Colorado: New rule for sampling groundwater near oil and gas wells wins committee test

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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New rules would tighten up water testing around oil and gas wells  in Colorado’s Greater Wattenberg area.

Proposed law would end exemption for busy oil and gas fields northeast of Denver

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — A new measure to protect Colorado water quality from fracking impacts narrowly passed a House committee on a 6-5 vote. HB 1316 requires state regulators to adopt uniform statewide groundwater sampling rules and ends an exemption for the largest oil and gas field in Colorado in the Greater Wattenberg area.

The measure would require sampling of all groundwater sources (up to a maximum of four wells) within a half-mile of proposed oil and gas wells, as well as follow-up sampling after the wells are drilled.

State officials previously said the Greater Wattenberg Are exemption was made because the state already has a robust water quality database for that area. Requiring more testing would put an “undue burden on the industry without providing additional safety benefits,” said Ginny Brannon, assistant director for water and energy at the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, in a January interview with Summit Voice.

Brannon said Weld County has a groundwater testing program that  provides water well testing to any well owner requesting it, but conservation groups want more consistent statewide standards for testing. They said the new requirements are a step toward better protection of public health and the environment. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, energy, Environment, fracking, gas drilling, oil drilling, water | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Colorado: Denver Water says drought continues, but backs away from plan to drain Antero Reservoir

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Antero Reservoir, in Park County, won’t be drained.

April snowpack boost is good news for anglers

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — With a rebounding snowpack, Denver Water officials said this week they won’t drain Antero Reservoir, in Park County, as previously planned.

“Managing water supplies through a drought is an ever-changing process,” said Dave Bennett, water resource manager for Denver Water. “While we are still in drought and need our customers to save water, the recent snow has helped our supply situation. Keeping Antero open will be a benefit to Park County and those who love to fish there. If we drained the reservoir, it would take about three years to refill.” (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, rivers, water | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Environment: Federal court clears way for new EPA regulations on water pollution from fossil fuel power plants

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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New EPA rules will reduce toxic water pollution from fossil fuel power plants. Photo via Wikipedia under a GNU Free Documentation License.

Cutting discharges of selenium, lead and arsenic will protect the environment

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A federal appeals court this week cleared the way for the EPA to issue new regulations aimed at stemming mercury, arsenic, lead, and selenium water pollution from power plant discharges.

Steam electric power plants alone contribute more than half of the toxic pollutants discharged to water bodies by all industrial categories currently regulated in the Unites States. The proposed rule sets the first federal limits on levels of toxic metals in wastewater that can be discharged from power plants. (more…)

Filed under: Environment, rivers, water | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Ski industry offers some guarantees on water rights issue

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Forest Service looking to ensure long-term viability of ski areas

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With water a premium in the West, the Forest Service and ski resorts are discussing how they will administer water that originates on national forest lands. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — In comments submitted to the U.S. Forest Service, the National Ski Areas Association is suggesting a fresh start in developing a policy to determine ownership and future use of water that originates on national forest lands.

“Our new approach assumes that all previous water clauses are no longer in effect, null and void, and unenforceable. It would result in a consistent water policy across the board going forward,” said NSAA policy director Geraldine Link.

The ski industry comments came as the Forest Service held a series of hearings around the West in the early stages of developing a new water rights clause that eventually will become part of agency permits for businesses operating on public lands.

The ski industry and the Forest Service have been at odds over water rights for years, and most recently faced each other in federal court over a 2011 version of the permit language. The court said that the Forest Service failed to follow required procedures in rewriting the clause, and also noted that the agency has adopted a series of clauses that aren’t being applied consistently. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, rivers, water | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

New test may reduce unneeded beach closures

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Same-day results could also reduce exposure to waterborne disease

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Beach season is just around the corner, and new EPA test may help make the waters safer.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Beach season is just around the corner, and federal scientists say they’ve developed a new water quality test that may help reduce human exposure to waterborne illnesses and prevent unnecessary beach closures.

The same-day test was recently evaluated by the U.S. Geological Survey, which found that results from the rapid test met EPA’s safe swimming criteria more often than the older tests. If this method had been used during the study period examined, the summers of 2009 and 2010, it may have prevented hundreds of beach closure days and possibly significantly decreased incidences of waterborne illnesses. The full report is available online. (more…)

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Forest Service holds public meetings on ski area water rights

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

After legal showdown, agency, resorts start down collaborative path to address critical water questions

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Who owns the water originating on national forest lands? Bob Berwyn photo.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — After losing a court showdown, the U.S. Forest Service will restart a process to try and clarify the future of water rights associated with permitted uses on national forest lands, especially with regard to ski areas in the West. Click here to see related Summit Voice stories.

In December, a federal court ruled that the Forest Service failed to meet legal requirements when it updated the rule administratively. Now, the agency will hold a series of public meetings, starting April 16 in Denver, to take input from the public and key stakeholders. Additional meetings are set for Salt Lake City on April 17, and Lake Tahoe, Calif., on April 18. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, ski industry, skiing and riding, water | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: Meadow Creek

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

A mountain stream

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In the autumn, Meadow Creek dwindles to a mellow trickle.

FRISCO — Meadow Creek is my hometown’s little stream. Tenmile Creek may be a little bigger and more famous — if a creek can be famous — but Meadow Creek runs right through the busy guts of our little town, down from the Gore Range, under I-70 and right through center of Frisco’s busy commercial thoroughfare, past the bus depot (or transfer station, if you want to use the genteel name for that facility), past Walmart, underneath busy Summit Boulevard, then past a place called Meadow Creek Tires, through a culvert near our local bank branch and then, well, right into our backyard, where it forms a lovely pond before making its final run into Dillon Reservoir. (more…)

Filed under: Morning photo, photography, rivers, Summit County Colorado, water | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado River water users juggle rights to up storage

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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A deal between Xcel Energy and Denver Water and other water users to relax the Shoshone hydorpower water right will enable more storage in Dillon, Williams Fork and Green Mountain reservoirs this spring. Photo courtesy Xcel.

Shoshone hydropower water right ‘relaxed’ in collaborative response to 2-year drought; agreement enables about 20,000 acre feet of additional upstream storage early in the year

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Some key players in the Colorado River Basin have worked together to “relax” a senior water right near Glenwood Springs, enabling more water — about 20,000 acre feet — to be stored in upstream reservoirs.

“We expect to gain about 8,000 acre-feet each in Dillon and Williams Fork Reservoirs as a result of the relaxation,” said Denver Water spokesperson Stacy Chesney.

The 1,250-cfs water right for the Xcel-owned Shoshone hydropower plant dates back to 1902, making it one of the most senior rights on the river.

When Xcel exercises that water right, it affects other water users all the way up the river because it’s administered by the Colorado Division of Water Resources against junior water storage rights in Dillon and Williams Fork Reservoirs, the Colorado River District’s Wolford Mountain Reservoir and the Bureau of Reclamation’s Green Mountain Reservoir. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Drought, rivers, water | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Cocktail of pharmaceuticals affecting basic stream health

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Antihistimines are drying up rock-coating algae

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Research shows that pharmaceutical waste is affecting basic stream ecology.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Antihistimines used to treat allergies do more than dry up runny noses. Remnant traces of the pharmaceuticals, now commonly found in many streams and rivers, are having a significant effect on basic biological processes, with as-yet unknown impacts on aquatic life and water quality.

“Pharmaceutical pollution is now detected in waters throughout the world. Causes include aging infrastructure, sewage overflows, and agricultural runoff, said Dr. Emma Rosi-Marshall, a scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, lead author of a study that examined how common pharmaceuticals influenced similar-sized streams in New York, Maryland, and Indiana.

The study looked for traces of Caffeine, the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, the antidiabetic metformin, two antihistimines used to treat heartburn (cimetidine and ranitidine), and one antihistamine used to treat allergies (diphenhydramine). (more…)

Filed under: Environment, rivers, water | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Record algae bloom in Lake Erie linked with global warming

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
This NASA Landsat-5 image shows the record-breaking algal bloom in Lake Eerie in October of 2011. The green scum is mostly microcystis, a toxin to mammals.

This NASA Landsat-5 image shows the record-breaking algal bloom in Lake Eerie in October of 2011. The green scum is mostly microcystis, a toxin to mammals.

2011 event was three times larger than any previously recorded bloom

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A record-breaking 2011 algae bloom — three time larger than any on record — in Lake Erie is a warning sign, as global warming is expected to generate more intense rainstorms that flush fertilizers from surrounding fields into the water.

The Lake Erie bloom was triggered by long-term agricultural practices coupled with extreme precipitation, followed by weak lake circulation and warm temperatures, the researchers said, concluding that the lake will continue to experience extreme blooms unless agricultural practices change.

While the changing climate is a key factor, some of the impacts could be mitigated with best management practices, a group of researchers concluded in a new study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Environment, global warming, water | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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