MISSION: To lead in the protection, conservation, use and development of the water resources of the Colorado River basin for the welfare of the District, and to safeguard for Colorado all waters of the Colorado River to which the state is entitled.
Colorado River District Annual Water Seminar
Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010 TwoRiversConvention Center, Grand Junction, CO.
Seminar speakers will address the water supply negotiation with Denver Water known as the "Global Negotiation," the western water rights market, the new era of corporate water responsibility and more.
It follows on the heels of the Colorado Water Conservation Board meeting in Grand Junction on Sept. 14-15.
Look for registration information in the coming weeks. Once again, our event coincides with the very popular Colorado Mountain Winefest in the Grand Junction area Sept. 16-19. (http://www.coloradowinefest.com/).This makes lodging challenging in the GrandValley. For attendees' convenience, the Colorado River District has blocked a number of rooms for Wednesday, Sept. 15, at the Hampton Inn, adjacent to the TwoRiversConvention Center.
Hotel contact information:
HamptonInn, 205 Main Street, Grand Junction, CO81501 970-243-3222 Room Block listed under "Colorado River District" The $119 cost will be honored until August 16. If tax exemption status applicable, seminar attendee must mention that at the time they make their reservation.
For additional event information, please contact Jim Pokrandt at 970.945.8522, x236 or email edinfo@crwcd.org.
The Third Quarterly Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Colorado River Water Conservation District was heldJuly 20 & 21. Link to board materials.
Aspen Environment Forum panel says water is plentiful if we use it wisely There is enough water in the American Southwest, and around the world, to meet existing needs. The problem is allocation. "It isn't always available when we need it, where we need it," said Sandra Postel, director of the Global Water Policy Project based in New Mexico and one of three water experts tapped for a panel discussion, "Hot and Dry: Water in the West and the World," Monday at the Aspen Institute's Environment Forum. -Coverage in The Glenwood Post Independent-
If the West wants to hang onto water for agriculture and for growing populations, it must give serious effort to integrating more wind, solar and other renewable energies into production of electricity, according to a new report, "Protecting the Lifeline of the West: How Climate and Clean Energy Policies Can Safeguard Water." Produced by Western Resource Advocates and the Environmental Defense Fund, the report also calls for water conservation, re-use and efficiency measures. The groups say a well-designed national climate policy that imposes a cap on emissions of carbon dioxide will provide incentives.
Colorado River water consumed yearly for agriculture and by the 30 million Westerners who rely on it now exceeds the total annual flow. A growing awareness of that limited flow is leading to increased scrutiny of urban development -- especially projects that require diverting more water to the east side of the Continental Divide. "We're no longer in a surplus situation," said Bill McDonald, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's deputy commissioner for policy and budget. "The teeter-totter has tipped."
Whether it's roads, schools, prisons, colleges, hospitals or airports, you don't have to look far to find something built with money borrowed by state and local governments. Amendment 61, which Colorado voters will consider in November, could dramatically change that financing method. The proposal -- one of three tax-slashing and government-limiting measures on the ballot -- would prohibit the state from borrowing and would limit local governments to borrowing for only 10 years and only with voter approval.
The snow is all but gone in Colorado, but reservoirs across most of the state are full, according to data from Denver Water and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). "June was so warm and dry that all the snow has left our measurement sites -- we are now snow-free,"said Chris Pacheco, assistant snow survey supervisor for NRCS. The timing of the snowpack's disappearance this year was fairly typical, Pacheco said. But some sites in the northern part of the state near the Wyoming border just melted out last week, a little later than usual.
It is estimated that by 2050, Colorado could face up to a 1 million acre-foot water supply shortage. Based on population projections for 2050 (estimated between 8.7 million and 10.3 million), water needs for energy development, water needs for recreation and endangered species, and the impact of climate changes -- the shortages projected are alarming. One of the key components of future water supply planning is water conservation. This is among other approaches that either create new water (like cloud seeding), capture existing water (like more reservoirs to hold back excess water in times like this spring), or transfer water from one use to another use. It has been estimated that transfers of water from agriculture to the cities could result in 65 percent of Colorado's irrigated agriculture disappearing by 2050. Is the demise of irrigated agriculture something we as Colorado residents wish to see? And, with agriculture gone, what would we eat?
The Shoshone hydroelectric power plant in Glenwood Canyon is the Holy Grail of water politics in the Colorado River Basin, one that Western Slope water interests have a sliver of hope of getting in their grasp. Shoshone generates 14 megawatts of electricity from water that is diverted from the Colorado River to spin its turbines. It then is returned to the main channel. Its 1902 water right ensures that the Colorado flows to -- and through -- Glenwood Canyon, so its value to Western Slope water users hardly can be overstated.Shoshone "is the primary controlling senior right on the Colorado River," Colorado River Water Conservation District spokesman Chris Treese said.
An economic study that said the Front Range generates 18 times the economic value that the Western Slope does from an acre-foot of water was called "inflammatory" Tuesday by Western Slope water users at the Mesa County State of the River meeting, sponsored by the Colorado River District and the Mesa County Water Association. The reaction was harsh enough that a representative of Denver Water, one of the agencies that sought the study, said it seemed instead to undermine the main point the Front Range Water Council sought to illustrate: the interdependence of various regions in Colorado.
May showers have made for some lousy cycling weather, but they are expected to make up for a weak snow year and keep rivers flowing at near-normal levels this summer. "It's probably going to save our bacon, so to speak," said Dave Kanzer, senior water resources engineer for the Colorado River Water Conservation District, speaking at the Roaring Fork State of the River meeting, sponsored by the Colorado River District and the Roaring Fork Conservancy. The spring storms helped boost the snowpack in the mountains and slowed spring runoff, Kanzer said, keeping more moisture in storage as snow.
The Colorado River flows from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado through the southwestern United States. Along its route, the river passes through an elaborate water-management system designed to tame the yearly floods from spring snowmelt and to provide a reliable supply of water for residents as far away as California. The system is appreciated for the water it supplies, but criticized for the environmental problems and cultural losses that have resulted from its creation. Among the dams on the Colorado is Arizona's Glen Canyon Dam, which creates Lake Powell. The deep, narrow, meandering reservoir extends upstream into southern Utah. In the early twenty-first century, this modern marvel of engineering faced an ancient enemy: severe, prolonged drought in the American Southwest. Combined with water withdrawals that many believe are not sustainable, the drought has caused a dramatic drop in Lake Powell's water level over the past decade. The changes are documented in this series of natural-color images from the Landsat 5 satellite between 1999 and 2010. -Full NASA Landsat report-
The Colorado River District Board of Directors has released its 2009 annual report. Published copies are available by calling 970-945-8522 or by e-mailing edinfo@crwcd.org.
The question that keeps water managers up at night - How much water is left in the Colorado River? - now has an answer, courtesy of a state study that went public last week. Its answer: It depends. But it's probably less water than the state needs.
The Colorado River District and the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments have teamed up in a campaign to promote awareness of the connection between the water Colorado plays on and the water it uses. It's the same water. These images are appearing on billboards and bus stop benches on the Front Range.
West Slope and East Slope water users of the Colorado River are obligated to provide enhanced flows of 10,825 acre feet for fish habitat under a pro-active and successful Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. West Slope water is proposed to come from Ruedi Reservoir. Legislation has been submitted to Congress. Testimony by the Colorado River District
Joint Water Supply Study by East and West Slope entities to provide summer flows to support the Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program. click here
Use this link for the latest information about the Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act that created Basin Roundtables to discuss water supply issues and solutions. http://ibcc.state.co.us/
The Future is Drying Up
The New York Times Magazine has published a comprehensive story on the Big River Issues facing the Colorado River and the 30 million citizens in seven states. The Future is Drying Up
Oil shale may finally have its moment. In a dusty corner of northwestern Colorado, an energy of the future is beginning to look like the real thing. read news coverage
Colorado River's Uncertain Future
Whether it's climate change, drought or unresolved legal and political issues, the future of the Colorado River offers a flood of uncertainties that must be considered for this hard-working water supply. Presentations by Eric Kuhn
COLORADO RIVER WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT
P.O. Box 1120 - Glenwood Springs, CO 81602 - 201 Centennial, Suite 200 - Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
(970) 945-8522 FAX (970) 945-8799
The Colorado River District Board of Directors has released its 2009 annual report.
