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
A change in policy will help fish in Wild Trout, Gold Medal waters flourish
Saturday, June 28, 2008
"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
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...."
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.
By John Orr - Colorado Water Examiner http://www.examiner.com/x-395-Colorado-Water-Examiner~y2008m6d27-Colorado-water-managers-plan-for-climate-change
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."
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
Melinda Kassen of Boulder Colo.-based nonprofit Trout Unlimited agreed, adding, “More than one lower court has determined that these limited definitions of “navigable waters” are required to apply the entire Clean Water Act, and it is often a difficult determination in the West.”
By Judith Curtis-MardonView from the Driver's Seat / Grand Junction Sentinel
"A rain barrel would be a great way to capture, and redirect, the water that the rains send along. I could also save on my water bill. But I can’t use a rain barrel in Colorado because it’s against the law to capture rain water that falls on your house." click to read more
By John OrrPOSTED June 17, 6:54 PM
On Sunday I read a rant about oil shale on a midwest blog (Sorry, I don't have the link). The author said that he was, "sick of the Left," blocking energy projects. He mentioned the estimated trillions of barrels of oil locked up in oil shale in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. As I read his post I quickly understood that he thought that oil shale technology was far enough along that the nation is being denied its benefits both for lower energy prices and independence from foreign oil.
In case there are other readers out there that are thinking along similar lines I feel compelled to let you know what I know about the current situation."
