DEAL REACHED IN COLORADO KAYAK PARK
After years in and out of court, the Colorado Water Conservation Board and builders of a kayak park in Gunnison have reached a deal regarding how much water will be kept in the river for recreation flows and how much can be diverted upstream for development. Denver Post; Dec. 23 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3335894>
STAGE SET FOR A WATER-QUALITY SHOWDOWN IN COLORADO
Oil and gas industry leaders say regulation of stormwater runoff lies with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, but a coalition of farmers, environmentalists and West Slope towns and counties say the state’s water-quality control commission should retain authority. Denver Post; Jan. 2 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3360940>
COLORADO WELCOMES BOUNTY OF SNOWPACK
Snowpack in the Colorado River and South Platte River Basins were 143 percent and 135 percent of average, respectively, and reservoirs across Colorado were up to normal levels by July, but analysts said it’s still too soon to say the drought that began in 2002 is completely over. Denver Post; Dec. 11 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3296362>
WATER SPECULATING A PROFITABLE GAMBLE IN DENVER
Water speculating inhabits a gray area in Colorado’s laws, and many in the Denver area are making small fortunes brokering the buying and selling of water rights. Denver Post; 12/18 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3317383>
PRESERVATION OF SOUTHERN COLORADO RANCH PROTECTS CRITICAL WATER SUPPLY AND WILDLIFE HABITAT
The Trust for Public Land and the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust (RiGHT) have purchased a conservation easement on a San Luis Valley ranch with critical senior surface water rights. <http://www.enn.com/aff.html?id=1030>
CUTTHROAT TROUT GET BOOST FROM COLORADO LANDOWNER
A federal grant and assistance from Colorado Division of Wildlife biologists helped a LaPlata County landowner put a dam on Shearer Creek to hold nonnative fish at bay to give cutthroat trout a chance to build a self-sustaining population. Durango Herald; 12/9 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=earth&article_path=/earth/earth051208_1.htm>
COLORADO CITY’S RECREATIONAL WATER PLAN DRAWS NEW FILINGS
Silverton and San Juan County officials said they have begun processing the paperwork to protect their upstream water rights from Durango’s plan to apply for a permit to preserve water for recreation. Durango Herald; Dec. 14 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/05/news051213_1.htm>
COLORADO WATER COMPANY WANTS TO BUY WATER FOR FUTURE USE
Mancos Rural Water Co. officials want to convert 300 acre-feet of agricultural water to municipal and industrial uses because they say the agricultural use will surely be lost to the need for more water for homes. Durango Herald; Dec. 16 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/05/news051216_5.htm>
MIDDLE RIO GRANDE WATER USERS DREW LESS THIS YEAR
The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District said that New Mexico water users were much more efficient this year and diverted 366,000 acre-feet of water from the Rio Grande, much less than the 654,000 acre-feet diverted in 1997. Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); Dec. 15 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/36408.html>
HOPI LEADER WINS DECADES-OLD BATTLE OVER WATER
Former Hopi tribal chairman Vernon Masayesva long asserted that the Peabody Coal Mining operations on Hopi and Navajo land in Arizona was robbing the tribes of their water. Another look at the controversy over the Black Mesa Mine and the Mohave Generating Plant. Phoenix New Times; Dec. 6 <http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/Issues/2005-12-01/news/dougherty.html>
N.M. WATER OFFICIAL SAYS MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE
New Mexico State Engineer John D’Antonio said implementation of new water regulations were moving along, but the state was still grappling with drought and growth, and some say the state’s new water rules are too pro-development. Santa Fe New Mexican; Dec. 28 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/36939.html>
DESPITE RECORD RUN-OFF, UTAH RESERVOIR STILL ONLY HALF FULL
Lake Powell acts as a water bank for the four states classified as “upper basin” states of the 1922 Colorado River Compact, and the drought of 2002 drew down the reservoir, which is still only about half full. Denver Post; Dec. 11 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3298321>
PHOENIX AREA NEARING 6TH-LONGEST DRY SPELL
With no rainfall forecast by year’s end, the Phoenix metropolitan area is approaching the sixth-longest dry spell on record. Arizona Star, 12/08 <http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1207phxrain-ON.html> <http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AZ_NO_RAINFALL_AZOL-?SITE=AZTUS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT>
ARIZONA COUNTY CONSIDERS NEW WATER-CONSERVATION MEASURES
Pima County officials are looking at a number of measures to cut back on water use, including prohibiting the use of misters in restaurants, discouraging individual pools and other measures that go well beyond what other local governments in Arizona require. Arizona Daily Sun; Dec. 9 <http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/106185.php>
STATE HIGH COURT UPHOLDS TRANSFER OF WATER RIGHTS
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled against landowners who challenged irrigation districts’ authority to surrender rights to Central Arizona Project water as part of a water-rights settlement with the federal government. Associated Press, 12/02 <http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15676602&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=68561&rfi=6>
ARIZONA PECAN FARMERS LOSE FEDERAL APPEAL OF WATER-RIGHTS CASE A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that landowners harmed by a neighbor’s pumping of groundwater cannot sue for damages under Arizona law, if the groundwater is put to an appropriate use on the neighbor’s property. Tucson Citizen (AP); Dec. 30 <http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/news/local/123005a7_Water-Neighbors>
IT TAKES COURAGE TO SAVE A RIVER
Commentary – Golden cottonwood leaves trembled in the slight breeze. Some broke loose and sashayed downward, landing on the water, on gravel bars, on riverbanks, and on two-dozen people gathered along the San Pedro River to discuss the stream’s future. Sierra Vista Herald, 12/04 <http://www.svherald.com/articles/2005/12/04/local_news/features_and_opinions/columnist1.txt>
NEVADA WATER AUTHORITY LAYS OUT COLORADO RIVER WATER PLAN
Southern Nevada Water Authority board members played down the significance of the water budget for 2006 that predicted the area would outgrow its share of Colorado River water by 2007, by calling the prediction a worse-case scenario that probably won’t occur that soon. Reno Gazette-Journal; Dec. 9 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Dec-09-Fri-2005/news/4676718.html>
WATER SPECULATING IN NEVADA IS FORCING THE STATE TO CHANGE
A Nevada interim legislative subcommittee is considering starting a new agency to acquire water for Washoe County, Nevada, because water speculation has driven up prices by as much as $45,000 per acre-foot in one month, a cost that gets passed on to home buyers. Reno Gazette-Journal; Dec. 20 <http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051220/NEWS10/512200352/1002/NEWS>
COALITION ATTACKS SSA’S PLAN FOR RESTORATION
A politically powerful coalition of environmental groups has taken a shot at the Salton Sea Authority’s proposal to save the sea from an environmental death. IV Press, 12/06 <http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2005/12/06/news/news02.txt>
SWEEPING CALFED MAKEOVER IN WORKS
Recent reports conducted by the state Department of Finance and the Little Hoover Commission say CALFED — as the effort is known — needs to streamline itself, narrow its focus and ensure that when things go wrong, someone is responsible. Stockton Record, 12/01 <http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051202/NEWS01/512020331/1001>
MULTIBILLION DOLLAR UPGRADES FOR SAN FRANCISCO
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has signed off on a blueprint for a multibillion-dollar project to ensure water for 2.4 million Bay Area residents. SF Examiner, 12/01 <http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/11/30/news/20051130_ne06_hetch.txt>
WYOMING TO TRY CLOUD SEEDING
Wyoming’s cloud seeding program aims to do more than just add snowpack to mountains and water to reservoirs; scientists there hope they can determine whether it actually works. Casper Star-Tribune, AP; 12/20 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/12/20/news/wyoming/fe6b57103a6e079b872570dd00007f9c.txt>
WYOMING CORRALS ILLEGAL COALBED-METHANE WATER RESERVOIRS
Less than a year after Wyoming officials discovered there were more than 150 unpermitted reservoirs holding water discharged during coalbed methane operations in Campbell County, all reservoirs are either permitted or in the process of being permitted. Casper Star-Tribune; Dec. 5 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/12/05/news/wyoming/86777314a358dfaf872570cd0026926a.txt>
STATES WRESTLE WITH LOWER SHARES OF COLORADO RIVER WATER
Drought conditions have forced the seven member states of the 1922 Colorado River Compact to begin negotiating about how to share the water when there’s not enough to go around. Arizona Republic; Dec. 14 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1214coloriver-manage.html> <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3314711> <http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/state_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2419_4323887,00.html>
NORTON APPROVES COLORADO RIVER OPERATING PLAN
Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton today approved the 2006 Annual Operating Plan (AOP) that governs the distribution of Colorado River water and the operation of Colorado River reservoirs. A letter transmitting the approved AOP has been sent to the governors of the seven Colorado River Basin States. Bureau of Reclamation News Release, 12/15 <http://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/detail.cfm?RecordID=9381>
COLORADO RIVER WATER USERS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ACCORD
Water officials from the seven member states of the 1922 Colorado River Compact said they’re confident they can reach an agreement on how to share the water in times of drought when they meet next month in Las Vegas. Salt Lake Tribune; Dec. 28 <http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3349231>
PLAN TO BUILD TEXAS RESERVOIRS APPROVED
Over the objections of environmentalists and East Texans whose land would be affected, North Texas water planners approved a plan Monday that includes construction of four more reservoirs by 2060. WFAA, 12/07 <http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/DN-water_06met.ART0.North.Edition2.e2fbaf6.html>
BATTLE BREWS OVER WATER FROM SALT BASIN
A battle is brewing between New Mexicans and Texans over water from an underground reserve. Associated Press, 12/04 <http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/state/13327291.htm>
MONTANA PASSES COST OF WATER USE STUDY ONTO RIGHTS’ HOLDERS
The Montana Department of Revenue will send a bill to everyone in the state who has a water claim and will use the money to pay for examining the claims, in accordance with state law. Billings Gazette; Dec. 16 <http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/12/16/build/state/65-water.inc>
FOREST SERVICE STUCK ON WHO WILL FUND STUDY OF FAILING MONTANA DAM
The Forest Service hasn’t begun its study of what to do with the failing Mike Horse Dam in the Helena National Forest because it doesn’t know who is going to pay for the study. Helena Independent Record; Dec. 18 <http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/12/18/montana/f01121805_01.txt>
SALMON EXPERT’S CHANGE OF HEART A LESSON IN ADAPTATION
When regional salmon expert Don Chapman backed away from his long-standing belief that salmon populations could be maintained without breaching dams on the lower Snake River, he taught us all a lesson about re-examining entrenched beliefs. Idaho Statesman; Dec. 9 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051209/NEWS0501/512090319/1053>
EARLY FISH FORECASTS PREDICT DROP IN FALL CHINOOK RETURNS
The fall chinook salmon return to the mouth of the Columbia River next year is expected to dip below 500,000 for the first time since 2000, according to a preliminary forecast issued by the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife. A primary signal of the size of one year’s adult is the number of “jacks” that return the prior year. The count of jacks — immature 2-year-old fall chinook — this past summer was the lowest since 1996 for the biggest component of the run, so-called upriver brights or URBs. <http://www.cbbulletin.com/Free/124128.aspx>
MISSOURI RESERVOIR FAILS
Water poured through a breach at a hydroelectric plant’s rural reservoir in southeast Missouri, washing away homes and vehicles, authorities said. AP 12/14 <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10464128/>
GOVERNORS TO SIGN GREAT LAKES AGREEMENT
Governors of the eight Great Lakes states are poised to sign an agreement aimed at preventing or minimizing the diversion of water from the lakes, the world’s largest freshwater system. AP 12/12 <http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/13391456.htm> <http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/13391029.htm>
EPA REQUESTS ADDITIONAL STUDIES ON COLORADO DRILLING PROJECT
Environmental Protection Agency officials said a U.S. Forest Service environmental assessment of a natural-gas drilling project on the south side of Colorado’s Grand Mesa was insufficient, and requested more study on the project’s effect on groundwater. Grand Junction Sentinel; Dec. 15 <http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/12/14/12_15_1A_Spaulding_Peak.html>
N.M. SENATOR ASKS EPA TO HELP COMMUNITIES MEET WATER STANDARDS
Several New Mexico communities will soon have to meet stricter water standards for arsenic, and Sen. Pete Domenici has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to work with the communities to ensure they have the necessary information on exemption, tools and solutions. Albuquerque Journal (AP); Dec. 16 <http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/417098nm12-16-05.htm> <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/36748.html>
TOOLS TO HELP SMALL WATER UTILITIES CONTROL ARSENIC
EPA has released a set of user-friendly multimedia products to help small drinking-water utilities meet revised regulations to control arsenic. The tools will provide owners and operators with information to guide them in making treatment decisions. EPA News Release, 12/14 <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/27166bca9a9490ee852570180055e350/4da6ded5f66df8a3852570d7006f49c3!OpenDocument>
GROUP SAYS ARIZONA, NEVADA HAVE SOME OF THE WORST WATER QUALITY
A nationwide survey by the Environmental Working Group found 100 contaminants in Nevada’s drinking water including 41 pollutants that exceed health standards; Arizona was third in the nation for contaminants in drinking water. Las Vegas Review-Journal; Dec. 21 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Dec-21-Wed-2005/news/4899236.html>
WYOMING GOVERNOR DISPUTES CBM WATER-DISPOSAL PLAN
The Bureau of Land Management is taking public comments on a proposal that would allow water discharged during coalbed methane operations from 1,240 planned wells into the Seminoe Reservoir on the North Platte River, but Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal claimed pumping the highly saline water into fresh water would be a problem. Casper Star-Tribune (AP); Dec. 8 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/12/08/news/wyoming/a7dc1fbe99c18ea2872570d10003cf9b.txt> <http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/12/26/build/state/25-methane.inc>
GROUP CHALLENGES WYOMING’S MANAGEMENT OF CBM WATER
Nineteen landowners and the Powder River Basin Resource Council began a petition drive to force Wyoming to close what they contend is a loophole in state law regarding the regulation of water discharged during coalbed methane operations. Casper Star-Tribune; Dec. 8 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/12/08/news/wyoming/f625a90fe4950b78872570d10006efe8.txt>
MONTANA AGENCY BEGINS STUDY OF RIVER WITH HIGH SALINITY
The Tongue River begins in Wyoming and flows northward into Montana, and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality has begun the process to set pollution limits for the river, because the river is not meeting water-quality standards in its lower reaches for salinity levels. Billings Gazette; Dec. 30 <http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/12/30/build/state/40-tongue-river.inc>
WYOMING MAY USE CBM WATER TO CONTROL DUST
As Montana regulators consider stricter water-quality standards that could force Wyoming’s coalbed methane operators to cut production, a panel is poised to present Gov. Dave Freudenthal with a dozen or so options on how to handle the highly saline water, including using it to control dusty roads. Casper Star-Tribune; Dec. 12 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/12/12/news/bf118ea1940941c7872570d400269958.txt>
400 TEXAS WATER SYSTEMS HAVE CARCINOGENS
Four hundred Texas water utility systems have been cited by the state for non-compliance since the middle of 2004 for high levels of cancer-causing trihalomethanes (TTHM) and haloacetic acids (HAA5). CBS Dallas, 12/01 <http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_story_334222526.html>
FEDS APPROVE WETLANDS MAP FOR CONTROVERSIAL COLORADO RESORT
Colorado Wild is threatening a lawsuit over the Army Corps of Engineers’ approval of the map of wetlands drawn up by the developers of the Village at Wolf Creek because the group says the understaffed agency has failed to protect the 93 acres of federally protected wetlands. Durango Herald; Dec. 14 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/05/news051213_2.htm>
UTAH, ALASKA JOIN HIGH COURT CASE ON WETLANDS DEVELOPMENT
Utah and Alaska have joined a U.S. Supreme Court case of two Michigan landowners who dispute the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ requirement that they need a permit to develop wetlands on their property. Salt Lake Tribune (AP); Dec. 9 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3292940>
FORMER ALBERTA PREMIER WARNS AGAINST EXPORT OF WATER TO U.S.
Former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed called fresh water more valuable than oil and said he was concerned the United States would try to make water an issue in free trade agreements within the next few years. Toronto National Post; Dec. 16 <http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=14c0b36d-f206-464f-a477-2b6c4765613c&k=64696>
CHINA TRIES TO EASE ANGER AT TOXIC SPILL
China tried to ease anger at home and abroad over a toxic spill in a major river by vowing to severely punish anyone responsible. But the government did not say whether it will investigate Communist Party officials accused of trying to hide the disaster. AP, 12/07 <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/12/07/international/i021250S60.DTL&hw=water&sn=002&sc=874> <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/12/06/international/i050913S38.DTL&hw=water&sn=001&sc=1000>
DIRE NEED FOR CLEAN WATER IN MANY QUAKE VILLAGES
Hundreds of villages in northern Pakistan are without water after the October 8 earthquake that killed over 80,000 people and left 3.5 million without shelter, triggered landslides and split mountains, leaving natural springs dry and breaking water pipes. Reuters, 12/08 <http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/d00499feb20f1d37811b432916348e3f.htm>
GLOBAL WARMING COULD HALT OCEAN CIRCULATION
Absent any climate policy, scientists have found a 70 percent chance of shutting down the thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean over the next 200 years, with a 45 percent probability of this occurring in this century. Physorg.com, 12/09 <http://www.physorg.com/news8909.html>
