PAWSD Dry Gulch Plan Rejected by Supreme Court

Pagosa Daily Post The Colorado Supreme Court today handed down a decision that reinforced the principle that Colorado municipalities must base water projects on clearly demonstrated and credible projections of future need.   In the case, Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District and San Juan Water Conservancy District v. Trout Unlimited, the Court ruled that Pagosa area water districts had not sufficiently demonstrated a need for the amount of water they claimed for the proposed Dry Gulch Reservoir, based on projected population growth and water availability over a 50-year planning period.   “The Supreme Court reaffirmed today that it will not tolerate public utilities speculating in water,” said Drew Peternell, director of  TU’s Colorado Water Project, who argued the case before the state’s highest court. “This is a victory for reality-based water planning.”

http://www.pagosadailypost.com/news/13636/PAWSD_Dry_Gulch_Plan_Rejected_by_Supreme_Court/

Trout Unlimited: Upper Colorado ‘on the brink'

By Bob Berwynsummit daily news

SUMMIT COUNTY — Increased diversions from the Fraser River, in Grand County, could put the entire Upper Colorado ecosystem at risk, a coalition of environmental groups warned Friday.

“We're really nervous. The rivers are only so resilient,” said David Nickum, director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “You can't talk about these systems in isolation,” he said, referring to a Denver Water proposal to take more water out of the Fraser River and across the Continental Divide.

“Multiple water diversions have pushed the Fraser River to the brink of collapse,” said Kirk Klancke, president of the Colorado Headwaters Chapter of TU, based in Grand County. “This is a river on life support.”

Nickum and Klancke were referring to a draft environmental study on the Fraser River project. The conservation groups said they've already been talking with Denver Water, and that the utility is open to discussing the issues. The draft study was released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Friday.

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20091102/NEWS/911019987/1078&ParentProfile=1055

Upper Colorado River an ‘Ecosystem on the Brink,' says Trout Unlimited

Ski-Hi Daily News “We have already met with Denver Water's staff, and they seem open to discussing some of these concepts,” said Mely Whiting, Legal Counsel for Trout Unlimited's Colorado Water Project. “We hope the Denver Water Board seizes this opportunity to create a legacy, where water development and environmental protections can go hand in hand.”

 “Front Range residents must recognize the connection between our water use and the health of our rivers and streams, fisheries and wildlife habitat,” said David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “We can't continue to take and take from these rivers without accounting for our impacts. The glass is not even half full—it's almost drained dry.”

http://www.skyhidailynews.com/article/20091102/NEWS/911029998/1079&ParentProfile=1067

"Agriburbia" sprouts on Colorado's Front Range

Denver Post - by Jason Blevins

Today, Milliken's 618-acre Platte River Village is ready for construction, with 944 planned homes surrounded by 108 acres of backyard farms and 152 acres of drip- irrigated community farms. The plan is for the farms to feed local residents and supply restaurants while paying for community upkeep. And Redmond, a 47-year-old planner-farmer, has 13 other Front Range projects mulling his "agriburbia" concept. Read more

Quillen: The politics of storage

Denver Post Opinion

Granted, it's early to be paying much heed to next year's gubernatorial campaign, but there are already candidates out stumping. Among them is Josh Penry, a Republican state senator from Grand Junction.

Last summer, he told the Colorado Water Congress that our "water inheritance is running out," and we need to "embark on a new round" of building reservoirs.

Read more

Water-demanding farms looked at as resources vanish

From the Arizona Republic - by Shaun McKinnon

In Arizona, the crops yield about 1 percent of the state's annual economic output, yet the fields soak up 70 percent of the water supply. That outsize allotment has painted a target on the farms as urban water managers search for the next bucket of water to meet future demands.

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CWCB: Montrose County instream flow water rights public meeting

From: Coyote Gulch

The following stream segments in Montrose County are being considered for instream flow protection at this time: North Fork Tabeguache Creek, Red Canyon Creek, San Miguel River, and Tabeguache Creek.

Additional streams that are being considered for appropriation in 2010 in Water Division 4 include: Alpine Gulch, Big Dominguez Creek, Blue Creek (Increase), Cebolla Creek, Cochetopa Creek, East Beaver Creek, Little Dominguez Creek, Spring Creek, and Willow Creek.

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Plan to Drill on Colorado Plateau Meets Resistance

By SEAN PATRICK FARRELL

New York Times

RIFLE, Colo. — Standing in a canyon in hilly terrain, Ken Neubecker cast his fly into a cold stream. Minutes later he had a bite. Thrashing at the end of his line was a speckled green fish, a scarce Colorado cutthroat trout. Mr. Neubecker was fishing on the Roan Plateau, a high stretch of terrain beloved by hunters, anglers and hikers for its clear streams, herds of deer and elk, and rugged beauty.

“There just aren’t many places like this in the West,” Mr. Neubecker said. “It’s a real gem.”

But as the number of truly wild places in the United States dwindles, people like Mr. Neubecker, who is president of the Colorado chapter of a conservation group called Trout Unlimited, are arguing that the nation ought to recalibrate its view of what is worth saving.

This desire to preserve more land is running up against a powerful economic incentive to develop new supplies of oil and gas. In particular, the nation is undergoing a boom in natural gas drilling. New production techniques have expanded the country’s potential reserves of gas by 40 percent in the last few years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/business/energy-environment/30roan.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

Animas River one of our 'greatest resources'

by Dale RodebaughHerald Staff Writer

The quality of a community’s waterways reflects its dedication to the environment, says Buck Skillen, an inveterate fly-fisherman and board member of Trout Unlimited who keeps track of water quality for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Of particular interest to Skillen is the stretch of the Animas River from its confluence with Lightner Creek near the Durango Dog Park to the Rivera Crossing Bridge behind Home Depot. Since 1997, the division has designated that reach of the Animas as a gold-medal trout fishery – its highest rating.

But silt entering the Animas at Lightner Creek causes turbidity, which can compromise the quality of the gold-medal waters.

“The silt affects the fishability of the reach and the overall river experience,” Skillen said. “Further, it reflects negatively on our community’s stewardship of the river.”

http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/News/Earth/2009/10/29/Animas_River_one_of_our_greatest_resources/

Celebrating 20 years of Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area development

Audrey Gilpin - [Salida] [Mountain} Mail Staff Writer

White thanked the Colorado Division of Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Parks, commercial outfitters and Trout Unlimited for their partnership and support through the years.Read more