FLY FISHERS EMERGE FOR COLORADO CADDIS HATCH
The annual caddis hatch that brings fly-fishers out onto Colorado’s Arkansas River and the fish looking up is also a boom to local retailers who feed and house the anglers and provide them with flies, scotch and cigars. Denver Post; April 12 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3700264> <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/06/news060425_2.htm>
COLORADO LAWMAKERS PASS UNPRECEDENTED CHARTER
Hoping to end Colorado’s in-state battles over scarce water, a House committee has approved an unprecedented charter for compacts between users in different river basins meant to bring together groups ranging from fishermen to farmers. AP, 4/26 <http://enn.com/today.html?id=10337> <http://www.denverpost.com/editorials/ci_3764100>
COLORADO LAWMAKERS CRAFT COMPROMISE ON RECREATIONAL WATER
Compromise legislation that bars Colorado recreational water users from asking water courts for permission to allow nighttime events didn’t make recreational users happy but said they’re willing to live with it, although the compromises faces an uphill battle if, and when, it reaches the Senate. Denver Post; April 6 <http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/ci_3676249>
COLORADO DECLARES TROUT STREAM ‘GOLD’
The Colorado Wildlife Commission declared that a 14-mile stretch of the Roaring Fork River below Basalt had earned the commission’s top designation for fisheries, an addition that creates the longest continuous section of gold medal water in Colorado. Aspen Times News;4/6 <http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20060406/NEWS/104060048>
AURORA OKS PLAN TO END WATER WAR WITH DENVER
The Aurora City Council approved a plan that will allow the Colorado city to buy water from Denver if it needs it, and if Denver has any to spare, putting an end to a decades-long dispute between the two cities. Denver Rocky Mountain News; 4/4 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4594097,00.html>
DAM PROPOSALS ON COLORADO RIVER RAISE BIG QUESTIONS
Proposals for several dam and reservoir projects on the Cache la Poudre River in Fort Collins are designed to meet growing water needs, but raise important questions about fiscal responsibility, environmental impacts, rapid growth and economic sustainability, and a new coalition offers some alternatives. A guest column. Denver Post; April 9 <http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_3681557>
COLORADO SENATE APPROVES BILL TO EASE SALE OF AG WATER
Farmers in Colorado and other western states control about 80 percent of the water, and legislation passed by the Colorado Senate will allow farmers to idle their land from year to year and sell the unused water to cities without giving up their legal right to the water. Denver Rocky Mountain News; April 28 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_4656879,00.html>
COLORADO FARMERS FEAR AG IS PLANNING WATER GRAB
Local farmers, who believe their fair share of water for growing their crops is again being threatened, are urging the agricultural community and the general public to attend an informational meeting at Lamar Community College next week. Lamar Daily News, 04/26 <http://www.lamardaily.com/Stories/0,1413,121%257E7979%257E3298606,00.html>
COLORADO REPORT SAYS LITTLE WATER LOST DURING DRILLING OPERATIONS
– A new report by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources said the amount of stream depletion caused by one gas well is smaller than that caused by a personal water well, given equal spacing of both, but the assistant state engineer said for some people even the loss of one acre foot of water could be a problem. Durango Herald; April 18 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/06/news060418_5.htm>
COLORADO TOWN DOESN’T WANT DRILLING WELL IN RECREATION AREA
City leaders in Craig have asked the Bureau of Land Management to not allow drilling rigs on a recreation area on the shore of the Colorado city’s reservoir, but the agency said it can’t do that. Grand Junction Sentinel; April 26 <http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/04/26/4_26_Craig_drilling_concerns.html>
COLORADO SKI AREA DEBATE NOW TURNS TO WATER
The Forest Service says it doesn’t have proof that there is adequate water to supply the proposed resort at Wolf Creek ski area, but development officials say they can point to water court decisions and engineering studies that say they do. Durango Herald; 4/24 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/06/news060424_1.htm>
COLORADO, UTAH AT CENTER OF WEST’S CLOUD-SEEDING EFFORTS
Because 70 percent of the Colorado River’s water supply comes from snowpack in Colorado, western water utilities plan to concentrate cloud-seeding efforts in Colorado and Utah, with the hope of generating 1.1 million acre feet of new water that can be shared by all seven states that use the river’s water. Denver Rocky Mountain News; April 17 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4626968,00.html>
RESURRECTED CREEK IN SALT LAKE COULD REUNITE BOTH SIDES OF THE CITY
City Creek, which once sustained Mormon pioneers settling in the Salt Lake area, has long been buried, but a new plan could allow part of it to again flow on the surface of the city, and planners are hoping the revitalized creek will be a draw for people to live near downtown. Salt Lake Tribune; April 30 <http://www.sltrib.com/contentlist/ci_3768975>
WEST DESERT RESIDENTS SHARE WATER CONCERNS WITH UTAH LAWMAKERS
Residents of the Snake Valley along the Utah-Nevada border traveled to the state Capitol Wednesday to urge members of the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Interim Committee to prohibit Las Vegas from pumping groundwater out of aquifers under the West Desert because the plan endangers the ecosystem and residents’ livelihoods. Salt Lake Tribune; April 20 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3729464>
ALBUQUERQUE ABOUT TO SET DROUGHT RECORD
Only about 0.28 inches of precipitation fell in Albuquerque between November and April, which is just 10 percent of normal and could set a record as the city’s driest half year since records were first kept in 1892. Albuquerque Journal; April 28 <http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/454974metro04-28-06.htm>
RIO GRANDE SEES MANY CHANGES IN THE PAST DECADE
When a drought struck New Mexico a decade ago, the local water conservation district diverted about all of the water out of the Rio Grande, killing 1,000 endangered silvery minnows, but since then, the environmental community has become engaged and numerous changes have come to the river. An in-depth look. You will have to click through an ad to read this story. Albuquerque Journal; May 1 <http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/455401nm04-30-06.htm>
WYOMING CREATES TASK FORCE TO STUDY COALBED-METHANE WATER
Gov. Dave Freudenthal selected seven people to serve with four legislators and four state agency representatives on a task force to research uses for water discharged during coalbed methane operations in Wyoming. Billings Gazette (AP); April 13 <http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/04/13/news/wyoming/45-cbm-water.txt>
WYOMING TRIBE GETS FEDERAL FUNDING FOR IRRIGATION PROJECT
Wyoming’s congressional delegation announced that a Wind River Reservation irrigation project will receive $1.5 million of the $7.5 million in federal funds set aside for revamping Indian irrigation systems in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota. Casper Star-Tribune (AP); April 6 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/04/06/news/wyoming/6fff86c6adcb199a87257147007e89cd.txt>
FOREST SERVICE TO REPAIR, RESTORE HIGH MOUNTAIN LAKES IN UTAH
Years of planning and debate have led the Forest Service to begin work dismantling and restoring high mountain lakes that were dammed to increase their capacity, some nearly a century ago, and the end result will be healthier headwaters and more irrigation water stored closer to the users. Salt Lake Tribune; April 9 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3690132>
PREDICTIONS PUT COLORADO RIVER NEAR NORMAL LEVELS
Thanks to a snowy March, federal forecasters are predicting the flow of water in the Colorado River will approach normal levels this year – making this the second consecutive year of healthy runoff after five years of severe drought. AP 4/5 <http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20060405-1357-nv-coloradoriverflow.html>
HIGH COURT ISSUES DECREE FOR COLORADO RIVER
A Supreme Court decree that consolidates decades of rulings apportioning water rights in the Lower Colorado River Basin affirms amounts allocated to California, Arizona, Nevada and several Native American reservations and how flows will be distributed during periods of surplus and shortage. WaterWeek, 4/07 <http://www.awwa.org/communications/waterweek/index.cfm?ArticleID=578>
LEGALITY OF NEVADA WATER PLAN QUESTIONED
A state Division of Water Resources hearing officer on Wednesday questioned the legality of Lincoln County Water District’s plan to sell water rights to influential Reno businessman Harvey Whittemore for the development he wants to create at Coyote Springs, 50 miles north of Las Vegas. Las Vegas Review-Journal, 4/06 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-06-Thu-2006/news/6735141.html>
VEGAS DEVELOPER SNAGS WATER FROM ANOTHER WITH EVEN BIGGER PLANS
A Las Vegas developer building 20,000 homes outside Kingman, Ariz., has won approval for the water he needs for the project, leaving other developers, including one who is planning a mega-subdivision with 130,000 homes, with that much less water with which to work. Arizona Republic; April 13 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0413ruralwater0413.html>
DRY AZ RIVERS EXPECTED AFTER SCANT SNOWMELT
A dismal winter snow season is projected to keep rivers near record-low levels around the state this spring. Runoff into most rivers will fall below 30 percent of normal, according to hydrologists. Arizona Daily Star, 4/12 <http://www.azstarnet.com/news/123926>
VERDE RIVER MAKES LIST OF 10 MOST ENDANGERED
The plan by Prescott area municipalities to pump groundwater from the Big Chino aquifer has landed the Verde River on a list of America’s 10 most endanger rivers. East Valley Tribune, 4/19 <http://campverdebugle.1upsoftware.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=17632&TM=27443.77>
COACHELLA CANAL PROJECT MEANS WATER SAVINGS
In 1949, the Coachella canal changed the desert landscape and economy from Yuma, Ariz., to La Quinta. Today, the costliest upgrade to the canal in 57 years aims to do the same from North Shore to San Diego, while saving enough water for more than 50,000 homes for more than a century. The Desert Sun, 4/05 <http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060405/NEWS07/604050322>
ALL-AMERICAN CANAL PROJECT’S CRITICS FILE LAWSUIT
With construction just weeks away, opponents of a plan to line the All-American Canal in Imperial County filed suit yesterday to stop the project, alleging its design presents a peril to humans and animals. SD Union Tribune, 4/19 <http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060419-9999-2m19canal.html>
PROSPECT OF SO CAL WATER CANAL HAS RETURNED
Thumped at the polls and discarded as politically toxic long ago, the idea of building another canal to send water to Southern California is getting a fresh look in the wake of rising fears that a catastrophic levee break could cut off deliveries through the Sacramento Delta. SD Union Tribune, 4/24 <http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20060424-9999-1n24canal.html>
FUNDING DENIED FOR STATE LEVEES
Drawing criticism from the governor’s office, a top Bush administration official said she didn’t see any need for emergency federal assistance to shore up California levees. San Jose Mercury, 4/18 <http://www.mercurynews.com:80/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14367541.htm>
AMPLE SNOWPACK FILLS DROUGHT-DEPLETED RESERVOIR IN MONTANA
For the first time in five years, irrigators that depend on Clark Canyon Reservoir in Montana may actually have water available for irrigation as spring run-off has boosted the reservoir’s level to 113,000 acre feet of water, nearly double what the reservoir had last year at this time. Montana Standard; April 18 <http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2006/04/18/newsbutte/hjjdjfibjchhff.txt>
MONTANA WATER DECISION COULD BE A GROUND-BREAKING ONE
A Montana Supreme Court decision that acknowledged that groundwater and water flowing in the state’s river are connected will have a broad impact on new developments planned for the state. A perspective. NewWest.net; April 17 <http://www.newwest.net/index.php/main/article/7745/>
AFTER NEARLY A CENTURY, MONTANA’S MILLTOWN DAM TURNED OFF FOR FINAL TIME
The 98-year-old hydroelectric dam at Milltown on the Clark Fork river near Missoula was shut down for the final time on Friday, marking the first major event leading up to the dam’s removal, and on Monday, authority over the dam shifts from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to the Environmental Protection Agency, though ownership remains with NorthWestern Energy. Missoulian; April 9 <http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/04/09/news/local/znews02.txt>
MONTANA DAM HAS THE POWER BUT NO DELIVERY SYSTEM
A plan to harness 15-megawatts of hydroelectric power from the Gibson Dam located on Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front must overcome the lack of transmission lines to carry the power created and the difficulty of finding a route for those transmission lines. Great Falls Tribune; April 13 <http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060413/NEWS01/604130301/1002>
NON-NATIVE FISH IN MONTANA WATERS BOTH A BANE AND A BLESSING
A recent study conducted by the Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Arizona of 689 streams in 12 states found one in three Montana fish isn’t native to the state, but some, such as rainbow trout, are welcome because they’re highly sought after by anglers. Billings Gazette; April 21 <http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/04/21/news/state/40-fish.txt>
MONTANA FUNDS SIX CONSERVATION PROJECTS ALONG YELLOWSTONE RIVER
The Montana Legislature approved $150,000 in one-time funding for conservation projects in four river basins, and $43,500 of that money will be used for six different projects along the Yellowstone River. Billings Gazette; April 28 <http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/04/28/news/state/25-river-conservation.txt>
NEW LANDOWNERS TANGLE OVER MONTANA CREEK
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said two landowners who purchased property along West Bridger Creek in Montana’s Sweet Grass County have illegally done work on the creek to divert water and the Corps has been working for months with the landowners’ attorney to get the work stopped and the stream restored. Billings Gazette; 4/25 <http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/04/25/news/state/25-river.txt>
IDAHO LAWMAKERS, UTILITY COMPANY REACH DEAL ON AQUIFER RECHARGE
The Idaho Attorney General’s discovery of two water rights designated for recharge purposes recognized by Idaho Power in a 1984 agreement that guaranteed Idaho Power minimum flows at the dam helped generate interest in a settlement between the state and the utility that allows the state to use 2,000 cubic feet per second of Snake River water to replenish the depleted Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer. Twin Falls Times-News; April 12 <http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2006/04/12/news_localstate/news_local_state.1.txt>
HIGH WATER IN IDAHO MEANS LOWER POWER RATES
Idaho Power Co. officials said abundant snowpack and high water means the utility company can generate enough electricity for its 457,000 customers in southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon and not have to buy the power on the open market, which will translate to lower power bills this summer. Idaho Statesman; April 13 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060413/NEWS06/604130356>
IDAHO’S GREAT WATER YEAR A MIXED BLESSING
Idaho farmers will have plenty of water this year, but their fields are too muddy to start planting; whitewater will provide challenging rides to kayakers and rafters but may prove too daunting for some and outfitters predict a drop in business, but state water officials said they’re not sure the drought has truly ended. Idaho Statesman; 4/25 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060425/NEWS01/604250383>
IDAHO COUNTY MAKES PRE-EMPTIVE FLOOD DECLARATION
With snowpack in some areas 174 percent of normal and runoff in the Big Wood River expected to be 137 to 199 percent of normal, Blaine County commissioners decided to declare a flood emergency for the entire county to open the door for federal help. Idaho Mountain Express; April 26 <http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005109484>
IDAHO RIVER’S LISTING IN TOP 10 NOTHING TO CROW ABOUT
American Rivers has listed the Boise River as the nation’s sixth most endangered because of a plan to put an open-pit gold mine on the Middle Fork of the river, only 60 miles from downtown Boise, and the community should work hard to ensure no harm comes to the river. Idaho Statesman; April 20 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060420/NEWS0501/604200331/1053>
BOLD LEADERSHIP REQUIRED TO SAVE IDAHO’S SALMON
Only one Chinook salmon made it to the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River outside Lewiston, Idaho, and if Idaho wants to save these fish, we need bold leaders who can work together across the region and a willingness to acknowledge that the fish are in trouble. Idaho Statesman; April 30 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060430/NEWS0501/604300355/1001/NEWS>
SALMON A NO-SHOW IN ANNUAL SPAWNING RUN
Only 135 adult Chinook salmon had been counted on the fish ladders of the Bonneville Dam in Oregon, where the 10-year annual average is 19,000. Seattle Times; April 13 <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002927625_salmon13m.html>
EVERGLADES HEADWATERS TO RECLAIM ORIGINAL PATH WITH RESTORATION PROJECT
State water managers have acquired about 103,000 acres of land as part of a plan to reflood 43 miles of the Kissimmee River bed, allowing the water to reclaim its original meandering path toward Lake Okeechobee and on into the Everglades. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=10251>
MID-ATLANTIC GROUNDWATER LEVELS STARTING TO DECLINE
Despite recent rain, water levels in streams throughout the Mid-Atlantic and surrounding regions remain near record lows for this time of year, according to hydrologists at the U.S. Geological Survey. Water World, 4/7 <http://ww.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=252293&p=41>
EXPERT WARNS OF FUTURE WATER WOES FOR ALBERTA
If Alberta officials don’t slow down oil and gas exploration and do something to curtail growth, a Canadian scientist said Canada will soon see a water crisis in its prairie provinces unlike one it has ever experienced. Edmonton Journal; April 4 <http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=b6151f3d-9825-40d3-ad02-d4b811256562&k=94910>
US EPA TO STUDY WATER USE IN NEW HOMES
USEPA announced that it will join with nine water agencies in eight states to conduct a 33-month study comparing water use in new homes using ‘standard’ and ‘high efficiency’ fixtures, appliances and irrigation systems. WaterWeek, 4/17 <http://www.awwa.org/communications/waterweek/>
PHOENIX PLANS COSTLY WATER TREATMENT PLAN TO CATCH UP WITH GROWTH
Officials knew that with booming growth in Phoenix, they would soon need a new water treatment plant, and that time is now, as they wrestle with a plant that will cost $350 million for phase one and at least $13 million a year to operate. Arizona Republic; April 14 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0414phxwater0414.html>
WYOMING GOVERNOR ASKS EPA TO TOSS MONTANA’S WATER-QUALITY RULES
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s chief policy adviser said he hasn’t had time to review Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal’s letter to the Environmental Protection Agency that requested Montana’s proposed water-quality regulations be rejected in part because of their potential impact on Wyoming’s coalbed methane industry. Missoulian (AP); April 6
FEDS OPPOSE MONTANA OVER WATER CLEANUP
Federal officials oppose new rules in Montana to force companies extracting methane gas from coal beds to clean up water pollution caused by drilling. UPI, 4/9 <http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060409-043425-2786r>
PLAYING POLITICS WITH LAKE MEAD
The scientist who headed federal studies into harmful chemicals being released into Lake Mead from Las Vegas sewage says he quit his job because his findings have been suppressed for political reasons. Las Vegas Sun, 04/23 <http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2006/apr/23/566641505.html?sewer>
SALINITY MAY BE GREATEST THREAT TO DELTA SMELT
A new analysis by engineers at the Contra Costa Water District shows that a decision made a decade ago to protect fish by shifting the timing of water deliveries could be at the root of what is causing populations of Delta smelt and other fish to crash. Contra Costa Times, 4/23 <http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/14410347.htm>
CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRASH CASE
The State and L.A. Water Boards gained a major victory in California Supreme Court when the justices refused to hear claims by a coalition of 21 cities that challenged the Water Boards’ landmark trash reduction program in the Los Angeles River. The program upheld by the court is the TMDL (total maximum daily load) program. SWRCB News Release, 4/20 <http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/press/docs/2006/06_008.pdf>
COLORADO OILMAN CLEANS UP DISCHARGE WATER FOR IRRIGATION
As oil fields grow older, more discharge water is produced along with the oil and in 2000, energy companies spent $25 billion to get rid of unwanted water, but a Colorado oilman and a rancher unveiled a process that separates the deep-aquifer water from oil and natural gas and cleans it enough that it can be used for irrigation and potentially for homes. Fort Collins Coloradoan; April 11 <http://www.coloradoannews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060409/NEWS01/604090315/1002/NEWS17>
EPA SEEKS TO RELAX ARSENIC RULE
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants to roll back a rule that went into effect earlier this year and allow rural water systems that serve less than 10,000 residents to have up to three times the level of arsenic allowed. Washington Post, 4/03 <http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060401/POLITICS/604010425/1022>
NEW MEXICO ARSENIC REMOVAL PLANT HAILED
Two cutting-edge arsenic removal facilities, among the first to be put into service in New Mexico since a new federal standard went into effect, were lauded by state legislators and industry officials alike. New Mexico Utilities, Inc. Press Release, 4/13 <http://www.bcwaternews.com/ca/articles/04-14_Arsenic.pdf>
REPORT: B.C. PAID FOR CAUSEWAY WORK THAT KILLED 2 MILLION SALMON
British Columbia was responsible for the environmental oversight of a gravel mining operation in the Fraser River meant to ease flooding concerns, but dropping river levels during the work killed 2 million young salmon. Toronto Globe and Mail; April 26 <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060426.wxbcsalmon26/BNStory/National/home>
MAKE ROOM FOR THE RIVER: RESTORING THE DANUBE DELTA
Swollen by heavy rain and melting snow, the Danube River, Europe’s second longest river behind the Volga, hit its highest level in Romania in 111 years in April, swamping ports and thousands of hectares of farmland. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=10335>