Upper Colorado River, Front Range water resources threatened

Colorado Independent

By David O. Williams

Some water experts warn the upper Colorado River is an endangered species if current residential growth patterns and water consumption patterns continue along the state’s Front Range, and they’re increasingly concerned proposed energy production on the Western Slope will accelerate its demise.

Ken Neubecker, president of the state counsel of Colorado Trout Unlimited and a member of the Colorado River Basin Roundtable, points out that already 64 percent of the upper Colorado River above Hot Sulfur Springs in Grand County is diverted across the Continental Divide to the Front Range population centers of the state.

http://coloradoindependent.com/41558/upper-colorado-river-front-range-water-resources-threatened

Rapp named Trout Unlimited’s conservationist of the year

Clear Creek Courant

Since the discovery of gold in 1859 in Clear Creek County and neighboring Gilpin County, it is doubtful that any Colorado body of water has been under more influence from historic mining activity than Clear Creek.

During the Gold Rush era, an estimated 1,600 or more active mines were developed, with nearly all of those since abandoned.

Over the years, these orphan mines and related mine waste residuals have had negative impacts on the local fishery. Clear Creek’s revival began in the late 1980s, about the time that Ed Rapp arrived on the scene.

Rapp is being honored as Colorado Trout Unlimited’s conservationist of the year.

http://www.lcni5.com/cgi-bin/c2.cgi?040+article+News+20090428174748040900

Thanks to Coyote Gulch for the link.

PitCo seeks to leave more water in Roaring Fork

by Brent Gardner-Smith,

Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Pitkin County is taking unprecedented steps to keep more water flowing down the Roaring Fork River for environmental purposes.

In November, county voters approved a 0.1 percent sales tax worth $1 million a year to create a “healthy rivers and stream fund” to “secure, create, and augment minimum stream flows.”

“I am not aware of any other Colorado county putting in place a tax similar to what Pitkin County has done,” said Linda Bassi, the chief of the Stream and Lake Protection division of the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB).
Ken Neubecker, the president of Colorado Trout Unlimited, also supported the trust agreement between the CWCB and Pitkin County.

“I do think it’s a good idea to have such a trust, whether it’s with the CWCB or the Colorado Water Trust,” Neubecker said. “We need to have financial vehicles where money can be raised for acquisition of in-stream flow water.“

http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/131954

Colorado’s water future: a cup half-full

By Richard Stacy

There are going to be major changes along the Front Range by 2030.

According to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the state’s population is expected to increase by about 2.8 million to a little over 7 million people. Most of the increase, about 2.4 million, will live along the Front Range. The population increase will have huge impacts in too many ways to count — but one of the biggest challenges will be with respect to our water supply.

The increased population translates into a total increased annual demand of about 630,000 acre-feet, 450,000 of which will be needed for the Front Range. To put that in perspective, Dillon Reservoir holds only 254,036 acre-feet. We need to find a lot of extra water somewhere.

http://www.denverpost.com/opinionheadlines/ci_11266634

Forests, fish and skiers have place in drought plans

By CHRIS WOODKA
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

In the water itself, Trout Unlimited is assessing what the worst impacts of climate change could be, said Greg Espegren, aquatics specialist.

The group uses a conservation success index to measure the viability of species. It is particularly concerned with the cutthroat trout in the Colorado River basin. The risks include wildfires that degrade streams through erosion and sedimentation, increased water temperatures and winter floods.

http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2008/10/12/news/denver_bureau/doc48f187cc381ab122676862.txt

Current affairs on state water

By Mark Jaffe
The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 10/05/2008 01:10:04 PM MDT

Denver and the northern district have the water rights to take those 48,000 acre-feet from the streams and rivers of Grand County.

“For years Denver Water’s position was: ‘These are our water rights; we’re exercising them,’ ” said Kirk Klancke, manager of the Winter Park Ranch Water and Sewer District. “So this dialogue is a big step.”

What Grand County officials are seeking are ways to soften and manage the impacts of removing more water.

The county has spent $800,000 on a stream-management plan that indicates what a healthy flow would be for each reach of stream and river flowing through the county.

The towns of Winter Park and Fraser, in cooperation with Trout Unlimited, initiated a $750,000 project to reconfigure a stretch of the Fraser River so it would run faster and have deeper pools for fish.

The county spent $60,000 this summer to pump an additional 1,500 acre-feet of water into Lake Granby so it could be released this fall to help buck-up the Colorado and prevent another Labor Day dry-out.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10635332

For the Love of Water

FLOW (For the Love of Water) will premiere at the Starz FilmCenter in Denver on Thursday September 25, continuing through Thursday October 2. Shown at the Sundance Film Festival in February, this comprehensive documentary illuminates the threats to our future global water resources, from privatization to pollution, that have affected communities from Bolivia to Michigan. Complete information about the film can be found at www.flowthefilm.org.Our hope is that FLOW will provoke discussion and a new level of thoughtfulness about global water resources among the greater Denver community.

To launch the film, several special events will take place at the Starz FilmCenter:

• DOC NIGHT – Director Irena Salina will be in attendance and will lead a discussion with the audience on Thursday night September 25. A small reception will follow. Please visit www.denverfilm.org for more information about our programs.

DISCUSSION PANELS  – Following the 7 PM screenings on Friday September 26 and September 27, leading experts on Colorado water resources will discuss FLOW and relate it to water issues affecting our community.

• DOC DAY – There are still openings for high school students to see the film and learn more about our water resources at 10 AM on Friday September 26. Director Irena Salina will also participate in the discussions.

For more information or group ticket sales, please contact Ann Collier, Denver Film Society Outreach Coordinator, at ann@denverfilm.org. You can also purchase tickets online at www.denverfilm.org.

United by a split

By Gregory Moore | Herald Outdoors Editor

August 8, 2008

A good measure of progress on the new proposal could be found in July at a gathering of wilderness proponents near Purgatory that was hosted by the Durango office of Trout Unlimited. Present at the weekend retreat were representatives of the San Juan National Forest, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Trails 2000 and several journalists from around the state.

Also present were staff members from the local office of U.S. Rep. John Salazar and La Plata County Commissioner Wally White.

Everyone had something positive to say about the compromise proposal, and about the necessity of acting in a timely fashion to ensure the protection of the Hermosa drainage.

“This one’s a winner,” Chris Hunt of TU’s Public Lands Initiative office said of the compromise proposal. “Let’s come together on this one to protect the area for generations of hunters and anglers.”

http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=out&article_path=/outdoors/08/out080808_1.htm

DENTRY: Sportsmen push Hermosa area for wilderness status

By Ed Dentry

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

About 28 miles of Hermosa Creek’s main stem hold trout, but the native gem is the Colorado River cutthroat, which almost disappeared until a few pure specimens turned up in isolated headwaters.

Ty Churchwell, president of the Five Rivers chapter of TU, says chapter members will help the Division of Wildlife restore the upper five miles as an all-native trout fishery next spring.

“We want the general public to come in here and experience the river the way it was 100 to 150 years ago,” Churchwell said.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/22/dentry-sportsmen-push-hermosa-area-for-status/?printer=1/

Forest plan full of holes, critics say

Foes believe roadless-area rules could open 300,000 acres to development.

By Mark Jaffe
The Denver Post

Sportsmen’s groups are pressuring Gov. Bill Ritter not to sign off on a soon-to-be-proposed rule regulating roadless areas in national forests.

The rule, negotiated by the Ritter administration and the U.S. Forest Service, is expected to protect about 4.1 million acres but potentially open 300,000 acres to development, according to a consortium of conservation groups.

“Ritter tried to make the best of it, but it was already a flawed process,” said Dave Peterson, Colorado field director with Trout Unlimited and a member of the task force.

http://origin.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_9965756