BUSH TAPS FORMER IDAHO FARMER TO BE WATER CZAR
If approved by the Senate, Mark Limbaugh will be the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science, in charge of setting policy for the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey. Idaho Statesman; May 16 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050516/NEWS01/505160310/1002/NEWS01>
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COLORADO CONGRESSMAN VOICES CONCERNS OVER FRASER RIVER
U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, said increased harvests of Fraser River water by Front Range cities led to its being listed as endangered and encouraged Denver Water and Western Slope communities to work out a water deal. Denver Rocky Mountain News; 5/5 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3753056,00.html>
RESERVOIR PLAN RESURFACES WITH NEW PITCH FROM SENATOR
State Sen. Jim Dyer’s plan to provide water for Colorado growth is pumping new life into a project most have given up for dead, the $2.5 billion Union Park reservoir at the headwaters of the Gunnison River. Dyer, an influential Republican from Arapahoe County, will help drum up support before the El Paso County Water Authority. 5/29 <http://denverpost.com/search/ci_2766673>
HIGH WATER ROILS PROPERTY-RIGHTS DEBATE IN COLORADO
Rafters’ right to float is not a clear-cut issue in Colorado, and rafters and property owners alike are calling for legislation that clearly lays out access rules. Denver Post; May 24 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2754552>
RIVERS RUN FREE AND SO SHOULD RAFTERS
River rafters and a few landowners have been at each other’s throats for decades over recreational water rights. The latest battle – involving commercial rafting companies and a group of property owners along the Elk River – shows once again the need to have clear, sensible laws on the books. 5/30 <http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_2767621>
WHITEWATER PARKS ROIL DEBATE
Water development promoters fear that recreational uses will short potential future water projects and exchanges if they are not curtailed. <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3816670,00.html>
COLORADO FORUM TACKLES WATER FUNDING, STORAGE ISSUES
Speakers at a water forum in Grand Junction said population changes and loss of federal funding for water projects means Colorado must step in and build its own reservoirs and write its own water plan. Denver Rocky Mountain News; May 24 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3801450,00.html>
COLORADO WATER DEAL PROVIDES CASCADE OF BENEFITS In the first-of-its-kind deal, the Colorado Water Trust bought 800-acre feet of water which will buoy rafters and kayakers through Boulder Creek into the Blue River, where it will be resold to 15 Western Slope counties. Denver Rocky Mountain News; May 30 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3812927,00.html>
WESTERN SLOPE USERS SUBMIT PLAN TO DENVER WATER
A coalition of western Colorado cities, towns, ski resorts and water districts presented a 19-point proposal to Denver’s largest water user in an effort to begin talks on future water development. Denver Post; May 27 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2763088>
COLORADO WATER PICTURE SUNNY
For the first time in seven years, Colorado’s snowpack is 100 percent of average statewide, and reservoirs levels are at 89 percent of capacity statewide. Denver Rocky Mountain News; May 13 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3774264,00.html>
NEW STUDIES LINK DWINDLING ARCTIC ICE, COLORADO SNOWPACK
Two new studies said the loss of icepack in the Arctic could change the jet stream which pulls winter storms north and reduce snowfall across Colorado by nearly 20 percent. Denver Post; 5/20 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2746404>
UTAH NEEDS TO TEST FISH FOR MERCURY LEVELS
Utah must not wait for federal intervention or a cluster of mercury-related illnesses to start testing fish here, and it wouldn’t hurt if Nevada set limits for gold mine emissions of the deadly neurotoxin. Salt Lake Tribune; May 5 <http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2709302>
UTAH FISH SHOW ELEVATED LEVELS OF MERCURY
Utah officials said only four of the 170 fish sent to the Environmental Protection Agency for testing showed mercury levels higher than federal standards and that the state was gearing up to begin issuing advisories on fish consumption. Salt Lake Tribune; May 11 <http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2725971>
TASK FORCE GETS BREATHING ROOM ON UTAH WATER PROJECTS
There are two expensive water projects slated for construction in Utah, but new water sources and conservation efforts will allow state officials to delay one and dedicate funds to build the other. Salt Lake Tribune; May 18 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2740787>
WATER RELEASES IN UTAH PIT FARMERS AGAINST FISH
Farmers and environmentalists, along with Utah officials, are questioning the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s timing of water releases from the Flaming Gorge dam to assess the impact high flows have on endangered fish. Salt Lake Tribune; May 25 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2756232>
WYOMING LOOKS AT WAYS TO CAPTURE WATER
After Interior Secretary Gale Norton declined to reduce releases out of Lake Powell, Wyoming officials are exploring storage options for Green River water which flows through Colorado into the reservoir. Casper Star-Tribune; 5/8 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/05/08/news/wyoming/38ef615459d5d5bc87256ffa0076234f.txt>
YUMA DESALTING PLANT: JUST ADD WATER
The Yuma Desalting Plant could be operating within two years if the federal government adopts recommendations made by a group of environmentalists and water officials. Yuma Sun, 05/04 <http://sun.yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_16405.php>
REGIONAL FWS DIRECTOR WARNS EMPLOYEES AGAINST USING NEW SCIENCE
The southwestern regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesn’t like his science fresh. He recently issued a memo instructing his staff to disregard any genetic science about an endangered species conducted after the species was listed under the Endangered Species Act (in some cases as far back as the 1970s). His move may save Southwestern states money on species-recovery efforts. The reasoning is based on a controversial federal court decision regarding Oregon coho salmon, but it has angered many biologists and FWS staff. Says population genetics professor Philip Hedrick, “They talk about using the best science, but that’s clearly not what they’re trying to do here.” In unrelated news, President Bush visited U.S. EPA headquarters on Monday to proclaim that its new administrator, Stephen Johnson, would “help us continue to place sound scientific analysis at the heart of all major environmental decisions.” <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/24/national/24species.html?ex=1274587200&en=66761bd886bb808d&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss> <http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/05/23/national/w142853D08.DTL&sn=009&sc=846>
WATER WORRIES PROMPT CALL TO HALT DEVELOPMENT IN IDAHO COUNTY
Lincoln County residents said some wells are going dry and nitrate levels are increasing in others, prompting them to ask the county commission to suspend all land use changes until a comprehensive plan is developed. Twin Falls Times-News; May 9 <http://www.magicvalley.com/news/localstate/index.asp?StoryID=15520>
MONTANA TOWNS COME CALLING FOR WATER
Eight towns in central Montana said they’re not abandoning their plans to develop a 3,700-foot water well, and that their request to tap into Lewistown’s water source is just another option they’re exploring. Great Falls Tribune; May 13 <http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050513/NEWS01/505130322/1002>
MONTANA GROUP PROBES GROWTH EFFECTS ON WATERSHED
Nearly one-third of Montana’s population live in the Clark Fork watershed, and an advocacy group’s new report surveys the economic, social and environmental conditions that impact the health of the watershed. Missoulian; May 15 <http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/05/15/news/local/news03.txt>
LOW NORTHWEST SALMON RUN CONFOUNDS FISHERS, CLOSES FISHERIES
Conservationists, salmon enthusiasts, and fisheries managers along the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest are wondering why thousands of chinook salmon that were expected to swim up the river to spawn this season never arrived. Original projections estimated some 254,000 chinook would pass the first of many dams along the Columbia this spring, but so far only about 52,000 have, and dejected fishery experts are now expecting only a few thousand more, perhaps totaling a paltry 80,000. The numbers are so low that Idaho, Oregon, and Washington banned chinook fishing outright, devastating the region’s sport-fishing industry and disappointing local fishers, among them Indian tribes with treaty rights to the salmon. “A lot of people had declared the salmon crisis over,” said Buzz Ramsey, sales manager for a fishing-tackle company. “Last year’s disappointment and this year’s disappointing run shows we’re really not over it.” Many enviros and tribal officials blame federal dams along the river for the disappearance of the fish. <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002271866_nosalmon12.html>
SALMON RUN PROVES FEDERAL POLICY WRONG
The Bush administration’s salmon recovery plan is ineffective and expensive, and federal officials should consider spending $6 billion on programs that could do some good. Idaho Falls Post-Register; May 18 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/pr.salmon051805.html>
FEDERAL JUDGE RULES DAM PLAN VIOLATES SPECIES LAW
A federal judge rejected the underlying premise of the Bush administration’s $6 billion Columbia Basin plan that dams are part of the ecosystem and reopened the debate on breaching four dams on the Snake River in Washington. Idaho Statesman; 5/27 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050527/NEWS0105/505270331>
OREGON WATER FIGHT POWERS UP
Environmentalists and tribal officials who want to keep Klamath Basin water in rivers to benefit salmon are pushing for free market power rates to price irrigators out of the market. Idaho Falls Post Register; May 15 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/pr.power051605.html>
CAL TECH PROFESSOR: DO LARGE DAMS DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD?
When he was a young boy, Thayer Scudder used to build dams across a small stream in the Berkshire Mountains of Connecticut. Now, at age 75, Scudder is perhaps the world’s leading academic authority on large dams. San Diego Union-Tribune, 05/25 <http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/science/20050525-9999-lz1c25dam.html>
COMPANY ANNOUNCES CBM WATER TREATMENT PLAN IN WYOMING
Andarko Petroleum said it will spend $50 million to build a 48-mile pipeline to carry water released during coalbed methane drilling operations and re-inject it back into Wyoming’s Madison aquifer. Billings Gazette; 5/19 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=22769>
SURVEY: MOST AMERICANS WORRY ABOUT WATERWAYS
Americans are concerned with the health of their rivers, lakes and streams and expect political leaders to do more to keep the water clean, according to a survey released by American Rivers. Birmingham News, 05/21 <http://www.al.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1116667068202480.xml?birminghamnews?nstate&coll=2>
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: BLENDING POLICY REVISITED
Press Release. Based on review of all public comments and congressional hearings, EPA will not finalize the sewage blending policy as proposed in November 2003. U.S. Newswire, 05/19 <http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=47643>
MONTANA GOVERNOR ASKS FEDS TO WEIGH IN ON WATER ISSUE
Gov. Brian Schweitzer said the state’s dispute with British Columbia over coal-mining operations just north of Glacier National Park may be muddied by another ongoing dispute between North Dakota and Manitoba. Missoulian; May 27 <http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/05/27/news/mtregional/news07.txt>
CANADA WANTS U.S. WATER PROJECT SHUT DOWN
Canadian officials said a North Dakota drainage project could pollute rivers in Manitoba and introduce alien species of wildlife, and asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to intervene. Toronto National Post; May 13 <http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=a484b8f3-b42d-4656-9634-2452fb28b75a>
PANAMA CANAL THREATENED BY DENUDED FOREST WATERSHED
Here’s how the Panama Canal works: Torrential downpours batter the country’s forests during rainy season; the water is absorbed into the watershed and feeds steadily into massive, human-made Gatun Lake; the lake then feeds water into the canal. The shipping route thus provided is responsible for some 40 percent of the nation’s economy. Here’s the problem: Half the forest in the watershed surrounding the canal has been lost to slash-and-burn agriculture and logging, and the deforested land doesn’t hold water well. A cutting-edge new effort would have companies that rely on the canal fund a bond that would pay for forest restoration. If you’ve ever wondered why there’s such fuss over “ecosystem services,” just look to Panama: “Without the water,” says one canal guide, “we would be the biggest ditch in the whole world.” <http://economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3886849>
N.M. SENATOR WANTS EPA TO RAISE ARSENIC LIMITS
U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici said new Environmental Protection Agency limits on arsenic levels in water will require nearly 20 percent of New Mexico’s cities to treat their water. Santa Fe New Mexican; May 25 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/14089.html>
NEW MEXICO CHANGING RULES FOR SEPTIC TANKS
The New Mexico Environment Department outlined the revisions and policy changes to state liquid waste regulations at a public meeting in Socorro. El Defensor Chieftan, 05/21 <http://www.dchieftain.com/news/51325-05-21-05.html>
CLEAN-UP EFFORTS GROW AS NATION’S WATERWAYS GET DIRTIER
Despite billions of dollars spent nationwide to restore waterways to their natural state, more than a third of the nation’s rivers are listed as polluted or impaired and freshwater fish are becoming extinct five times faster than land animals. Christian Science Monitor; May 12 <http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0512/p15s01-sten.html>
AGING SEWER SYSTEMS FOULING GREAT LAKES
Sewage is fouling the Great Lakes and other waters in the region because many municipal waste treatment systems are failing to stop overflows, environmental groups said. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7761>
CITIES START GETTING CREATIVE IN CLEANING UP RUNOFF
Catalyzed by legal action from enviro groups, the U.S. EPA has started cracking down on an oft-overlooked cause of befouled waterways: polluted runoff. On its journey through urban and suburban streets, rainwater picks up and carries motor oil, antifreeze, pesticides, and other nasties, eventually dumping them in major bodies of water. In the Washington, D.C., area, with the fate of Chesapeake Bay in the balance, local governments have been encouraging — and often requiring — creative approaches to the runoff problem. In Gainesville, Va., a new luxury neighborhood will feature narrower streets, shorter driveways, sunken gardens filled with thirsty plants, and rock-and-shrubbery-filled ditches in place of standard gutters, all to cut down on, soak up, and filter contaminated water before it can reach waterways. In D.C., hundreds of buildings have installed massive subterranean sand vaults to filter their rainwater, and other nearby cities have been experimenting with green roofs and porous parking lots built atop filtering sand. Mind your runoff, folks. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/22/AR2005052200771.html>
