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 – June 21, 2010

Las Vegas Sun: Supreme Court rules on Las Vegas water applications – It’s back to square one for the Southern Nevada Water Authority in its efforts to pump thousands of acre feet of water from rural Nevada to serve the Las Vegas area.

KSL:

Nevada high court withdraws water right ruling – The Nevada Supreme Court has withdrawn an earlier ruling in a key water rights case, giving new life to a proposal to build a massive pipeline to get water from the northeastern part of the state to Las Vegas.

Chevron says flush of Red Butte Creek appears to be successful – A flush of water rushed down Red Butte Creek in an effort to push any lingering oil residue downstream. Chevron pumped extra water into the creek Saturday afternoon.

Deseret News: Great Salt Lake had its day in Utah – Transport a northern Utahn from a hundred years ago to today, and he’d certainly be shocked by all our technology, as well as our hustle and bustle. He or she would also likely be surprised that many residents have never visited a Great Salt Lake beach or so much as dipped a toe in the briny waters of the lake.

Interesting article on water right pricing and how it is getting more expensive to buy water (via Aguanomics)

Water News Roundup – June 2, 2010

An interesting set of groundwater rulings that address whether an adjacent user’s water right is impaired by declining water table levels.  Jeff Gittens provides a clear summary – thank you Jeff!  Here is the legal-ese version.

Utah Water Law & Water Rights Blog:  Bingham vs. Roosevelt City – The Utah Supreme Court recently issued its opinion in Bingham v. Roosevelt City. The case centered around five City wells, known as the Hayden Well Field, through which the City pumped water out of an unconfined, shallow aquifer underlying the Hayden area. The water level in the area dropped significantly due to the City’s pumping. For example, the static water level at one well dropped from 14.3 feet to 94.6 feet.

Water world in pictures today – a bit bleak:

Recent satellite imagery of the gulf (complete with helpful ‘oil’ labels.. ha!):

Beautiful satellite imagery of the Colorado River Delta:

View of the sinkhole in Guatemala caused by recent tropical storms:

Water News Roundup – May 4, 2010

Deseret News: More than 1,600 file protests over plan to tap Snake Valley aquifer – The protests are piling up over a plan that proposes to tap water from an aquifer in Snake Valley that straddles the border of Utah and Nevada.

St. George Spectrum: Water week educates residents – Water managers across Utah kicked off a series of tours, educational events and other activities Monday as part of Water Week, a statewide effort to promote water conservation and educate about how people use water.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial: Shrinking lake – The Great Salt Lake is shrinking, taking vital wetlands with it. While the lake level historically rises and falls dramatically, warming temperatures and dwindling snowpack could mean a permanently smaller lake. If that happens, millions of birds and other wildlife could lose vital food, shelter and nesting areas.

Technorati Tags: Great Salt Lake,groundwater management,Nevada,Snake Valley,SNWA,Water Conservation,Water Week

Water New Roundup – May 3, 2010

Deseret News:

Bear Lake the ‘Caribbean of the Rockies’ – Bear Lake and Bear River share a name — but for 10,000 years, their waters did not mingle. Earthquake activity had shifted the course of the river that horseshoes around the lake, cutting off the lake.

Plan for Jordan River rehabilitation moves forward – The Salt Lake County Council became the first government entity to sign off on an ambitious plan to rehabilitate the Jordan River, preserve and acquire neighboring open space and develop a “lake-to-lake” trail along its 50-mile corridor.

Salt Lake Tribune:  Groups say Great Salt Lake needs help staying wet – The idea of a Great Salt Lake with too little water might seem hard to fathom.  But some of the iconic lake’s biggest fans spent three days this week discussing signs it might be water-starved already and what the fallout might be if it shrinks more.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial:  River revival – A plan to reinvigorate the Jordan River is gaining momentum.  A coalition of river advocates called the Blueprint Jordan River Implementation Committee has put together an intergovernmental agreement that would bring together 15 cities and three counties to revive the Jordan.

Ogden Standard Examiner: Officials, advocates debate Great Salt Lake management – A massive dust storm Tuesday turned Top of Utah gray, raised particulate pollution and served as a coincidental introduction for this year’s Great Salt Lake Issues Forum.

KSL:

Groups float Great Salt Lake water right idea – Some of the biggest fans of the Great Salt Lake are floating a new idea in response to concern the lake is starved for water and could shrink even more.  Giving the lake its own water share, through a dedicated water right or conservation pool, was one of the proposals discussed at the Friends of Great Salt Lake forum this week.

State and city leaders kick off Water Week! – Leaders, residents and businesses across the state are gearing up to raise awareness of the importance of water conservation in Utah.

The St. George Spectrum: St. George starts Water Week 2010 – Water Week kicks off Saturday and the theme for 2010 is “Water Works.”  St. George and the Washington County Water Conservancy District have teamed up to provide several events and tours to celebrate the week and showcase some of the water works. All the events are free.

Technorati Tags: Bear Lake,Great Salt Lake,Jordan River,Water Conservation,Water Week

Water News Roundup – April 12, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:

Sides gear up for new water fight – Ranchers, county governments, conservation groups and the Goshute tribe are crafting protests against a Nevada water utility’s new applications to pump Snake Valley water to Las Vegas, a conservation group said.

Utah’s first N-plant won’t float without water rights – The former uranium boomtown of Green River sits along I-70 in eastern Utah, 100 miles from the closest city. Now it may become the Western outpost of America’s nascent nuclear renaissance. Blue Castle Holdings, a three-year-old, politically connected startup, wants to build a nuclear power plant there — Utah’s first, and the first in the West since 1987.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial: Wilderness bill – An act of Congress to set aside 26,000 additional acres of wilderness in the Wasatch Mountain canyons east of the Salt Lake Valley could benefit water users. It could also benefit its sponsor, Utah Rep. Jim Matheson, whose vote against health care legislation has made him unpopular with some Democratic voters in the 2nd Congressional District.

Las Vegas Sun: Las Vegas can’t handle another era of unimpeded growth – A report by the Sonoran Institute, an Arizona-based nonprofit think tank, says that if the Las Vegas Valley’s population grows to capacity using the Bureau of Land Management acreage designated for development, even the most stringent water conservation measures won’t be enough to ensure that everyone has enough H2O.

Technorati Tags: groundwater management,Nevada,nuclear power,Snake Valley,Water Conservation,water/energy nexus,watershed protection,wilderness designation

Water News Roundup – March 22, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:

Pumping too much water is sinking Cedar Valley – Since 1939, the Cedar Valley spreading west and north of Cedar City has dropped 100 feet and the only way to stop or slow the process is replenish the underlying aquifer with at least as much water as is being discharged through pumping.

Snake Valley water deal stalled for this year – A court ruling, and the inaction of Nevada lawmakers, means any agreement on Snake Valley water won’t happen until at least 2011, according to Mike Styler, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources.

KSL: Spring ends a tale of 2 winters in Utah – Two winters came to Utah this year.  One, in southern Utah, delivered storm after storm that piled deeper-than-normal drifts of snow in the mountains.  The other, in northern Utah, offered only sporadic snow but nothing close to the 30-year average.

The Spectrum: UGS report: Water table down 4 feet – Reports on the Enoch Subsidence Study by the Utah Geological Survey topped the agenda at the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District meeting Thursday.

Technorati Tags: Cedar City,Enoch,groundwater management,Nevada,precipitation,Snake Valley,snowpack,subsidence

Water News Roundup – March 18, 2010

The Spectrum:

Fish release rejuvenates species – The effort to re-establish populations of endangered fish species in the Virgin River continues, as wildlife officials released 2,500 Virgin River Chub into the water near Hurricane, on Tuesday.

Enoch discusses area water rights – The Enoch City Council met with Sen. Dennis Stowell, R-Dist. 28, and Rep. Evan Vickers, R-Dist. 72, Wednesday night to ask questions pertaining to legislation that could affect Enoch.

KSL: Saving rare fish may require moving mouth of river – Saving Utah’s endangered June sucker may require moving a river.  Federal officials this week announced they’re in the early stages of planning a project to shift the mouth of the Provo River as it flows into Utah Lake.

Here’s a related story that is fascinating.  Watch the video to see thousands of carp being pulled out of Utah Lake… awesome!  Plus, Reed Harris from the Division of Wildlife talks about the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program.

Millions of unwanted carp removed from Utah Lake – For the past couple of years, a project has been underway to remove millions of unwanted carp from Utah Lake. The carp destroy the habitat for the June sucker, a rare and endangered fish.

Wall Street Journal: Midwest braces for floods – A massive snowpack in the Upper Midwest and along parts of the East Coast have set the stage for potential record floods in the coming weeks, possibly pushing back the planting season in the Farm Belt and prompting intense preparations to reinforce levees and draw down reservoirs.

Best Use of Colorful Vernacular goes to David Berg, "The river is going to look like a snake that swallowed a pig."

Technorati Tags: chub,endangered species,Enoch,flooding,June sucker,Provo River,Virgin river,carp,utah lake

Water News Roundup – St. Patty’s Edition

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

KSL:

Heavy snow has S. Utah preparing for potential floods – Temperatures Tuesday pushed above 60 degrees for the first time this year in Cedar City, renewing attention on the possibility of flooding.

NV users seek quick resolution to water ruling – State water officials and others are hoping for a quick resolution to a Nevada Supreme Court ruling that many believe throws the validity of thousands of water rights into question.

The Spectrum: Fissures study to be presented at water district – Reports from the Utah Geological Survey are topping the agenda at Thursday’s Central Iron County Water Conservancy District meeting.

Wall Street Journal: U.S. Opens Spigot for California Farmers – Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a sharp increase in federal water supplies for California’s agricultural Central Valley, further easing drought concerns in a state where El Niño rains have raised the mountain snowpack after three severely dry years.

Technorati Tags: California drought,Cedar City,CICWCD,Enoch,flooding,ground water monitoring,Nevada,Snake Valley,water shortage

Water News Roundup – March 3, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:

Canal bill advances to the Senate – A bill that would require city and county officials to notify canal companies of applications to build on land within 100 feet of a canal cleared a legislative committee Tuesday.

Six water companies not compliant – Six water companies in Utah have been listed as noncompliant with the state’s Water Conservation Plan Act.

Deseret News:

Water bill clears the House – A legislative proposal that clarifies water rights in a time of shortage such as a drought or natural disaster unanimously received support from the House.

Six water systems out of compliance – Six water companies in Utah are not compliant with the Water Conservation Plan Act because they failed to submit water conservation plans by the February deadline.

For anyone whose taken a muncipal water system class, this article will be fascinating.  It may well change the way we distribute water to through urban communities…

Science Daily:  Leaf veins inspire new model for distribution networks – A team of biophysicists at Rockefeller University developed a mathematical model showing that complex sets of interconnecting loops — like the netted veins that transport water in a leaf — provide the best distribution network for supplying fluctuating loads to varying parts of the system. It also shows that such a network can best handle damage.

Technorati Tags: water conservation plans,Water Rights,water shortage

Water News Roundup – March 2, 2010

Ogden Standard Examiner: House committee created to make recommendations on Great Salt Lake – A Utah House committee on Monday approved the creation of an official council to make recommendations on public policies that involve the Great Salt Lake.

KCPW:

Would advisory council for Great Salt Lake be enough? – Members of the Great Salt Lake Advisory Council convened by former Governor Jon Huntsman say Representative Ben Ferry’s bill to create a permanent council for the lake is a good first step.

Water rights discussions could be behind closed doors – Governmental negotiations on water rights could be held behind closed doors, under a bill passed by the Utah House of Representatives this morning.

Technorati Tags: Great Salt Lake,water legislation,Water Rights

Water News Roundup – February 18, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:

Farmland conservation bill stalls – A bill to save some Utah farmland from development appears to be dead.

Utah water-sharing bill advances – A compromise bill on how to share water during emergency shortages met no resistance in a House committee Wednesday — quite a different response from when Rep. Kerry Gibson, R-Ogden, sponsored a sharing bill last year.

Deseret News: ‘Priority’ water use is the target of HB231 – Water for consumption, sanitation and fire suppression during times of a governor-declared emergency would have “priority” over other uses under a measure approved Wednesday in a legislative committee.

The Spectrum: City stands pat on water bill – The Cedar City Council decided against drafting a resolution dealing with whether to support Senate Bill 20 during its special action meeting Wednesday night.

Scientific American: EPA to staunch flood of stormwater runoff polluting U.S. waterways– Across the country, stormwater runoff hammers thousands of rivers, streams and lakes. Communities are left to struggle with the consequences of too much pavement and too little oversight. Now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is gearing up to tighten federal stormwater rules that have been criticized by environmental groups and deemed ineffective by a national panel of researchers.

Technorati Tags: farmland conservation,priority water rights,runoff,stormwater regulation,urban growth,Utah Legislature 2010,Water Quality,Water Rights,water-sharing

Water News Roundup – January 17, 2010

Deseret News: Two bills on stream access pass committee – Like that pesky carp that keeps returning to your fishing line, the controversial issue of accessing public streams on private property is presenting lawmakers with a boatload of debate.

Salt Lake Tribune: Two bills on stream access pass House panels – Two different Utah House committees passed separate stream access bills Friday.  The bills and the debate are the result of a 2008 Utah Supreme Court decision called the Conaster Ruling that gave anglers and river enthusiasts the right to access waterways on private property as long as they stayed in the riverbed and entered the river on public property.

The Spectrum: Local water district bill put on hold – Proposed by Sen. Dennis Stowell, R-Dist. 28, Senate Bill 20 focuses on creating a special local district to help develop and execute a groundwater management plan throughout the state.

Courtesy of Jeffrey Gittens at Utah Water Law: Water Rights Deed Addendum Bill – Representative Ben Ferry has introduced House Bill 314 (HB 314) entitled “Water Rights Addendums to Deeds.” The bill would require a water rights addendum (i.e., a “deed rider”) to be included with every deed that conveys land or water rights.

NPR: Warming planet can mean more snow – With snow blanketing much of the country, the topic of global warming has become the butt of jokes.  For scientists who study the climate, it’s all a bit much. They’re trying to dig out.  Most don’t see a contradiction between a warming world and lots of snow. That includes Kevin Trenberth, a prominent climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado.

Technorati Tags: Climate Change,groundwater management,precipitation,public access,snow,stream access,Utah Legislature 2010,Water Rights