UNION PARK RESERVOIR: JUDGE CUTS OFF FIRM’S RIGHTS
Union Park Reservoir, the controversial plan to tap the Gunnison River headwaters for Front Range communities, suffered a serious setback last week when a state judge revoked a key water right. Denver Post, 08/08 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2922672>
STUDY PLANNED FOR NEW RESERVOIR, HYDROELECTRIC PLAN IN COLORADO
Initial feasibility studies are under way on a plan to build a reservoir and hydroelectric station on Grand Mesa, the largest project ever planned in Colorado’s Delta County. Grand Junction Sentinel; July 31 <http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2005/07/31/7_31_water_project_WWW.html>
ENDANGERED FISH TO SEE MORE WATER
More water began flowing down the Colorado River from high reservoirs as the result of an energy company’s call on the Colorado River. Grand Junction Sentinel, 08/19 <http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/08/19/8_19_endangered_fish_water_WWW.html>
COLORADO CITIES RECYCLE WATER TO CONSERVE
Colorado water officials said conservation and reuse are the only two “new” supplies of water for Front Range cities, where 80 percent of the water used goes to water lawns. Denver Rocky Mountain News; July 31 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3965041,00.html>
TRUCE IN WATER WARS
Several conservation groups have put together a report on meeting Colorado’s water needs over the next 25 years, during which time the state mayl see a 65 percent increase in its population. Denver Rocky Mountain News; Aug. 7 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion/article/0,1299,DRMN_38_3984523,00.html>
COLORADO CITY’S WATER SUPPLY LIMITS GROWTH
A massive development that will add 75,000 homes to Colorado Springs’ eastern edge over the next four decades may be stalled because the city’s utility board said demand for water will outstrip supply by 2012. Colorado Springs Independent; Aug. 19 <http://www.csindy.com/csindy/current/news2.html>
DEVELOPMENT DRIES OUT COLORADO FARMS
More Front Range cities are turning to irrigation districts for water rights, and experts said that more than 30 percent of all farmland in the South Platte River Basin will go dry over the next 25 years. Denver Rocky Mountain News; Aug. 28 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_4034264,00.html>
COLORADO RIVER-ACCESS ISSUE MAY GO TO VOTERS
Members of the Colorado “right to float” group said they’re tired of waiting for lawmakers to legislate access issues and are pushing for a ballot initiative to clear up the issue, but others said a stream-by-stream analysis is needed. Grand Junction Sentinel; Aug. 8 <http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2005/08/07/8_7_float_access_WWW.html>
GROUPS ASK COLORADO CITY TO BAN MOTORIZED CRAFT ON ANIMAS RIVER
Durango city councilors are uncertain they even have authority to pass laws governing use of motorized craft on the Animas River, but river-use groups are asking that they consider a proposal to do just that. Durango Herald; Aug. 28 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=out&article_path=/outdoors/out050828.htm>
SANTA FE COUNCIL SHOULD STAND ITS GROUND ON WATER
Santa Fe’s new ordinance that requires large developments acquire and transfer water rights to the city before building permits are issued is a common-sense approach to dealing with a real problem. Santa Fe New Mexican; Aug. 9 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/31053.html>
WYOMING RANCHERS PROPOSE NEW RESERVOIR
A former Wyoming state engineer said a dam site proposed on the Middle Fork of the Powder River was the best place for a dam and reservoir, but some Kaycee-area residents said the dam would harm as many residents as it would help. Casper Star-Tribune; Aug. 4 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/08/04/news/wyoming/2e1377dbf45b9610872570530001fe1c.txt>
WYOMING BASIN OFFERS LAST, BEST PLACE FOR NEW DAMS
Wyoming has not exercised its right to about 1.8 million acre feet of Green River water per year, and state officials are on the hunt for the best place to locate a dam and reservoir to capture that water. Casper Star-Tribune; Aug. 28 <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/08/28/news/wyoming/c6c4dfb8c0aa210e8725706a000491e6.txt> <http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/08/28/news/wyoming/34e13c9c47ba37d28725706a000045f6.txt>
WATER LEVELS IN LAKES, DAMS BOOST N.M. TOURISM
Higher water levels in New Mexico’s lakes and rivers have helped spur an increase in tourism this spring, according to a sampling of tourism-related businesses throughout the state. Deming Headlight News, 08/01 <http://www.demingheadlight.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=521&num=4863>
UTAH RANCHERS SAY NO TO LAS VEGAS WATER PLAN
There are only about 40 ranches in a 100-mile narrow strip of land in Utah’s Snake Valley, but the ranchers are a strong voice against the plan to pump groundwater from Nevada’s Lincoln and White Pine counties and their land to slake Las Vegas’s thirst. Deseret News; Aug. 5 <http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600153580,00.html>
HIGH MERCURY LEVELS IN FISH PROMPT WARNING IN UTAH
Utah issued its first-ever advisory against eating fish because of high mercury levels on Monday, warning people to limit consumption of fish from Mill Creek near Moab and Gunlock Reservoir near St. George. Salt Lake Tribune; Aug. 23 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2964931>
LAS VEGAS NEEDS TO PROVE ITS WATER PLAN WON’T HURT UTAH
The Southern Nevada Water Authority’s plan to tap into Utah groundwater to slake the thirst of Las Vegas will surely have a hydrologic effect on the Snake Valley, and Utah should look carefully before signing off on the deal. Salt Lake Tribune; Aug. 10 <http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2927651>
WESTERN UTAHNS STAGE PROTEST IN SLC OVER NEVADA WATER PLAN
Dozens of residents and local officials from Utah’s Snake Valley and their Nevada neighbors came to Salt Lake City to ask Utah officials to stop Nevada’s plan to pipe groundwater from their valley to Las Vegas. Salt Lake Tribune; 08/11 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=24753>
GROUP SAYS GROUNDWATER PUMPING ENDANGERS NEVADA REFUGE
The National Wildlife Refuge Association listed Nevada’s Desert National Wildlife Refuge as one of the nation’s most threatened because of Southern Nevada Water Authority’s plan to pump groundwater from the refuge’s aquifer. Reno Gazette-Journal (AP); 08/11 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/stories/redirect.php?id=24784>
GROUP WANTS UTAH STREAM TO RETURN TO ITS WANDERING WAYS
Years after the Army Corps of Engineers straightened out Kays Creek to boost farming, conservationists say the primary water source for 10,000 acres of wetlands along the Great Salt Lake should be returned to its former crooked state. Salt Lake Tribune; Aug. 10 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2928040>
NEVADA WATER AGENCY BACKS PLAN TO LINE CANAL
Nevada’s largest water agency plans to weigh in on a water-rights dispute along the California-Mexico border, saying its outcome could directly affect users in the Las Vegas region. SD Union Tribune, 08/04 <http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20050804-9999-1n4canal.html>
INTERIOR BUDGET BILL SENDS WATER-SYSTEM COST TO NEVADA
National parks in other states had projects funded in the Interior Department’s budget bill, but federal lawmakers recommended the cost for upgrading the water system at Lake Mead National Recreation Area be taken out of the profits of federal land sales in Nevada. Las Vegas Review-Journal; Aug. 4 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Aug-04-Thu-2005/news/26993895.html>
TRIPLE THREAT DRIES UP ARIZONA RIVER
The 140-mile long corridor of Arizona’s San Pedro River sustains the second-largest concentration of mammals in the world, 43 species of reptiles and amphibians, and millions of birds, but groundwater pumping, drought and heat has completely dried up the wettest section of the river. Los Angeles Times; Aug. 17 <http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-river17aug17,1,3674917.story?coll=la-news-environment&ctrack=1&cset=true>
NEW STUDY CASTS DOUBT ON SECURITY OF ARIZONA’S WATER SUPPLY
A new University of Arizona study said severe drought has lowered the flows of the upper reaches of the Colorado River and Arizona’s Salt and Verde rivers, threatening the state’s most important supplies of water all at once. Arizona Republic; Aug. 19 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0819drought19.html>
ARIZ BRACES FOR WATER WAR
Arizona has created a legal defense fund to protect its Colorado River allocation in the event a simmering dispute among other states flares into a regional water war. Arizona Republic, 08/25 <http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0825waterwar25.html>
GROUPS SUE OVER CALIFORNIA WATER PLANS
A group of environmentalists, fishermen and American Indians sued the federal government Tuesday, alleging its plan to send more water from Northern California to cities and farms in the state’s southern half will harm several threatened fish species in the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta. Oakland Tribune, 08/10 <http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_2928673>
ON THE RIVER: THE COLORADO IN DEMAND
Even when the drought ends, the Colorado River can’t keep up with growing downstream and upstream demands, officials and water experts from both sides of the Continental Divide say. Associated Press, 08/01 <http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20050801/NEWS/108010012/0/FRONTPAGE>
COLORADO RIVER WATER USERS CRAFT BLUEPRINT FOR THE FUTURE
The seven states who share Colorado River water under a 1922 agreement have agreed in principle how to deal with drought and handle future water disputes, but several key issues, including how to address Nevada’s need for water remain unresolved. Arizona Republic; Aug. 27 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0827sevenstates27.html> <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_4040599,00.html>
MONTANA IRRIGATORS SHUT DOWN PUMPS TO KEEP RIVER FLOWING
More than 60 irrigators voluntarily quit taking water out of Montana’s Blackfoot River after flows fell below 700 cubic feet per second last week. Helena Independent Record; Aug. 7 <http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/08/06/montana/a07080605_01.txt>
MONTANA’S STREAM-ACCESS LAW TURNS 20
Some say the Montana law that guarantees the public’s right to access rivers and streams for fishing and floating is the best in the nation. Helena Independent Record (AP); 8/15 <http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/08/14/sunday/c01081405_01.txt>
PLAN RELEASED TO RESTORE TROUT IN MONTANA LAKES
The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bonneville Power Administration are working on a plan to poison fish in 21 lakes in and around the Bob Marshall Wilderness and replace the fish with westslope cutthroat trout. Missoulian (AP); Aug. 7 <http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/08/07/news/mtregional/news08.txt>
FEDERAL AGENCY PONDERS LISTING MONTANA FISH
The fluvial arctic grayling exists in only one drainage in Montana, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists said they’ll decide by 2007 if the fish should be protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. Helena Independent Record 8/12 <http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/08/12/montana/c01081205_03.txt>
IDAHO IRRIGATION DISTRICTS SEE CASH FLOWING AWAY FROM DEVELOPMENT
Developments in south-central and western Idaho and Utah’s Wasatch Front have well-based water systems for household use and a canal system for irrigation use, but many developers are opting out of the irrigation district and taking much-needed cash out of the coffers. Idaho Falls Post Register; Aug. 9
IDAHO TOWNS COMPETE FOR WATER, LAND
Star town officials said Eagle’s Legacy Project will strain agricultural water rights, but the wrangling over water is a symptom of a deeper dispute over land needed for two Idaho towns to grow. Idaho Statesman; Aug. 10 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050810/NEWS0106/508100331/1002/NEWS01>
COLORADO COUNTY PLANS STUDY OF GAS WELL EFFECTS ON WATER
Garfield County officials are paying for a unique study on how gas wells affect surface and groundwater sources with money from a fine assessed against a gas operator for a gas seep that occurred in the Colorado county. Grand Junction Sentinel; Aug. 26 <http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/08/26/8_26_groundwater_study_WWW.html>
IDAHO TRIBE TAKES ROLE IN MONITORING WATER QUALITY
Under an agreement signed with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Coeur d’Alene Indian tribe will set water-quality standards for its portion of Lake Coeur d’Alene and the St. Joe River. Idaho Falls Post Register (AP); Aug. 9 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/pr.water080905.html>
IDAHO, NEVADA TRIBES GET FEDERAL FUNDING FOR WETLANDS STUDY
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the Duck Valley Shoshone-Paiutes a $149,347 to study wildlife and habitat on reservation wetlands that straddle the Idaho-Nevada border. Las Vegas Review-Journal; Aug. 12 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Aug-12-Fri-2005/news/27036773.html>
IDAHO NEEDS TO LOOK AT ALL THE OPTIONS FOR SALMON PLAN
Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and Rep. C.L. “Butch” Otter, a candidate to succeed Kempthorne in office, should not begin salmon recovery plan talks by taking breaching four Snake River dams off the table before talks begin. Idaho Statesman; Aug. 7 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050807/NEWS0501/508070321/1053>
BIOLOGIST SAYS WASHINGTON DAMS MUST BE BREACHED TO SAVE SALMON
A well-respected fisheries biologist and consultant for electric utilities said global warming and higher water temperatures along the Columbia River has led him to change his position on what needs to be done to save salmon. Idaho Statesman; Aug. 9 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050809/NEWS01/508090376>
FEDERAL AGENCY CUTS CRITICAL HABITAT FOR SALMON BY 80 PERCENT
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service officials said the agency’s new designation of critical habitat for 19 species of salmon focuses recovery efforts on streams and rivers were the species now exist. Los Angeles Times; Aug. 14 <http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-salmon13aug13,1,528044.story?coll=la-news-environment&ctrack=1&cset=true>
CRITICS SAY CANADA, U.S. DEAL WON’T PROTECT CANADIAN WATER
United States and Canadian officials agreed to allow water from a North Dakota reservoir to be released into a river that flows into Canada, but environmentalists called the deal a face-saving measure when Canadian officials realized they could not stop the release. Toronto Globe and Mail; Aug. 8
CANADIAN AMBASSADOR SAYS WATER AGREEMENT ISN’T BINDING
An agreement between the United States and Canada about the release of water from North Dakota’s Devils Lake is more of an approach than a binding contract, and much more negotiation is needed to complete it, according to Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. Toronto Globe and Mail; Aug. 9 <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050809.wxdevils09/BNStory/National/>
MONTANA GETS FEDERAL MONEY TO STUDY MILK RIVER WATER CONFLICT
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation gave $81,000 to Montana to study a long-running water dispute between the United States and Canada over water usage of the Milk River. Billings Gazette (AP); Aug. 15 <http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/08/15/build/state/80-milk-river.inc>
JUDGE RULES COLORADO COUNTY CAN’T BAN CYANIDE-LEACH MINING
A Colorado court decision said the state, not Summit County, had authority to regulate mining techniques and puts cyanide-leach mining bans passed by four other counties in question. Denver Post; Aug. 7 <http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_2918749> Activists vow to fight for cyanide ban <http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20050808/NEWS/108080034>
COLORADO CITY RAISES A STINK ABOUT SEWAGE SPILL
Pueblo city officials said a sewage spill this summer that sent thousands of gallons of raw sewage from Colorado Springs downstream to their town was the last straw, and said they’ll sue in state and federal court for a remedy. Denver Rocky Mountain News; Aug. 30 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_4038154,00.html>
NEW MEXICO PULLS THE PLUG ON SEPTIC SYSTEMS
New Mexico Environment Secretary Ron Curry said septic tank systems caused more groundwater pollution than all other sources combined and said advanced sewer systems will be required on all parcels smaller than three-quarters of an acre. Santa Fe New Mexican; 8/4 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/30888.html>
MTBE BAN HOLDS STRONG
An international trade tribunal has rejected a Canadian company’s challenge to California’s ban on the gasoline additive MTBE under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Associated Press, 08/10 <http://www.sacunion.com/pages/business/articles/5864/>
CONGRESS CUTTING CLEAN WATER FUNDING
Congress will cut the nation’s most crucial clean water fund by nearly one-third, at a time when federal officials acknowledge that nearly half of America’s rivers and lakes do not meet basic Clean Water Act standards and an estimated 8 million people suffer every year from waterborne illnesses caused by drinking dirty water or swimming in pollution. NRDC News Release, 07/28 <http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/050727a.asp>
ENERGY BILL POSES THREATS TO CLEAN WATER
– The energy bill, passed last month, grants oil and gas construction activities, including construction of roads, drill pads and refineries, an exemption from Clean Water Act requirements to control stormwater runoff. Erosion and sediment from oil and gas construction sites cause major water quality problems, particularly for waters in the Western United States. The energy bill also threatens drinking water by amending the Safe Drinking Water Act to allow unregulated underground injection of toxic chemicals during oil and gas development.
EPA EXEMPTS TRANSFERS FROM CWA PERMITTING
US water suppliers are calling a new EPA statement exempting routine water transfers by water control facilities from the Clean Water Act (CWA) discharge permitting process a major victory. AWWA, 08/12 <http://www.awwa.org/communications/waterweek/>
WATER MANAGEMENT BEST LEFT TO MOTHER NATURE
The best way to manage our dwindling water resources is to employ the services of nature, according to the author of a new book calling for safeguards for freshwater ecosystems. Edie News, 08/05 <http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=10343&channel=0>
POLLUTION CONFUSING FISH HORMONE SYSTEMS
Male fish from the upper reaches of the Potomac River are producing a blood protein normally found only in females, scientists say, seeming to confirm fears that an unknown pollutant is confusing the fish’s natural hormone systems. Washington Post, 08/07 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/06/AR2005080600903.html>
ITALIAN RIVERS REVEAL LEVEL OF COCAINE USE
Scientists testing the quality of Italian river and sewage water have found cocaine levels three times higher than expected. The Scotsman, 8/5 <http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1730562005>