Colorado Central Magazine - The monthly magazine for powder hounds

HYDROLOGY

Although a snowstorm is raging across the West, snowpack in Colorado, as a percentage of average, is currently at 97%. Basin stats are as follows: Gunnison, 109%; Colorado, 91%; South Platte, 68%; North Platte, 98%; Yampa/White, 109%; Arkansas, 69%; Rio Grande, 96%; San Juan/Dolores, 103%. The Colorado River Basin is in its 5th year of drought. Unregulated inflow in water year 2003 was only 53 percent of average. Unregulated inflow in 2000, 2001 and 2002 was 62, 59, and 25 percent of average, respectively. Lake Powell storage is 11.5 million acre-feet (47 percent of capacity).

BUSH ABANDONS EFFORT TO REWRITE WETLANDS REGULATIONS

President Bush is abandoning a plan that could have further reduced wetlands protections even though his administration has said occasional use of wetlands by farmers, migratory birds, or endangered species isn’t reason enough to stop developers from filling them in. <http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-17/s_11392.asp> <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12612> <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12657>

RECREATIONAL FLOWS AWARDED

The Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District has been awarded Recreational In-Channel Diversions for a whitewater park near Gunnison. The application was vigorously opposed by the Colorado Water Conservation District because they contend the water right will hinder future transmountain diversions from the Gunnison River to the Front Range. The decision is likely to be appealed to the Colorado Supreme Court.

GROUPS FIGHT COLORADO NATIONAL PARK WATER SETTLEMENT

Environmental groups sued to block a deal that they said set minimum flows too low in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Denver Rocky Mountain News; 12/5 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2479313,00.html>

COLORADO RIVER ACCESS NOT RESOLVED WITH END OF COURT CASE

Two fishing guides won’t be prosecuted for trespassing on Colorado’s Gunnison River, but the state needs to resolve the conflict between floaters and landowners before it becomes a divisive ballot campaign. Grand Junction Sentinel; Dec. 3 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12376>

DENVER-AREA WATER DISTRICTS SEE DESPERATE NEED FOR NEW RESERVOIR

A $2.5 billion plan for 11 Denver-area water districts includes at least one new reservoir and dire predictions of a continued reliance on wells. Denver Rocky Mtn News; 12/12 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12551>

EARLY BLIZZARD SAVED DENVER’S WATER SUPPLY IN 2003

Officials says Aurora residents shaved 30 percent off their water usage and Denver Water users cut their use by 24 percent over the summer months. Denver Business Journal; Dec. 29 <http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2003/12/29/story3.html>

COLORADO FARMERS TAKING THEIR WATER TO MARKET

Scores of farmers are selling their water rights to thirsty subdivisions in Colorado and quitting the business altogether, while rice farmers in California have discovered that selling only a portion of their water rights helps buoy up their farm income. Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); Dec. 28 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12765>

BETTER DATA HAS COLORADO STREAMS RUNNING POLLUTED

Latest studies show 125 streams and rivers in the state are in trouble, with most of the new listings being polluted by selenium, a naturally occurring mineral that is deadly to fish and which is at high levels because of irrigation and stormwater runoff. Denver Rocky Mountain News; Dec. 8 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2486125,00.html> <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2485620,00.html>

BILL WOULD PROTECT COLORADO LANDOWNERS’ WATER FROM DRILLERS

Congressmen from Colorado and New Mexico introduced a bill that would protect landowners from the effects of oil and gas drilling, and require oil companies to replace lost water sources. Grand Junction Sentinel; Dec. 17 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12625>

N.M. SENATOR CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW OF WATER PROJECT

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., a longtime champion of the Animas-La Plata Project (ALP), will convene hearings early next year on why project costs increased so dramatically, and whether the Indian Education and Self Determination Act is to blame. Durango Herald; 12/7 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12436>

ALP COULD PASS INCREASES ON TO USERS

Partners in the Animas-La Plata water project are waiting for the Bureau of Reclamation decision on who will pay the 48 percent cost overrun for the project, but officials say users will likely foot the bill. Durango Herald; <12/14 http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12587>

FEDS EXAMINE TRIBAL CONTRACTS ON COLORADO WATER PROJECT

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s bids on components of the Animas-La Plata project are nearly twice what the Bureau of Reclamation estimated, and officials are looking at why there is such a difference. Durango Herald; Dec. 21 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/03/news031221_1.htm>

WATER WOES GROWING IN NEW MEXICO

New Mexico lawmakers got a laundry list of water crises facing the state, including an inability to make water payments due Texas and a shortfall of Rio Grande water because of an Albuquerque water project. Santa Fe New Mexican; Dec. 21 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12697>

ALBUQUERQUE’S WATER-RECLAMATION PROJECT A GOOD STEP

Albuquerque’s plan to build eight miles of pipes to redirect and recycle wastewater for watering city-owned golf courses and sports fields shows it’s serious about conservation. Albuquerque Tribune; Dec. 8 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12448>

STRATEGIC RIVER RESERVE PROPOSED

Think New Mexico, an independent research and analysis group, has proposed that the state should set up a “Strategic River Reserve” to acquire water rights that could be used to address water shortages says the Amarillo Globe-News, AP 11/23. Modeled on the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, an emergency stockpile of crude oil, the river reserve would help the state meet interstate water agreements and provide water during times of drought for communities, farmers and endangered species like the silvery minnow.

WATER BANK COULD HELP SOLVE NEW MEXICO’S PRESENT AND FUTURE WATER WOES

A New Mexico proposal to create a water bank by buying water rights along streams and, for now, leaving the water in the rivers will be an unpopular but necessary part of any long-term solution. Farmington Daily Times; Dec. 4 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12383>

NAVAJO, FEDS REACH AGREEMENT ON N.M. WATER LAWSUIT

The Navajo Nation and state and federal officials have proposed an end to their 30-year battle over water rights in northwestern New Mexico, with the tribe agreeing to set a limit on its water claims in exchange for $900 million in public works projects. Arizona Daily Sun (AP); Dec. 7 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12445>

JUDGE WANTS SETTLEMENT OF N.M. TRIBES’ 1966 WATER SUIT BY NEXT SUMMER

A federal judge has ordered both sides to finish a proposal to end a 38-year-old lawsuit over New Mexico tribes’ water rights, a plan that will likely include a regional water system for three pueblos. Santa Fe New Mexican; Dec. 10 <http://www.santafenewmexican.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=6&ArticleID=36898>

N.M. GOVERNOR CALLS FOR BIGGER VISION ON MANAGING RIO GRANDE WATER

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson would empanel the governors of Texas and three Mexican border states to help manage the entire Rio Grande basin, including the water that flows through Albuquerque. Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); 12/30 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12805>

PAIUTE RIGHTS SETTLEMENT IMPLEMENTED

Interior Secretary Norton has announced that all of the parties have taken actions required to allow the Shivwits Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Water Rights Settlement Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-263) to take full effect. The Secretary’s statement causes the waiver and release of certain claims. Secretary Norton said, “I congratulate the Shivwits Band, the Washington County Water Conservancy District, the city of St. George, and the state of Utah for coming together to resolve these often contentious issues through a creative, negotiated settlement for the benefit of all the parties, rather than relying upon costly litigation, which often takes decades and results in few winners and many losers.” She added, “The Settlement is an example of the collaborative approaches announced in Interior’s Water 2025 initiative.” The Shivwits get 4,000 acre-feet/year of water rights, which will come from the St. George Water Reuse Project and the Santa Clara Project, a pressurized irrigation pipeline that will conserve water lost through seepage and evaporation from area canals. Congress fully appropriated $24M as authorized, the Utah State Engineer took action necessary to implement the agreement, and a Utah district court entered a final decree in the Virgin River adjudication confirming the band’s water rights. 12/19/03 WSWC

ARIZONA HOMEBUILDERS RUSH IN AHEAD OF NEW WATER FEES

New fees set by the Central Arizona Project to help pay to replenish ground-water supplies has caused a sharp increase in application for permits for new homes, but builders deny they’re trying to beat the effective date of the new fee. Arizona Republic; Dec. 5 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1205waterlimits05.html>

ENDANGERED FISH TO FIGHT VIRUS?

Arizona is asking the USFWS for permission to use four species of endangered fish to help control mosquitoes that could spread the West Nile virus in the state says the Arizona Daily Sun, AP 11/29. The endangered fish, Gila and Yaqui topminnow, desert and Quitobaquito pupfish have “all been pushed toward extinction by habitat loss” but the novel plan “could turn backyard ponds and stormwater basins along highways into breeding grounds for imperiled fish that are eventually reintroduced into the wild.”

CALIFORNIA WATER TRANSFER BEGINS

Water has started to flow from the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) to municipal customers in San Diego. Imperial farmers are fallowing land to provide the water for the transfer. San Diego Water Authority is paying $508/af for the water- $258 goes to the Imperial Irrigation District and $250 goes to the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) to transport the water from the Colorado River using their aqueduct. MWD currently wholesales water for $407/af but San Diego is willing to pay more for the independence of buying the water directly from IID. One hundred farmers agreed to fallow enough land to provide 10,000 af for the first installment of the transfer. For every 3 af of water transferred, 1 af will have to be delivered to the Salton Sea as an environmental mitigation condition of the transfer. North County Times, 12/6

LAKE MEAD WATER LEVEL

For the first time in 40 years, the elevation of Lake Mead has dropped below 1140 ft. above sea level. This has triggered the closing of the Las Vegas Bay launch ramp by the Park Service. When the elevation dropped to 1145, Las Vegas implemented water use restrictions. When the reservoir drops to 1125, Reclamation will be forced to restrict deliveries to California and Nevada under the Interim Surplus Criteria. Since the Central Arizona Project (CAP) is the most junior water user in the Lower Basin, shortage conditions may curtail CAP deliveries when the reservoir reaches 1125 feet above sea level. WSWC

DROUGHT IN ROCKIES COULD CUT WATER DELIVERIES TO NEVADA, CALIFORNIA

Millions of residents in Nevada and Southern California could face water shortages as early next year, as prolonged drought in the Rockies cuts runoff and Colorado River flows. New York Times; Dec. 12 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12556>

LAS VEGAS RESIDENTS LOSE INTEREST IN WATER CONSERVATION

In 1999, Las Vegas was a role model for Utah in water conservation, but conservation efforts have lagged since. Salt Lake Tribune; Dec. 15 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12581>

LAS VEGAS ISSUES ‘DROUGHT ALERT’ RULES

The ever-shrinking Lake Mead caused Las Vegas officials to set new rules on water use in the city. Salt Lake Tribune; Dec. 15 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12582>

WEST TEXAS RESIDENTS HOWL OVER PLAN TO SELL GROUND WATER FROM STATE LANDS

A company of Texas oilmen are pushing a proposal to pump the ground water from beneath state lands and sell it to parched West Texas cities and irrigators. New York Times; Dec. 11 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=12534> <http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/11/national/11WATE.html?th>

INSTREAM FLOW PROTECTION

The Washington Stat

Western Water Report: January 2, 2004

Although portions of this report are used on occasion in Colorado Central Magazine, we do not publish the full report there, as we do on this website. It is prepared by Steve Glazer of Crested Butte and is distributed early each month via an email list. To subscribe to that list, email to <listserv@lists.sierraclub.org> with SUBSCRIBE RMC-CONS-WATER as the message.

Please note that this is an archive, and some links may no longer function.