022. This order aims to reduce the procurement, sale and distribution of single-use plastic products and packaging to phase out these products on Department-managed lands by 2032. All of the Department’s bureaus and offices have finalized sustainable procurement plans to phase out single-use plastics on public lands within the next decade. 

On October 6, 2022, the Department released its Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan Progress Report. The report highlights key steps the Department has taken to advance the following climate adaptation themes:

Secretarial #Drought Designations for 2023 includes 1,414 primary counties and 452 contiguous counties through Nov. 22 — @DroughtDenise

For more info on the designation and declaration process, please see https://fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/emergency_disaster_designation_declaration_process-factsheet.pdf

First Water Flows Through #ColoradoRiver Connectivity Channel — @Northern_Water #COriver #aridification

Restoring a river channel in the Upper Colorado Basin. Graphic credit: Northern Water

Click the link to read the article on the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District website:

November 7, 2023: In what’s been described as “the largest aquatic habitat connectivity project ever undertaken in state history,” crews successfully tested the new Colorado River Connectivity Channel (CRCC) at the end of October. The new channel around Windy Gap Reservoir hydrologically and ecologically now reconnects two segments of the Colorado River for the first time in approximately 40 years.  

Northern Water staff were joined by Grand County officials, Windy Gap Project Participant Representatives, Colorado Parks and Wildlife representatives and others to watch the first flows go through the long-awaited channel. This new video captures the historic day and includes comments from the project participants and stakeholders who were present to witness the occasion.    

While water is now running through the new channel, there is still construction work to be done. Crews will continue putting the finishing touches on the project’s new dam embankment, diversion structure and other elements before winter weather brings activity to a stop in the upcoming weeks. Construction is expected to resume

next spring and wrap up later in 2024. Vegetation establishment along the channel will continue into 2025 and 2026, before the area is anticipated to open for public recreation in 2027.  

The new channel will enable fish and other wildlife to move freely upstream and downstream around what is now a smaller Windy Gap Reservoir. Meanwhile, the reservoir will continue providing a diversion point on the Colorado River for the Windy Gap Project during the high flows of spring and early summer.  

The CRCC is part of a package of environmental measures, valued at $90 million, associated with construction of Chimney Hollow Reservoir, which is ultimately where Windy Gap Project water will be stored once reservoir construction is completed.   

#Drought has re-emerged in the #ColoradoRiver Basin — @DroughtGov @NOAA #COriver #aridification

A wet summer 2022 was followed by a wet winter/spring. But summer 2023’s monsoon was underwhelming. 5.6% of the Basin was in drought on July 18, 2023. It’s increased almost every week since to 39.1%. https://drought.gov/watersheds/colorado…

#Wellington faces ‘hard decisions’ as it raises water rates, looks to future — The #FortCollins Coloradoan #SouthPlatteRiver #PourdreRiver

Looking west on Cleveland Avenue in Wellington. By Jeffrey Beall – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47841975

Click the link to read the article on the Fort Collins Coloradoan website (Pat Ferrier). Here’s an excerpt:

On Tuesday, the town trustees approved a 5% annual rate hike for 2024-2028 that would cost the average ratepayer and extra $5.37 per month in winter and $12.45 in summer, when more water is used to water lawns. New rates will go into effect Jan. 1. Trustees also approved an increase in capital investment fees paid by developers from $10,437 for water and $9,742 for wastewater per single-family home to $10,959 and $10,229, respectively. The 2024 base water rate will go from $49.71 to $52.20 and the usage rate will go from $11.70 to $12.29 for the use of 4,000 to 7,000 gallons.

This is not a new problem for Wellington, which raised water rates and impact fees in 2020 to pay for an expansion of its water and wastewater treatment plants, imposed water restrictions and limited new residential building permits until the expansions are complete. Once the water and wastewater treatment plant expansions are completed, they should accommodate additional growth for 20 to 30 years, which would generate more building and tap fees, allowing the water and wastewater funds to show a profit.

Currently, however, the water fund will be in a $593,000 hole in 2026 and the sewer fund $700,000 short…Trustees also approved transferring the maximum amount from the general fund to the water and wastewater enterprise funds to reduce the impact to residents. Enterprise funds may only receive up to 10% of the revenue received in the fund from taxpayer transfers through the general fund under the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, known as TABOR. The total transfer will reduce the general fund by $935,000 in 2023 and an estimated $1.06 million in 2024.