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 – January 13, 2010

KSL: Hearings open on nuke power plant – Some in Green River would welcome a nuclear power plant for the jobs it could create.

Salt Lake Tribune: Hearing on proposed Utah nuke plant zeroes in on water needs – A proposed nuclear power plant that could be built just outside this Emery County town in southern Utah would provide more than 1,000 long-term, high-paying jobs.

Deseret News: Water hearing today for proposed Emery County plant – Protests sparked by a plan to divert river water for a new nuclear reactor in Emery County will be reviewed at a hearing Tuesday.

Drought Monitor:

Water News Roundup – January 11, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:

More dreary days ahead – The prospect of more pollution-filled days along the Wasatch Front next week is worrisome.  First, snowpack totals in northern Utah are about half of normal, causing water managers grief.

Herbert pulling back on water deal – Hand-delivered letters from elected officials in Salt Lake and Millard counties to Gov. Gary Herbert this week apparently have persuaded him to delay signing a Snake Valley water-sharing agreement between Utah and Nevada.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial: Don’t sign, Governor – Gov. Gary Herbert apparently has decided to sign off on the proposed Snake Valley water agreement with Nevada. We join the Utah Medical Association, officials of Salt Lake and Millard counties, and members of the Snake Valley Aquifer Advisory Council in urging him not to do it.

KSL:

Water watchers wishing for more snowpack – Utah’s water watchers are warning that this winter is stacking up to be a relatively mild one, which means a meager snowpack. With no big storms on the horizon, the chances of turning that around are slim.

Governor delays signing Utah-Nevada water-sharing pact – Gov. Gary Herbert has delayed signing a water-sharing agreement between Utah and Nevada for Snake Valley.

Deseret News: Water hearing set for proposed nuclear power plant – Protests sparked by a plan to divert river water for a new nuclear reactor in Emery County will be reviewed at a hearing next Tuesday.  The plan calls for the diversion of 53,600 acre-feet of water for use at the nuclear facility planned by Blue Castle Holdings.

New York Times – Environment: Water conservation could limit suburban lawns – …But now a 2006 state law, designed to conserve water by altering landscaping practices, is taking effect, and the changes that began three decades ago are likely to accelerate. One proposal being considered in Menlo Park could restrict lawns on new or reconfigured landscapes to no more than 500 square feet per dwelling unit or to no more than 25 percent of the landscaped area, whichever is larger….