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 14, 2010

Provo Daily Herald: Canal project coming quickly – A major construction project will soon be having a big impact on north county cities.  The Interstate 15 rebuild? No, the other big effort getting under way in the region is the Provo Reservoir Canal Enclosure Project. Enclosing the waterway — a.k.a. the Murdock Canal — is a $15 million project that has been years in the making and involved a host of government agencies, including the U.S. Congress.

KSL: Public meetings kick off Murdock Canal project – A major construction project is about to get underway to enclose the Murdock Canal, the open waterway that carries water from Provo Canyon to the Point of the Mountain.  (Steve Cain, Facilities and Lands Manager for PRWUA, gets some serious facetime on KSL.  Usually they let you speak for about five seconds and then clip the take.  Steve manages to get in almost 30 seconds… go Steve!)

Ogden Standard Examiner: New reservoir ready to service two cities – A $3.2 million secondary water reservoir that becomes fully operational on Wednesday will save culinary water costs for two expanding north Davis cities.

KCPW: Lingering concerns dominate town hall meeting on oil spill – The second town hall meeting convened on the Red Butte Creek oil pipeline spill lasted more than three hours last night at Clayton Middle School in Salt Lake City.

Wall Street Journal: Water policy for NY power plants draws reliability concerns – Authorities in charge of the reliability of New York State’s power supply warn a policy to protect aquatic life could threaten the dependability of electricity supplies and increase air pollution.

Water News Roundup – July 8, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:

Fluoridation battle rages on – Holliday Water won’t have to fluoridate its supply — at least for now.  Under a recent decision by the Utah Supreme Court, the water company will not have to fluoridate its supply, despite a 2000 Salt Lake County ordinance that requires fluoridation. The company argued that as a private corporation, it was exempt.

Detecting oil leaks – In coordination with local, state and federal officials, Chevron has made all the right moves in responding to last month’s oil pipeline leak in Salt Lake City.  Chevron and city crews were on scene quickly, equipment materializing out of nowhere. Within hours of the discovery, the leak was stanched and the cleanup launched.

Open house on Murdock canal plan –  The Provo River Water Users Association is sponsoring an open house to discuss plans to enclose the Murdock Canal in a pipe and create a trail system over the canal right-of-way. The open house is on July 13 at 6 p.m. at Orchard Elementary School, 800 E. 1035 North [in Orem].

Provo Daily Herald:  BYU contributes to digital water policy library – Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library is one of five research libraries that helped complete a content expansion project for the Western Waters Digital Library.  Founded in 2004, the library is an online public resource that provides information about water issues in the western United States.

High Country News:  Monkey wrenchers keep on keeping on – When the news spread last year about Tim DeChristopher’s impromptu act of civil disobedience in Utah, I thought: Somebody is finally reviving the lost art of environmental monkey-wrenching.

Stories about hydro-fracking and groundwater contamination…

Wyoming Trib: Monitoring wells nearing completion – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has almost finished drilling two monitoring wells to test for pollution in a central Wyoming community where residents suspect chemicals related to gas drilling have contaminated their well water… Area residents say chemicals related to a process called hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” may have polluted their wells. Fracking involves pumping water, sand and chemicals underground at high pressure to open fissures and improve the flow of oil or gas.

AWWA:  Fracking bill may face uphill battle – Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette, Maurice Hinchey and Jared Polis introduced a bill in June to reverse a 2005 measure excluding hydraulic fracturing, used to enhance extraction of oil and gas, from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

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 – 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 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

Water News Roundup – February 16, 2010

Deseret News:

Murdock Canal Trail finally moving forward – It’s been 14 years since Utah County Commissioner Larry Ellertson first started working on the Murdock Canal Trail project.

Ecology study ordered for sports complex plan – Panned by local environmentalists, a plan to build a multimillion-dollar sports complex along the Jordan River must first pass muster with ecologists, Mayor Ralph Becker’s administration announced Thursday.

Environmentalists seek alternatives to proposed bridge over Utah Lake – Western Utah County residents may have two future options to travel east: over land or over water.  About 25 people from the Utah Lake Sailing Club, including representatives from the Sierra Club and the Utah Lake Commission, met in the Utah Lake State Park visitors center Thursday night to discuss alternatives to a proposed bridge over Utah Lake.

KSL:

Despite poor snowpack, water supply still in good shape – Many in Northern Utah woke up to a surprise snowstorm Thursday morning and to headlines about the incredible snowfalls on the East Coast.  It’s ironic, then, that snowpack numbers in Northern Utah are grim and almost certain to stay below normal the rest of the year.

KSL investigates spending by Kearns Improvement District – The Kearns Improvement District serves more than 13,000 customers — providing clean water and maintaining sewer systems.

Salt Lake Tribune:

Project to reduce mercury in lakes gets good review – Toxic mercury makes the wipers in Newcastle Reservoir too dangerous to eat.  And, while scientists might not know why the popular fishing spot is so polluted, they think they might have a means of dramatically reducing the danger levels.

Bear Lake Commission may be eliminated – A loss of funding could force the dissolution of the 40-year-old Bear Lake Regional Commission.  The cross-state commission is comprised of city and county officials from Bear Lake-area communities in Utah and Idaho. It runs on about $100,000 annually, with both states providing about half the funding.

Technorati Tags: Kearns Improvement District,Utah Lake,Utah Lake bridge,Murdock Canal,Provo Reservoir Enclosure Project,snowpack,precipitation forecast,Bear Lake,Bear Lake Commission,mercury,Newcastle Reservoir,water quality

Water News Roundup – February 9, 2010

Daily Herald:

Snowpack way below normal, reservoir levels ok – Don’t let the sun, the blue sky and the comparatively warm temperatures fool you. It’s just one of the many personalities of Utah winter.

Murdock Canal trail may be in jeopardy – On Tuesday, Highland may have cast aside years of work by many cities hoping to build a 21-mile regional trail.

Salt Lake Tribune: Runoff looks lean in N. Utah – Winter storms have dumped on southwestern Utah but skimped in the north, and it appears the spring runoff, for now, will do the same.

Now that it’s (almost) legal to catch rainwater in Utah, it’s time to learn how to do it…

Water. Use it Wisely – Arizona: Harvesting Rainwater for your landscape – Rainfall amounts may be minimal here in the low desert, but harvesting rainwater to channel to your landscape plants can be well worth the effort…

Water News Roundup – January 27, 2010

Provo Daily Herald: Murdock Canal trail will cost Pleasant Grove $388,000 – More than 20 percent of the public trail to be built over the Provo Reservoir Canal will be inside Pleasant Grove, and that means the city will be responsible for that area.