Author: Jerd Smith Fresh Water News
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Long-awaited clean water pipeline for southern Colorado residents greenlighted
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Thousands of people in the Lower Arkansas Valley who’ve struggled to deal with contaminated water for more than 20 years will have access to clean water by 2024 under a new agreement signed by the federal government and two Colorado water agencies last week. The Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC), as the clean water delivery project…
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Colorado approves airborne, high-tech measuring system for snow water
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Colorado has approved a $1.9 million snow-measuring initiative based on NASA technology that will help communities across the state better measure and forecast how much water each winter’s mountain snowpack is likely to generate, using planes equipped with sophisticated measuring devices. The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) has been testing the accuracy of the flight-based…
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Colorado’s age-old water doctrine pushed to the brink by drought
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Editor’s Note: This story is a collaborative report by Fresh Water News working with nine other Colorado news outlets. In Evans, four miles south of Greeley, houses are shooting up. Once a quiet farm town, Evans is scrambling to come up with enough water to slake the thirst of hundreds of new homeowners, drawn here…
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$88 million state wildland fire mitigation effort seeks local input
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With a new $88 million effort to restore and protect communities and water systems from wildfires, Colorado’s top natural resources executive is asking locals to come forward and let the state know which forested areas need to be thinned to reduce fuels as soon as possible. “We are one lightning strike, one drought year away…
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Colorado intensifies efforts against ‘forever chemicals’ in water supplies
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This fall Colorado has launched two new programs, one aimed at removing firefighting foam containing so-called “forever chemicals” from fire departments, military bases and other properties and an emergency grant program aimed at helping communities where the chemicals have appeared in drinking water. The chemicals, known broadly as PFAS or poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances, have long…
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Western governors ask federal more help on forest health, climate change
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Western governors told top federal officials it was time to dramatically rework programs to help states recover from wildfires, thin overgrown, drought-ravaged forests, and protect mountain water systems. Governors representing 17 states gathered last week for the virtual Western Governors’ Association conference, which included sessions on forest health, climate change and broadband initiatives, among other…
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Poll: Slim majority supports spending more to protect Colorado’s water
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A majority of Colorado voters believe the state should spend more money on protecting and conserving its water resources, but they’re not willing to support new state taxes to fund the work, according to a series of bipartisan polls conducted over the past 18 months. “Roughly 55% of voters said the state should spend more…
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14 Front Range cities to coordinate drought response
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As drought conditions intensify across Colorado, at least 14 cities in the Denver metro area say they will join forces to warn residents of looming water shortages and the need to cut back use this spring. Denver Water’s Jason Finehout said a metro drought coordination effort would help ensure a consistent message on reducing water…
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Squeezed by two megafires: Northern Water’s race to save Grand Lake
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Craig Friar and Steve Anderson had seen wildfires smolder and flare before. But they had never seen one run. Until Oct. 21 when Grand County’s East Troublesome fire sprinted 17 miles in less than three hours, threatening to engulf communities across the county and giving these Northern Water staffers and others just hours to decide…
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In pandemic squeeze, Vail exits Colorado cloud seeding program
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Vail Resorts Inc., one of the largest financial contributors to Colorado’s cloud seeding program, has dropped out this year, leaving a major hole in the program’s budget. Cloud seeding is a practice in which silver iodide pellets are sprayed into storm clouds in an effort to trigger more snowfall and ultimately, in the spring, more…
