ENERGY COMPANIES APPEAL COLORADO RULES ON RUNOFF WATER
Energy companies said Colorado’s new rules governing water runoff on oil and gas operations on less than 5 acres of land are premature, and that the state should have waited for the Environmental Protection Agency to complete its study on runoff water. [Gunnison County and several environmental groups have intervened to assist the state defend its decision to regulate well drilling construction. This issue has become more urgent with Congress exempting the oil and gas industry from federal regulation in the new energy bill.] Denver Post; July 6 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2841880>
FRONT RANGE COMMUNITIES WHITTLE DOWN WATER USE
Aurora led the list of five of Colorado’s biggest Front Range communities that have cut water usage since 2002 by an average of 20 percent, according to a Denver Rocky Mountain News analysis. Rocky Mountain News; 7/2 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3899524,00.html>
REPORT SAYS CONSERVATION, COOPERATION KEY FOR COLORADO WATER
A report prepared by the Colorado Environmental Coalition, Western Resource Advocates and Trout Unlimited said Front Range cities can meet future water needs through conservation, expansion of existing reservoirs and sharing of resources. Denver Rocky Mountain News; 7/12 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3920329,00.html>
COLORADO GROUP FUNDS WATER-SAVING INITIATIVES
The Colorado Water Conservation Board will dole out $1.58 million over the next three years to cities and nonprofits to promote water conservation efforts. Denver Rocky Mountain News; July 19 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3936214,00.html>
COLORADO GROUPS SET SAIL ON WATER-SHARING PLAN
Front Range and Western Slope officials said they’ll spend the next year working on a water-sharing plan that will slake the thirst of fast-growing Front Range cities without draining resort communities dry. Denver Rocky Mountain News; July 14 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3924988,00.html>
RESORT COULD TURN COLORADO BLUE-COLLAR TOWN GREEN
Minturn has not had the success that its flashy neighbor Vail has, but a developer’s plan to build a 1,700-home subdivision could give the tiny town new life, and allow it to reclaim water rights lost to non-use. [The only way for this development to move forward is to have Minturn annex the land and use its municipal water rights. The Eagle River is over-appropriated and there is no new water available to develop.] Casper Star-Tribune (AP); July 6 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/07/06/news/regional/93f473bfc15101e987257035007e432a.txt>
CONSERVATION TOUTED AT WATER WORKSHOP
Colorado’s water czars should stop spending millions on futile lawsuits to take water from other users and instead invest in conservation incentives, Rick Cables, the U.S. Forest Service’s regional director, said Wednesday. <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3959107,00.html>
FLOAT TRIP INTRODUCES RAFTERS TO INVASIVE WEEDS ON COLORADO RIVERBANKS
LaPlata County’s weed manager used a two-hour float trip to educate rafters about weeds that are choking out native plants along the Animas River; nearly 500 of Colorado’s 3000 native plants have been displaced by non-native species. Durango Herald; July 8 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=earth=> &article_path=/earth/earth050707.htm
NEW KAYAK PARK PLAN WORRIES DENVER WATER OFFICIALS
Denver water officials said Silverthorne’s proposal to build a whitewater park just below the Dillon reservoir puts Denver’s water supply in jeopardy, even though the park’s water rights would be “junior” to the utility’s. Denver Post 7/21 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2877990>
COLORADO CITY’S INTEREST IN RECREATIONAL WATER RIGHTS DRAWS WARNING
The Southwest Water Conservation District and Colorado Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, opposed Durango’s plan to apply for recreational water rights, and said that no reason exists for such a request. Durango Herald; July 14 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&=> article_path=/news/05/news050713_1.htm
DURANGO SHOULD CLAIM RECREATIONAL WATER FOR ITS FUTURE
Recreational-water use is the wave of the future and Durango city officials should be lauded for their consideration of capturing that right for future use. Durango Herald; July 19 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=opin&=article_path=/opinion/opin050718.htm>
REP. TANCREDO DISCUSSES WATER FOR POOR LEGISLATION
Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., met with Water for People (WFP) officials in Denver this week to discuss legislation that would make access to safe water and sanitation in developing countries a specific policy objective of US foreign assistance programs. AWWA WaterWeek, 07/06 <http://www.awwa.org/communications/waterweek/>
HOUSE PANEL TAKES UP WESTERN WATER
U.S. House lawmakers heard from experts that more federal money will be needed to replace decades-old dams and other facilities operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and to meet the demands of fast-growing Western states. Deseret News; July 20 <http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600149822,00.html>
GROUPS FLOAT IDEA TO CONSERVE COLORADO RIVER WATER
A coalition of six environmental groups propose the federal government pay big users of Colorado River water to give up their water rights during drought to conserve water and maintain water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Denver Rocky Mountain News; July 25 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3951232,00.html>
COLORADO UNLEASHES BEETLES ON WATER-SUCKING PLANT
Researchers will release a small army of Chinese beetles on invasive growths of tamarisks, which can consume 300 gallons of water per day per plant, in three Colorado counties. Rocky Mountain News; 7/29 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3962110,00.html>
N.M. SENATOR ANNOUNCES PLAN TO SAVE THE SILVERY MINNOW
U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici said his bill will create a refuge for the endangered silvery minnow in Albuquerque to ensure the fish will survive during times of drought. Albuquerque Tribune; July 7 <http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_local/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19858_3907004,00.html>
HIGH WATER IN NEW MEXICO BOOSTS NUMBERS OF ENDANGERED FISH
Federal wildlife biologists said they have found 290,000 silvery minnow in the middle fork of the Rio Grande, considerably higher than the 16,000 rescued and moved to the river’s main channel last year. Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); July 13 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/30051.html>
N.M. GOVERNOR OFFERS MILLIONS FOR WATER-SAVING IDEAS
Gov. Bill Richardson is still paying money for ideas that will save water. This year, Richardson’s Water Innovation Fund will award $5 million to innovators with water-saving projects. That’s on top of the $10 million in state contracts Richardson awarded in 2004 for water-saving ideas or products. New Mexico Business Weekly, 07/01 <http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2005/07/04/story5.html>
NEW MEXICO ACEQUIA USERS BEGIN WORK TO PROTECT WATER SUPPLY
Members of an acequia association in New Mexico’s Santa Fe Basin said development is drawing down their water supply and a new grant will allow them to track where their water is going and help them fight new wells in the area. Santa Fe New Mexican; July 19 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/30270.html>
WYOMING LAWMAKER WANTS TO BROADEN INSTREAM FLOW LAW
Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, said he wants to broaden Wyoming’s instream flow law to allow farmers and ranchers to leave water in rivers and creeks without giving up the right to the water permanently. Casper Star-Tribune; July 4 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/07/04/news/wyoming/49757167755a77ca8725703300210bbb.txt>
UTAH COUNTY OFFICIALS PUSH TO GET DAM IN PLACE
Environmental concerns, downstream impacts and competing concerns have stalled the building of a dam on Gooseberry Creek to solve Sanpete County’s water problems for 70 years. “A dam is an old-fashioned idea,” says Merritt Frey, director of the Utah Rivers Council, on her group’s opposition to Sanpete County’s continuing quest to dam Gooseberry Creek. Salt Lake Tribune; 7/8 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2846237>
WATER SUPPLIES DWINDLE AS DEVELOPMENTS SPROUT IN RURAL ARIZONA
Nine years of drought have shown how limited water supplies are in parts of rural Arizona, where populations have doubled to more than 1 million, and are expected to increase by another 500,000 over the next 25 years. Arizona Republic; June 26 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0626rwater-main26.html>
ARIZONA DEVELOPERS CLEAN UP ON DRY LOTS
Weak water laws in Arizona allow developers to sell lots to owners who are responsible for providing their own water, trucking it in if they can’t drill a well, and the trend is on the upswing across the state. Arizona Republic; June 27 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0627rwater-main27.html>
ARIZONA WATER POLICY MUST REFLECT REALITY
Arizona must end its head-in-the-sand approach to water regulation and draft some clear rules that reflect the state’s finite supply of groundwater. Arizona Republic; 07/03 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0703sun2-03.html>
NEW TUCSON WATER METERS CUT CUSTOMERS’ WASTED WATER
Nearly 12,000 Tucson Water customers will receive new water meters in the city’s effort to curb water loss, but the service may show they use more water than they’re paying for. Arizona Daily Star; July 20 <http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/metro/84946>
ARIZONA RIVER RUNS DRY
A key stretch of the San Pedro River, the last free-flowing river in the Arizona desert, has run dry for the first time in 75 years, confirming conservationists’ warnings that continued growth and pumping would cause the river to run dry. Arizona Daily Star; 7/13 <http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/wildlife/83944.php>
NEIGHBORS SUE OVER ARIZONA WATER TANK PLANS
A Scottsdale neighborhood has filed a lawsuit against Arizona American Water Co. to prevent it from building two large reservoirs 22 feet tall and 116 feet wide that they say obstructs neighbors’ views. Arizona Republic; July 13 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0713nelawsuit13.html>
WILL RIVERS BE HURT BY VEGAS PIPELINE PLAN?
Residents of northeast Clark County farming communities say they fear their lives will change if they lose water from two rivers that thirsty Las Vegas wants to tap. Mojave Daily News, 07/10 <http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2005/07/13/news/business/biz.2.txt>
DEMAND CREATES PERMANENT DROUGHT FOR COLORADO RIVER BASIN
The statement by a California water attorney at a meeting on the future Colorado River water use this week summed up the West’s dilemma perfectly, in essence, demand will create a permanent drought in the area. Durango Herald; July 29 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=opin&article_path=/opinion/opin050728.htm>
STUDY: CALIF. WILL NEED MORE WATER IN 2030
At current rates, California’s thirst for water will jump by 40 percent over the next 25 years, with much of the water used for landscaping, a new study warns. The Public Policy Institute of California says in the study being that population growth will necessitate conservation, water planning and recycling as the West struggles with continuous water shortages. California already has made strides in cutting indoor water use with more stringent plumbing codes and requiring water-efficient appliances. “A lot of people put too much water on their lawns,” said report author Ellen Hanak, an economist and researcher at the institute. “There’s a potential for cutting way back and still having a nice green lawn.” <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=California%20Water>
PUYALLUP TO TRACK FISH WITH RADIO TRANSMITTERS
The Puyallup tribe is trying to unravel the mystery behind a federally listed threatened species. In the coming months the tribe will take a high-tech approach to learn more about the elusive bull trout. The fish will be tagged with devices that emit a low frequency signal that will be relayed to Puyallup tribal staff, who will monitor several patterns of the bull trout. The devices are estimated to emit signals for up to a year and will be monitored throughout that entire period. ”One of the main questions we have is where are they [bull trout] going,” asked Puyallup Resource Protection Manager Russ Ladley. Since bull trout do not migrate in nearly-solid schools as do other fish such as salmon, the amount of information on the species is somewhat limited. Like salmon, bull trout are anadromous, meaning they migrate from salt water to fresh water. However, Ladley said it is apparent that some bull trout stay within river systems and do not migrate out to sea. Indian Country Today 7/25 <http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096411298>
WRANGLING WATER
International water experts and officials gather in Boise to discuss rising demands and decreasing supplies. <http://www.headwatersnews.org/p.freemuth062205.html>
YELLOWSTONE TROUT NUMBERS CONTINUE TO FALL
Wildlife officials said populations of the Yellowstone cutthroat trout are at the lowest levels in decades, raising concerns about the species that are a critical food source for 41 species in Yellowstone National Park. Missoulian (AP); July 10 <http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/07/09/breaker/doc42d03d4f96835972885334.txt>
TRIBES MAP OUT WATER RIGHTS ON MONTANA RESERVATION
Water-rights negotiations between Montana and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have been stalled for two years, but tribal officials have been using the time to quantify their claims to surface and groundwater on the Flathead Reservation. Missoulian; July 12 <http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/07/12/news/mtregional/news08.txt>
MONTANANS FLOAT THEIR BOATS FOR THE UPCOMING DAM REMOVAL
Dozens of kayakers, canoeists and rafters gathered on Montana’s Clark Fork River to celebrate the long-sought decision to remove the Milltown dam, which is slated to begin sometime this fall and will ultimately cost $300 million. Missoulian; July 17 <http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/07/17/news/local/news06.txt>
RIVER FLOAT TRIP FOCUSES ON MONTANA STREAM ACCESS ISSUES
About 200 Montanans floated the Ruby River, a hot spot in stream access conflicts, to celebrate the 30-year-old Montana Stream Access Law that says the banks of streams and rivers are open to the public even when they flow through private property. Great Falls Tribune; 7/19 <http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050719/NEWS01/507190309/1002>
WILD TROUT PROJECT IN IDAHO GAINS GROUND
Trout Unlimited and Idaho Department of Fish and Game have teamed up to build new trout-spawning habitat in the Boise River in order to boost trout numbers in the Boise watershed. Idaho Statesman; July 17 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050717/NEWS0105/507170322>
BOISE RIVER WATER-TREATMENT PLANT OPENS TAP
Depletion of groundwater in southern Idaho prompted state officials to put a moratorium on new wells, and a $18-million water treatment plant that pumps 6 million gallons of Boise River water to thousands of homes in southeast Idaho. Idaho Statesman; July 21 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050721/NEWS01/507210340>
BUSH ADMINISTRATION ASKS COURT TO CUT WATER RELEASES FOR SALMON
Bush administration officials told an appeals court panel that court-ordered water releases from Snake and Columbia river dams may actually be harming the salmon, and asked the court to end the releases. Seattle Times; July 14 <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002380510_damspill14m.html>
MAINE RESIDENTS SAY DAM REMOVAL SAVED THEIR RIVER
Residents along Maine’s Kennebec River can relate to Idahoans’ concern about a drive to remove four dams from the Snake River, but six years’ after Edwards Dam was removed the Kennebec River is showing new life. Idaho Statesman; July 24 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050724/NEWS01/507240352>
GROUPS ASK FEDS TO SAVE FISH AGENCY FROM IDAHO SENATOR
U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, called the Fish Passage Center “a tool of the environmental community” and penned a provision of the national energy policy that bars the Bonneville Power Administration from funding the center. Idaho Statesman; July 25 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050725/NEWS01/507250329>
DROUGHT ALONG THE MISSOURI DIVIDES THE SENATE
A severe drought, now in its seventh year, is wreaking havoc up and down the Missouri, from the river’s headwaters at Three Forks, Mont., to its confluence with the Mississippi River near St. Louis. One big casualty: a commercial shipping tradition that dates to Lewis and Clark. The Senate Appropriations Committee is trying to alleviate the problem — but members are badly split over what to do. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/04/AR2005070400926.html>
FRANCE RATIONS WATER AS DROUGHT TAKES HOLD
France extended water rationing to more than half the country on Monday as the severe drought that has wreaked havoc in Spain and Portugal expanded its reach from Morocco to the French capital. The French government expanded measures ranging from bans on car washing and filling swimming pools to curbs on crop irrigation to 50 of the country’s 96 mainland departments. Anyone breaking the law faces a 1,500 euro ($1,801) fine. “The drought that France has witnessed since September has been reinforced by a heatwave at the end of June,” said the environment ministry’s drought bulletin. Planet Ark 7/12 <http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/31619/story.htm>
WITH A PUSH FROM THE U.N., WATER REVEALS ITS SECRETS
Today, more than a billion people lack access to safe drinking water. Polluted water contributes, each year, to the death of about 15 million children under age 5. By midcentury, between two billion and seven billion people will face water shortages. “No region will be spared from the impact of this crisis,” Koichiro Matsuura, director general of Unesco, recently warned. “Water supplies are falling while the demand is dramatically growing.” He estimated that in the next two decades the average amount of water available per person on the planet will shrink by a third. But the United Nations is also working hard on solutions, helping poor countries learn a subtle art that lets them better manage their water resources to avoid tragedy. New York Times 7/26 <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/26/science/26wate.html?adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1122491120-FLjAJzK3M2vwqd+eYaOgSw>
GENE FIND MAY PRODUCE DROUGHT-RESISTANT CROPS
Australian scientists have made a significant breakthrough in genetic research which could lead to the development of drought-resistant crops and save farmers hundreds of millions of dollars. Water World, 07/11 <http://ww.pennnet.com/news/display_news_story.cfm?Section=WIREN&Category=HOME&NewsID=121852>
NEW MEXICO TOWN WAITS FOR NEW WATER SYSTEM
New Mexico, local and federal officials are working together to find funding for a water system for Chimay, where water has had to be shipped in for the past three years after fecal bacteria was found in some water wells. Santa Fe New Mexican; July 7 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/29860.html>
NEW MEXICO NEEDS TO CLEAN UP SEPTIC SYSTEMS
Improperly maintained and illegally installed septic systems are spewing raw sewage into New Mexico’s drinking water supplies and stretches of the Animas and San Juan rivers, and the state needs to get tough on people who don’t obey the law. Farmington Daily Times; July 15 <http://www.daily-times.com/artman/publish/Editorial.shtml>
POLLUTION CLOSES 19 CITY WELLS
The water division of the Modesto Public Works Department is fighting a war of attrition – at last count, 12 of the city’s 96 wells were shut down due to low-level uranium contamination and-or “gross alpha” radiation. Other types of pollution – nitrates; DBCP, a banned pesticide; and PCE, a chemical used in the dry cleaning process – have forced closure of seven other wells. That means that as of the end of June, 19 city wells were out of service. The closures represent an 18.5 percent reduction in the production capacity of the city’s wells, which only has exacerbated Modesto’s long-standing water pressure and supply problems. “The hardest time,” said Allen Lagarbo, city water superintendent, “is during peak hours – around 7 o’clock in the morning, and between 7:30 and 8 o’clock at night. That’s when it gets tight, very tight. We have no spare water.” Modesto Bee 7/25 <http://www.modbee.com/local/story/10960157p-11725931c.html>
MERCURY CONCERNS ON THE RISE
More than 20 percent of Americans tested for mercury in a nationwide study have levels of the toxic metal exceeding a government advisory level, a finding that has led one researcher to declare the country faces an “unprecedented public health emergency.” High mercury exposure most frequently occurs in people with diets heavy in fish, a food that’s often touted as healthful. The study calculated mercury exposure using hair samples, found that about half of people who eat seven or more servings of fish per month have mercury levels exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency human health standard of 1 part per million. Having silver-colored dental fillings also increases mercury exposure, researchers found. <http://www.milforddailynews.com/health/view.bg?articleid=73769&format=text>
AMERICANS’ BODIES HARBOR NUMEROUS TOXINS, BIG STUDY FINDS
The largest-ever study of human chemical exposure shows that Americans are carrying dozens of potentially harmful toxic compounds in their bodies. Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control tested some 2,400 people in 2000 and 2001 and found more than 100 worrisome compounds, many with known links to health threats, many present in larger doses in children than in adults. Some news is good: Dramatically reduced child lead levels are an “astonishing public health achievement,” according to CDC Director Julie Gerberding. Some results are mixed: Lower overall amounts of cotinine, a chemical found in second-hand smoke, are credited to antismoking laws; however, levels in African-Americans are roughly twice those in whites and Hispanics. Some findings are just grim: The study found that 5 percent of those tested have doses of three kinds of phthalates exceeding those associated with genital abnormalities in boys, and 76 percent of the population tested carried potentially neurotoxic pyrethroid pesticides. Says a specialist in children’s environmental health, “We have fouled our own nest.” Mercury News, 7/22 <http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/12195912.htm>
UTAH OFFICIALS NET FISH FOR MERCURY TESTING
Wildlife officials have begun pulling fish from Utah waters in a statewide effort to monitor fish for mercury levels and expect to have test results back by Sept. 1. Salt Lake Tribune; July 7 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2843908>
MONTANA WATER RULES MAY PLUG UP WYOMING CBM DEVELOPMENT
Wyoming and Montana officials have been talking about the effects of coalbed methane development on water for five years, but Montana’s new water rules could limit production of coalbed methane in Wyoming. Casper Star-Tribune; July 10 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/07/10/news/wyoming/e197d42a604cd05587257039000783d8.txt>
MONTANA TRIBES SEEK WATER-QUALITY RULE CHANGE
Gros Ventre and Assiniboine tribal officials and the Montana Environmental Information Center asked the state environmental board to require new mines to show how it would manage water without using perpetual water treatment. Helena Independent Record; July 14 <http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/07/14/montana/a05071405_01.txt>
TRIBE’S WATER TALKS WITH EPA, MONTANA TRICKLE ON
Northern Cheyenne tribal officials said getting Environmental Protection Agency approval of tribal water-quality regulations has been a slow process, and said talks with the state on salinity levels in the Tongue River were ongoing. Billings Gazette; July 11 <http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/07/11/build/state/40-water-talks.inc>
FEDERAL JUDGE TO DETERMINE NEXT STEP IN EVERGLADES RESTORATION
Fertilizer runoff from Florida’s sugar farms has seeped into the Everglades for decades, slowly upsetting the balance of this precious ecosystem. An extensive court-ordered cleanup of the Everglades has been underway for years, but concerns linger about whether the phosphorus runoff is addressed adequately by the government’s stormwater treatment areas. Next steps are being hammered out in court. <http://enn.com/today.html?id=8271>
UNDERSTANDING WATER AND TERRORISM
Book review: “Understanding Water and Terrorism” provides a panoramic view of the threat of terrorist attacks against the U.S. water supply. Water Tech Online, 07/12 <http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?mode=4&N_ID=55919>