Water News Roundup & Moratorium Edition

I am very sad to say this will be my last Water News in Utah update for a while.  I have been offered a job that likely won’t allow me to keep posting in a substantial way. I will leave the site up in the meantime however, since it has become a handy reference and news story archive. I hope you’ve enjoyed the water news round-up over the past year. I know I have, and I’ll be back if I can swing it. Thanks again for devoting time and energy to stay informed.

Salt Lake Tribune: Oil shale problems – In “Oil and water” (Forum, Aug. 14), Bill Johnson, Utah’s “community representative” for the U.S. Congressional Task Force on Strategic Unconventional Fuels, promotes oil shale development and says that there is enough water to uphold this industry because one study estimates that only about 1.7 barrels of water are needed to produce a barrel of shale oil.

Living history: Utah Lake carp provided food for the needy – Utah Lake was once a fabulous, rich fishery. George Washington Bean, a settler in Utah Valley, wrote that Ute tribes gathered at the lake “on account of the wonderful supply of fish moving up the stream from the Lake to their spawning grounds each spring.

KSL: Feds give $100,000 to help save June sucker in Utah Lake – The Federal Government has given the Central Utah Water Conservancy District $100,000 to rid Utah Lake of non-native fish.

St. George Spectrum: Water rate structure questioned – Water resources and the systems that make use of them shape the way a community develops and thrives, but Cedar City resident Doug Hall believes unless a new water rate structure is instituted by Cedar City Corporation, Festival City USA will no longer have cause for celebration.

The St. George Spectrum online edition requires a login.  I find it interesting that one of Cedar City’s water rate critics cites Washington County Water Conservancy District’s rate structure as a possible model for Cedar City.

Water News Roundup – August 26, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:

State explores private management of state parks – The chairman of a board looking at the potential for privatizing state government functions would like to see Utah privatize a handful of state parks to see if they can be run more efficiently than they are now.

Lake Powell slobs foment revolt – Each summer I do penance at Lake Powell for the environmental sins of its visitors. This summer was no exception as I volunteered to work on a houseboat called the Trash Tracker. Our job: picking up debris in 108-degree heat along 100 miles or so of the 1,900-mile shoreline.

Ogden Standard Examiner:  Artificial catfish nests being placed in Bountiful lake – As a pelican swoops overhead and the cattail sways along the shore, Eric Stephenson lowers a love nest into the water.

Times Free Press:  Hot river forces costly cutback for TVA – The Tennessee Valley Authority has lost nearly $50 million in power generation from its biggest nuclear plant because the Tennessee River in Alabama is too hot.

Water News Roundup – August 24, 2010

Deseret News: Lake Powell ruled mussel free zone – The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has officially ruled Lake Powell mussel-free three years after a false positive detection.

Salt Lake Tribune: West can lead the new energy economy – The West, with its wealth of wind, solar, geothermal and other clean, renewable energy resources, is poised to lead the nation toward a new energy future.

The Hill: EPA unveils strategy to modernize clean water programs – The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday floated a draft strategy to improve water quality nationwide, one that bluntly recognizes that today’s pollution sources are often difficult to target with traditional Clean Water Act controls.

New York Times – Science: Levels plummet in crucial reservoir – Water levels in Lake Mead, the Colorado River reservoir, fell sharply again this summer and are nearing an elevation that would set off the first-ever official water shortage on the river, The Arizona Republic reported last week.

Indian Point nuclear plant’s toll on river stirs debate – Just beneath the wind-stippled surface of the Hudson River here, huge pipes suck enough water into the Indian Point nuclear plant every second to fill three Olympic swimming pools.

Water News Roundup – August 17, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:  Mexico, US talking about Colorado River water – A powerful Easter Sunday earthquake along the Mexico border has had ripple effects in Nevada, spurring international talks about future use of the Colorado River and the water level in Lake Mead.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial: Shrinking Mead – Some marinas at Lake Mead are high and dry; new roads now meander on dry ground that used to be far under water. The huge reservoir is shrinking.

New York Times:  Lake Mead’s water level plunges as 11-year drought lingers – Lake Mead, the enormous reservoir of Colorado River water that hydrates Arizona, Nevada, California and northern Mexico, is receding to a level not seen since it was first being filled in the 1930s, stoking existential fears about water supply in the parched Southwest.

City Brights w/ Peter Gleick: Water and energy: obey the law on cooling systems – The connections between energy and water are significant and complex. We use vast amounts of energy to collect, move, treat, use, and clean water. And we use vast amounts of water to produce energy, including for mining, drilling, and processing fossil and nuclear fuels, and especially for cooling power plants.

Water News Roundup – August 12, 2010

Will be visiting beautiful New Mexico next Monday.  Not sure if I’ll have internet access, but we might have a ‘New Mexico Water News’ edition.  If not, see you Tuesday!

Salt Lake Tribune: Public allowed access to Jordan River again – The Salt Lake Valley Health Department has lifted a health order limiting public access to parts of the Jordan River following a June oil leak.

Logan Canal fix might leave out some water users – Cache County residents are wondering how they are going to get irrigation water 13 months after a mudslide along the Logan Northern Canal breached the waterway and claimed the lives of three people.

Wall Street Journal: Cash flows in water deals – Indianapolis is selling its water and sewer systems to a public trust to get money for crumbling streets and bridges. San Jose, Calif., fresh from cutting 49 firefighters, might take its water utility private. “Excess” tap water in Sacramento, Calif., is helping supply a Nestlé SA bottling plant.

Via Gayle Leonard at Thirsty in Suburbia: 1971 Mad Magazine reveals the future – Sad that the thing they got wrong was the newspaper.

Water News Roundup – August 10, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:  Latex paint spill in City Creek under investigation – Latex paint and mortar residue contaminated City Creek after the materials were dumped into a storm drain from two homes in the Avenues, fire crews said.

Chevron letters rile oil spill victims  – Annie Payne and her family spent two nights in a hotel after 33,600 gallons of crude oil from a leaky pipeline poured into the stream near their Yalecrest home two months ago and made them all sick.  And, like many of her east Salt Lake City neighbors and others driven away by the petrochemical fumes, she took up Chevron on its invitation to submit a claim for spill-related costs.

Deseret News: Pipeline construction moves to Provo – “One day a road will be open, but when you drive there the next day, it will be closed. It’s been very hard to get around here.”  …. It’s been pretty much the same story all summer for everyone who lives on or near 400 East, where workers have laid five miles of 60-inch diameter pipe as part of the Spanish Fork Provo Reservoir Canal Pipeline project.

KSL: No swimming in Salem pond – A swimming advisory was issued for Salem Pond after testing of the water indicates it is unsafe for swimming, deep wading, and ingesting due to bacterial contamination.

Water News Roundup – August 9, 2010

KSL: Counties sign Jordan River Pact – Three Wasatch Front counties took a major step Wednesday to make the Jordan River corridor a greater community centerpiece.

Agencies discuss safety plans for the Jordan River – Several agencies met to discuss safety plans for a trouble spot along the Jordan River after couple died last weekend while kayaking.

Logan canal project could be delayed by study – Work to restore the full flow of irrigation water to thousands of acres of northern Utah farmland could be delayed now that a more in-depth environmental study on a canal project is planned.

Pleasant Grove sets water restrictions – Pleasant Grove has issued a citywide conservation plan for watering.  Residents in odd-numbered houses can water on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The days for even-numbered homes are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

KCPW: Local officials sign agreement to create Jordan River Commission – Representatives from Salt Lake, Davis and Utah Counties signed an agreement this afternoon to coordinate efforts to restore and revive the Jordan River. And they’re calling the plan “historic.” KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports.

Water News Roundup – August 2, 2010

Will be at all day training sessions August 3-4.  No water news these days, but back on Thursday.  Thanks for checking in!

Deseret News: State forestry division plans open houses to craft Great Salt Lake Management Plan – With the wind rustling in the cattails and birds bobbing on the water of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, members of the new Great Salt Lake Advisory Council convened their second meeting — a get-acquainted session on topics related to the unique body of water.

Those meetings are:

Aug. 10, Weber County.

Aug. 17, Salt Lake and Davis counties.

Aug. 24, Tooele County.

Aug. 31, Box Elder County.

More information can be found at www.ffsl.utah.gov/sovlands/gsl.php.

Flash floods set off mudslides and close access to roads in Utah, Duchesne counties – Flash flooding triggered mudslides and closed off access to U.S. 89 near Bird’s Eye Sunday evening but forecasters predict the weather will clear up by Monday.

KSL: Storm floods parts of Utah County – A quick-moving rain storm caused major problems in Utah County Saturday evening.

Salt Lake Tribune: Storms cause flooding in S. Utah – Residents spent Saturday filling sandbags and clearing thick red mud from Kanab streets and basements, caused by floodwaters from torrential rains that swept into town.

Provo Daily Herald: New water restrictions for Pleasant Grove – Residents are using much more water this summer than last year and it is causing a concern about the city’s secondary water supply.

AWRA Blog: Western Governor’s Association DC Workshop: Drought, Climate and Water– The Western Governors’ Association and the Western States Water Council will sponsor a two-day workshop in DC, 14-15 September 2010, on: Drought, Climate and Water: Using Today’s Information and Designing Tomorrow’s Services.

Water News Roundup – July 29, 2010

Deseret News:

Flash floods might continue in southern Utah – The National Weather Service’s forecast of high precipitation levels and flash flooding proved true Tuesday as a mudslide blocked traffic in Grand County. The NWS issued a flash flood warning Tuesday morning for southern and eastern counties in Utah.

Payson officials remind residents of watering schedule – Although Utah experienced a wet winter and spring, water restrictions continue in this south Utah County city.

Report says Utah, northwest poised to make change to clean energy – Utah is among seven regional states identified in a new analysis as the best-positioned area in the country to transition to clean energy within 40 years.

KSL: Western climate initiative offers cap and trade – A coalition of seven western states and three Canadian provinces on Tuesday offered its most detailed strategy yet for controlling greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change, saying they hope it will stand as a model for national systems in the United States and Canada.

KCPW: Western climate initiative cap and trade plan released – The most detailed plan yet detailing how the Western Climate Initiative will attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions came out yesterday.

Ogden Standard Examiner: Energy startup defends oil sands project in Utah – An energy startup from Canada on Tuesday defended its plan to launch the first significant U.S. oil sands project in eastern Utah, after opponents argued it would dig up fragile topsoil and pollute groundwater.

After reading up on the “water/energy nexus” I am convinced that stories covering energy, such as cap and trade, oil shale development and renewables, are tightly integrated with water provision.  Water is inexpensive at this time, but will likely increase in cost in the near future as these two resources constrain each other.

A view of the capitol building this morning for a Think!Energy breakfast:

Water News Roundup – July 28, 2010

Deseret News: Strawberry River restoration project brings promise – Along a section of the Strawberry River, the bare earthen bank tells the story of man’s meddling gone wrong, of ripping away vegetation that once held together the soil.

Provo Daily Herald: Pleasant Grove officially joins aquifer study – Hoping that the city may someday be able to store water for future use, the Pleasant Grove City Council has agreed to join other north county cities in the North Utah County Aquifer Association.

Salt Lake Tribune: Groups challenge plans for Utah tar sands mine – A small Canadian company, in need of millions for its ambitious plans, also is facing stiff opposition from two Utah environmental groups that are trying to thwart its efforts to build one of the first commercial tar sand mines in the country.

MSNBC: Pipeline leak pollutes major Michigan river – Crews were working Tuesday to contain and clean up more than 800,000 gallons of oil that poured into a creek and flowed into the Kalamazoo River in southern Michigan, coating birds and fish.

HCN: It’s getting warmer and drier – A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) offers a mixed picture of how climate change will affect Western water supplies.

Water News Roundup – July 27, 2010

KSL: Tests show no source for sheen seen in underground streams – Water managers in Salt Lake City say test results reveal no link, so far, between a sheen found on water running through several east bench properties a few blocks north of Red Butte Creek and the Chevron oil spill into that stream. Still, the source of the sheen is mystery.

Deseret News: How bad was the Red Butte spill? – Neil Vickers would like to know what made him and his wife sick the weekend a Chevron pipeline leak sent tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil down the creek that runs through his east Salt Lake City yard.

Science Daily: New water management tool may help ease effects of drought – Continued improvement of climate forecasts is resulting in better information about what rainfall and streamflow may look like months in advance.

After reading this article, I feel slightly better about not obsessing about drinking 64 oz. of water each day.  Too much of a good thing, etc…….

Scientific American: Strange but true, drinking too much water can kill you – Liquid H₂O is the sine qua non of life. Making up about 66 percent of the human body, water runs through the blood, inhabits the cells, and lurks in the spaces between.

Water News Roundup – July 26, 2010

Provo Daily Herald: Residents learn more about canal, trail project – Jackie Adamson says seeing plans for the $150 million Provo Reservoir Canal Enclosure Project is like watching a life-long dream come true.

Deseret News:

Most residents voice support for Murdock canal, trail plan – Few people pay attention to the “No Trespassing” sign that warns people off the maintenance road along the Murdock Canal.  Every day, walkers, runners and cyclists can be found using the dirt road, and no one stops them.

Safe drinking water a goal of Utah agencies, cities – Orders to boil water issued in two cities about a month apart this year highlighted an aspect of modern-day living most people take for granted — safe drinking water as close as the kitchen faucet.

KSL: Southern Utah officials help residents save water – Water officials in southern Utah are continuing a program that offers free irrigation system checks to residents so they can save water.

AWRA Blog: Evaluating sustainability of water demands in 2050 under climate change –Tetra Tech and the Natural Resources Defense Council have just released the report, Evaluating Sustainability of Projected Water Demands under Future Climate Change Scenarios.

St. George Spectrum (sub. required): The Slide Divide – A discussion that initially started out over a battle of water rights for a few individuals on Cedar Mountain has escalated to an issue that could affect all of Iron County and its taxpayers.

Water News Roundup – July 20, 2010

Even die-hard water newsies like myself have to break for vacation now and again.  I’ll be up running the Snake River over the next few days.  The water news will be back on Monday.

St. George Spectrum:  (Unfortunately the Spectrum has switched to a subscription only format on the web.  You must have a subscription to view the articles below.  I am considering leaving the Spectrum out of the Roundup because of this.  Or I can keep posting them with a note that says ‘sub only.’ What would my readers prefer?  Feedback is greatly appreciated.  Please use the comment link, also below.)

Pipeline studies plodding along – Thousands of pages in, work continues on a group of studies on the possible environmental and social impacts of a proposed $1 billion dollar pipeline…

Residents look to save water – Triple-digit temperatures and a lack of rain have some people scratching their heads about how to keep their plants and lawns green…

Salt Lake Tribune:  Public input sought for proposed otter plan – The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is seeking public input on a proposed plan to guide northern river otter management in Utah for the next decade.

High Country News:  Dust takes a toll – Imtiaz Rangwala studies climate change on the Tibetan Plateau and, more recently, in the American West. In mid-May, the climatologist flew into Durango, Colo., through skies darkened by dust… (Subscription required.  Fortunately HCN offers a free 30-day trial.  Give this great pub a whirl!)

Water News Roundup – July 19, 2010

KSL: Sustainability, water conservation – In this Sunday Edition, KSL’s Richard Piatt discusses Salt Lake City’s sustainability plan with a city leader and a member of the builders association. Also, the need for water conservation is explained by two water experts.

Salt Lake Tribune: Bonneville Shoreline Trail access at Red Butte off-limits – The Bonneville Shoreline Trail remains off-limits at Red Butte Creek more than a month after a Chevron pipeline rupture disgorged crude oil into the waterway.

Water News Roundup – July 15, 2010

KSL: Chevron cited for oil spill in Salt Lake City – State regulators have cited Chevron Corp. for a pipeline leak that spilled crude oil into a Salt Lake City creek.

Washington Post: EPA seeks comment on Denver fracking study – Natural gas industry groups on Tuesday urged the Environmental Protection Agency to limit the scope of an upcoming study on the effects of a natural gas extraction process known as fracking.

New York Times: May the best flusher win – What does the Grand Canyon have in common with the world’s largest toilet? They’re both stops on the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest promotional campaign, a “We’re for Water” cross-country road trip aimed at educating consumers about water-saving behavior and products certified through the agency’s WaterSense program.