A New Era of Cooperation– Eagle Signs the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement

The crowd of water leaders present at the Eagle signing of the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement

It’s not the signing of the Declaration of Independence but this is a great moment in Colorado’s history—the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement, an agreement that Denver Water reached with 39 Western Slope water providers, local governments and ski resort operators received its first signatures yesterday. Leaders from Eagle County, Eagle River Water & Sanitation District, Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority and Eagle Park Reservoir Company gathered and signed the agreement.

“It’s precedent setting,” said Rick Sackbauer, Chairman of the Board of the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District. “For generations and generations and generations to come this is absolutely huge.”

After five years of mediated negotiations and decades of tension, the agreement proposed in April 2011, focuses on cooperation—bringing traditional water foes together as partners for responsible water development benefiting both Denver Water and the Western Slope. The Cooperative Agreement outlines various actions for Denver Water and Western Slope entities to benefit both water supply and the environment. Read the draft agreement here.

Now that water leaders in Eagle have signed, 36 others will begin to sign onto the agreement—although when that will happen is anybody’s guess. “It’s important enough to begin the wave of signatures,” said Jim Pokrandt, Communications Specialist with the Colorado River District.

Four Questions for Photographer Peter McBride on “The Colorado River: Flowing Through Conflict”

Peter McBride, author of 'The Colorado River: Flowing Through Conflict'

Our expert blogger, Ted Kowalski, had the opportunity to interview  Peter McBride, photographer of “The Colorado River: Flowing Through Conflict” . Let us know your thoughts on McBride’s experiences and opinions and stay tuned– Kowalski promises that we’ll find more where this came from next week.

Ted: Can you describe how you got a picture of the humpback chub on page 82? 

Peter: I spent a day with biologists in the Little Colorado River. The scientists were doing a population study, catching, tagging and releasing fish. I spent most of the time, chest-deep in the water, with an underwater camera trying to make images of the humpback chub and others species.  To my delight, one humpback chub freely swam in the hand of a biologist after being released. It stayed there for some 20/30 seconds as if it didn’t want to leave – almost saying thanks for the helping hand.

Ted: Some solutions that are suggested in the book for meeting future water supply/demand imbalances are pool covers and improved agricultural conservation, but both of these solutions would fail to supply the potential of millions of acre-feet needed to meet the projected Colorado River water demands in 2060.  What do you think about solutions that have been suggested by some that would add more water to the system, such as desalination plants in Mexico, or a pipeline from the Mississippi River basin?

Colorado’s Rural Water

Image via Wikipedia

Did you know that 98% of Colorado’s water systems serve populations of 10,000 and less? Many operators and managers of these rural systems converged in Colorado Springs today for the Colorado Rural Water Association’s 31st Annual Conference and Exhibition. The conference will last through Thursday and provide advanced training and management classes as well as opportunities for networking.

On Thursday, catch the best tasting water contest! The winner will be eligible to compete against other states at the National Rural Water Association’s Rural Water Rally held in February 2013– in 2010 the Morgan County Quality Water District of Fort Morgan won second place in this national competition. How do you think Colorado’s water compares with that of other states? Do you love your drinking water?

According to the Colorado Water Quality Control Division, 96% of the state’s population drinks water that meets all health-based drinking water standards.  Read more about the safety of your drinking water and the role of water treatment in the latest issue of Headwaters Magazine.

What’s Your Water Footprint?

Visit waterfootprint.org to calculate your water footprint

How much water are you eating, drinking, wearing and using? In the most recent issue of the Colorado Foundation of Water Education‘s Headwaters Magazine, journalist Rebecca Olgeirson explores the idea of a water footprint in How Big is Your Water Footprint?– read the entire article here.

From Headwaters: “It’s time to start thinking about the water embedded in a product,” says Amelia Nuding, water/energy analyst at Boulder-based Western Resource Advocates. “It’s not something most consumers think about in daily life.”

Much like the more established notion of a carbon footprint, a water footprint is less an exact science and more a conservation tool aimed at increasing consumer awareness. Developed in 2002 by Arjen Hoekstra at the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands, water footprinting was designed to trace the direct and indirect use of water with the intent of comparing regions across the globe.

Did you know: Denver Water estimates that 52 percent of its customers’ household water is used for outdoor watering?

How much is that lush lawn worth? For some consumers, the cash cost incurred by steeper utility rates is a deterrent. For others, the environmental is more effective. “Do we really want to take water out of our rivers to water our lawns?” asks Nuding. “Once you look at it in a water footprint context, the larger picture becomes more significant and we can see the implications of individual choices.”

Calculate your water footprint using National Geographic’s personal water footprint calculator and let us know– how big is your water footprint? Are you doing anything to cut back on personal water use? Do you think about the water used to create the products you purchase? Is there anything that the state of Colorado or your utility should be doing to make people more aware of the water we’re using?

Thoughts on “The Colorado River Flowing Through Conflict”

-Ted Kowalski, Head of the Colorado River Unit of the Colorado Water Conservation Board

This piece reflects the personal opinions and thoughts of Ted Kowalski alone and should not be attributed to the Colorado Water Conservation Board or the State of Colorado.

"Dust on snow" causes snow to melt prematurely. Photo by Peter McBride

Peter McBride and Jonathan Waterman’s photographic masterpiece, The Colorado River Flowing Through Conflict, provides amazing and provocative snapshots of the Colorado River, from a variety of unique and mesmerizing perspectives, as its personality changes from the headwaters to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.  Without a doubt I would recommend this book to anyone who loves nature photography or who works in water issues as one of the best photographic journeys along the Colorado River that I have seen.

While the photographs are taken from multiple perspectives, the description of some of the issues and problems facing the future of the Colorado River would benefit from some additional perspectives.  Thus, I am hopeful that the book, and this blog, will engage the public and generate some additional discussion—for there are so many nuanced and multi-faceted water resource management issues that face water managers of the Colorado River.  In that regard, the Colorado River Compact of 1922, subsequent compacts, the U.S.-Mexico Treaty of 1944, and the associated body of law known as “the Law of the River” is neither simple, nor easy to manipulate in order to make wholesale changes.  That said, the Law of the River has been proven to have some flexibility.  In the future, more creativity and flexibility will be necessary to rise to the upcoming challenges.

The Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon, as seen in "The Colorado River Flowing Through Conflict". Photo by Peter McBride

Water 2012 Book Club at Colorado Water Congress 2012–Video Available!

“Water is too important to fight over,” said Water 2012 Book Club author Patty Limerick during last week’s Colorado Water Congress 2012 Annual Convention after amending a famous quote that, according to Limerick should say that whiskey is for drinking and water is sometimes for fighter over but is also for cooperating, negotiating, sharing and more.

Limerick along with Book Club authors George Sibley, Craig Childs and Jonathan Waterman brought our Water 2012 Book Club to life on Thursday and Friday giving compelling and inspiring talks on water history, characters, adventure, beauty and key issues. Through their talks they captured the many reasons why we’re celebrating water in 2012.

“I look for these points of water that draw your attention because they are so crucial,” said Childs referring to the rare beautiful tinajas, pools, waterfalls, reservoirs and other water sources in the desert Southwest. “I want to remind you of these small places because I’m sure you have them… beautiful places of water.” He went on to recognize the many water professionals in attendance, “I wanted to thank you for what you do– protecting this one small pool of water.”

If you missed the talks, or want to relive them, watch the video recording of Childs and Waterman here and prepare for further online discussion of the featured 2012 books, beginning with Waterman and McBride’s the Colorado River Flowing Through Conflict tomorrow, February 1– here on Your Water Colorado Blog.

Governor Hickenlooper Announces Water 2012 at Colorado Water Congress

Watch the video of Governor Hickenlooper announcing that 2012 is the year of water in Colorado. This will be shown during the Colorado Water Congress Annual Convention, January 26-27, 2012. During Water Congress you’ll also be able to view the premier of a video that will be shown throughout the state in the coming year, Water Fluency. Show Water Fluency during your next talk on Colorado Water or look forward to seeing it during 2012 Speakers Bureau presentations.
Here’s a report from YourHub.comvia The Denver Post:

The year 2012 is a big, wet milestone for water in Colorado. In a state almost entirely defined as desert or semidesert, 2012 is a milestone anniversary for many of the organizations and policies that protect our precious water resources.

Colorado Water 2012 started as an idea to celebrate these milestones. It has since grown into an unprecedented statewide celebration of water, its uses and its value. By celebrating these anniversaries collectively we hope to increase awareness about the importance of Colorado’s water resources.

Colorado Water 2012 launches with Governor Hickenlooper’s declaration of 2012 as the Year of Water at the Colorado Water Congress being held on January 25-27. Understanding the importance of water to the economic and social prosperity of our state, Governor Hickenlooper is supporting Colorado Water 2012 by officially declaring 2012 the ‘Year of Water’. See the video announcement http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtPVc7ASzPE.

Colorado Water 2012 is organizing several activities throughout the year including: Water 2012 Book Club: Featuring Colorado authors: Peter McBride, Jonathan Waterman, Craig Childs, Will Hobbs, Greg Hobbs, George Sibley and Patty Limerick, Library and Museum Displays scheduled yearlong and statewide, K-12 lesson plans and poetry contests, Higher education social networking events, and a traveling speaker presentation covering water challenges and successes in Colorado.

GeoDome: a Global Water Story Presentation Tomorrow

- Ka Chun Yu, Curator of Space Science, Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Planetariums are typically used to study outer space.  However their interactive visualization capabilities are ideal for involving audiences in impactful discussions about earth systems and environmental science.  Join geologist Dr. Bob Raynolds and space scientist Dr. Ka Chun Yu as we turn our focus around to examine our home planet and start a conversation about local and global water issues, using the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s immersive GeoDome display system.

Register now for a geodome presentation at Colorado Water Congress tomorrow, Wednesday January 25, to learn how geophysical processes impact water supplies around the globe. See how patterns evident in Asia and Africa can be related to those that affect us in North America. See how we all live on an interconnected globe with common threads influencing our water supplies. We will use interactive immersive visualizations to explain these planetary scale processes that affect global water distribution patterns.

The Colorado River– McBride Author Presentation Video Available Through the Water 2012 Book Club

Watch Peter McBride’s presentation for the Water 2012 Book Club now.  Also, be sure to join our blog discussion of the Colorado River Flowing Through Conflict beginning in early February.

News Flash: History Repeats Itself

-Jim Pokrandt, Communications and Education, Colorado River District

What were the forebearers of the Colorado River District working on at this point in time 75 years ago?

A Shoshone Hydro Plant protocol to maintain flows in the Colorado River, Senate Document 80, which would go on to authorize and spell out operations of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, and Green Mountain Reservoir.

What did the CRD Board work on at its two-day meeting this week? The very same issues — although with 75 years of updated circumstances. Shoshone, SD 80 and Green Mountain Reservoir are three of the biggest issues on the river, and we haven’t even mentioned Denver Water yet, but will in future posts.

The Water 2012 Book Club posting of the draft Chapt. 5 of author George Sibley’s book: Water Wranglers: A 75-Year History of the Colorado River District, points out that our work is never done. The hard-fought, emotional, high-stakes decisions of the 1930s continue to frame our modern-day work at the Colorado River District – ever balancing water development with protection of the resource for Western Colorado.