Robert Redford’s ‘Watershed’ documentary raises awareness for worldwide water conservation
Posted by: Maven on March 27, 2012 at 7:00 amFrom the Huffington Post:
“Actor and director Robert Redford, a longtime environmental activist, has teamed with his son to film a documentary about the Colorado River system, which conservationists believe is endangered by decades of development and global warming.
Redford, 76, who lives in Utah, traveled to Washington, D.C. along with Jamie Redford, a Northern California resident, to discuss the urgency of the message in their film, “Watershed,” featured recently at the D.C. Environmental Film Festival.
Both father and son have been tireless vocal advocates for conservation, particularly in the western United States. Their documentary, produced by Jamie Redford and narrated by his father, draws attention to the enormous and, they say, unsustainable demands on the Colorado River system that provides much of the American west with water. … “
Continue reading from the Huffington Post by clicking here.
Commentary: The Colorado River delta blues – Mexico and the U.S. now have a chance to bring life back to what was once one an aquatic Eden
Posted by: Maven on March 25, 2012 at 6:38 amFrom the Los Angeles Times, this commentary by Sandra Postel:
“River deltas are among the most biologically productive ecosystems on Earth, and for millions of years the delta of the Colorado River was no exception. After a 1,450-mile journey from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains south into Mexico, the Colorado sustained verdant marshes teeming with life before emptying into the aquatic Eden of the upper Gulf of California.
In 1922, the great naturalist Aldo Leopold canoed through the delta, which he described as “a milk and honey wilderness” and a land of “a hundred green lagoons.” It was home back then to deer, quail, raccoon, bobcat, jaguar and vast flocks of waterfowl, and its 2-million-acre expanse was a crucial stopover on the Pacific flyway, providing respite and feeding grounds for millions of migratory birds as they journeyed across the western Americas.
Fisheries in the upper Gulf of California depended on the Colorado delta too. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Lake Havasu: Sewer coalition ready to broaden focus
Posted by: Maven on March 23, 2012 at 7:15 amFrom Havasu News:
“Members of the Colorado River Regional Sewer Coalition said Thursday that they were ready to broaden their focus and change their name after targeting large sewer projects for many years.
Coalition members informally agreed that a subcommittee would tweak the bylaws, the group's mission statement and come up with a few alternatives for new names to focus more on water quality. The coalition, which typically meets quarterly, could take up the proposed changes at its next meeting, which hasn't been scheduled yet. … “
Continue reading from Havasu News by clicking here.
Lake Havasu: Group to discuss possible change to sewer coalition
Posted by: Maven on March 20, 2012 at 7:07 amFrom Today’s News-Herald (Lake Havasu):
“Could a change in focus or a new name be on the horizon for the Colorado River Regional Sewer Coalition
That's the big issue and basically the only issue set for discussion at Thursday's scheduled coalition meeting. The group will meet at 10 a.m. on that day at the Lake Havasu City Police Facility, 2360 McCulloch Blvd.
The nearly 15-year-old group has operated largely to lobby the federal government to help fund area projects dealing with concerns about contaminants, mainly nitrates, from wastewater getting into the Colorado River or well water. … “
Continue reading from the Today’s News-Herald by clicking here.
L.A. Creek Freak: Explorations of the Lower Colorado River, #1: Motivation & the Vaquita Marina
Posted by: Maven on March 17, 2012 at 6:00 amFrom the L.A. Creek Freak:
“The Lower Colorado River's been getting some good attention in the media lately(1, 2). And Creek Freak Josh Link and I have also recently been exploring the river and its issues, and look forward to presenting a series of posts on the topic.
It all started for me with the vaquita porpoise.
In 2005 I was a watershed coordinator tasked with addressing issues of water conservation in the Ballona Creek watershed. As odd as that may sound to people expecting a watershed coordinator to focus, on, say, the watershed itself, that's how the grant worked. Chalk it up to Bay-Delta politics. That mandate, however, did me an eye-opening favor. … “
Continue reading from the L.A. Creek Freak by clicking here.
Navajo water project working to secure its path
Posted by: Maven on March 9, 2012 at 6:38 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Jimmy Detsoi touted a proposal that he thought would get unanimous support from people in a small Navajo community where raising livestock is synonymous with culture and tradition, the advent of the massive federal Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.
He had identified nine residents with livestock grazing permits on a patch of northwest New Mexico land that is in the path of the 280-mile, $1 billion pipeline project that will bring water closer to thousands of Navajos on the eastern side of the reservation. … “
Continue reading from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Commentary: Binational pact can revive the Colorado Delta
Posted by: Maven on March 9, 2012 at 5:00 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune, this commentary by Alexandra Cousteau:
“What happens when a river no longer runs to the sea
In August 2010, my documentary film crew and I explored the Colorado River's dry riverbed from the Mexican border to its mouth in the Gulf of California as a part of our Expedition Blue Planet: North America project. What we witnessed was the eerie ghost of a mighty river that once carried water, rich silts and prosperity on its way to connect with the sea my grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau called “the world's aquarium\” and the “Galapagos of North America. Sadly, with the exception of a few extraordinarily wet seasons, the nutrient-rich waters of the Colorado have not completed their journey to the sea in decades.
Along the way, we worked with leading scientists and met locals who told us about the birds, wildlife and trees that disappeared; about the once-abundant fish that no longer thrive; and a way of life that is vanishing with the fisheries. A land of forests and emerald lagoons just 80 years ago has become a salted mud flat and desert. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Conservationists: Oil shale would sap Colorado River
Posted by: Maven on March 7, 2012 at 9:02 pmFrom the Northern Colorado Business Report:
“Large-scale oil shale development would require 122 billion gallons of water annually from the Colorado River Basin, a Boulder-based conservation group said Wednesday.
That estimate was contained in a report issued by Western Resources Advocates, which has offices and staff throughout the West. The environmental group said oil shale development would require one-and-a-half times the amount of water as Denver Water needs to serve its 1.3 million customers annually.
If it becomes commercially viable, oil shale development would decrease availability of water for consumers and agriculture, said David Abelson, Western Resource Advocates oil shale policy advisor and the report’s lead author. … “
Continue reading from the Northern Colorado Business Report by clicking here.
Farmers and conservationists working together in the Colorado River Basin
Posted by: Maven on March 5, 2012 at 5:30 amFrom National Geographic’s Water Currents:
“Irrigation of crops : our food : is one of the most important uses of the water from rivers in the Colorado River Basin. From the hay and alfalfa grown for cattle high in the headwaters of Wyoming and Colorado, to sprawling lettuce fields in Southern Arizona, agriculture uses more than 80 percent of the basin's water.
Irrigated agriculture is a vital part of the culture, economy, and landscape of rural communities throughout the region. But with increasing population pressure, the looming threats of deeper, longer droughts, and aging infrastructure, irrigated agriculture faces an uncertain future. … “
Continue reading from National Geographic’s News Watch by clicking here.
The end of a river? A source-to-sea journey down the Colorado River
Posted by: Maven on February 29, 2012 at 6:00 amFrom the Huffington Post:
“”Where’s the river” I shout to Will Stauffer-Norris from where I stand among broken beer bottles and tire tracks crisscrossing a dried mud flat in northern Mexico.
“I think we just crossed it,” Stauffer-Norris replies, gazing down at the GPS in his hands. I grunt, pulling twigs and small branches from my hair and shirt. We’ve spent the last several hours bushwhacking through thick stands of dead and dying tamarisk trees on what used to be the lush delta of the Colorado River.
Over the past 108 days, we’ve paddled more than 1,600 miles down the Colorado River and its longest tributary, the Green River. Our journey is part of Colorado College’s State of the Rockies Project, an outreach research effort which this year focuses on environmental issues surrounding the Colorado River Basin. … “
Continue reading from the Huffington Post by clicking here.
Drying times: Withering Colorado River flows pose downstream dilemma
Posted by: Maven on February 24, 2012 at 6:08 amFrom Boulder Weekly:
“In Colorado, when we think of snow, we often think of skiing.
But for the tens of millions of people who live in the river basin that bears our state's name, in places like Arizona and California, our snowpack means much more. It means water. And in recent decades, that water has been dwindling.
The rally held at the state Capitol in Denver this week to protest the Windy Gap Firming Project, which would divert even more water from the upper Colorado River basin to quench the Front Range's thirsty development, is only a microcosm of a larger question: What can be done to address competing water interests in the basin as a whole, when demand is increasing and supply is on the decline … “
Continue reading from Boulder Weekly by clicking here.
What a difference a year makes on the Colorado
Posted by: Maven on February 22, 2012 at 7:26 amFrom Stanford University’s Rural West Initiative:
“There's five feet of snow now at Bison Lake, on Colorado's west slope north of Glenwood Springs. Melted and measured by the folks who run the federal SNOTEL network, that translates to 15.6 inches of “snow water equivalent\”, the metric that matters once spring and summer warmth start its trip down into the Colorado River.
The water nerds pronounce SWE as “swee\”, a word that sounds vaguely like a ski move, but it's really the most important number in western water right now, the measure of water supply for the year to come, sitting in the relatively small patch of high country that feeds the entire Colorado River Basin. Last year at this time, the SWE values at Bison Lake were nearly twice as high, and the bounty just kept building. This year things aren't looking so good. … “
Continue reading from the Rural West Initiative by clicking here.
New voices seeking input, more transparency in management of the Colorado River
Posted by: Maven on February 16, 2012 at 7:30 amFrom Jennifer Pitt of the Environmental Defense Fund, posted at National Geographic’s Water Currents:
“New voices are emerging in the Colorado River basin, asking for a say and more transparency in how the Colorado and its tributaries are managed. These stakeholders are asserting their interests as uncertainty grows around new water development, water supply reliability, and the health of the rivers throughout the basin.
Up until now, closed-door negotiations between the federal Bureau of Reclamation, state agencies and major water users have decided new projects and policies in the basin. In large part this governance style is due to the incredibly complex legal and institutional framework, known as the Law of the River, in which these decisions must be made. Neither the federal government, nor the states, nor the major water users can manage the river alone, but in their need to negotiate with each other, they have often excluded others from the room. … “
Continue reading from National Geographic’s Water Currents by clicking here.
Bureau of Reclamation and Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area celebrate the opening of the Yuma Siphon Irrigation project historical exhibits
Posted by: Maven on February 16, 2012 at 7:27 amFrom the Bureau of Reclamation, this press release:
“In commemoration of Arizona’s Centennial, the Bureau of Reclamation and Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area today are hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of historical exhibits commemorating the historic Yuma Siphon Project.
The siphon, touted as an engineering marvel when originally built, is still in use today and located near the Yuma Quartermaster Depot. Water first bubbled through the structure on June 29, 1912 – the year of Arizona’s Statehood – helping fuel the dramatic growth of agriculture and commerce in the Yuma Valley over the past century.
“With Yuma Heritage Crossing staff’s tireless efforts to rescue and preserve these buildings and original artifacts, we are now able to celebrate the rich history of these historic water projects built along the lower Colorado River,” said Dr. Terry Fulp, Acting Lower Colorado Regional Director for Reclamation. “As we cut the ribbon opening these educational exhibits to public view, Yuma residents and visitors have new insights into Reclamation’s water development history in this area and our collaboration with the irrigation districts.” … “
Continue reading from the Bureau of Reclamation by clicking here.
Commentary: Where the Colorado runs dry
Posted by: Maven on February 15, 2012 at 7:16 amFrom the New York Times Opinion Pages, this commentary by Jonathan Waterman, author of “Running Dry: A Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado River\”:
“Most visitors to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon probably don't realize that the mighty Colorado River, America's most legendary white-water river, rarely reaches the sea.
Until 1998 the Colorado regularly flowed south along the Arizona-California border into a Mexican delta, irrigating farmlands and enriching a wealth of wildlife and flora before emptying into the Gulf of California.
But decades of population growth, climate change and damming in the American Southwest have now desiccated the river in its lowest reaches, turning a once-lush Mexican delta into a desert. The river's demise began with the 1922 Colorado River Compact, a deal by seven western states to divide up its water. Eventually, Mexico was allotted just 10 percent of the flow. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the New York Times by clicking here.
Drought conditions persist in AZ, West
Posted by: Maven on February 14, 2012 at 7:19 amA report on drought conditions for Arizona and the Southwest from WaterBlogged:
“La Niña has cast her dry spell over most of Arizona this winter, deepening drought conditions in the lower desert ranges and in the high country, where the hit-and-miss storm track is clearly evident in the winter snowpack and spring runoff projections.
In its Feb. 1 snow survey, the Natural Resources Conservation Service found the driest conditions in the Chuska Mountains in northeast Arizona (with a snowpack of 56 percent of average) and on the Verde River (63 percent), a source of water for Phoenix and its suburbs. The San Francisco and upper Gila rivers on the Arizona’s eastern edge produced the highest numbers, but the snowpack, at 102 percent of normal, is still just average. … “
Continue reading from Waterblogged by clicking here.
Reclamation announces Arizona Centennial Legacy Project web pages
Posted by: Maven on February 14, 2012 at 7:18 amFrom the Bureau of Reclamation:
“Commissioner Michael L. Connor announced today the launching of a Centennial Legacy Project web site that highlights ‘A Century of Cooperation’ between the Bureau of Reclamation and the state of Arizona: www.usbr.gov/lc/phoenix/.
Commissioner Connor said, “Reclamation’s legacy will be its continued role in water management, development and protection for the people of the Grand Canyon State, and the economic benefits that will continue to accrue to Arizona as a result of this partnership. Again, congratulations, Arizona, on your 100 years of statehood.” In his video-taped message, located at www.usbr.gov/lc/phoenix/, the Commissioner congratulates Arizona and commends the long-term relationship between Reclamation and Arizona that began in Territorial days. … “
Continue reading from the Bureau of Reclamation by clicking here.
Arizona: Wastewater snowmaking gets legal OK
Posted by: Maven on February 13, 2012 at 7:00 amJust because it’s interesting … this from the Environmental Leader:
“Ski resort Arizona Snowbowl has avoided legal censure for its reuse of human wastewater to make snow.
The resort, located 14 miles outside Flagstaff, Ariz., is the only resort in the world to use 100 percent wastewater to make its snow. The resort is based on the San Francisco Peaks : sacred and holy land to at least 13 Southwest tribes.
Angered by the use of wastewater on holy land, the Hopi Tribe filed a lawsuit in August 2011 claiming the contract from the City of Flagstaff to sell 1.5 million gallons or reclaimed wastewater to the ski resort violated several Arizona laws that govern the use of treated sewage effluent, reports the Indian Country Today Media Network. … “
Continue reading from the Environmental Leader by clicking here.
New Mexico officials consider request for water appropriation involving billions of gallons
Posted by: Maven on February 11, 2012 at 7:04 amFrom The Republic:
“The thought of sinking more than three dozen wells in the San Augustin Plains of western New Mexico and pumping out billions of gallons of water each year to meet demands miles away has hundreds of New Mexicans riled up.
A group of rural residents, one of the state’s largest irrigation districts and others consider it a modern-day water grab. They say it flies in the face of a Western water doctrine that has been in place for more than a century to keep speculators from profiting off the sale of water to thirty users.
“The issue really is as old as New Mexico,” said Bruce Frederick, an attorney who represents more than 80 people who are protesting the effort by the Augustin Plains Ranch, a New York-based commercial venture. … “
Continue reading from The Republic by clicking here.
How to “fix\”? the Colorado River?
Posted by: Maven on February 10, 2012 at 7:07 amFrom Jennifer Pitt of the Environmental Defense Fund, posted at National Geographic’s News Watch:
“Much ado has been made in recent headlines about growing scarcity on the Colorado River. Water supply, as reflected by what's left in storage in the basin's big reservoirs, has dropped from full just over a decade ago to 64% today, and the river hasn't run regularly to the sea since the 90's.
While some water users have the legal right to extract more water from the basin, it is evident that by adding new demands to this over-used system we will create shortages somewhere else.
The federal Bureau of Reclamation has started working with the seven states in the basin (AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, UT and WY) to study the future of supply and demand on the Colorado, and to search for solutions that fill the ‘gap' between them, as illustrated in the right hand side of the graph above. Stay tuned for great debates about the merits of cloud seeding versus conservation, and desalinization versus re-use.
But what strikes me as most promising is the commitment from Reclamation and the states to consider the health of the basin's rivers. … “
Continue reading from National Geographic’s Water Currents by clicking here.
Westward H2O! A plan to siphon off the Mississippi and send it west …
Posted by: Maven on February 7, 2012 at 8:53 amFrom Discover Magazine:
“The Southwest is struggling with drought. The Midwest is soaking under floodwaters. And there may be one solution to both problems: Shift the floodwaters of the Mississippi 1,000 miles west to the Navajo River, a tributary of the Colorado River.
The engineering firm Black & Veatch has developed a plan that would siphon off 1,000 cubic feet of water per second from the Mississippi and move it across the Great Plains and over the Rockies to southwestern Colorado. … “
Continue reading from Discover Magazine by clicking here.
Preserve legacy of the Colorado River, says commentary
Posted by: Maven on February 5, 2012 at 6:04 amFrom the Las Vegas Sun, this commentary by Carlos Ezeta, an appointed member of the federal National Museum of the American Latino Commission:
“Nevada's Sen. Harry Reid is working to give a home to the National Museum of the American Latino. Bipartisan legislation was introduced in Congress that would allow the new museum to take over the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall. There is broad support for a national museum that honors the political, cultural and economic contributions of the Latino community.
As the president and co-founder of Casa de la Cultura Hispano Americana, the first Latino-owned and operated cultural center in Nevada, I know firsthand the importance of celebrating and preserving our heritage and history both nationally and locally. And I know we have to honor and protect our culture wherever we find it. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the Las Vegas Sun by clicking here.
Chance of Rain blog: High good, low bad: Lake Mead in January 2012, plus comments from the Cadiz meeting in Joshua Tree
Posted by: Maven on February 4, 2012 at 6:55 amFrom the Chance of Rain blog:
“As promised, some Friday notes on Lake Mead, Colorado River snowpack and two public comment meetings on the groundwater mining project proposed for Cadiz Valley in the eastern California Mojave.
First, according to the federal Bureau of Reclamation, Lake Mead closed January 2012 at 1,134.18 feet. The good news is that the continued decanting of last year's record snowpack down the Colorado River storage system has pushed Mead, its largest reservoir, to 58% full, the highest elevation since 2006. … “
Continue reading from the Chance of Rain blog by clicking here.
Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study releases updated technical reports
Posted by: Maven on February 4, 2012 at 6:53 amFrom the Bureau of Reclamation:
“The Bureau of Reclamation today updated two technical reports titled “Technical Report B – Water Supply Assessment\” and “Technical Report D – System Reliability Metrics\”. Initially published in June 2011 as part of Interim Report No. 1, they were updated to reflect comments on Interim Report No. 1, technical developments, and the ongoing input of stakeholders.
Reclamation's Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study is part of the Department of the Interior's WaterSMART program under the 2009 SECURE Water Act (P.L. 111-11).
Technical Report B provides a quantified assessment of four water supply scenarios. These include scenarios based on historical observed and paleo-reconstructed streamflow records as well as future climate projections from global climate models. Updates to this report include the adjustment of streamflow projections under the scenario informed by future climate projections from global climate models to account for hydrologic model biases. In addition, the report describes further analysis of the evaluation of the sensitivity of streamflow projections to greenhouse gas emission scenarios. … “
Continue reading from the Bureau of Reclamation by clicking here.
Water demands outstrip supply in Colorado River Basin
Posted by: Maven on February 3, 2012 at 7:07 amFrom the Public News Service:
“A coalition of businesses along the Colorado River took its concerns about water supply-and-demand issues to Washington this week. Members of the group “Protect the Flows” shared potential solutions with the Interior Department and members of Congress.
Recreation and tourism are the lifeblood of the West, says Steve Harris, who runs Far Flung Adventures in El Prado. He supports the establishment of water banks, a system where business users can make water “deposits” and “withdrawals.” … “
Continue reading from the Public News Service by clicking here.
Environmental Defense Fund submits proposal to protect Colorado River flow, ecosystems, western economy
Posted by: Maven on February 2, 2012 at 7:16 amFrom the Environmental Defense Fund, this press release:
“The Bureau of Reclamation today received a proposed set of common-sense solutions to solve the imbalance between supply and demand for water in the Colorado River Basin, where the Bureau projects river flow will decrease by an average of about nine percent over the next 50 years due to climate change. The proposal by Environmental Defense Fund — which includes ideas by other conservation groups and stakeholders — was in response to today's deadline for public input of “options and strategies\” for a study to define and solve future imbalances in water supply and demand in the basin through 2060.
“Our proposed solutions don't include expensive new infrastructure and diversions that threaten the health of the Colorado River and the recreation and tourism economy of the region,\” said Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain regional director for Environmental Defense Fund and a former vice chairman of the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Committee in the Colorado Senate. “Instead, we are focusing on common-sense ideas — including water banks, water re-use and municipal and agricultural efficiency — to solve the imbalance between supply and demand, while protecting the healthy flows of the river. … “
Continue reading from the Environmental Defense Fund by clicking here.
Inkstain blog: Colorado River models: wrong but useful
Posted by: Maven on January 30, 2012 at 7:08 amFrom the Inkstain blog:
“Climate scientist Tamsin Edwards triggered a fascinating discussion when she chose the famous George Box quote : “all models are wrong, but some are useful\” : as the name for her new blog. In a delightful exchange on Twitter (which I followed in real time and which Edwards quotes extensively in the blog post linked above), Peter Gleick chastised Edwards for choosing “All Models are Wrong\” for the title of her blog, arguing that it “buys into ‘everything is uncertain' meme. Edwards pushed back, and I tend to agree with her argument : that acknowledging and thinking well about uncertainties is incredibly important for the climate discussion to move forward.
I'm reminded of the problem exemplified by the news coverage (mine included) of the US Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado River Basin Study … “
Continue reading from the Inkstain Blog by clicking here.
Southwest turns anxious eye to shrinking Lake Mead
Posted by: Maven on January 29, 2012 at 7:50 amFrom OPB News:
“In a dramatic reversal of fortune compared to last year, an unusually dry winter is causing the level of Lake Mead, Nevada, to decline, making water managers increasingly anxious about supplying water to the thirsty Southwest.
The latest U.S. Drought Outlook shows continued dry conditions in the Southwest are likely for the rest of the winter.
During the past three years, the level of Lake Mead has followed a boom and bust cycle, dropping to a record low in 2010 during an intense drought, then recovering during 2011 thanks to record mountain snowfall, and now dropping again in the midst of a dry winter. … “
Continue reading from OPB News by clicking here.
Western Weather Blog: Reversal of fortunes for Lake Mead
Posted by: Maven on January 28, 2012 at 8:10 amFrom Accu-Weather’s Western Weather Blog:
“I have documented many times in this blog in the last month the lack of rain and snow across the Southwest U.S. watershed this Winter and its seriousness. I have had one person question why am I being so pessimistic especially since there was a change in the weather coming (from two weeks ago). Some of you may remember this exchange. There was a nice round of precipitation a week ago in the Colorado River Watershed and also in California. But that has proved to be the exception and not the rule. This is no surprise to me as I have been saying all along the El Nino pattern we have been in would remain all Winter and the chance was quite high that the “pattern change” was only temporary. And indeed we are right back into the same kind of weather pattern now that has kept precipitation well below normal for December and much of January. … “
Continue reading from the Western Weather Blog by clicking here.
Colorado River risks are debated by state
Posted by: Maven on January 28, 2012 at 7:25 amFrom the Pueblo Chieftain:
“Colorado is struggling with determining the risks of further development of the state's entitlement to Colorado River water under a seven-state compact signed in 1922.
“I think the question is: ‘What is the result of overdevelopment of Colorado River water, and who suffers the consequences' \” said John McClow, an attorney who represents the Gunnison River basin on the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
McClow said the task is difficult because sharing the information with other states could hurt Colorado's position in ongoing negotiations with other states. … “
Continue reading from the Pueblo Chieftain by clicking here.
Prompted by scarcity, Colorado River basin states examine their lifeline
Posted by: Maven on January 26, 2012 at 10:25 pmFrom Circle of Blue Water News (hat tip to the Water Sisweb):
“The worst drought in the 105-year historical record of the Colorado River has opened a new era of water scarcity that is prompting state and federal water managers to evaluate never before considered options for increasing water supply and reducing demand.
The new ideas for managing the seven-state river basin, which supplies water to 30 million residents and thousands of farms, have attracted increasing attention from agricultural users and other big water interests, particularly in the upper basin states that counted on receiving more water under the region's near-century-old water use agreement.
In Las Vegas last month, at the annual meeting of the Colorado River Water Users Association,the only organization bringing together stakeholders from each of the seven basin states,opponents and supporters made their views known during a speech by Doug Kenney, the director of the Western Water Policy Program at the University of Colorado-Boulder. … “
Continue reading from the Circle of Blue Water News by clicking here.
Commentary: Keeping poison out of our water
Posted by: Maven on January 22, 2012 at 6:52 amFrom the Las Vegas Sun, this commentary by Larry Brown, member of the Clark County Commission:
“Las Vegas is rightfully proud to be the doorway to thousands of tourists who travel to Grand Canyon National Park and the Colorado River. As our economy matures, we are becoming a destination for those seeking unique outdoor experiences. And of course, Southern Nevada has another inseparable tie to the Colorado River: The river gives us a safe, reliable water supply, providing more than 90 percent of our water needs.
Millions more downstream depend on the Colorado, but ours is the only big city whose needs are so closely intertwined with the fate of the river. So when it comes to people messing about with the river, regardless of their intentions, we take the issue seriously. Simply put, we have a very big dog in that hunt. … “
Continue reading from the Las Vegas Sun by clicking here.
Nuestro Rio: Latino campaign to save Colorado River opens new front
Posted by: Maven on January 18, 2012 at 6:04 amFrom Fox News Latino:
“It formed last year to raise awareness of the drought-stricken Colorado River, which snakes its way across seven states and parts of Mexico and is flanked by the soaring walls of the Grand Canyon.
Now Nuestro Rio, a network of Latinos working to raise awareness about the endangered Colorado River Basin, is expanding to other states in the Southwest this year and promoting its efforts with ads and town hall forums.
Members of the coalition have called for a more rigorous federal study of the basin's water supply that takes into account the river's Latino heritage. They also have met with U.S. Department of the Interior officials and brought groups of students on day trips to teach them about the importance of the river to Latinos. … “
Continue reading from Fox News Latino by clicking here.
Lower Colorado River Tour, March 14-16 : Register today!
Posted by: Maven on January 17, 2012 at 7:23 am
From the Water Education Foundation:
“The Colorado River is a lifeline to 35 million people in the Southwest, but in the Lower Basin, virtually every drop of the river is allocated. Yet demand is growing. As the drought moves into another year, California, Arizona and Nevada continue to work together to find ways to conserve, save and store water in Lake Mead to maintain its level.
Participants on this 3-day, 2-night tour will travel along the Colorado River from Hoover Dam to the Salton Sea and the Coachella Valley. You'll hear from experts on all sides of the issues as we visit Lake Mead, the All-American Canal lining project and the Salton Sea. You'll learn how the Lower Basin states are dealing with drought and making agreements to augment water supply. We'll also be talking about the current status of the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) and how it could affect California and other Western states.
Stops include the Warren H. Brock Reservoir (formerly called Drop 2), Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, farms in the Imperial and Coachella valleys, a private tour inside Hoover Dam and a boat ride on Lake Mead. The tour begins in Las Vegas and ends at California's Ontario Airport.
Registration is $695 per person, single occupancy room; $595 each for two people sharing a room. Register four or more people for a discount : single occupancy rooms $625. Visit the Water Education Foundation's website at www.watereducation.org/tours for more information or to register securely online.”
Picture of Hoover Dam from when I went on the Lower Colorado Tour. It was fun and very informative – I highly recommend it! Check out my slideshow about the tour by clicking here.
Inkstain Blog’s River Beat: A forecast for decline on the Colorado again this year
Posted by: Maven on January 15, 2012 at 6:13 amFrom the Inkstain Blog:
“It's all fun and games until you actually have to measure snow.
The US Bureau of Reclamation's first 2012 Colorado Basin reservoir forecast (the “24-month study\”, pdf) projects a decline in total storage in lakes Mead and Powell, the Colorado River's largest storage reservoirs, of 844,000 acre feet, or 2.76 percent.
There are two ways of framing this.
Let me start with the pessimistic, illustrated by this graph [available on click-through] comparing the December and January projections. The December projection is based on no real forecast at all, but rather what amounts to an assumption of normal snow. … “
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