Water News Roundup – August 23, 2010

Ogden Standard Examiner:

Morgan County says municipalities should handle water infrastructure – While county officials wait for the end of a water moratorium and the overdue publication of a water study, they are saying that municipalities should shoulder future responsibility for water infrastructure.

Farmington authorizes new city well – A project to drill for a new city well will move ahead, despite some second thoughts among city officials after hearing from local residents.

Salt Lake Tribune  – Editorial: Teachable moment – Eternal optimists were flummoxed by the Red Butte Creek oil spill. What good can possibly come from 33,600 gallons of crude pouring from a ruptured Chevron pipeline into the creek?

Las Vegas Sun: State reconsidering request to pump water from upstate – State Engineer Jason King has set new deadlines for handling the applications filed in 1989 to pump billions of gallons of water from rural Nevada to Las Vegas.

St. George Spectrum (requires sub.): Vegas water pipeline foes seek NV court hearing – Opponents of a proposed multibillion-dollar water pipeline from northeastern Nevada to Las Vegas are mounting a procedural challenge to a Nevada Supreme Court order sending the case to a state official for review.

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 11, 2010

Provo Daily Herald: Pleasant Grove weighs water options – A years-long argument about how to provide water and sewer to Manilla residents continued progress at a snail’s pace on Tuesday. Pleasant Grove elected officials spent more than an hour discussing how to end a stalemate that has now outlasted several mayors.

Salt Lake Tribune: Who dumped paint into City Creek? – The Salt Lake Valley Health Department is trying to determine who dumped latex paint and mortar residue into a storm drain leading into City Creek.

Wall Street Journal: California puts off vote on huge water-upgrade effort – California lawmakers have voted to delay putting an $11.1 billion water bond to voters, extending a battle to rework the biggest effort in decades to upgrade the state’s water system.

Water News Roundup – July 13, 2010

Las Vegas Sun:  Vegas water agency halts ‘third straw’ tunnel work – Work has stopped on a tunnel for a new drinking water intake pipeline between Las Vegas and Lake Mead after a cavern that took two years to excavate unexpectedly filled with water.

ASCE Newsbrief:  Seattle’s price tag for clean water: $500 million – Keeping the water around Seattle clean is going to cost the city half a billion dollars over the next fifteen years.  Seattle Public Utilities will soon begin a federally-mandated, $500 million city-wide infrastructure improvement program designed to reduce storm and wastewater pollution. This will mean higher sewer and drainage bills for people, beginning next year, and for years afterwards.

KSL:  Salt Lake water ranked highly despite number of breaks – Salt Lake City’s water infrastructure suffers hundreds of breaks every year, in spite of a heavy investment from taxpayers. But a recent study shows the city is doing pretty well, by comparison.

Water News Roundup – June 15, 2010

KSL: Warm temperatures lead to flooding in Utah and Summit counties – An irrigation canal in Utah County got a lot more water than it could handle Monday. It’s now a swift-moving river, and residents in Lehi are bracing themselves for round two of the flooding.

Deseret News:

Aftermath of the S.L. oil spill: Did power line cause the break? – At ground zero of the weekend’s oil spill into Red Butte Creek, a welding crew is furiously at work, high-voltage power lines swinging overhead.

Water break causes geyser-like explosion in Fairpark – Salt Lake City public utilities officials said the cast-iron pipe, installed in 1929, gave way, and the pressure pushed the water to the top, creating “a nice plume of water,” public utilities maintenance supervisor Bret Shelley said.

Click here for Brian McInerney’s recent Flooding Update

Water News Roundup – May 24, 2010

Deseret News: Invasive quagga mussel found in Utah reservoir – State wildlife officers say divers have found what appears to be signs of the invasive quagga mussel in a Utah waterway.

Salt Lake Tribune:

Suspected quagga mussel found in S. Utah – The long-feared first case of an invasive, troublesome and costly exotic mussel is suspected at Sand Hollow Reservoir in southern Utah.

Thirsty farmers in Sanpete County may get dam soon – After nearly 80 years of hoping, bickering and legal challenges, farmers in northern Sanpete County are closer than ever to having water flow to their fields in the arid months of summer from a dammed creek high on the Wasatch Plateau.

Skip the sprinklers: rain will water for you this weekend – The bad news is that yet another spring weekend in Utah is likely to be wet. The good news: you still don’t need to start up the sprinkler system. (Check out the regional, weather-station/ET-based Weekly Lawn-Watering Guide!!)

St. George Spectrum: Water services expanding – The St. George City Council approved a bid for a $3.7 million water project Thursday that should improve water capacity and pressure on the south side of the city.

Provo Daily Herald: Pl. Grove needs $3M to pipe mountain runoff – A massive effort to pipe the Murdock Canal has left Pleasant Grove looking for ways to pay for its own $3 million pipeline.

Provo Daily Herald – Opinion: Another look at Utah Lake bridge plan – I am writing in response to the recent guest opinion by Howard Johnson (“Facts support need for Utah Lake bridge” in the May 17 edition of the Daily Herald).

I know I should be thrilled for our water supply, but dang it!! This is asking too much:

Water News Roundup for May 19th 2010

Last week I posted about taking care of sick kids, but this week it’s me!  *cough cough*  Hope this roundup finds you all well.  Don’t take your health for granted!

Last week I was able to meet Michael ‘the Aquadoc’ Campana at the AWRA Utah Section Conference.  He’s posted some additional analysis about one talk in particular given by State Senator Dennis Stowell on local groundwater management.  This also follows an article in High Country News I posted a few days ago.  David Zetland at Aquanomics has also re-posted on this topic.  It’s interesting that local governance of groundwater resources would garner such attention.  Here is Michael’s most recent review:

Waterwired: Unitization in Utah – Unitization in Utah? What could that be?

Last week I posted on the great time I had at a water conference in Utah (28 Hours in Utah…).  Prior to arriving in Salt Lake City I’d read a story in the 10 May 2010 issue of the High Country News (now requires a subscription to read) about the passage of a bill to allow the residents of southwestern Utah’s Escalante Valley to manage their own groundwater. At the conference I then heard a talk (via phone) by State Sen. Dennis Stowell (R), the main sponsor of SB 20, who told the story of the bill.

And now for the rest of the news…

Provo Daily Herald: Drinking water ordinance shelved so BYU can resolve concerns – An already overdue drinking water protection effort has been delayed another two weeks because of concerns expressed by Brigham Young University.

KSL: Experts warn of swift waters in rivers and streams – Search and rescue crews are warning people to be aware of high and fast-moving water in Utah’s rivers and streams. Warm days can quickly melt mountain snow, creating dangerous conditions.

Provo Daily Herald: Provo leaders raise power, water rates – It’s going to cost a little more to live in Provo — about $100 more over the next year.  The City Council on Tuesday approved increases in power and water rates beginning in July.

Water News Roundup – May 6, 2010

Not much in the way of local water news today, so a few national tidbits instead.  Enjoy!

Washington Post: New EPA water infrastructure policy seeks to encourage smart growth – If you build it, they will come. And, if you don’t, they won’t.  Such is the thinking behind a policy released late last month by the Environmental Protection Agency that instructs states to adopt smart-growth principles in allocating the $3.3 billion in water infrastructure funding that the federal government doles out each year. States, it asserts, should prioritize projects that upgrade the drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in cities over projects intended to serve new developments on the suburban fringe.

Waterwired (NSFW? You decide…probably if you live/work in Utah ;)): Colorado River as the butt of many jokes

“Hope these folks are not upstream of a drinking water intake.

First, Kay craps out, now this! Rumor has it that David Zetland has the photo taken from the other riverbank and is checking its market value.

Seriously, check out SavetheColorado.org.“

(Really great maps of the Colorado on this site.)

On the Water Front Blog: A Bay-Delta photo tour

Technorati Tags: Bay Delta,EPA,water infrastructure,Water Funding,Colorado River

Water News Roundup – May 5, 2010

Ogden Standard Examiner: Exploring our feathered friends – The state’s premier bird festival might be organized by Davis County, but it reaches well beyond the county borders to explore and celebrate the diverse wild bird populations throughout the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and Northern Utah in general.

KSL: Salt Lake City residents could see water rate increase – Currently, the city is refurbishing an old sewer main dating from the 1960s. Almost $4 million is needed for projects like this one.

Technorati Tags: Great Salt Lake,Great Salt Lake Bird Festival,Salt Lake City,water infrastructure

Water News Roundup – April 26, 2010

Daily Herald:

Pipeline to bring 400 jobs, $235 million to local economy – As a massive project to pipe the Murdock Canal gets underway, officials are lauding the work as a boon to the local economy.

CUP pipeline construction will start this fall – Engineers for a 5-foot water pipeline project are looking for input from the public on where the pipeline should go.

Santaquin gets $7 million for water treatment plant – Representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development stopped by to present Santaquin with a $7 million loan/grant for its forthcoming wastewater treatment plant.

Deseret News:  Bishop and Chaffetz join water fight in congress – A frontier proverb said that whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting over. Holding true to that, a big water fight broke out in Congress on Wednesday.

Salt Lake Tribune:

Official: Water deal is critical – A top Nevada water chief made a splash during a recent Las Vegas television interview, trash-talking Salt Lake City for being too bucolic, its residents for not being able to spell conservation and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert for not signing a contentious Snake Valley water-sharing agreement.

Back on the Green – Emmett Heath caught his first trout on the Green River below Flaming Gorge Reservoir before the dam was even completed.

Will we be ready when drought comes to stay? – In 1934, the driest year of the Dust Bowl, Big Cottonwood creek, which supplies almost 25 percent of Salt Lake Valley water, ran dry. In 1935, the year of Black Sunday, Utah Lake was empty.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial: Bridging Utah Lake – Leon Harward wants to build a 5.8 mile-long private toll bridge across Utah Lake. Because this project would alter the air and water quality in Utah County in multiple ways, the importance of an environmental assessment cannot be overstated. Yet this project will not be subject to a federal environmental impact statement.

Technorati Tags: Clean Water Act,Colorado River,CUP pipeline,drought,Green River,Murdock Canal,Pat Mulroy,provo reservoir enclosure project,Santaquin,Snake Valley,Utah Lake,Utah Lake bridge,water legislation,water treatment plant

Water News Roundup – April 5, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:

Utah county leaders OK trail funds – The Murdock Canal Trail is planned for the strip left exposed once the canal — a drowning hazard in the past — is enclosed in pipe. It will include one path serving walkers and cyclists and a separate path for horses. It also will have rest areas with restrooms, picnic tables and parking lots, all for a cost of $17.3 million.

Travel perks will dry up in water districts – Your water bill still might pay for an occasional golf outing, but it no longer will go toward spousal perks that some Salt Lake County water districts once included on their travel tabs.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial: No Utah Lake Bridge – The proposed private toll bridge bisecting our public treasure, Utah Lake, is a bad idea that is being evaluated in an inadequate, flawed process. The bridge is neither needed nor wanted. It benefits a few developers at the expense of our health, our well-being and the lake’s viability.

Ogden Standard Examiner: Water worries ease a bit in Northern Utah – Utah’s water managers love it. After a dry fall followed by a so-so winter and now a dry spring, the snow is a welcome addition that has boosted Top of Utah’s snow pack to nudging 70 percent of normal.

Deseret News: Federal water projects impact residents – Living in a federal construction project along 400 East is fun for the kids but extra work for Jennifer Soter.

“It’s mostly muddy, and on warm days, it’s dusty,” the Springville homemaker said.

Soter’s block was among those torn up by construction crews in January to begin laying a 60-inch water pipe to carry pressurized Strawberry Reservoir water from Diamond Fork Canyon to Salt Lake County.

Technorati Tags: diamond fork pipeline,Murdock Trail,precipitation forecast,Springville,Utah Lake,Utah Lake bridge,water districts

Happy World Water Day! March 23, 2010

The official kick-off for World Water Day was actually yesterday, but it’s supposed to last all week.  The UN describes the day as, “…celebrated annually on March 22, was established by the United Nations in 1992 and focuses attention on the world’s water crisis, as well as the solutions to address it.”  National Geographic is devoting their April 2010 issue to global water challenges and has made it free for download until April 2.  If you become a ‘fan’ on facebook of ITT Watermark, they will donate $1 to Mercy Corps, Water for People, and the China Women’s Development Foundation.  Water.org has more information about Water Week as well.

The local chapter of Water for People has opened registration for their 6th annual golf tournament and benefit on May 3.  Here’s a flyer for the event:  2010 WFP Golf Tournament Invitation.  If you register before Apr. 5th they will give you a 10% discount.  Don’t miss this chance to see water-buffaloes roaming the links! (Unless you were in St. George last week – then you’ve probably seen enough. :))

Finally, Boston.com has a smaller collection of the photos from the National Geographic issue.  They are really impressive.

Now for the news…

Salt Lake Tribune: EPA to issue stricter drinking water standards – The Environmental Protection Agency is tightening drinking water standards to impose stricter limits on four contaminants that can cause cancer.

Provo Daily Herald – Opinion: Land owners backed by legislature – Since the Conatser ruling in 2008, the Utah Legislature has struggled with balancing private property rights and recreation rights.

Technorati Tags: EPA,stream access,Water for People,World Water Day,water quality

Water News Roundup – March 10, 2010

Lots of water news today with much of the press highlighting the Jordan River Basin Plan.  Here’s a recap of the Jordan River coverage, followed by other miscellaneous items.

Deseret News:  Jordan River Basin Plan out for comment – A comprehensive review of the Salt Lake Valley’s water resources identifies the need to make more efficient use of wastewater and to develop additional supplies.  Dennis Strong comments on this one.

Ogden Standard Examiner: Bear River to slake thirst, one of several steps to meet 2027’s larger population – New water supplies, including the Bear River, will be needed to quench the thirst of fast-growing suburbs around Salt Lake City in the coming decades, according to a state report released Tuesday.

KSL: New water supplies needed for Utah demand – A state report says new water supplies will be needed to quench the thirst of fast-growing suburbs around Salt Lake City in the coming decades.

ABC4 News: New water supplies needed for Utah demand – A state report says new water supplies will be needed to quench the thirst of fast-growing suburbs around Salt Lake City in the coming decades.

In other news…

Deseret News: Plans in place to enclose 100-year old Provo canal – A $150 million project to enclose all 21 miles of the Provo Reservoir Canal, also known as the Murdock Canal, in north Utah County will begin in October. (I was interested to read that CUWCD will now be receiving “8,000 square feet” of water and “50 cubic square feet” of conveyance capacity in exchange for their funding assistance… whoops!)

Salt Lake Tribune: Big pipeline to replace Provo canal – A canal association plans to enclose an open ditch leaving Provo Canyon with a 21-mile pipeline to Salt Lake County.

Ogden Standard Examiner:

Canal construction and preventive maintenance in Weber Basin – Water users in Weber and Davis counties should not notice a change in their water supplies this week.  But behind the scenes, the way they are getting some of their water is much different from the usual.

Farmington to build bigger reservoir – City leaders are shifting their focus in an effort to upgrade the city’s water system.  With growth on the west side fueling the need for more water capacity, officials had originally budgeted funds to drill a test well in the 2009-10 fiscal year, but those plans have been changed.

The Spectrum: Worrisome water – Whenever there’s heavy rainfall like there was Tuesday, Gail and Lester Black usually do two things: work around the predictable flooding of their ranch and curse the city of Hurricane.

Technorati Tags: Farmington,flooding,Jordan River Basin,Jordan River Basin Plan,Murdock Canal,Provo Reservoir Canal,Provo Reservoir Canal Enclosure Project,WBWCD

Water News Roundup – March 8, 2010

Deseret News:

State seeks best uses of Utah Lake – State officials are looking for the best uses for Utah Lake — even if it means simply leaving it alone.

Federal funding to boost conservation efforts – Maintenance of fish hatcheries, waterfowl management and curbing disease in wildlife populations will receive a funding boost due to an allocation of nearly $10 million to Utah from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Salt Lake Tribune:  My water bill pays for what? – The stewards of several Salt Lake County water systems are flowing your money into more than just water and pipes to quench your thirst, wash your clothes and sprinkle your lawn.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial:  Canal safety – A bill to require state inspections of irrigation canals is dead in the water. But another that would keep the public from learning about dangerous canals is cruising toward passage. It seems as if the Utah Legislature is more interested in coddling canal companies than protecting the people whose lives would be endangered by a canal break.

The Spectrum: Water conference underlines scarcity – In the Southwestern United States, water and its scarcity is a big deal. Just ask any of the more than 1,600 people at the Dixie Center this week attending the Rural Water Association of Utah’s annual conference.

Technorati Tags: canal legislation,canal regulation,canal safety,federal funding,RWUA,Utah Lake

Water News Roundup – February 23, 2010

Ugh… back from a balmy 70 degree Napa to 24 degree Salt Lake…. BRRRRR!

Deseret News:

National plan aims to boost water levels in the West – A new Department of Interior initiative announced Monday aims to boost the water supply in the thirsty West through an infusion of dollars and strategies aimed at patching infrastructure and boosting conservation efforts.

N. Utah’s snowpack running below level – Water sources in Utah this year aren’t producing as much as in past years, but it has nothing to do with global warming, a Natural Resources Conservation Service researcher said.

Provo Daily Herald: House hears bills on stream access – One bill that tried to compromise stream bed access sank straight to the bottom on Monday, while another is treading water.

2010 Legislature: Via Jeffry Gittins, here are a couple of recent developments with water-related legislation.

Rainwater harvesting bill – SB32 was amended for the house with the following changes:

Harvested water can be stored and used on a “parcel,” which is now a defined term (the bill previously used the word “property”).

There is a limit of one underground storage container per parcel.

There is a limit of two covered storage containers per parcel.

The maximum size of covered storage containers was increased to 100 gallons (previously, it was 55 gallons).

Also, there is a new ‘Land Use Authority Notification of Canal Development’ Bill (HB298) that affects development within 100 feet of the centerline of canals.  It will require municipalities and counties to notify water agencies of proposed development.