SNOWPACK
Early snowmelt ended up being absorbed into the ground with most of the snowpack left in May being lost to sublimation.
(Sublimation is the process where snow evaporates before it melts) At the beginning of June, snowpack was only about 14% of average. Stream and river flows are expected to be substantially diminished this summer where they are not augmented by releases from reservoirs.
Reservoir storage remains at or above average
BINATIONAL DECLARATION ON THE COLORADO RIVER DELTA
On 5/18, Secretary of Interior Babbitt and Secretary Carabias of Mexico’s Department of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries signed a Joint Declaration to Enhance Cooperation in the Colorado River Delta.
Babbitt’s office said, ” Since 80% of the best Lower Colorado River habitat is in Mexico, restoring the ecological integrity of the Delta is in the interest of both the U.S. and Mexico. We would like to see the efforts of the International Boundary and Water Commission’s binational task force strengthened and the process broadened to include representatives from non-governmental organizations. The IBWC task force is identifying joint proposals such as hydraulic modeling and small restoration projects in addition to the projects that they are already doing in Mexico on vegetation mapping and species inventory and monitoring.” The Declaration says that the two countries “intend to strengthen cooperative action and mechanisms to improve and conserve the natural and cultural resources of the Delta, including the river and associated wetland habitats….[do] joint studies on transboundary species, with special emphasis on endangered and threatened species…. [to] develop strategies for environmental sustainability.” [This seems to be a direct response to the December Notice of Intent to Sue filed by numerous environmental and conservation groups from the US and Mexico. That Notice was for the failure to consult, under the Endangered Species Act for federally listed species living in Mexico.]
ANIMAS-LA PLATA
Hearings have been held in both the Senate and House on bills to build an “enhanced” ALP Ultralite Project outside of Durango. In its comments on the Draft Supplemental EIS, the EPA suggested that the Bureau of Reclamation’s final environmental document provide detailed plans for repairing and replacing wetlands and other habitats that would be lost or damaged by dam construction in Ridges Basin. The Administration has offered conditional support for the bills. Remaining concerns include environmental compliance language in the Senate bill, the need for deauthorization of the original, larger A-LP project and repayment obligations. Language in the bill could preclude full judicial review of the environmental analyses. Beneficiaries of the project want to prepay their portions of the project before final costs have been determined and not be subject to paying for cost overruns. Robert Wiygul, speaking for the Sierra Club, testified that the project could be harmful to the environment in ways that cannot be determined at this time.
Other water development proposals are being studied on the San Juan River downstream from the Animas River. A DEIS is being conducted for a water supply project for the New Mexico portion of the Navajo Nation south through the Window Rock Area in Arizona to the City of Gallup. Besides two structural alternatives, the DEIS will evaluate a non-structural water conservation alternative.
Also, Navajo Reservoir releases are being increased to 5,000 cfs through June to lower the reservoir level 13 feet to do repair and maintenance and repair on two 72″ hollow jet valves at the dam.
WHIRLING DISEASE RESEARCH.- Dick Vincent, a whirling disease research coordinator for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, says he has isolated three strains of rainbow trout that hatch in colder water than usual. He hopes that these trout will spawn earlier and the fry will begin to mature in water too cold for ideal whirling disease spore dispersal. The spores thrive when water temperatures hover between 50 and 60 decrees. The spores attach themselves to the young fish and begin to eat away at the animals’ soft skeletal tissue. By the time water temperatures warm and millions of infectious spores are present, the young fish will likely have matured enough to fend off a serious spore attack. While there is no known cure for the disease, Vincent hopes he may have found a way to work around the deadly effects of the spores.
COLORADO BIG THOMPSON WATER QUOTAS SET FOR 2000
The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD) Board of Directors recently set a 70 percent quota for the 2000 water year for the Colorado Big Thompson (CBT), the immense system of tunnels, diversions, reservoirs and canals that brings water from the western slope to front range communities. The quota is set by weighing factors such as current snowpack, forecasted streamflow runoff and estimated direct diversions. This year’s quota will supply 217,000 acre feet of Colorado River water for agricultural, municipal, and industrial users in the district. This quota helps farmers, ditch and irrigation companies, city water officials and rural domestic suppliers plan water supply needs. Brian Werner from the NCWCD says that a quota of 70 percent has been the average historically, and that over the past six consecutive years Colorado has experienced normal to above normal water levels. This article came to us courtesy of BASIN Newsletter at <http://bcn.boulder.co.us/basin/
AUDIT PRIVILEGE REFORM
After three years of being pestered by EPA, Colorado has made modest improvements to its Environmental Self-Audit Law (SB 139). The self audit law provides penalty immunity, permits information collected in self audits to remain secret (privileged) and penalizes whistle-blowers. In 1997, Sierra Club, Western Colorado Congress, High Country Citizens’ Alliance and the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union filed a petition with EPA to withdraw delegated authority from Colorado for issuing discharge permits under the Clean Water Act. The petition stated that Colorado’s law was in conflict with several elements of the Clean Water Act. In 1998, Environmental Defense and Clean Water Action joined the petitioners.
During the past three years, EPA has “over filed” against environmental infractions because Colorado refused to assess penalties. This has significantly reduced the use of environmental self audits which were intended to encourage voluntary disclosure. In 1999, EPA began serious discussions with Colorado to avoid further actions by the petitioners. To remedy this situation, the Attorney General’s Office wrote a legal opinion interpreting SB 139, the legislature passed HB 1481 as an incentive to increase the use of environmental self audits (which also removed criminal immunity), and the Directors of the Departments of Public Health and Environment, Labor and Employment, and Agriculture signed a Memorandum of Agreement with EPA on how Colorado will administer self audits.
The AG’s legal opinion makes the following clarifications:
1. Immunity is available only where a violation is actually corrected.
2. Privilege does not affect the State’s authority to investigate citizen complaints.
3. Privilege does not apply to information that is otherwise required by law.
4. Privilege does not affect the State’s authority to investigate compliance.
5. Privilege does not affect the State’s authority to verify the accuracy of information submitted by permittees.
6. Privilege does not affect the State’s authority to acquire information necessary for the State to issue an emergency order or obtain injunctive relief.
7. The public’s rights to access non-privileged information are not affected by the self audit law.
8. Whistle-blowing penalties only apply when information is disclosed in contravention of limitations imposed by a court or administrative law judge order and does not affect employee protection rights under state and federal law.
9. Maintaining the privilege requires that the facility actually correct noncompliance within a reasonable period of time.
The MOA between EPA and Colorado and HB 1481 describe the self-audit law as a “pilot project”, to be reviewed in three years, which eliminates removal of the sunset clause the legislature enacted last year. Although these actions do improve the bill, the petitioners are still troubled by the concept that permittees and others need “incentives” to comply with environmental, public health and safety laws. The petitioners wish to thank Mark Hughes of Earthlaw for his able assistance on this issue.
UNCOMPAHGRE WATER QUALITY
A task force of multiple stakeholders continues to work at finding ways to reduce selenium loading of the Uncompahgre and Lower Gunnison Rivers. Selenium is suspected of being mobilized by deep percolation of irrigated farmland and the return flows entering the water bodies by seepage from groundwater. The task force has embarked on two demonstration projects. One is piping water in laterals that feed irrigation water to the fields to reduce deep percolation and the other involves phytoremediation: irrigating different forms of vegetation to see which plants are most efficient at uptaking and immobilizing selenium. The task force is also trying to identify what levels of selenium might have been present before irrigation began. High concentrations of selenium has been found to retard the reproduction of razorback suckers, a listed endangered species. It is also responsible for deformed births of waterfowl.
REGIONAL PERMIT TO BE EXTENDED
In accordance with Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, proposes to extend, for a period of five years, the use of Letter of Permission (LOP) procedures to authorize certain discharges of dredged and fill material in one acre or less of navigable waters and waters of the United States for a single and complete project.
On a similar front, the old Nationwide Permit (NWP) 26 has sunsetted and the replacement permits have become effective. The replacement permits are much more restrictive than NWP 26. The National Association of Homebuilders wasted no time to file a suit challenging the permit requirements. [NWPs are automatic permits that only require an applicant to notify the Corps of an activity covered by the permit. No public notice or environmental review of alternatives is required for NWPs.]
CALIFORNIA’S 4.4 PLAN, INTERIM SURPLUS CRITERIA AND THE ANNUAL OPERATING PLAN FOR THE COLORADO RIVER
As reported on these pages in prior months, California has finalized its plan to reduce its use of Colorado River water to its Compact allocation of 4.4 maf/y (It is currently diverting over 5.1 maf/y.). The other six Colorado River Basin States are concerned about how Reclamation will enforce compliance with the 4.4 Plan. Reclamation is about to release a final rule on Interim Surplus Criteria which will provide for extra deliveries of water to California over the next 15 years to allow California to reduce their diversions gradually. In the mean time, Reclamation and the seven basin states are trying to reach agreement on the Annual Operating Plan for next year for all federal facilities on the Colorado River. This agreement includes target elevations for all reservoirs. As reported last month, releases from Glen Canyon Dam are going to be maintained at 8,000 cfs throughout the summer and fall to allow for low-flow research in the Grand Canyon. If brownouts or other power system disturbances occur, Glen Canyon Dam may be required to respond by changing powerplant releases, thus affecting the test releases.
POLLUTING OF LAKE POWELL RESERVOIR TO STOP
The States of Utah and Arizona, in cooperation with the Navajo Nation and the National Park Service, Glen Canyon National Recreational Area, have submitted a joint application to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prohibit the discharge of sewage from all vessels into Lake Powell.
The EPA must determine that adequate facilities are reasonably available for the safe and sanitary removal and treatment of sewage from all vessels on the waters to be covered by the prohibition. EPA proposes to make an affirmative determination that adequate facilities exist, meaning that the States’ complete prohibition of sewage discharges from vessels on Lake Powell would become effective.
There are six authorized vessel entry/take-out points on the Lake, with five locations having major pumpout facilities. Due to the geomorphology of the Lake, it is nearly impossible to remove or launch a vessel from any other point on the Lake. A major water-accessible vessel pumpout facility is also located at Dangling Rope. In addition, eight supplemental mechanically operated floating pump out facilities are located at various locations on the Lake.
Numerous beach closures have occurred because of fecal coliform bacterial contamination over the last several years.
PROJECT TRANSFERS
In a surprise move last week, the House suspended its rules and passed two bills allowing the Carlsbad (southern New Mexico) and Welton-Mohawk (Yuma, AZ) Projects to be transfered to their beneficiaries. Details of the transfers are not known at this time. These bills had already passed the Senate so are on their way to the President’s desk.
AMERICAN RIVERS CLOSES ITS PHEONIX OFFICE
SW Regional Office closed down on 6/1/200. The decision to close the SW Regional Office was made by the Board of Directors and the President in January, 2000 due to funding and restructuring reasons.
NEW RIVER ORGANIZATION FORMED
A new organization, Southwest Rivers, has been formed by some veteran river advocates. Two of the principals, Tom Moody and Ric Johnson, have ties with the Grand Canyon Trust, while Pam Hyde has been a associated with the Glen Canyon Institute and American Rivers. Southwest Rivers will operate out of Flagstaff, Arizona. This group will focus its energies on river protection and restoration advocacy throughout the region.
EXPERTS SAY CALIFORNIA HEADED FOR LONG-TERM DROUGHT
A panel of experts is warning Southern California water managers to prepare for decades of drought. They say a cyclic change in Pacific Ocean temperatures could signal lower Sierra snowpack and 30 percent less rain for 20 or 30 years. Los Angeles Times; May 24
WITH IRRIGATION, EFFICIENCY HAS AN ECOLOGICAL COST
True, modern irrigation methods are far more efficient, but they don’t recharge ground-water supplies that feed streams and riparian areas in critical summer months the way that less-efficient flood irrigation has for more than a century. John Baden, Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment; May 17
“BIOTIC HOMOGENIZATION” OF AMERICAN FISH
A fish ecologist writing in the journal Science finds that regional differences in fish species is disappearing as “native species become extinct” and are replaced by “popular food and game fish” says AP 5/5. On average any two states have 15 times more fish species in common than in pre-European settlement times. “Introductions for food and sport fishing” are the biggest cause of the growing number of non-native species. More than half of all freshwater species in NV, UT, and AZ and between 25% and 50% of those in WA, OR, CA, ID, MT, WY, CO, NM, ME, NH, MA, CT, and RI were introduced. Arizona and Montana historically had no fish species in common, but now they have 33.
MINE WASTE CLEANUP PLAN RECALLED
Environmentalists are hailing as a “major victory ” a FWS decision to have the Nuclear Regulatory Commission “reassess” the groundwater cleanup and endangered species protection plans for the abandoned uranium tailings “dump” near Moab, Utah says ENS 4/28. The abandoned mine waste is “leaching deadly levels of ammonia and other toxic contaminants” into the Colorado river imperiling the endangered Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker.
NM & AZ RIVERS DESIGNATED AS CRITICAL HABITAT
The FWS has made a major designation of critical habitat to conserve the threatened spikedace and loach minnow in New Mexico and Arizona says AP 4/26.
Although environmentalists say the designation covering nearly 900 miles of streams and rivers, “much of it overlapping,” is “a major step forward,” important rivers, particularly large portions of the White River in central Arizona were left out.
A LITTLE WATER FOR A FEW LITTLE FISH
A small (but highly effective) conservation group, the Tucson based Center for Biological Diversity, is suing a large (but uncaring) federal bureaucracy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, to get it to release a little more water into a little Arizona stream to help the Little Colorado River spinedace says AP 5/9. The endangered spinedace, found in only 6 AZ streams, is imperiled by a Phelps-Dodge Corporation dam used to provide water for a mine, which is now sucking East Clear Creek dry according to the CBD.
LOWER RIO GRANDE NWR GETS MORE LAND
The Conservation Fund reports 5/2 that it has completed a deal to transfer 7,300 more acres “of crucial wetlands and critical wildlife habitat” to the Lower Rio Grande national Wildlife Refuge System. Including these acquisitions, some 20,000 acres of tidal wetland ecosystem have been added since February as part of efforts to restore tidal flows to the Bahai Grande near the mouth of the Rio Grande.
“NO SURPRISES” CA WATER AGREEMENT
California and the Dept. of Interior have announced a far reaching $10 billion, 30 year agreement on allocating water among wildlife, cities and farms says the San Jose Mercury News 6/8. Under the plan farmers would get a “no surprises policy for endangered species” which guarantees them a certain level of water in spite of any ESA protection requirements.
Other provisions of the “blueprint” for water distribution forego building “any major new dams,” and provide measures for restoring the “health of San Francisco Bay and its ecologically struggling delta,” home to 54 fish, 225 bird and 52 mammal species, that includes an “environmental water bank” for drought years.
IN CA IT’S ALL ABOUT WATER
“A coalition of environmental groups, commercial and sport fishermen” are suing to force the CA State Water Resources Control Board to allocate enough water to protect and restore healthy chinook salmon runs in the San Joaquin River, says ENS 4/14.
NEVADA UNDERESTIMATES BULL TROUT EXTINCTION RISK
A review by “independent scientists” from the American Fisheries Society found that Nevada’s threatened bull trout “faces a greater threat of extinction” than “state wildlife officials” admit says AP 6/8. The scientific review of a state status report concluded that it “defies conventional scientific wisdom concerning survival” of a population which is estimated to number between 700 to 1,500 individuals. The Nevada Division of Wildlife’s optimistic assessments were made in part to support rebuilding a washed out road along the Jarbidge River that would threaten one of the bull trout’s remaining populations.
DAM TO BE DECOMMISSIONED
The Embrey Dam on Virginia’s Rappahannock River will be removed in 2002, resulting in the restoration of more than 170 miles of spawning and other habitat for fish like the American shad and striped bass.
EPA SAYS SNAKE RIVER DAMS MUST GO
According to the EPA, the “only way to save the Snake River salmon” is to breach the four dams and allow the river to flow free” says the Seattle Post-Intelligencer 4/29. In coming out against the dams, the EPA delivered a “blistering critique” of the Army Corps of Engineers draft plan calling its scientific conclusions “false and misleading.” The EPA was particularly at odds with a Corps finding that the dams result in cooler water temperatures, one of the key rationales for keeping the dams. With the leading government environmental agency now calling for breaching to improve water quality, it “virtually ensures” that a final decision will be made at the White House.
ILLEGAL WATER DIVERSION THREATENS SALMON
A coalition of fishing and environmental groups is taking farmers in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington to court for allegedly “illegally diverting water from the Columbia and Snake rivers that’s critical for threatened salmon” says the Portland Oregonian 5/20. The lawsuit contends that the Bureau of Reclamation is “delivering irrigation water to unauthorized users” and has known of the “widespread abuse for years.”
RELEASE THE WATER OR ELSE
A coalition of environmental and conservation groups has threatened to sue the Bureau of Reclamation over planned water releases into California’s Klamath River, say GREEN sources 5/1. The scheduled releases are less than required by a “now- expired” NMFS biological opinion and apparently far below those necessary for the long-term survival of threatened coho salmon. Low water flows result in high water temperatures and concentration of agricultural chemicals that create a “killing field for newly hatching and spawning salmon.”
SPRING CHINOOK NUMBERS BEST IN DECADES
Early counts indicate that young salmon are returning up the Columbia River in numbers six times the 10-year average, plentiful enough that Idaho officials have authorize a spring chinook fishing season, only the fourth in a decade. Spokesman-Review; May 3
MUTATED ANIMALS HEADED TOWARD MARKET; OFFICIALS FIND FEW RULES TO GUIDE THEM
Producers of genetically altered salmon are awaiting government approval to market their fish, and mutated catfish, oysters and pigs are in the works. But both critics and officials are finding the U.S. has surprisingly few regulations governing genetically modified animals. New York Times; May 1
GM SALMON, LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
An editorial in the NY Times 5/14 cautions that the Food and Drug Administration should look at threats to the environment before approving an application to market genetically modified salmon in the U.S. The “two main fears” are that the “supersalmon” would escape and “mate with wild salmon” diluting the gene pool or “invade the wild salmon’s habitat competing for food and space” thus wiping out “entire populations of wild salmon,” something that has already happened “in large numbers” with “ordinary farm-raise salmon.”
CONSERVATIVES TRY TO BLOCK RIVER PROGRAM
Conservative lawmakers are again trying to block any spending for President Clinton’s American Rivers Heritage Program, which helps riverfront communities devise and fund environmental cleanup and economic development projects. Washington Post; June 6
LANDOWNERS CHALLENGE MONTANA STREAM-ACCESS LAW
Three Montana landowners, backed by the Denver-based Mountain States Legal Foundation, have filed suit to overturn the state law that guarantees public access between a stream’s high-water marks. Billings Gazette; June 7
NEW BILL TO MODIFY CLEAN WATER ACT TO ADDRESS FISH HABITAT
Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) and Rep. John Tanner (D-TN) recently introduced the Fishable Waters Act of 2000. The bill was developed by the Fishable Waters Coalition, an alliance of farmers, anglers, state resource agencies and conservation groups, out of a common concern that the Clean Water Act must be enhanced to solve America’s fisheries needs.
Currently, 38% of the nation’s freshwater ecosystems are not fishable or swimmable, and less than 2 percent of the 3.6 million stream miles are healthy enough to be considered high quality.
The Fishable Waters Act emphasizes a “bottom-up approach” to allocating financial and technical resources to manage watersheds at a local level. Rather than increasing regulations, the bill would establish a new program within the Clean Water Act that would allow states to use funds in their Fisheries Habitat Account to finance approved conservation projects, thereby expanding the spending authority of states and allowing them to provide support directly to landowners and watershed councils. To find out more about the Fishable Waters Act contact Steve Moyer, Trout Unlimited at 703-522-0200 or smoyer@tu.org.
WHITE HOUSE THINKS ENVIRONMENTALLY
A proposal by the White House would allow the potential environmental damage caused by government construction along fragile rivers and coastlines to play a larger role in the approval of levees, dams, and other water projects. The proposed policy changes include directing the Secretary of the Army to revise the guidelines for assessing civil works projects, and reversing the policy that placed more emphasis on a project’s economic benefits.
UNDERWATER NOISE POLLUTION GROWING CONCERN
Marine biologists are warning that “the increased incidence of strandings of rare whale species” are linked to “seismic activity of exploration companies” and U.S. Navy “low frequency active sonar tests” says the Irish Times 5/6. Noise pollution is “probably the most growing concern for whale conservationists” since most of the oil and gas exploration acoustic surveys take place with “no environmental impact assessment” even in whale sanctuaries.
DANUBE IS A STUDY IN ENVIRONMENTAL MISTAKES
The obviously decimated species is sturgeon instead of salmon, but the ecological disasters along Europe’s Danube River bear many familiar human marks: channelization, loss of wetlands, hydroelectric barriers to fish migration, pollution and the occasional lethal slug of cyanide. Christian Science Monitor; May 11
PA STATE SENATOR GETS JAIL TIME FOR DUMPING SEWAGE
Sen. William Slocum was sentenced to one month in jail, five months of home detention and fined $15,000 for allowing more than 3.5 million gallons of untreated sewage sludge to be dumped into Brokenstraw Creek, a popular Warren County fishing stream. U.S. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin handed down the sentence, saying Slocum “played environmental Russian roulette with the health of a stream and potentially the health of the people who lived beside it,” while he was responsible for the operations of the Youngsville sewage treatment plant from 1983 to 1995. The indictment and DEP inspection documents show repeated discharges of untreated sewage into Brokenstraw Creek during the time he was plant operator and borough manager. He was repeatedly told to stop the discharges, which produced a “sludge blanket” along the banks of the creek for hundreds of yards.
COURT UPHOLDS IMPORTANCE OF NONPOINT SOURCES IN TMDL PROGRAM
In April, a federal judge ruled that the Clean Water Act’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program does in fact require the Environmental Protection Agency and the states to identify waters impaired in part or wholly by nonpoint source pollution and to develop TMDLs or cleanup plans for those waters. This decision supports EPAs longstanding interpretation and practice in the TMDL program.
LIQUID ASSETS 2000
EPA has released a new report showing how the economy depends on clean water. At the same time the report warns that to provide the powerful boost clean water gives the economy, the U.S. faces significant challenges cleaning up the nation’s remaining polluted waterways. Liquid Assets 2000: America’s Water Resources at a Turning Point provides a snapshot of the problems we face in the new millennium, and the actions we must take to protect and restore the Nation’s water resources. The report also explains the role of a strengthened TMDL program to help clean up the Nation’s waters. It can be found at http://www.epa.gov/ow/liquidassets
EPA REVISES REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS FOR STATE AND TRIBAL WATER QUALITY STANDARDS
Under EPA’s regulation, such new and revised standards, if submitted to EPA after the effective date of the final rule, will not be used for Clean Water Act purposes until approved by EPA. The final rule also provides that standards already in effect and submitted to EPA by the effective date of the new rule may be used for Clean Water Act purposes, whether or not approved by EPA.
For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/ost/standards/alaska/
The new rule requires EPA to either approve or reject State rulemaking decisions within 90 days and gives states 90 days to cure rejected standards. If the states fail to comply with the need to amend rejected standards, EPA is required to promulgate standards.
Under this new rule, EPA has rejected several classifications and numeric standards in multiple basins in Colorado. EPA has rejected Colorado’s approach to circumventing antidegradation requirements and taking a do-nothing approach by setting standards to reflect ambient conditions.
EPA PROPOSES LOWER LIMITS FOR ARSENIC
The EPA is proposing a 90% reduction in the amount of arsenic allowed in drinking water, and if they’re adopted, Albuquerque and many other communities in the Southwest can expect higher treatment costs. The proposal would provide additional protection to at least 22.5 million Americans from cancer and other health problems. For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ars/proposalfs.html and http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/052500sci-environ-arsenic.html
CLEAN WATER ACTION PLAN SECOND ANNIVERSARY REPORT RELEASED
For two years, nine federal agencies have joined together in a new partnership dedicated to improving water quality in communities across the Nation. Cooperating under the Clean Water Action Plan, announced by President Clinton in February 1998, these agencies have developed strategies and built upon existing programs to address water quality problems by concentrating on watersheds most in need of attention. The Action Plan has provided a focal point for Federal action to assess watershed conditions, establish watershed restoration and protection priorities, and involve local stakeholders. From establishment of conservation buffers to protection of coasts and restoration of wetlands, the record of accomplishment in the two years since the announcement of the Action Plan covers a wide range of watershed issues. To view the report, visit http://www.cleanwater.gov/anniv2/ on the Internet.
ATLAS OF AMERICA’S POLLUTED WATERS
EPA has recently published the Atlas of America’s Polluted Waters, EPA 840-B-00-002, which include maps showing waters within each state that do not meet state water quality standards. States listed these waters in their most recent submission to EPA, generally, in 1998, as required by section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. This provision of the Clean Water Act requires a “total maximum daily load” or TMDL for each listed water.
Over 20,000 waterbodies across the country are identified as not meeting water quality standards. These waterbodies include more than 300,000 miles of rivers and streams and more than 5 million lake acres. The overwhelming majority of Americans — 218 million — live within 10 miles of a polluted waterbody.
A key feature of the 1998 lists of polluted waters is that, for the first time, all states provided computer-based “geo-referencing” data that allow consistent mapping of these polluted waters. In order to better illustrate the extent and seriousness of water pollution problems around the country, EPA prepared this Atlas of state maps that identify the polluted waters in each state. The maps are color coded to indicate the type of pollutant causing the pollution problem. And, bar charts show the types of pollutants impairing stream/river/coastal miles, and lakes/estuary/wetland acres.
Copies of the document are available at no charge from the National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) in Cincinnati at: Phone: (513) 489-8190; Fax: (513) 489-8695. A copy of the Atlas has also been posted on the TMDL web site for browsing and downloading at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/atlas/index.html
POLL INDICATES AMERICANS SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS
A recent Gallup poll found that 83% of Americans continue to support the goals of the environmental movement that began thirty years ago with the first Earth Day. Sixteen percent of those polled consider themselves active in the environmental movement, while 55% say they are “sympathetic but not active.” In addition, more than three-quarters stated that among institutions, they place the most trust in national and local environmental groups to protect the environment.
STREAM SYSTEM DYNAMICS WORKSHOPS
Colorado Watershed Network – http://www.stewardshipinitiatives.com Just a reminder that two workshops are upcoming on the subject of how stream systems work.
The first will be held in Montrose on Saturday, June 17 at the Montrose County Fairgrounds. Presenters are Ed Neilson of the NRCS in Grand Junction, John Almy of the Forest Service in Montrose, Gary Weiner with the Park Service in Denver, Paul von Guerard of the USGS in Grand Junction, and Scotty Willey with the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab in Gothic. Participants will get a copy of Part 1 of Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes, and Practices.
The afternoon field trip will visit several locations in the Uncompahgre watershed to look at examples of stream system function (and disfunction). Registration charge is $15 and includes lunch.
The workshop is hosted by the Grand Valley/ Gunnison Water Quality Forum and is cosponsored by the High Country Citizens Alliance, the San Miguel Watershed Coalition, the North Fork River Improvement Association, Western Colorado Congress, Colorado State University Extension Service, and the Colorado River Conservation District.
Contact Larry MacDonnell at larry@stewardshipinitiatives.com or further information and for registration.
The second workshop will be held in Loveland on Saturday, July 15. It is hosted by the Big Thompson Watershed Forum and Friends of the Poudre. Speakers include Paul Hellmund of Fort Collins, Carl Chambers of the Forest Service in Fort Collins, Dr. Kirk Vincent with the USGS in Boulder, Sheila Murphy with BASINS in Boulder, and Dr. Alan Carpenter with Land Stewardship Consulting in Boulder. The afternoon field session will visit locations in the Big Thompson watershed.
Registration fee of $15 includes coffee, lunch, materials,and bus transportation. To register, contact Chuck Wanner at 970/484-0810 or cwanner@poudreriver.org. For questions, call Rob Buirgy at 970/613-7951 or rbuirgy@btwatershed.org
WATERSHED 2000, 8-12 July 2000
Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) announces the availability of the WATERSHED 2000 Program Announcement. WATERSHED 2000 is cosponsored by the British Columbia Water and Waste Association, and the Western Canada Water and Wastewater Association, and supported by the International Joint Commission; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Environment Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks; and the British Columbia Ministry of Forests.
WATERSHED 2000 offers a unique exploration of national and international watershed management challenges by bringing together leading environmental professionals for a comprehensive showcase on integrated resource management and environmental protection principles using watershed-based approaches. Vancouver, British Columbia, the host city for WATERSHED 2000 is an ideal location to examine these issues. The Pacific Northwest exhibits many common climatic and ecological features, yet the political and jurisdictional boundaries spanned by many of its watersheds create challenges to effective watershed management. Participants will explore the contrasts and common approaches among Canadian and U.S. federal agencies and among the state, provincial, and tribal/band agencies.
For a printed copy of the conference program and registration information, call 800.666.0206 or e-mail confinfo@wef.org . The Program is also available at http://www.wef.org/Conferences/index.htm .
COLORADO WATER WORKSHOP, July 26-28, 2000 Western State College, Gunnison, Colorado. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, this year’s theme is “Clean and Flowing Water.” The Colorado Constitution guarantees that the right to divert shall never be denied, but recent developments in water quality, instream uses, and federal flow requirements are making new demands on our water resources. How do these demands fit into Colorado’s prior appropriation system? Can Colorado water law protect historic uses and meet the water demands of the 21st century?
Join us at the Colorado Water Workshop for an update on the new TMDL rules and other upcoming water quality issues. We’ll also explore demands for stream flows and discuss federal reserved rights and bypass flows. What impacts can we expect for water users and suppliers?
For more information: Lucy High, Director 970-641-8766, E-mail: water@western.edu Website: http://www.waterinfo.org/workshop.html
“Managing River Flows for Biodiversity-A Conference on Science, Policy and Conservation Action” July 30 – August 2, 2001 Fort Collins, CO
This conference is designed for water managers, fish and wildlife biologists, non-governmental organizations, attorneys, river scientists and other consultants influencing water management decisions. Attendees will have an opportunity to examine the real and perceived conflicts between meeting ecosystem needs and human demands for water; discuss the state of science with respect to flow requirements for biodiversity conservation; hear case studies where practitioners are working to meet human demands for water while also providing for ecological needs; and attend an educational field trip to nearby Rocky Mountain rivers. Contact nrousmaniere@tnc.org, 303-541-0344.
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