Water News Roundup – July 12, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:  Questions linger a year after Logan canal burst – …Today, the property still looks like a disaster zone. The hillside is a jumble of dirt and tree limbs beneath the cracked edges of the empty canal.

High Country News:  Calm before the storm – Late last month, the Western Governors’ Association, a nonpartisan organization that works with the governors of 19 western states and three U.S. territories, took a step to prepare for the impending hail with the publication of their new report, “Climate Adaptation Priorities for the Western States.”

KSL:

Salt Lake residents speak out on Red Butte oil spill – Exactly one month after Utah’s biggest oil spill in memory, the residents most affected are speaking out — but not with a single voice.

Law lets raindrops keep falling in Utah buckets – Utahns can now legally collect rainwater, and at least a few are taking advantage of the freebie.

As mentioned last week in the Daily Herald’s article on BYU joining the Western Waters Digital Library, here’s a link to the library itself – seems like a useful and searchable resource for historical photos and documentation.  I’m sure everyone already knew about the collection, but it was news to me!

Water News Roundup – May 10, 2010

St. George Spectrum: Utah allows rainwater collection – During its 2010 session, the Utah Legislature approved Senate Bill 32. The mandate allows rainwater collection and storage in no more than one underground 2,500 gallon container or no more than two above-ground containers of 100 gallons each.

Salt Lake Tribune: Outdoor Notebook: Migrate on over to the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival – The 12th annual Great Salt Lake Bird Festival is May 13-17 with field trips, workshops, lectures and educational and craft booths. The Davis County Legacy Events Center, 151 S. 1100 West, Farmington, is the main location for the event with hours from noon to 7 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Bill Fenimore, author of Backyard Birds of Utah and The Salt Lake Tribune ‘s Bird Sighting feature, will be the keynote speaker at a dinner May 15 at 6 p.m. Visit greatsaltlakebirdfest.com or call 801-451-3286 for information.

Technorati Tags: Great Salt Lake,Great Salt Lake Bird Festival,rainwater harvesting

Water News Roundup – March 4, 2010

KSL: Legislature OKs personal collection of rainwater – The Utah Legislature has passed a bill that would permit the personal collection of rainwater.

Deseret News: Great Salt Lake Bird Festival registration begins Thursday – Registration for the 12th annual Great Salt Lake Bird Festival begins at 9 a.m. Thursday.  Registration can be made online at www.greatsaltlakebirdfest.com or by calling 801-451-3278.

The Spectrum: Legislators to meet with city – Enoch City Council members will have the chance at their next meeting to ask Sen. Dennis Stowell, R.-Dist.28, questions about the recently passed Senate Bill 20 that allows for the creation of special districts by local entities to assess water rights.

Technorati Tags: Enoch,Great Salt Lake,Great Salt Lake Bird Festival,rainwater harvesting,Water Rights

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.

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 – February 2, 2010

eseret News: Great Salt Lake Bird Festival events announced – This year’s festival, held at the Legacy Events Center in Farmington, runs May 14-16 and will feature various birding tours with visitors coming from all over Utah to look for birds around northern Utah.

Salt Lake Tribune: Senate passes bill governing collection of rainwater – The Senate passed legislation Monday that would allow Utahns to legally set out a barrel to collect rainwater for use in their yards or gardens.  Current law prohibits the practice, because collecting the water could diminish the amount available to parties who hold rights to groundwater.

KUER: Today at 9 o’clock Diane Rehm will be talking about global water issues related to scarcity and security.  Here’s a description of her show.  We’ll add a link to the podcast (Windows Media Player) afterward. Have a great morning!

Environment: Global Water Security
Water is quickly replacing oil as our most valuable natural resource. Freshwater scarcity affects public health, national security and the global economy. A panel joins Diane to examine how control and distribution of water will affect future domestic and foreign policies.

GUESTS

Steven Solomon, journalist and author of the recently published “Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization” and “The Confidence Game.”

Water News Roundup – February 1, 2010

Suddenly lots of water news… Snake Valley, canal regulation, new legislation, etc.  Enjoy!

Deseret News:

Nevada top court reverses ruling on water deal –  A controversial water deal between Utah and Nevada — one that appeared destined for signatures just weeks ago — was upended Thursday after Nevada’s Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling on the matter.

Amendment aims to clarify water taxation – A constitutional amendment that would give tax-exempt status to water-producing property was sent on with a favorable recommendation Thursday morning in a House committee meeting.

Salt Lake Tribune:

Ruling may sink Snake Valley water deal – A top water official moved too slowly on a 1989 Las Vegas request for certain water rights, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled Thursday — a finding that could delay or even kill a $3.5 billion proposal to pipe water 300 miles from Snake Valley to Sin City.

Utahns speak with one voice: no water deal – Anyway you slice the numbers in a new poll, most Utahns say a proposed Snake Valley water-sharing agreement with Nevada is a bad idea.  About 60 percent or more of all men, women, Democrats, Republicans, independents, Mormons and non-Mormons oppose the deal, which appeared all but done before a Nevada Supreme Court ruling Thursday smashed into it.

Great Salt Lake’s mercury source can’t hide forever – Scientists may finally be closing in on the source of mercury fouling Utah’s Great Salt Lake.  The Environmental Protection Agency is funding an effort by a University of Utah researcher and others to scan the air over the lake in search of mercury and any hints about where it’s coming from.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial: Canal regulation – At 4,703 words, Utah House Bill 60 sets a record.

KCPW: Senator wants to legalize rainwater collection – It’s been a year since Utah Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins first introduced his rainwater harvesting bill, but he says people are still “a little jumpy” about changing some of the oldest laws in Utah, its water laws. But it’s a common practice that’s becoming more popular as interest in gardening and sustainability grows. Jenkins notes that currently in Utah, people storing rainwater are actually breaking the law.

Water News Roundup – January 28, 2010

KSL: Lawmakers discuss options to make Utah canals safer – Utah has between 6,000 and 7,000 miles of canals, controlled by roughly 1,200 canal companies. On Wednesday, state lawmakers began wrestling with the issue of how to make those canals safer.

Salt Lake Tribune:

Bill would keep Utah canals’ hazards a secret – Last summer’s deadly Logan canal collapse is spurring efforts to identify potential hazards along Utah’s waterways, but a House bill would keep those findings secret from the public and even the courts.

Lawmakers want to legalize backyard rainwater use – The Utah Senate advanced a bill legalizing the common but illegal practice of collecting gardening or lawn water in a 55-gallon drum, and opposition from water-rights purists in the House appeared to soften with proposed amendments requiring water users to register with the state.

Deseret News: Rainwater bill resurfaces – A bill that failed to pass in the final hours of the 2009 Legislature allowing Utahns to collect rainwater on their own property surfaced again Wednesday.