STORM WATER
At its March meeting, the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission decided to no longer offer the oil and gas industry an exemption from stormwater permit requirements. Two years ago, the Commission suspended its requirements after EPA decided they needed additional time to study the impacts of regulating drilling pad construction. The current Colorado Stormwater Regulations require any construction disturbance of more than 1 acre to obtain a permit that prescribes Best Management Practices to prevent sediment runoff from these sites. Colorado is permitting over 2000 wells/yr. that will now be required to obtain a stormwater discharge permit before constructing new wells.
COLORADO HIGH COURT PITCHES WHITEWATER CASE
The Colorado Supreme Court told the state water conservation board that it’s been overstepping its authority in trying to limit recreational water rights for a whitewater course near Gunnison. 3/15 <http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2763030,00.html> <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion/article/0,1299,DRMN_38_3624096,00.html> <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3622042,00.html> <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3624943,00.html>
COLORADO LAWMAKERS TOSS WHITEWATER BILL
Lawmakers disappointed with the failure to limit water releases for recreational use said Colorado could see farms and cities going wanting just so kayakers could have whitewater. Denver Rocky Mountain News; March 30 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/legislature/article/0,1299,DRMN_37_3661060,00.html>
COLORADO LAWMAKERS SHOULD TOSS WHITEWATER BILL
Colorado lawmakers should pass a bill that establishes roundtables to work out cooperative solutions to water disputes and toss the bill that limits recreational water allocations. Denver Post; March 23 <http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~417~2776478,00.html>
NORTH HALF OF COLORADO AGAIN EXPECTS WATER LIMITS
A weird winter left Colorado with a clear dividing line between above-average snowpack and continued drought, and left Denver and Front Range cities with the prospects of more water restrictions. Denver Post; March 27 <http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~417~2780684,00.html>
COLORADO SPRINGS’ FUTURE MAY DEPEND ON HUGE NEW WATER LINE
Colorado Springs officials say the city needs a $1 billion, 66-mile pipeline to deliver water from the Arkansas River if it is to continue to grow. Colorado Springs Independent; March 11 <http://www.csindy.com/csindy/current/cover.html>
COLORADO CITY INKS WATER-STORAGE DEAL
Aurora officials said the $17 million deal with a rural water district will allow them to store a little more than 1 billion gallons of water and provide water to Weld and Morgan county farmers for 20 years. Denver Rocky Mountain News; 3/22 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3640922,00.html>
STATES WON’T MEET FEDERAL DEADLINE ON COLORADO RIVER PACT
The federal government gave Colorado and six other western states until April to come up with new drought rules on allocating Colorado River water, but no deal is in sight. Las Vegas Review Journal; March 31 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Mar-31-Thu-2005/news/26170022.html>
FEDERAL FLUSH FUND
Pouring millions of dollars of federal funding into new projects will not solve the water crisis facing the West. <http://www.headwatersnews.org/perspective.html>
LATEST STORM OFFICIALLY ENDS UTAH’S DROUGHT
Utah officials are warning residents who live in flood plains to get flood insurance before April, normally the state’s wettest month. Salt Lake Tribune; March 31 <http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2631654>
WYOMING IRRIGATORS GIVEN WARNING ALONG WITH WATER
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials told Buffalo Bill Dam irrigators they must start conserving water, as another year of drought in Wyoming could sharply curtail water supplies. Billings Gazette; March 31 <http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?ts=1&display=rednews/2005/03/31/build/wyoming/25-irrigators.inc>
DROUGHT NEARING ‘EXCEPTIONAL’ IN NORTHEAST WYOMING
Wyoming’s state climatologist said that drought conditions in the northeast area of the state were nearing ‘exceptional,’ the most dire classification of drought. Casper Star-Tribune; March 22 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/news/wyoming/db354c21248cfe9987256fcb0067c998.txt>
WYOMING FLUSH WITH COALBED METHANE, WASTEWATER
The number of coalbed methane wells in Wyoming rose from 427 in 1995 to 21,000 last year, and with another 30,000 set to be approved, regulatory agencies are having trouble monitoring the millions of gallons of wastewater pumped to the surface. High Country News; 03/07/2005 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/hcn.wyomingwater030805.html>
INTERNATIONAL WATER GROUP PUSHES FOR CBM WATER STUDY
Nearly two decades ago, a joint commission recommended against coal mining in Canada’s Flathead Basin due to water-quality concerns, and now that commission is once again advising that revived coal mining plans be scrapped. Missoulian; 03/09 <http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/03/09/news/mtregional/news08.txt>
NEW MEXICO COUNTY IGNORES WATER-USE LAWS
Santa Fe County requires developers to submit meter readings on groundwater wells, but a recent review of county records showed no one is enforcing the law or submitting the records. Santa Fe New Mexican; March 3 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/11157.html>
PRICE OF WATER TO GO UP SOME MORE IN SANTA FE
Santa Fe residents will see their water rates, already the highest-in-the-country, rise even more to pay for improvements and for the city’s share of a project to divert Rio Grande water. Santa Fe New Mexican; March 6 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/11243.html>
WATER LEASING PACTS WORRY NEW MEXICO FARMERS
Environmental groups are urging New Mexico water-rights holders to lease their water for environmental purposes, and farmers worry that water will come from their share. Albuquerque Tribune; March 3 <http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/news/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19855_3588418,00.html>
ARIZONA COMMUNITY OBJECTS TO NEW WELLS, DESPITE PROMISE OF MINE JOBS
One of the best chances to keep the Black Mesa coal mine operating is the new water wells being drilled near Leupp, Ariz., over the strident objections of some local residents. Arizona Daily Sun; March 14 <http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=105026>
LOW WATER PRESSURE STALLS PHOENIX DEVELOPMENT PLANS
Phoenix officials said a moratorium on new high-rise buildings in the city’s Camelback Corridor was necessary because low water pressure caused by a lack of water line capacity poses a safety risk. Arizona Republic; 3/31 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0331camelback0.html>
MUDDY WATERS: CANYON FLOOD RESULTS UNCLEAR
“The number of juvenile endangered fish recovered in the Colorado River declined dramatically after officials flooded the Grand Canyon in an effort to aid them and their fragile ecosystem.” Salt Lake Tribune, 03/09 <http://www.sltrib.com/nationworld/ci_2601010>
SOUTHERN NEVADA NEEDS TO KEEP DROUGHT MENTALITY, WATER OFFICIALS SAY
Water officials say southern Nevada may be as little as four years away from outgrowing its water supply, and they want to make drought-inspired conservation measures permanent. Las Vegas Review-Journal; March 7 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Mar-07-Mon-2005/news/25990674.html>
DROUGHT DEALS A REALITY SLAP TO ARIZONA WATER MANAGERS
The Central Arizona Project provides water to much of urban Arizona and has the most junior water rights status for Colorado River water, a bad combination made worse by drought and unparalleled growth. High Country News; 3/18 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/hcn.arizona031805.html>
ARIZONA DROUGHT MORE GRIM THAN WORST-CASE SCENARIO
The current effects of drought on the Colorado River are more severe than those contemplated under a 1990s federal study of a worst-case scenario of a major drought. High Country News; March 18 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=21459>
DEATH VALLEY AWASH IN COLOR, WATER
The wettest year in history has turned Death Valley into a panorama of wildflowers and reflecting pools, with tourists flocking to see the blooms and researchers gathering to witness the ecology. Los Angeles Times; 3/8 <http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-death8mar08,0,342608.story?coll=la-home-headlines>
ARTIFICIAL WATERING EXPANSION THREATENS WILDLIFE AT MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE
A top political appointee of the Bush Administration has overruled the National Park Service and ordered it to allow the installation of artificial water systems in California’s Mojave National Preserve. Contending that the artificial water sources are illegal and will harm the native wildlife, Public Employees For Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the Center for Biological Diversity today filed a federal lawsuit to stop the plan. Paul Hoffman, a former Dick Cheney aide serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, intervened to quash Park Service objections to adding more artificial water sources (called “guzzlers”). Hoffman, who has no biological training and spent the ten years prior to his appointment by President Bush at the Cody Wyoming Chamber of Commerce, contends guzzlers enhance “coyote and varmint hunting” on the Preserve, according to one of his emails. <http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/PRESS/guzzlers3-01-05.html>
TEXAS SENATORS ASK RICE FOR HELP IN MOVING WATER
“Texas’ U.S. Senators are asking Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to press Mexico to deliver the water it owes the Rio Grande Valley in her meeting with her Mexican counterpart.” McAllen Monitor, 03/07 <http://www.themonitor.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=6074&Section=Local>
COURT ALLOWS SALMON ADVOCATES TO PARTICIPATE IN CASE BY KLAMATH IRRIGATORS SEEKING TAXPAYER MONEY
In a case with a billion taxpayer dollars at stake, a federal claims court has ruled that commercial salmon fishermen have the right to fully participate and defend against Klamath irrigators seeking compensation for receiving less than 100 percent of federal water deliveries in 2001. The ruling marks the first time any group trying to protect fish and wildlife has been allowed to intervene as a full party in a case in the Court of Claims. The ruling from the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, DC granted the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations full party status. The federal claims court deals with questions of monetary compensation from the federal government. During the summer of 2001, in a near-record drought year, government officials reduced diversions of the Klamath River to farmers in order to sustain federally protected coho salmon downstream. These irrigators claimed the lack of water caused them economic losses and subsequently filed suit seeking taxpayer compensation for an unconstitutional “taking.” When commercial fishermen and conservation groups moved to participate in the case, the irrigators strenuously objected. In Friday’s ruling, Judge Francis Allegra found that the salmon advocates have a legitimate stake in the outcome. <http://www.earthjustice.org/news/display.html?ID=961>
CANADIAN RESEARCH SAYS SALMON FARMS SPREAD PARASITES TO WILD FISH
A new study concludes that wild salmon are infested with parasites from salmon farms at a surprising rate, tightening the connection between fish farms and the decline of wild stocks and could endanger other important ocean species such as herring. NY Times; 3/30 <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/30/national/30Fish.html?oref=login>
OREGON, WASHINGTON DROUGHT MAY BE WORST IN 30 YEARS
Oregon’s low snowpack and deepening drought will likely curtail fisheries, irrigation and hydroelectric power this summer, and increase forest fire severity and electric rates, observers said. Portland Oregonian; March 11 <http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/111053925353810.xml>
CASCADES’ LOW SNOW MAY KILL WASHINGTON FRUIT HARVEST
The mountains that supply water to Washington’s Yakima Valley hold less than one-fourth of the average snowpack, and growers say $1.3 billion worth of fruit and crops are at risk. Seattle Times; 3/10 <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002202666_drought10m.html>
FEDERAL LAWMAKERS NIX BPA REVAMP
A Senate committee killed President Bush’s plan to require federal power suppliers to charge market rates for electricity and a similar outcome is expected for the House bill. Idaho Falls Post Register; March 16 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/pr.power031605.html>
OREGON GOVERNOR SET TO DECLARE STATEWIDE DROUGHT
If Gov. Ted Kulongoski declares a statewide drought, farmers would be able to tap into emergency water supplies and the state could limit nonessential uses of water. Portland Oregonian; March 22 <http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1111488956296680.xml>
IDAHO SENATE APPROVES NEZ PERCE WATER PACT
Idaho lawmakers signed off on the $193 million water rights agreement between Idaho’s Nez Perce tribe and the federal government, clearing the way for the governor and tribal officials to OK the deal. Idaho Falls Post-Register; 3/17 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/pr.waterdeal031705.html>
IDAHO TRIBE HAS DOUBTS WHETHER WATER DEAL WILL SAVE SALMON
Some members of Idaho’s Nez Perce Tribe say a landmark settlement of the tribe’s historic water claims won’t be enough to protect salmon. High Country News; March 10 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/HCN.salmonnezperce.html>
IDAHO LAWMAKER LINES OUT WATER LEGISLATION
House Speaker Bruce Newcomb unveiled a list of bills aimed at addressing disputes over water on Idaho’s eastern plains, including one that earmarks $24 million to buy farmers’ water rights in Bell Rapids. Twin Falls Times News; 3/23 <http://www.magicvalley.com/news/localstate/index.asp?StoryID=14610>
IDAHO FARMERS LEFT HOLDING WATER FOR SALMON RECOVERY
Southern Idaho water supplies are the lowest they’ve been in years, and farmers and environmentalists are wondering why the Bureau of Reclamation isn’t buying water for salmon recovery efforts. Twin Falls Times News; March 23 <http://www.magicvalley.com/news/localstate/index.asp?StoryID=14611>
IDAHO PLANS HISTORIC PURCHASE OF WATER RIGHTS
Idaho officials signed a letter of intent to buy 98,826 acre feet of water from an irrigation company for $22.5 million. Twin Falls Times News; 3/11 <http://www.magicvalley.com/news/localstate/index.asp?StoryID=14444>
REPORT: LIMITS ON GROUNDWATER USE WILL COST IDAHO MILLIONS
A third report on the effect of curtailing groundwater use in eastern Idaho said 3,000 jobs would be lost at a cost of $204 million to the state’s economy. Idaho Falls Post Register; March 8 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/pr.groundwater030805.html>
WATER CRISIS LOOMS AS HIMALAYAN GLACIERS SHRINK, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP WARNS
The shrinking of Himalayan glaciers could fuel an upswing in flooding in China, India and Nepal, before creating water shortages for hundreds of millions of people across the region, a leading environmental group warned. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7319>
OFFICIALS SOUNDING THE ALARM ON SOUTHEAST ASIAN DROUGHTS
One of the worst droughts in years in Southeast Asia has raised concerns over crop losses in the region, prompting an emergency meeting in Thailand and a call from Cambodia for international assistance. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7316>
FEDS URGED TO MOVE 10-MILLION TON PILE OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE
Three of the four largest water agencies in the region insist that the waste pile be moved from the banks of the Colorado River in southeastern Utah. A sense of urgency punctuates the comments now that a final plan is about to be selected to deal with the pile and its pollution to the Colorado, which supplies over 18 million people in southern California. According to the Energy Department, the Moab pile is leaking 15,000 gallons of toxic chemicals into the Colorado River each day. Department officials say interim cleanup efforts have slowed the flow from a high of 28,000 gallons a day a few years ago and say the discharge isn’t a danger because the pollution is diluted over the river’s meandering course to the south. The Energy Department was directed to move the pile and clean up the groundwater under 1999 legislation. River Network’s eStream, 3/05
EPA, TOO, OPPOSES LEAVING RADIOACTIVE TAILINGS IN PLACE NEAR MOAB
The EPA sided with Utah officials and downstream states and told the Department of Energy that a proposal to leave 12 million tons of radioactive waste near the banks of the Colorado River at Moab is not a valid option. Los Angeles Times; March 6 <http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-moab05mar05,1,5389153.story?coll=la-news-environment&ctrack=2&cset=true>
ENERGY OFFICIAL TO DECIDE FATE OF TOXIC PILE
“The decision about what to do with a 10 million-ton pile of toxic waste that sits near the Colorado River at Moab, Utah, apparently will be made by a career U.S. Department of Energy official who recently told Congress that the agency is committed to cleaning up nuclear waste sites.” SD Union Tribune, 3/20 <http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050320/news_1n20pile.html>
EVERGLADES RESTORATION STAGNATING AFTER FIVE YEARS
Restoration of the Florida Everglades is, well, a bit bogged down, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers internal memo. Written by Everglades project manager Gary Hardesty, the memo was addressed to Army Corps colleagues preparing to write a five-year update on the 30-year restoration plans. Hardesty noted that the undertaking was over budget, behind schedule, slowed by paper pushing, and facing negativity from the Hill. “We haven’t built a single project during the first five years,” the memo states. April Gromnicki of Audubon Everglades says the memo’s frankness is an indication that the Army Corps will produce an “honest assessment of the current state of Everglades restoration.” But others worry that the memo’s admissions about ballooning costs — including a $1 billion price increase for the first four projects — and questions about the project’s science could simply give critics additional impetus to siphon money away from the already pricey venture. <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4643>
AMERICANS PREFER THEIR WATER CLEAN, POLL SHOWS
“An overwhelming majority” — some 86 percent — of Americans believe clean, safe water is a national issue worthy of government spending, a new poll concludes. The two polling firms (one from each side of the partisan divide) conducting the opinion survey asked 900 adults a variety of questions related to hypothetical federal legislation creating a clean-water trust fund. The response favored the fund, with more than eight in 10 surveyed supporting the idea and some 71 percent picking clean-water programs over road construction and aviation projects as the most deserving of a trust fund. Two-thirds said they would rather the government spend more to guarantee clean water than cut taxes, and almost 80 percent would be more likely to vote for congressional representatives who supported the legislation. Says pollster Frank Luntz of the results, “Americans are sending their lawmakers a clear message.” <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4510>
EPA PROPOSES STRONGER PROTECTIONS ON LEAD IN DRINKING WATER
The U.S. EPA has proposed strengthening protections against lead in drinking water for the first time since 1991. The move comes in response to the recent brouhaha in the Washington, D.C., area, where residents were not informed of widespread lead contamination until years after it was discovered. The changes would require utilities to run stricter water tests, report the results of the tests to homeowners, and notify state and federal regulators in advance of any changes to water treatment. “We need to free people from worrying about lead in their drinking water,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. The changes — which must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget — are already drawing fire from critics who say that they don’t address the scale of the problem, and that the EPA does not adequately enforce rules even as they’re now written. <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4501> <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7278>
STUDY: MERCURY COSTS BILLIONS IN LOST PRODUCTIVITY
The diminished intelligence of children exposed to mercury contamination before birth costs the U.S. economy $8.7 billion a year in lost productivity, according to a study published in a government science journal. The study estimates that between 317,000 and 637,000 of the 4 million children born each year in the United States are exposed in the womb to mercury levels above the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety level. The IQ loss to children whose mothers’ blood level of mercury was at or above EPA’s safety level was subtle and varied depending on the mother’s exposure, according to the study in Environmental Health Perspectives, a journal published by the National Institutes of Health. The peer-reviewed study was done by pediatricians at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, both in New York. Scripps Howard News Service, 2/28 For the complete story visit: <http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=MERCURY-02-28-05&cat=AN>
MERCURY SERIOUSLY MUCKING WITH WILDLIFE, STUDY FINDS
Mercury contamination of wildlife may be more prevalent than previously thought and influencing ecosystems in unexpected ways, suggests a recent study. Researchers in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada found higher-than-expected levels of mercury in the region’s birds and other animals, supporting the hypothesis that mercury from power plants and incinerators may be getting into the forest food chain in much the same way it enters water bodies and aquatic ecosystems. Leaves and the moist forest floor act to transform the mercury that falls from the sky into its most toxic form — methylmercury. Insects then easily accumulate the metal in their bodies, passing it up the food chain and around the ecosystem. “The impacts of mercury go well beyond what anyone would have envisioned yesterday,” said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project in Vermont, who played no role in the study. The research adds to the arsenal of environmental advocates who argue that the Bush administration needs a more aggressive plan for curbing mercury emissions. <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4506>
TRIBAL LEADERS REACT TO ARIZONA SNOWMAKING DECISION
Hopi and Navajo tribal members are angry at the Forest Service decision to allow snowmaking with treated wastewater on Arizona’s San Francisco Peaks, an area considered sacred by 14 tribes. Indian Country Today; 3/15 <http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096410536>
IDAHO TRAIN REFUELING DEPOT LEAKS INTO AQUIFER, DESPITE PROMISES
In six months, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad’s new refueling station in northern Idaho has gone from state-of-the-art example to an environmental embarrassment. Seattle Times; 3/8 <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002200230_fuel08m.html>
STUDY SAYS CANADIAN SMELTER POLLUTING U.S. LAKE
A Canadian smelter produced most of the lead, zinc and cadmium pollution found in a Washington state lake at the center of a cross-border environmental fight, according to a recent study. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7274>
WORLD WATER DAY CELEBRATED BY U.N., FEW OTHERS
In case you hadn’t heard, and you probably haven’t, you missed World Water Day, an annual holiday aimed at drawing attention to alarming stats about global water needs and encouraging world leaders to take action, which again this year has largely passed by unnoticed. But it isn’t just any old World Water Day; it’s also the kick-off for the United Nations-backed International Decade for Water, during which the organization will focus on fulfilling its Millennium Goals, which include aiding the estimated 2.4 billion people worldwide who have no access to sanitary sewage systems and the 1.1 billion who lack safe drinking water, numbers the U.N. hopes to cut in half by 2015. Although the goals were set out in 2000, little has been done thus far to achieve them. They were just waiting for the right holiday. <http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4611>