Colorado Continues Commitment to Water Quality Through Grant Awards

Governor Hickenlooper today announced state grants to local governments and special districts to help meet the challenge of protecting water quality from nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.  The Governor highlighted the importance of clean water to Colorado's communities and economy, while noting the importance of the State being a partner in dealing with the financial burden of meeting these water quality standards.  Colorado TU and its partners at Conservation Colorado, High Country Citizens Alliance, and San Juan Citizens Alliance issued a joint statement: "We are excited to join Governor Hickenlooper today to announce the awarding of grants to help domestic wastewater treatment plants address the serious problem of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in our streams and rivers. By awarding these grants, Governor Hickenlooper and the Colorado State Legislature continue their commitment to protecting water quality and healthy flows.

Water is a fundamental component of our life in Colorado - it is vital to growing our crops, supports our world class trout fishing, and is critical to Colorado’s burgeoning beer brewing industry. But nitrogen and phosphorous pollution present a real risk to our rivers and streams. If levels creep too high, they degrade water quality, cause algae growth, reduce the clarity of our waters, and negatively impact aquatic life by diminishing dissolved oxygen.

As a result of this growing problem, in 2012, Colorado adopted strong regulations and standards to address increasing pollution in our waterways. These standards take into account our multi-billion dollar recreation economy because protecting water quality IS good for business.

This past spring, our legislature and Governor Hickenlooper took the next step through House Bill 1191 which will help communities across Colorado implement these standards. We are fortunate through the passage of legislation and the awarding of these grants, the State is able to provide meaningful funding to begin to address our water quality problems.

We applaud Governor Hickenlooper and his commitment to strong phosphorus and nitrogen pollution controls. In doing so he supports the health of Colorado’s and the nation’s waterways. By creating these standards - and the means to implement them - we are working to protect the health of our water and economy."

Pete Maysmith, Conservation Colorado David Nickum, Colorado Trout Unlimited Dan Randolph, San Juan Citizens’ Alliance Greg Dyson, High Country Citizens Alliance

DRA project, a collaboration success story!

The Dolores River Anglers' (DRA) first river project at the confluence of Taylor Creek and Little Taylor Creek, tributaries of the Dolores River, was a great success!  The Chapter received great support from the community, and their out lay of cash for the project was only about 25% of budget because of several generous donations, including one from Western Excelsior in Mancos.  Chris Burkett, DRA Secretary/Treasurer, calculated over 160 hours of TU labor moved 10 tons of rock and emplaced more than 240 feet of Aspen fiber rolls. The crew from the forest service’s hydrology group also provided great support.  According to San Juan National Forest, Dolores District, Hydrologist, Shauna Jensen, "I couldn't have asked for anything better than this" at the completion.  District Ranger, Derrick Padilla said "I am very pleased with the results of this partnership and look forward to more such projects."  The USFS provided the technical expertise and engineering for the project and a core work crew that DRA supplemented with volunteers, funding, and donations of materials.

Dale Smith, chapter vice president and project coordinator said "This project was an excellent opportunity for Trout Unlimited's newest chapter in Colorado, the Dolores River Anglers, to partner with the local District of the San Juan National Forest.  Our purpose was to prevent degradation of a wonderful resource, to help protect native cutthroat trout, and protect water quality in our homewaters drainage."

DRA learned a lot from these folks and are looking forward to their next project together.  Fish sampling and a paper draft have already begun for a stream crossing rebuild on Rio Lado, another creek in the Dolores River drainage.

Check out The Cortez Journal's write up on this great collaborative project!

Ty Churchwell, Backcountry Coordinator, SCP

Having spent the last ten years or so engaged with TU, both in chapter leadership and on staff, I have a wonderfully unique perspective on our work as a ‘One TU’ team.  A decade ago, I had the pleasure of joining our local chapter in Durango just in time to fill a vice president’s void, then two years later stepped into the president’s seat.  I cut my conservation teeth performing chapter fundraising, youth education, learning water policy and developing relationships at all levels, all as a volunteer.  I found a family of trout warriors and a great desire to do conservation work full-time. Six years ago I joined the team of National TU’s public land programs, the ‘Sportsmen’s Conservation Project’ (SCP), headquartered in Durango.   I share office space with the director of our programs, Steve Kandell, who oversees about 28 staff in all eleven western states.  We’re the ‘…and their watersheds’ part of TU’s mission statement.  It is my pleasure to represent hunters and anglers in discussions around our public lands.

I primarily work on placed-based initiatives, which are directed at being legislative in nature at the federal level.  The campaigns I’ve coordinated were for special areas of BLM or USFS public land that had been identified as vital to sportsmen, such as the Alpine Triangle and Hermosa Creek.  I’ve also had the opportunity to assist colleagues in all areas of TU, on campaigns such as Browns Canyon, the San Juan Wilderness bill, Thompson Divide, Roan Plateau and the Public Land Renewable Energy Development act.  My work takes me to discussion around ATVs, mines, native trout, timber, oil/gas development, elk habitat, mountain bikes, sage grouse and on and on.  Our public lands are our birthright and trout fisheries rely on them.

At present my time is almost exclusively directed at the Hermosa Creek effort, a campaign of somewhat notoriety.  Hermosa Creek has long been a focus area for TU in SW Colorado.  A bill to protect the entire basin now works its way through the halls of Congress, including a wilderness component.  Each day seems to bring new developments.  Many consider Hermosa Creek to be one of the top bills in the country to possibly break the gridlock of public land bills in DC.  Congress has only enacted one wilderness bill since 2009.

The Animas River, my home water, is the poster child for Acid Mine Drainage in America.  The upper basin near Silverton is laden with heavy metals from historic mining.  I work with local stakeholders such as BLM, EPA, CDPHE and mining interests to resolve our water quality problem.  I worked with Rep. Tipton and Sen. Udall in crafting ‘Good Samaritan’ legislation, which was introduced in 2013, but has languished.  Thankfully the Animas’ water has been diluted by the time it reaches Durango and we enjoy a world-class brown trout fishery right in town.

I have always been a trout bum, for as long as I can remember.  Those beautiful trout have brought me great joy with wonderful friends and exciting travels.  I owe them!

Ty Churchwell - tchurchwell@tu.org

Brian Hodge, Project Coordinator, Yampa and White River Basins

As a member of TU’s Colorado Water Project, I work to meet TU’s mission through on-the-ground projects.  My goal is to plan and implement projects that benefit coldwater fish and landowner alike.  By helping to improve irrigation efficiency, for example, we can, under the right circumstances, both improve ranch operations and increase stream flows for trout.  I frequently work with private landowners and agency partners to reach conservation goals. Here’s a flavor of happenings in the northwest Colorado:

In 2012, I worked with Yampa River Ranch and Partners for Fish and Wildlife (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) to protect a 1.6-mile segment of the Yampa River. The Ranch wanted both to run cattle and to maximize habitat for brown trout.  So we constructed a riparian fence that enhanced the ranch’s ability to concurrently manage for a livestock operation and trout fishery.

I’m currently working with the U.S. Forest Service to reconnect Poose Creek.  Poose Creek is occupied by native Colorado River Cutthroat Trout.  However, since the 1960s a large culvert under a county road has prevented cutthroat and other fishes from accessing the headwaters.  We’re installing a fish ladder to restore fish passage in Poose Creek.

This year, I continued working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and others on multi-phase efforts to restore Armstrong and Milk creeks.  Both streams are home to native cutthroat trout and to two lesser-known native, coldwater fishes: mountain sucker and mottled sculpin.  Additional information is available at the following links:

Armstrong Creek.   http://www.tu.org/blog-posts/a-small-creek-a-grand-vision-of-restoration

Milk Creek.  http://troutunlimitedblog.com/climate-adaptation-one-stream-at-a-time/

We’ve implemented successful projects and developed valuable partnerships in northwest Colorado. Additional opportunities await.

Brian Hodge - bhodge@tu.org

Denver Water and Colorado TU

Jim Lochhead is chief executive of Denver Water. David Nickum is executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. They represent groups that often have opposing views, but worked together on an opinion piece in the June 1, 2013 edition of the Denver Post. Conservation groups and water utilities don't always see eye-to-eye on every water resource issue.

A case in point: Trout Unlimited and Denver Water have yet to agree on what constitutes an adequate package of protections for the Fraser River, a Colorado River tributary and stellar trout fishery that is also an important source of water for metro Denver. We're trying to find a package of protections that keeps the river healthy while ensuring that Denver Water's need for system reliability are met through the Moffat Firming Project.

We face tough, complicated issues. What we agree on, though, is the need to preserve the long-term health of the Fraser and Colorado Rivers, and the value of working toward collaborative solutions.

Read the full article, "Together, we can meet Colorado River challenges," in The Denver Post.

Tell Denver Water: Don't Kill The Fraser River!

Denver Water already sucks 60% of the annual flows from the Fraser River, and they now want to take more: another 15%.  Sign the Defend the Colorado petition today and tell Denver that before they take more water, they need to protect the Fraser River.  Tell Denver Water:  Don't Suck the Fraser River Dry!  

If you see a lost-looking trout walking the streets of downtown Denver in coming weeks, don’t be alarmed. He’s just looking for some water. Any water.

He urgently needs your help.

We recently filmed this trout’s sad dilemma. Left high and dry in the Fraser Valley, where Denver Water is sucking the life out of the Fraser River and its tributaries, our refugee trout hitchhiked to Denver to try to find out who moved his water and where he can get a few drops.

Check out the short video– it’s a lighthearted effort to highlight a serious problem: Denver Water is diverting the Fraser River to death.

You can make a difference by sending a message to Denver Water: sign the petition telling Denver Water to protect – not kill – the Fraser River.

You might not know that much of Denver’s water comes from across the Continental Divide, in Grand County, where the Moffat pipeline each year drains 60 percent of the Fraser River’s annual flows, leaving dozens of tributaries sucked completely dry. Denver Water’s proposed expansion of that pipeline would take another 15 percent of flows, leaving an already damaged river on life support.

It’s not just trout and wildlife at risk—our mountain towns and state tourism economy are also threatened. If you love to fish, ski, raft, hike, camp or otherwise recreate in the mountains, this hits you where you live.

We simply can’t keep sucking the lifeblood out of the Fraser and expect it to remain a living river.

If Denver Water is to move forward with the Moffat expansion, they must take steps to ensure it is done in a way that won’t destroy the Fraser River. For months, a coalition of conservation organizations, landowners, and recreation businesses have been calling on Denver Water to take a few responsible, cost-effective steps to protect the Fraser:

• ensure healthy “flushing” flows in the river to clean out silt and algae.
• avoid taking water during high water temperatures, when trout and aquatic life are vulnerable.
• monitor the river’s health and take action as needed to prevent further declines.

We’ve presented these concerns to Denver Water, but so far they’ve been unwilling to work with us to adopt this common-sense package of protections.

This is where you come in. Denver Water  will listen to their customers. We need Denver-area residents—and anyone who cares about Colorado’s rivers and wild places—to  tell Denver Water that you want them to “finish the job” of protecting the Fraser River.

Please—go right now to the Defend the Colorado webpage to sign a petition asking Denver Water board members to protect the Fraser. We know they will respond to public pressure—but that means you need to take a few minutes and sign the petition. It will make a difference for the Fraser River and for our homeless trout, but only if you act now.

Denver Water won't act if they think Coloradans don’t know enough or care enough to demand a higher level of river stewardship.

So do something good for our rivers today. Sign the petition and tell Denver Water: don’t suck—protect the Fraser River.

Good Sam: Legal muddle cleared up for mine-tainted streams

The 19^th century mining boom across the West was a bust for many of our rivers and streams. Colorado alone has more than 7,000 abandoned mine sites, many of them leaching toxic metals into nearby watersheds—and these damaged streams represent more than a century of lost fishing opportunities. It gets worse. In many cases, Good Samaritans like Trout Unlimited, eager to undertake mine cleanup projects, can’t get started—ironically, because of a Clean Water Act provision that says groups who voluntarily clean up a toxic dump could be liable if the treated water doesn’t meet CWA standards.

No good deed goes unpunished, right? That unfortunate Catch-22 has stopped scores of cleanup efforts dead in their tracks, in Colorado and across the West.

That’s why this big news out of D.C. is cause for celebration: The EPA this week issued new guidelines for abandoned mine cleanup agreements that largely eliminate the legal exposure of Good Sam groups.

Read more about it from the Summit County Voice.

This is a huge victory for Colorado streams.

“True Good Samaritans can feel comfortable pursuing cleanups and partnerships with EPA knowing they won’t be responsible for pollution when they get done,” said Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, who showed great leadership in pushing EPA to change the guidelines.

“We’re thrilled--this is a major breakthrough,” said Elizabeth Russell, mine restoration project manager for TU. “This is the single most important issue in the state as far as addressing mine pollution. 

“These projects will have huge benefits forColorado’s water quality and fish habitat,” said Russell.  “And that will improve the fishing for future generations of anglers.” 

Send thanks to Sen. Udall for showing leadership on this issue!

The Blue nets a Gold

Colorado has over 9,000 miles of rivers and creeks, but only 168 miles of these are considered “gold medal water,” making the Blue River an extremely special asset to Summit County's loyal anglers and general local economy. To earn the rating, rivers and streams must meet the official criteria for gold medal water: 12 trout per acre over 14” or 60-pounds of trout per surface acre. Blue River going through Summit and Grand counties features gold medal waters from Dillon Reservoir to the Green Mountain Reservoir inlet.

“That's a ton of fish,” said Erica Stock, Trout Unlimited outreach director. “That's what makes up the bulk of the Blue River fishery. To have fish that size, you need a healthy ecosystem. They live on bugs. In order to have diverse bug life you need a relatively healthy stream.”

The Colorado Wildlife Commission has designated these stretches of water as offering the greatest potential for trophy trout fishing. An ecologically healthy river is one that retains its major ecological features and functioning similar to the way it did prior to settlement and which would be able to sustain these characteristics into the future. Healthy streams promote aquatic life and nurture surrounding lands.

“You can tell that a river is viable when there is a healthy trout population,” Stock said. “You need to have good oxidation of the water. That comes from having good hydrology. When there's oxygen going into the water trout can grab their food sources.”

To read the rest of the article, visit the Summit Daily's "Wild Colorado: Gold-medal waters in the Summit."

Clean Rivers are Healthy Rivers

Colorado’s rivers are one of our greatest assets – providing the water we need for our communities and farms, supporting our robust recreation economy, and sustaining our environment.  Now, Colorado Trout Unlimited has launched the Great Colorado River Cleanup so that people across the state can give something back to our rivers by removing trash from the banks and channels of our waters.  Whether you fish on a gold medal Colorado stream - take walks along your community’s riverfront greenway – raft or kayak on some of our state’s outstanding whitewater – or simply enjoy the sight of healthy, flowing rivers – by participating in or organizing a stream cleanup on your local waterways you can make a difference! River cleanups are good for our river corridors and the fish and wildlife that live in them – and they are fun, family-oriented projects that Coloradoans of all ages can take part in.  With partners including our lead sponsor, Teva, and river stewards like American Rivers and a host of local watershed groups, there is a team of dedicated Coloradoans ready to help our rivers from the South Platte and Cache la Poudre to the Colorado and Animas.

See what cleanups are coming soon on waters near you, and join in the Great Colorado River Cleanup!

Cleaning up the Colorado and Roaring Fork

By all accounts, this year’s Glenwood Springs River Cleanup, on Saturday, August 25, was a success. About 85 volunteers, including almost a dozen in boats, turned out to pick up trash from an estimated nineteen miles of public riverbanks along the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers.   The event was organized by the Glenwood Springs River Commission, a nine-member citizen board that advises Glenwood’s City Council on issues related to the rivers and the City’s River Trail system. The River Commission credits the excellent volunteer turnout largely to a series of ads in local newspapers, mostly financed by a substantial gift from the Ferdinand Hayden Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Volunteers met at Two Rivers Park to register for cleanup assignments. Fueled by coffee donated by Starbucks, volunteers on land picked up trash along the Glenwood Canyon bike path from the Grizzly Creek rest area to the west end of the Horseshoe Bend tunnels, as well as from about three miles of riverbank along the Roaring Fork and Colorado within the city limits. Boaters reached from their boats and scrambled onto shore to pick up litter and larger trash along the south side of the Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon and on both sides of the Colorado from the city limits to the South Canyon boat launch ramp west of town. Other boaters combed less-accessible stretches of the Roaring Fork within Glenwood Springs.

American Rivers, a nationwide nonprofit that advocates for healthy rivers, provided the trash bags, and the Colorado River District chipped in additional cash for the project. The trash, which amounted to several truckloads, included everything from the smallest pieces of foil wrappers to pallets, culverts, and an artificial Christmas tree complete with lights. The most common items were water bottles, soft drink cans, and fast food cups. City of Glenwood workers picked up full trash bags left at work sites by land-based volunteers, and hauled them to the landfill.

After the work was done, volunteers were treated to a community barbecue made possible by the generosity of Glenwood Springs businesses. Rick Wernsmann of the 19th Street Diner donated burgers and sausages and cooked them on a commercial-sized grill. The burgers and brats were accompanied by side dishes stirred up by six Glenwood Springs restaurants. Glenwood Canyon Brewing furnished the beer, and soft drinks were donated by the local Coca Cola distributor. Through it all, the volunteers were serenaded with smooth country-rock music provided by a Carbondale-based band called “All the Pretty Horses.”

This was the second annual community-wide river cleanup, and with the success of this year’s event, it’s pretty certain the River Commission will continue to promote a cleanup day into the future.

Article and photos submitted by the Ferdinand Hayden Chapter of TU.