EXPERT WARNS WATER SHORTAGES AHEAD FOR COLORADO RIVER
A three-day symposium at the University of Colorado on the Colorado River opened with a warning that critical shortages are possible within the next six years and that shared risk should inspire Western states to find new ways to manage the river. Denver Rocky Mountain News; June 9 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3841643,00.html>
FEDS SET MEETINGS ON COLORADO RIVER WATER COMPACT
Interior Secretary Gale Norton said she wants a new drought management plan for the Colorado River Basin in place by 2007, and set a series of meetings aimed at ending a stalemate between the seven states who share the river’s water. Denver Rocky Mountain News; June 16 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3858790,00.html>
ARIZONA, COLORADO PLAN NEW TALKS ON WATER MANAGEMENT
Both Arizona and Colorado depend heavily on Colorado River water, and officials from both states said they hoped a series of talks will help resolve differences. Denver Rocky Mountain News; June 10 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3844834,00.html>
COLORADO GOVERNOR FLUSHES WATER-CONSERVATION BILL
Gov. Bill Owens said a water conservation bill would cost state agencies $1 million to implement, contrary to what the bill’s proponents had claimed. Denver Rocky Mountain News; June 1 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/legislature/article/0,1299,DRMN_37_3821265,00.html>
TALKS POINT TO SMOOTHER WATER NEGOTIATIONS IN COLORADO
Recent talks between Denver and Western Slope communities show a trend toward more cooperation in solving the water wars and may result in enforceable agreements that provide win-win solutions to rancorous issues. Denver Post; 6/5 <http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_2776738> <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3830150,00.html>
COLORADO GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL CREATING WATER ROUNDTABLES
Water roundtables will be created in each of Colorado’s seven river basins and the Denver-metro northern and southern areas under a measure signed into law by Gov. Bill Owens. Denver Rocky Mountain News; June 8 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3838142,00.html>
COLORADO WATER BATTLE OPENS A NEW FRONT
Colorado may have been a pioneer in the sport of whitewater rafting, but the state lags behind most in clarifying who owns the right to ride the waves down river. Christian Science Monitor; June 6 <http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0606/p02s02-usju.html>
WATER LEADS TO CLASH OF CULTURES IN COLORADO
When winter ends and Mathew Ryan decides to sharpen up his kayaking skills, he doesn’t even bother to leave this Denver suburb. The 36-year-old contractor can practice his rolls and turns in Golden’s whitewater recreation park, a challenging playground of artificial rapids, rocks and eddies. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7895>
HIGH TIMES RETURN TO COLORADO RESERVOIR
Denver Water officials said water conservation efforts and spring rains have filled the Dillon Reservoir to capacity for the first time since 2001. Denver Post; June 17 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2807385>
COLORADO CONGRESSMAN WANTS FEDERAL WATER FUND
U.S. Rep. John Salazar said a dedicated source of federal funding for water projects would provide a steady stream of financing for water safety projects. Durango Herald; June 16 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/05/news050615_3.htm>
COLORADO PANEL DELAYS WATER-TEMPERATURE STANDARDS
Environmental groups said they were disappointed by Colorado water commissioners who set standards for water temperatures in state streams but then delayed imposing those standards until 2008. Denver Rocky Mountain News; June 16 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3858696,00.html>
N.M. GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES NEW TERMS OF WATER SETTLEMENT
Non-Indians won’t have to cap their wells and a new regional water system would be built for four Indian pueblos under new terms of settlement aimed at settling a decades-old water-rights suit in New Mexico. Santa Fe New Mexico; June 2 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/14380.html>
WATER PIPELINE PROPOSAL SPARKS DEBATE IN WYOMING
Wyoming water officials said the cost of building a pipeline from the Green River across the Continental Divide it just too high, but increased needs in the future may make the project feasible. Casper Star-Tribune (AP); June 17 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/06/17/news/wyoming/bad625de1dea28e387257023000517f4.txt>
WYOMING SENATOR CONSIDERS SCENIC DESIGNATION FOR SNAKE RIVER
If U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas decides to pursue and is successful in getting the Snake River in northwest Wyoming protected under the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, it would be only the second river in Wyoming to be so protected. Casper Star-Tribune; 6/1 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/06/01/news/wyoming/bf0516f03bee03d387257012008218aa.txt>
LARGE CALCITE FORMATION FOUND IN NEW MEXICO CAVE
A calcite formation named Snowy River could prove a gold mine for scientists, who believe the new passage could yield information on everything from specialized bacteria to underground drainage. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7851>
AFTER YEARS OF DROUGHT, RISING WATER IS ENLARGING, CHANGING UTAH’S GREAT SALT LAKE
The water in the Great Salt Lake has begun rising again after years of drought, changing the landscape and starting to submerge one of Utah’s best-known artifacts: an enormous earth sculpture called the Spiral Jetty. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7932>
ARIZONA TRIBES CONTROL WATER TAP UNDER NEW DEALS
Recent agreements give Arizona Indian tribes control of a portion of Colorado River water and much of the water from the four Arizona rivers, creating new sources of revenue for the tribes. Tucson Citizen; June 16 <http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=local&story_id=061605a1_tribal_water>
FUTURE OF TUCSON WATER SUPPLY HAS A ‘YUCK’ FACTOR
Tucson will consume all of its Colorado River water allocation over the next ten years, and water officials said treating wastewater to drink is a central element of their future plans. Arizona Daily Star; June 19 <http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/specialreports/80462.php>
TRIBES PLAY KEY ROLE IN ARIZONA’S WATER FUTURE
Arizona water policies assume farmlands will dry up and tribal lands will stay dry to quench the thirst of the state’s increasing urban population. Second in a series. Arizona Daily Star; June 19 <http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/specialreports/80527.php>
ARIZONA WATER POLICY IS ALL ABOUT PEOPLE
A hydrologist said 91 percent of Arizona’s free-flowing rivers have already dried up, putting the state’s flora and fauna dependent on such habitat at risk. Third in a series. Arizona Daily Star; June 20 <http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/specialreports/80502.php>
FUTURE WATER SOLUTIONS RANGE FROM LOGICAL TO LOOPY
After all the water conservation methods have been put into place and demands continue to grow, future solutions to shortages range from desalination of sea water to seeding clouds. Final in a series. Arizona Daily Star; June 21 <http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/specialreports/80689.php>
FORT HUACHUCA VIOLATIONS OF SAN PEDRO COMPACT CHALLENGED
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and Maricopa Audubon Society have filed a lawsuit against Fort Huachuca, the Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to challenge violations of the August 23, 2002, Biological Opinion. 6/01 <http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/press/sanpedro6-1-05.html>
APS SHUTS DOWN HISTORIC POWER PLANTS, REOPENS FOSSIL CREEK
Arizona Public Service Co. on Saturday turned off the state’s first commercial hydroelectric power plants, built nearly a century ago, in order to restore full flow to Fossil Creek. Phoenix Business Journal, 06/20 <http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2005/06/20/daily1.html>
ADEQ TO SPEARHEAD EFFORT TO PROTECT THE COLORADO RIVER
Under the direction of Governor Janet Napolitano, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Director Steve Owens announced today that ADEQ will coordinate the Clean Colorado River Alliance (CCRA). 6/17 <http://www.azdeq.gov/function/news/2005/june.html#0617>
INPUT SOUGHT ON COLORADO RIVER
Federal officials want your input as they prepare for discussions that could reshape how more than 25 million people in seven Western states share the Colorado River. Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6/16 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Jun-16-Thu-2005/news/26727775.html>
IDAHO, MONTANA GOVERNORS WORK ON SALMON PLAN
The governors of Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon are working with federal officials to work out a salmon protection plan that will both protect the species and preserve cheap hydroelectric power in the Northwest. Idaho Statesman; 6/5 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050605/NEWS0105/506050356> <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050609/NEWS05/506090327/1052>
IDAHO SENATOR TAKES AIM AT SALMON AGENCY
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, attached a rider to the national energy bill that cuts funding for the Fish Passage Center, for what he characterized as a “controversial and one-sided” approach to salmon recovery. The Fish Passage Center has tracked salmon in the Columbia and Snake River systems in the Pacific Northwest for over 20 years. Craig is peeved that the Center’s fish survival data was used to support a recent federal court order mandating summer spills over Snake River dams, impacting electricity rates and barge travel along the rivers. Twin Falls Times-News; June 24 <http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2005/06/24/news_localstate/news_local_state.1.txt>
DIVERSE STAKEHOLDERS COMPLICATE SALMON PLAN
Crafting a plan to save the salmon is made more complex and problematic by the number of competing interests who want their say and their way. Idaho Statesman; June 5 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050605/NEWS0105/506050358/1002>
CONGRESSMEN HEAR TESTIMONY ON SNAKE RIVER’S FUTURE
Members of a House subcommittee met with Idaho and Washington officials, business owners and tribal members to discuss how best to balance the needs of endangered salmon with the benefits provided by four dams on the Snake River. Idaho Statesman; June 7 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050607/NEWS0105/506070329/1002/NEWS01>
FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS AGENCY TO DO MORE FOR IDAHO FISH
A federal judge said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s designation of 11 miles of an Idaho river as critical habitat for the Kootenai River white sturgeon was inadequate and said a new critical habitat plan must be prepared by Dec. 1 Billings Gazette (AP); June 3 <http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/06/03/build/state/78-sturgeon.inc>
SALMON DECISION MAY INCREASE SPILLS ON SNAKE RIVER DAMS
Two days before a hearing on how dam operations on Idaho’s Snake River and the Columbia River should be changed to improve salmon populations, a federal judge said he would not require more water from Idaho to increase velocity of the rivers. U.S. District Judge James Redden issued his order for large-scale spilling of water at a number of dams that are hindering the ability of juvenile salmon to navigate downstream to sea. Some federal officials say coming up with a protection plan that meets all the court’s technical and legal requirements may be impossible. Idaho Statesman; June 9 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050609/NEWS0105/506090381/1002/NEWS01> <http://www.grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=5182>
FEDERAL AGENCIES, COMPANIES WILL APPEAL SALMON RULING
There is some concern in Idaho that continued legal wrangling over water for salmon recovery will endanger the water-rights agreement between the Nez Perce Tribe and the federal government. Idaho Statesman; June 15 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050615/NEWS0105/506150317> <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050619/NEWS0501/506190323/1053>
CLIMATE, USAGE DEMANDS STRAIN COLUMBIA RIVER MANAGEMENT
The water seems quiet and calm at the mouth of the Columbia River, offering no hint of its turbulent history or the deep emotions that it provokes in the Pacific Northwest. From its headwaters in British Columbia, the river weaves through a tapestry of mountains, desert sagebrush and steep canyons to the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, it is the cord that ties the region together. It nourishes communities, crops, wildlife and fish. It provides irrigation, transportation and electricity. For Native Americans and the millions of white settlers who followed, it’s a spiritual and recreational jewel to be cherished and enjoyed. But demands on the river are escalating as the region changes, and the many conflicts that smolder and simmer around the river are heating up. Statesman Journal, 6/1 <http://159.54.226.83/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050601/BUSINESS/506010327/1040>
COLLISION OF ECONOMIES AND CULTURES ON THE COLUMBIA
Perhaps nowhere else in the nation have conflicts between managing ecologies for sustainability and milking natural resources for market profits come into as high a relief as they have in the Columbia River Basin. Billions of federal tax dollars have been funneled into the dream of saving the Columbia’s salmon, making the effort, which currently hovers around $600 million annually, the nation’s single largest wildlife recovery program. Taking on water dynamics that make kayakers queasy, salmon swim hundreds and thousands of miles on their migratory cycles, only to return to the gravels in which they were spawned to give themselves up for the next generation. Yes, there’s much to recommend these fish; much to explain why Pacific Northwesterners – and Americans across the continent who help pay the bill – cling to the dream of saving the fish. Indian Country Today, 6/13 <http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096411064>
FEDS PLAN WATER RELEASES FOR IDAHO’S SNAKE RIVER
For the first time since 2001, the Bureau of Reclamation will release water from Idaho’s American Falls Reservoir to aid endangered Snake River salmon. Twin Falls Times-News; June 21 <http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2005/06/21/news_topstory/news_topstory.1.txt>
JUDGE REJECTS CHALLENGE TO COLUMBIA CHANNEL DEEPENING
U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez rejected environmentalists’ legal challenge to the federal government’s plan to deepen by three feet the Columbia River from the river mouth to Portland. Now given the legal green light, the Corps plans to begin deepening the navigation channel to its newly authorized depth of 43 feet next week. Work will begin at river mile 3 and continue through river mile 16. Additional work may take place later this year along a 10-mile stretch of the Columbia River near Vancouver, Wash. The cost of the project is estimated at $150 million, $95 million of which will be paid for by the federal government. The state of Oregon and Washington will fund the remainder of the costs. The Senate Energy and Water Appropriations subcommittee approved $15 million for the project for fiscal year 2006. <>www.cbbulletin.com/Free/103700.aspx
NEW MARINE MANAGEMENT RULES MAY HAMPER RESTORATION OF FISHERIES
The National Marine Fisheries Service has released new guidelines for restoring depleted fish stocks, but some friends of the finned worry the rules may unduly favor the fishing industry. Current rules mandate that regional fisheries managers aim to restore stocks within 10 years. The newly proposed rules would let them devise variable timelines for fishery restoration based on how long it would take a stock to rebound if there were no fishing, plus the average time it takes the species to reach spawning age. This may lengthen the time managers have to restore some stocks, which fisheries expert Andrew Rosenberg terms “a biological risk.” The new rules would also allow coordinated management of different species that live, swim, and get netted together, assuming that fish with similar life histories will respond to similar management plans. But this is shortsighted, says Rosenberg: “[A] species might be minor to a commercial fishery but still play a key role in an ecosystem; we are only worrying about the things we like to eat right now.” The Boston Globe, 6/23 <http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/06/23/us_proposes_changes_in_fishing_guidelines/>
MELTING PERMAFROST MAY BE SHRINKING ARCTIC LAKES
Arctic lakes are shrinking, and melting permafrost brought on by higher temperatures may be the reason, according to a research paper. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7880>
SPAIN’S WORST DROUGHT IN SIX DECADES PROMPTS DEBATE OVER WATER RESOURCES
The driest winter and spring for more than 60 years have left reservoirs in some regions with 20 percent their normal capacity and crops across this European agricultural powerhouse nation wilting. Rivers have lost nearly a third of their volume. A bitter argument is raging over how the drought should be handled. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7930>
HEFTY PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE COLORADO CREEK’S WATER QUALITY
Several construction projects slated for this summer near the Eisenhower Tunnel will aim to improve the fish habitat and water quality in Straight Creek, which supplies the drinking water to Dillon and Dillon Valley. Summit Daily News, 6/08 <http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20050608/NEWS/50608012>
FISH MAY FUEL SOLUTION TO COALBED METHANE WATER PROBLEM
A Wyoming researcher said initial tests show fish feces may promote plant growth with water from coalbed methane production wells. Billings Gazette (AP); June 5 <http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?ts=1&display=rednews/2005/06/05/build/wyoming/35-cbm-water-study.inc>
NEW EPA CHIEF SAYS WATER SAFETY A TOP PRIORITY
EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, the first scientist to hold the post, said securing the nation’s water supply from both terrorists and pollutants, is one of the most important issues on his agenda. Los Angeles Times; 6/9 <http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-epa9jun09,1,3019616.story?coll=la-news-environment&ctrack=1&cset=true>
HOUSE VOTES TO BLOCK EPA SEWAGE DUMPING POLICY, EPA WITHDRAWS POLICY!
On May 19 clean water advocates won a great victory when the Environmental Protection Agency decided not to finalize its misguided proposal to allow sewage treatment operators to dump barely treated sewage into lakes and rivers anytime it rains. EPA’s action came on the brink of a Congressional vote to override the proposed rule. Congressional opposition was built on a massive grass-roots campaign to overturn the proposed rule to allow for combined sewer/stormwater runoff to continue.
CONGRESS CONTEMPLATES EXEMPTING THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY FROM CLEAN WATER ACT REQUIREMENTS IN THE ENERGY BILL
The energy bill (H.R. 6) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in April contains many give-aways to special interests, including an exemption from stormwater protection requirements for oil and gas construction activities. The current version of the Senate energy bill adopted by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee does not contain this unwarranted exemption. However, Senator Inhofe (R-OK) is considering offering an amendment to the bill on the Senate floor that would match the House exemption. In addition, Senator Inhofe is also contemplating an amendment to exempt hydraulic fracturing, the underground injection of diesel fuel and other chemicals during oil and gas development, from the Safe Drinking Water Act. This provision is also included in the House energy bill.
LAKES FACE MAJOR POLLUTION
Farmers’ routine application of chemical fertilizers and manure to the land poses a far greater environmental problem to freshwater lakes than previously thought, potentially polluting the water for hundreds of years, according to new research. Phosphorus in those substances has built up in the soil and will slowly end up in many lakes, where the nutrients lead to plant and algae growth. The environmental problem, known as eutrophication, can turn pristine lakes into smelly, weed-filled swamps with lots of dead fish. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a University of Wisconsin-Madison expert blames the buildup largely on industrial agriculture’s excessive use of fertilizer and manure since the 1940s. 6/14 <http://www.forbes.com/infoimaging/feeds/ap/2005/06/14/ap2091249.html>
FEDERAL AGENCY ADDS COLORADO CREEK TO TROUBLED WATER LIST
The Environmental Protection Agency’s listing of an 11-mile stretch of Beer Creek in Colorado’s Jefferson County is significant because it’s the first time a stream’s temperature has been considered a form of pollution. Denver Rocky Mountain News; June 9 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_3841570,00.html>
LAKE POWELL CLEANUP CREW RACES AGAINST RISING WATER
The receding waters of Lake Powell have uncovered more than 100 sunken crafts, and a crew has recovered 57 boats and 1 airplane from the reservoir. Salt Lake Tribune; June 10 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2794160>
TRIBES SAY WASTEWATER WILL DESECRATE ARIZONA SACRED PEAKS
A flurry of lawsuits is expected if the U.S. Forest Service approves a ski resort’s proposal to use wastewater to make snow on Arizona’s San Francisco peaks, as more than 40 American Indian tribes have objected to the plan. Arizona Republic; June 7 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0607peaks06.html>
FOREST SERVICE APPROVES SNOWMAKING ON ARIZONA PEAKS
U.S. Forest Service officials said the economic benefits and interest in skiing outweighed religious concerns of tribes and approved a plan to use wastewater to make snow on Arizona’s San Francisco Peaks. Arizona Republic; June 10 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0610snowbowl10.html>
STATES PUSH FOR FEDERAL STUDY OF DRUGS IN WATERWAYS
Antidepressants and estrogen are showing up in the nation’s waterways, changing the physiology and neurology of fish, but rank-and-file Environmental Protection Agency employees said agency officials have little interest in the problem. Washington Post; June 23 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/22/AR2005062201988.html> <http://www1.dailycamera.com/bdc/science/article/0,1713,BDC_2432_3707304,00.html>
NITRATES BAD NEWS FOR NEVADA WELL OWNERS
Once a source of water for north Douglas County residents, Well No. 4 in Ridgeview can now only be used for park irrigation. Nitrates filtering out of septic tanks in the community raised nitrate levels in the well so drastically that its water can no longer be used for human consumption. Gardnerville Record-Courier, 6/08 <http://www.recordcourier.com/article/20050608/News/106080006>
NORTH DAKOTA FLOOD PROJECT SPURS US-CANADA DISPUTE
North Dakota says it has a solution to the lake’s spread and wants to divert water ultimately to a river in Canada. But that $25 million plan has caused an uproar across the border, where Canadian politicians worry the water will bring pollution that will harm a valuable fishery. North Dakota has built a system — set to go into operation on July 1 — of pumps, pipes and canals to take water from land-locked Devils Lake to the nearby Sheyenne River with the goal of stabilizing the lake at current levels. Planet Ark, 6/1 <http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/31053/story.htm>
CALGARY HIT BY A ONCE-IN-200-YEARS FLOOD
A large portion of central and southern Alberta remained under states of emergency and communities along the Red Deer River were evacuated as floodwaters were expected. Toronto National Post; June 20 <http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=ff658902-9f68-4e99-b874-8b01cc0d79d8>
U.S. PROPOSES ALLOWING FISH FARMING UP TO 200 MILES OFF COASTS
The Bush administration, seeking to tap into one of the world’s fastest-growing food industries, wants to allow fish farming up to 200 miles off the nation’s coasts. Citing pilot projects off New Hampshire, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, the administration said Tuesday it was sending a bill to Congress to establish regulations for fish farming, known as aquaculture. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7901>
CHINA REPORTS MORE CITIES SUFFERING ACID RAIN, RIVERS AND LAKES POLLUTED
More of China’s cities are suffering from acid rain and its major rivers and lakes are heavily polluted, the government said in a report that highlighted the environmental costs of surging economic growth. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7871> <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7893>
WATER PLANT STRIKE IN CONGO SPARKS CHOLERA OUTBREAK
A strike at a water-purification facility in eastern Congo has caused an outbreak of cholera, resulting in hundreds of infections that have killed at least four people, a health official said. Seattle PI, 6/03 <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?category=1500&slug=Congo%20Cholera>
