Catching a Wave, Powering an Electrical Grid?

Electrical engineer Annette von Jouanne is pioneering an ingenious way to generate clean, renewable electricity from the sea By Elizabeth Rusch / Smithsonian magazine, July 2009

Von Jouanne recently towed her best-performing buoy—her 11th prototype—out through Yaquina Bay and one and a half miles offshore. The buoy, which resembles a giant yellow flying saucer with a black tube sticking through the middle, was anchored in 140 feet of water. For five days it rose and fell with swells and generated around 10 kilowatts of power. In the next two to three years, Columbia Power Technologies, a renewable energy company that has supported von Jouanne's research, plans to install a buoy generating between 100 and 500 kilowatts of electricity in the test berth off the coast of Oregon.     Read more

South Platte River sees rapid recovery

Healing itself from wildfire damage, it is going with the flow again.

By Karl Licis Special to The Denver Post

In a year of abundant rainfall on the heels of a decent winter snowpack, river flows up and down the South Platte have been above the long-term average. Below brimful Cheesman Reservoir, the volume approached 800 cubic feet per second the past few weeks, but has been gradually receding. The higher flows are expected to benefit the river and its fishery, and some of their effects may already be evident. Read more

Minturn resort may lose water bid

Melanie Wong - Vail Dailymwong@vaildaily.com

MINTURN, Colorado — It appears highly likely the developer of the proposed Ginn project in Minturn will have to find a plan B to provide water for the project. The city of Aurora was expected to vote late Monday night to buy 1,337 acre-feet of water from the Columbine Ditch near Leadville. Read more

Ritter revisits Colorado forest plan

By Jeremy P. MeyerThe Denver Post

"It's good, and we congratulate and thank him for doing that," said David Petersen, Trout Unlimited's director of a sportsmen's conservation project in Colorado. "We would like to see them take this extra time and continue to work to improve the state rule." Read more.

Why is the water so brown?

By Tonya BinaSky-Hi Daily News Grand County, Colorado

Contacted Wednesday, Orvis Shorefox development representative Steve Bromberg declined to comment, saying information was still being gathered about the incident. Read more

Ritter: Natural gas ‘vital part’ of new-energy economy

Denver Business Journal - by Cathy Proctor

“That’s why I encouraged Congresswoman DeGette to consider authorizing a comprehensive study of this issue instead of going directly to a new and potentially intrusive regulatory program. She agreed, at that time, to go instead to something that would be more in the way of a study instead of an amendment that would prescribe every state having to put in place these rules,” Ritter said, adding, “I thank the congresswoman for having done that.”  Read more

Lawmakers want reclamation bureau to oversee Leadville tunnel

R. SCOTT RAPPOLD

The [Colorado Springs] Gazette

On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, held a conference call with reporters to announce legislation that would give responsibility for the tunnel to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. That agency runs the treatment plant at the tunnel's mouth but has disputed that it is responsible for maintaining the tunnel or removing backed-up water.

Udall, Rep. Salazar back Colorado roadless plan

Vail Daily - Associated PressDenver, CO Colorado

Conservation, hunting and angling groups recently asked Colorado's congressional delegation to urge Gov. Bill Ritter to delay completion of the state's plan while the Obama administration considers a long-term policy for 58 million acres of roadless forests nationwide. Read more

Denver’s Water Conundrum: Balancing Rapid Growth/Diminishing Supply

Washington Park Profile - by Ben Gerig Despite our sophisticated water delivery systems, demand both in Denver and downstream is an escalating drain on the availability of water for posterity “Future needs for water are beyond what the current supply is,” claims Bob Steger, Manager of Raw Water Supply at Denver Water. Read more

Small system’s radium levels concern customers

Water Technology Online -

The wells that supply the small system have tested high for levels of combined radium, according to a recent letter sent to residents from the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Read more