Spills northwest of Parachute may have affected groundwater
Nestle water details outlined
from Salida Mountian Mail
| 6/30/2008 9:24:00 AM | |
| Guest Opinion
by Bruce Lauerman - Natural Resources Manager for Nestle Waters North America Many of you are aware of a proposal by Nestle Waters to develop a water supply near Nathrop and it might be helpful to outline our project and report its status. A Web site will be available within a few weeks, updated routinely with project details. In the meantime, I'd like to share some information. To meet consumer demand for bottled water in Colorado and neighboring states, Nestle Waters trucks bottled water to this region from Southern California. We have been exploring options allowing us to transport water to Denver from Chaffee County or other in-state locations, to reduce truck miles, fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Nestle Waters is entering the second year of evaluation of a potential spring-water development project near Nathrop. In May 2007, Nestle Waters purchased and optioned 130 acres along the Arkansas River below Fisherman's Bridge. The land contains a number of natural springs and includes nearly a mile of frontage on either side of the river within Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, and significant bighorn sheep habitat on Sugarloaf Mountain. Before our involvement, most of the land was listed for sale, and was recently under contract by a residential developer. If our project continues, Nestle Waters will keep the land essentially undeveloped, preserved as open space, to protect the watershed of the springs. The project contemplates sustainable, safe pumping of as much as 200 acre-feet of groundwater annually, or approximately 0.3 cubic feet per second (three-tenths of a cfs). Compared to the average measured spring flow of about 4 cfs, proposed withdrawal is relatively small. Impact on the Arkansas River wouldn't be measurable, even during low flow. No neighboring wells would be affected. During operation, hydrologic and environmental conditions would be continually monitored. The data will be available to the public. To protect other water-right owners on the Arkansas River, Colorado Water Court and the State Engineer must approve a 100-percent augmentation plan for the project. We have been working to develop partnerships within Chaffee County to solicit input on the proposed project. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has indicated it would have no adverse impact on wildlife or the environment. Colorado Trout Unlimited indicated to us they don't anticipate harm to fish population or habitat. Water would be conveyed by buried pipeline to U.S. 285. A small, well-screened load station would transfer water to tanker trucks for delivery to Denver. The trucks are similar to those seen daily in Chaffee County which haul milk, fuel and a variety of other liquids commonly used by Coloradans. The proposal is for as many as 25 trucks per day. A traffic impact study will be conducted and we expect it will show the increase in truck traffic and associated emissions would be negligible. Bottled water is a packaged beverage in great demand in the United States. Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region are no exception. People are increasingly choosing bottled water as a healthful alternative to soda pop and other sugary or carbonated beverages. Considering the epidemic proportions of human obesity and diabetes, Nestle Waters believes people drinking more water is a good trend. Bottled water is a necessary product during natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes or disease outbreaks. Nestle Waters has a long history of supporting disaster relief. Nestle Waters has a strong and demonstrated commitment to minimizing our environmental footprint. We are a highly efficient user of water compared to any other beverage producer. During the past 15 years, Nestle Waters reduced plastic use by 40 percent. Our Arrowhead eco-shape bottle is the lightest weight plastic bottle of any beverage, using 30 percent less plastic than the average half-liter bottle. The bottle and dye-free cap are 100 percent recyclable. We expect to submit permit applications to Chaffee County soon, and look forward to the process to demonstrate Nestle Waters' commitment to "doing the project right," by identifying and mitigating potential adverse impacts. Our preliminary scientific research indicates this will be a low impact project. We will continue working with stakeholders, including neighbors, regulators and local leaders, to determine how our project can be improved to best meet needs of the community. Compared to the real development pressures the area is experiencing, we believe our project could be one sustainable alternative for preserving and protecting Chaffee County. |
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Benzene reported in cabin's drinking water
Examiner.com GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (Map, News) - Colorado oil and gas regulators are investigating after a carcinogen was found in the drinking water at a cabin.http://www.examiner.com/a-1465692~Benzene_reported_in_cabin_s_drinking_water.html
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission issued a Notice of Alleged Violation to four energy companies after tests found benzene water at the cabin outside Parachute in western
Project aims to replenish aquifer
Colorado Springs Gazette "Two years ago, state SB193 mandated that Colorado officials study the possibility of underground water storage in the South Platte and Arkansas river basins...."
http://www.gazette.com/articles/project_37791___article.html/replenish_aims.html
Lending a helping hand
A change in policy will help fish in Wild Trout, Gold Medal waters flourish
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Colorado has some new regulations for its Wild Trout and Gold Medal waters, including much-needed changes that may see more waters added to the list of the state’s most productive fisheries.
"We hope this opens the door for more waters being added to the list of Wild Trout waters,” said David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “We think there’s a desire from anglers to see more waters managed this way.”
http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/sports/stories/2008/06/28/062908_OUT_column_WWW.html
Collect rain and you could end up over a barrel
Denver Post - Perspective
Can you own the rain?
Make harvesting the resource legal - By Daniel Fitzgerald
"To her surprise, the state engineer opposed her application, arguing that other water users already had locked up the right to use the rain. The Colorado Water Court agreed, and Kris was denied the right to store a few barrels of rainwater. If she persisted with rain harvesting, she would be subject to fines of up to $500 per day...."
Wise water use vital to our future
Denver Post Guest Commentary
By Harris Sherman
Article Last Updated: 06/27/2008 10:34:49 PM MDT
var requestedWidth = 0;
if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px"; document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.margin = "0px 0px 10px 10px"; } What do we want Colorado to look like in 50 years? How does our use of water, an increasingly limited resource, tie into our vision of Colorado? And, what will Colorado look like if we don't have a clear statewide vision and strategy for sharing water?
These are questions I've been asking Coloradans as I travel around the state. They are questions I have put to the members of the Interbasin Compact Committee, or IBCC, and the nine River Basin Roundtables, two statewide groups of water leaders created by the legislature to address issues between basins and provide a permanent forum for broad- based water discussions.
The answers have been thoughtful and insightful.
Colorado is transitioning from an era where we have water yet to be developed to one where there's an expanding demand for a finite resource. As a result, some see farms drying up as water is transferred from agricultural to municipal use. Others see our major population centers — the mainstay of our state's economy — struggling to get the water they need for their future. Still others see insufficient water for the environment or recreation, or they worry about new demands from energy development, especially oil shale.
Farmers and ranchers from the West Slope and the Eastern Plains, Front Range water providers, and environmentalists are all uneasy about Colorado's future if we let water-supply development continue as it has.
That is why the IBCC is creating a vision for Colorado's water future. The process is just starting, but some common elements have emerged.
Colorado's water should be developed and managed in a way that supports the strong and diverse Front Range economy that is key to a sustainable state economy. We should ensure viable and sustainable rural economies whether they are based on farming, recreation or energy. The vision should recognize the strong connection between land use and water planning. It should consider the pressures facing the headwaters' communities as they try to meet their own water supply needs while sustaining the state's environmental and recreational values.
As we create this vision, we will also develop strategies for achieving it. We will look at how we can increase water conservation and how we can get all water users in Colorado to adopt Denver Water's slogan of "Use only what you need."
We understand that we have a finite amount of water in Colorado. New water resources are limited and how we deal with those limitations will determine what Colorado will look like as our population grows by another 2.5 million by 2030 and perhaps 5 million by 2050. The competition for water will dramatically intensify.
I encourage all Coloradans to provide your input to the members of the IBCC and the nine Basin Roundtables. To stay updated on our progress, go to www.ibcc.state.co.us.
Harris Sherman is executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.
Colorado water managers plan for climate change
By John Orr - Colorado Water Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-395-Colorado-Water-Examiner~y2008m6d27-Colorado-water-managers-plan-for-climate-change
Gov. Ritter on energy/wildlife hot seat
By Charlie MeyersThe Denver Post
Dave Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited, deeply lamented the commission's waffling, calling it a rollback in the face of industry pressure.
"This caught us very much off guard and this newest round poses notable problems, particularly from a rivers standpoint," Nickum said.
Nickum also expressed regret that the industry had taken such radical steps in its attack.
"It's frustrating that they put out so much misinformation, that they deliberately exaggerated what the rules proposed. That's unfortunate because there's so much more flexibility in the original draft rule than has been suggested."
Showdown set on new Colorado oil, gas regulations
Jun 21, 2008 By JUDITH KOHLER, AP But Dave Nickum of the Colorado chapter of Trout Unlimited said he's worried about losing ground. He's concerned about a suggested change from the draft rules to limit buffers around water bodies to just rivers and lakes with native cutthroat trout or gold-medal fisheries.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1452713~Showdown_set_on_new_Colorado_oil__gas_regulations.html
