Colorado

9 February 2005 at 1:15pm
Water, water everywhere but not
I have been concerned for a while about the development that is going on in the south metro area that is using a depleting aquifer as its source of water. Last Wednesday Rachel, Jason, who is one of our interns, and I met with Bob Raynolds, a geologist who is studying the aquifer and its depletion. He told us that the water level is dropping about an inch a day. That works out to about 30 feet a year. He showed us diagrams of the thickness of various aquifers in the Denver Basin. He was careful to not give any particular time for when the water will be gone, but it seemed to me that someone who bought a house in Douglas County today, with a 30 year mortgage, might be making house payments longer than they are taking showers.unless we start thinking, planning and investing. On Wednesday from noon to 1:15 P.M. I am hosting a hearing for people to talk about ideas they have for how to address this issue. It will be at the Capitol in Senate Hearing Room 356 which is located on the third floor on the East side. There will be some experts on water issues testifying and there will be a chance for public comment as well.

Let the Colorado Run Again
The reservoir's elevation could also drop three times faster over the next three years than it has over the past five. If that happens, it would cause hydroelectric power production at the dam to cease in 2006. By 2007, a condition known as "dead pool" would be created, which means the dam would basically become useless as a power generator. The reservoir, however, would still stretch 104 miles upstream, contain approximately 2 million acre- feet of water and sediment, and rest 234 feet above the original river bed at Glen Canyon Dam.

County Water Board Sues U.S. in Dispute Over Colorado River
The Imperial Irrigation District, which provides the farmers with irrigation water, has asked a federal judge to block a decision by the secretary of the interior that reduces the district's allocation from the river. Imperial officials said a lawsuit was filed on Friday in federal court in San Diego.