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Weekly water roundup: Aurora water wins taste test, Flaming Gorge pipeline, Geothermal leases
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Photo: Coyote Gulch archives
Short takes from the last couple of weeks in Colorado water:
Water education
This is the time of the year for water education events.
For example, Colorado Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hobbs was in Telluride last Friday teaching water from A to Z. According to a report from Telluride Daily Planet the justice's presentation was, "Part history lecture, part legal discussion, part vacation slide show."
Meanwhile, the "Water Wisdom 101" event in Weld County drew 50 to the tour of water facilities including the Greeley #3 Ditch.
A couple of Fridays back the Colorado River District held their annual fall seminar, "Dust in the Wind and Other Winds of Change." One hot topic at the seminar was the announcement by a U.S. Department of Interior official of a new basin-wide supply and demand study.
It's been a pretty good water year so far
Dillon Reservoir is headed into winter storage season with a, "pretty good carry over," according to Bob Peters, a water resource manager with Denver Water. That bodes well for filling during the spring runoff next year.
Denver Water uses the reservoir to store water that they then bring over to the South Platte Basin from the Colorado River Basin through the Roberts Tunnel.
Out in Yuma County they're celebrating the 17.98 inches of rainfall this year and marvelling at the total of 14.99 inches since May 1.
Water utitlities around the state are reporting drops in revenue since the wet cool summer kept lawn irrigation down. Construction costs are dropping as well so revenues earmarked for construction are going farther.
Colorado Water Conservation Board Grants
The CWCB has been busy lately doling out dough to some 14 water projects ranging from infrastructure to wetlands creation and preservation.
The South Metro area is getting $1 million to bolster supply and distribution, according to The Denver Post.
The CWCB also allocated $400,000 to help get the La Plata Archuletta Water District off the ground. The new district -- slated to serve rural areas of the two counties where wells and cisterns are the predominant water infrastructure -- was narrowly approved by voters last fall.
Nestle Waters Chaffee County Project receives final permit from commissioners
After a long summer for everyone involved Nestle received final approval for their plan to move 200 acre-feet or so of Arkansas Basin water to Denver to be bottled under the Arrowhead brand. The September 24 vote was 3-0 in favor of granting the permit.
Cloud-seeding
Denver Water and Winter Park Resort agreed recently to pony up $110,000 to continue cloud-seeding efforts in the Fraser River watershed.
Geothermal energy
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is going to lease parcels in Chaffee County for potential geothermal development. A report from The Mountain Mail indicated that a recent survey by the Colorado School of Mines revealed, "vast potential in the area."
Aurora water judged best
Congratulations to the City of Aurora for winning the recent American Association of Water Works regional taste test competition. Good luck in the nationals as in Chicago. The city will represent the Rocky Mountain section of the AWWA in the competition.
Flaming Gorge pipeline
It's a good thing that Aaron Million is scaling back his plans for the pipeline. His original goal was to bring 250,000 acre-feet or so of water per year from the Green River Basin to the South Platte and Arkansas basins. A recent study by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation estimates that the project could move 165,000 acre-feet per year through 2049. Reclamation concludes that the Green River will be able to sustain 120,000 acre-feet per year in 2050 and beyond..
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