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 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 – June 22, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:  Oil flows again as probe points to why sensors failed – Black gold began flowing Monday through a mended canyon pipeline into Chevron’s refinery — and its coffers — even as a federal petroleum engineer pointed to a power surge as the likely reason sensors failed to detect the Red Butte Canyon oil spill.

KSL: Restoration project in the works for Jordan River – Officials will restore a section of the Jordan River to a more natural condition. Rocky Mountain Power gave its approval for the project along 550 yards of the river in West Jordan.

KCPW: Chevron spill impacting life in Red Butte Creek and beyond – Oil-soaked geese were one of the most visible signs of the Red Butte Creek pipeline spill, but it also affected what lives below the surface. KCPW’s Elizabeth Ziegler focuses on wildlife, in the first of a series on the spill.

Ogden Standard Examiner: Support sought for Jordan River plan – This summer, Davis County commissioners will be asked to financially support the creation of the Jordan River Commission, an agency designed to steward river development.

New York Times: A new panorama at the Hoover Dam – Generations of photo albums are filled with images of children squinting in front of the enormous canyon here, one of the greatest engineering feats in America’s history.

Water News Roundup – June 16, 2010

Deseret News: Jordan River access cut off for oil clean up – City officials have shut off public access to the Jordan River from 1700 South to 500 North as a result of cleanup efforts due to Saturday’s oil spill.

Salt Lake Tribune: Oil spotted in Great Salt Lake Wetlands –  Crude oil from the Red Butte Creek pipeline spill appears to have turned up in the Great Salt Lake wetlands.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial: Foiled by oil – Oil-soaked birds, a sheen on the water, stream banks painted with petroleum.

KCPW: Environmentalists consider lawsuit against Great Salt Lake Minerals – Several conservation groups are taking preliminary steps toward a lawsuit against the state for issuing a permit to a mineral extraction company that’s operated on Great Salt Lake for the past four decades.

I received this video from a friend of bank-side Red Butte Creek after the recent oil spill.  The contrast of the crude and beautiful 30” rainbow trout struggling and dying makes me incredibly sad.  I know it’s not the Gulf, but it’s our backyard.  I hope Chevron’s clean up is vigorous and is a long-term commitment to restoring the creek, the Jordan River and the Great Salt Lake wetlands affected by the spill.

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 27, 2010

KCPW: Salt Lake County Council mulls Advisory Commission for Jordan River – he Salt Lake County Council will discuss tomorrow whether to create a multi-jurisdictional advisory commission to oversee development and open space preservation along the Jordan River.

KSL: Construction set for new water education center – Groundbreaking ceremonies are planned for Tuesday at the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District’s new WaterSmart Education Center in West Jordan.  The center will promote water conservation and sustainability. It will include exhibits, a greenhouse, office space and rooms for classes, lectures and special events.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial: Drying Up – Nobody would ever call Pat Mulroy diplomatic. The executive director of the Southern Nevada Water Authority can be abrasive and confrontational, and her recent comments about Nevada and Utah water resources were true to form.

Technorati Tags: Jordan River,Jordan River Advisory Commission,JVWCD,Pat Mulroy,Snake Valley,SNWA,water education

Water News Roundup – March 15, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:

Long-held water rights in Nevada could be invalid – A Nevada Supreme Court ruling has triggered a tidal wave of legal uncertainty over decades of water rights sought by thirsty Las Vegas, dealing a big setback to the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s plan for a massive pipeline project and raising questions about thousands of water rights around the state.

Snow forecast for parts of Utah – This weekend’s snowstorm is expected to dump 1 to 2 feet of snow on central and eastern Utah through Sunday with smaller storms stretching across the state’s northern reaches.

KSL: Why is the Jordan River running so fast and furious? – What’s going on with the Jordan River? We’re having a lousy snow year in Northern Utah, and the primary snowmelt season hasn’t begun. Yet the river is running fast and furious, at least in places.  Jeff Bryant is on TV! Cool!

New York Times: Saving U.S. Water and Sewer Systems Would Be Costly – One recent morning, George S. Hawkins, a long-haired environmentalist who now leads one of the largest and most prominent water and sewer systems, trudged to a street corner here where water was gushing into the air.

Happy to spot this particular article, although some of my school chums may disagree…

Wall Street Journal: Engineering Grads Earn the Most – New college graduates may be entering the worst job market in decades, but there are still some majors that pay off—and all of them are in the applied sciences.

Technorati Tags: Jordan River,Nevada,snake valley,snowpack,Weather,engineering,water infrastructure

Water News Roundup – March 9, 2010

Daily Herald – Opinion: Trailing indicators – Vigorous public debate has once again showed its effectiveness — this time in helping to clarify why it’s time to begin work on the Murdock Canal Trail.

Happy Groundwater Awareness Week!  (Mar. 7 – 13th) Didn’t even know there was such a thing until today, but it’s a great reminder to get your well tested and perform any preventive maintenance on your groundwater equipment.

Jordan River Basin Plan Released for Public Comment

Salt Lake City, Utah  –  A regional water plan for the Salt Lake Valley is now available.  The Utah Division of Water Resources has just released Jordan River Basin-Planning for the Future, which is the latest in the series of “Utah State Water Plan” reports.

The new report is a comprehensive review of the Salt Lake Valley’s water resources.  It discusses current supplies and uses and explores in-depth how future demands will be met.  “This report has been reviewed by the major water suppliers in the valley and is now ready to receive input from the public,” said Dennis Strong, Division Director.  “We believe the plan lays out a roadmap that will ensure the water needs of the valley are met in a way that is economically and socially responsible, and also protects the environment.”

The new report also addresses future population projections and associated water demands to 2060, water conservation goals and successes, innovative water management strategies, major water development projects, and water quality and environmental issues.

A public meeting to receive comment on the report is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 30, 2010, at the Department of Natural Resources, 1594 W. North Temple in Salt Lake City.  A copy of the report is available at the division’s web site:  www.water.utah.gov.  Printed copies can also be obtained by contacting the division.

The Division of Water Resources plans, conserves, develops and protects Utah’s water resources.

Technorati Tags: Groundwater,groundwater awareness,Murdock Canal,Provo Reservoir Canal,Provo Reservoir Canal Enclosure Project,Jordan River,Jordan River Basin Plan