Water News Roundup – August 24, 2010

Deseret News: Lake Powell ruled mussel free zone – The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has officially ruled Lake Powell mussel-free three years after a false positive detection.

Salt Lake Tribune: West can lead the new energy economy – The West, with its wealth of wind, solar, geothermal and other clean, renewable energy resources, is poised to lead the nation toward a new energy future.

The Hill: EPA unveils strategy to modernize clean water programs – The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday floated a draft strategy to improve water quality nationwide, one that bluntly recognizes that today’s pollution sources are often difficult to target with traditional Clean Water Act controls.

New York Times – Science: Levels plummet in crucial reservoir – Water levels in Lake Mead, the Colorado River reservoir, fell sharply again this summer and are nearing an elevation that would set off the first-ever official water shortage on the river, The Arizona Republic reported last week.

Indian Point nuclear plant’s toll on river stirs debate – Just beneath the wind-stippled surface of the Hudson River here, huge pipes suck enough water into the Indian Point nuclear plant every second to fill three Olympic swimming pools.

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 – 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 – June 28, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:

Utah anglers may have to buy stream access – State fisheries managers want to overcome Utah’s newly restricted stream access by charging $3 to $5 extra from participating anglers and using the money to pay private landowners for walk-in access.

Quick note for summer field crews in Utah – if its in Centerville, it might be where you’re working too.  Watch your step!

Large marijuana plot discovered in Centerville – Police destroyed a clandestine plot of more than 12,000 marijuana plants near Centerville on Sunday.

Deseret News: Health officials brace for war against ‘crypto’ – Few things could bring more welcome relief and fun to a hot Utah summer day than spending time at a community swimming pool or a local water park.

And just to prove that the ol’ adage about whiskey and water still stands… HA!!!

Missoulian: Stevensville man accused of shovel assault – An apparent fight over opening a headgate one hour early left one man with a cracked tooth and another facing a felony charge of assault with a weapon. (HT: actively moving water)

 

Water News Roundup – May 17, 2010

Happy Monday!  Loads of water news today.  When it rains it pours?

Provo Daily Herald:  Task force formed to discuss water access on private lands – There have been few issues in the past five years hotter than recreational access to water flowing over private property.

Provo Daily Herald – Opinion:  Facts support need for Utah Lake bridge – In the last few weeks there have been two news articles that state the bridge across Utah Lake is "a bad idea" and it is "not viable." People can have thoughts and beliefs, but not their own facts.

Salt Lake Tribune:

A new approach to the Great Salt Lake – Great Salt Lake Minerals Corp.’s expansion plan is moving forward so America’s farmers can continue to feed our country and help meet growing worldwide food needs.

Wyoming worried about Green River water grab – Wyoming has an unusual problem among the states in the Colorado River system: lots of water and, other than supporting some fine trout fishing, no way to put a significant amount of it to use.

Deseret News:  Comments sought on Gooseberry Narrows dam project – Envisioned 77 years ago as a way to supply water to northern Sanpete County residents, the proposed Gooseberry Narrows reservoir remains on the drawing board and a subject of bitter contention between two counties.

St. George Spectrum: Event highlights water education – A wet winter has water supplies looking good in Southern Utah, but water managers are reminding residents to do what they can to help those supplies last.

KCPW: Salt Lake County adopts stricter drinking water protections – Salt Lake County adopted a water source protection ordinance this week to beef up protections already in place and to comply with a new state law.

Water News Roundup – April 19, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune:

Reservoir expected to spur Kanab growth – The southern Utah town of Kanab, known for its red sandstone cliffs and mesas is getting a lake.  About 200 residents and dignitaries gathered Friday at a ranch house in the city’s outskirts and broke ground on an earthen dam that will create the Jackson Flat Reservoir.

Anglers prepare for new restrictions – New laws frequently create more questions than they answer. The Recreational Use of Public Water on Private Property law, more commonly known as HB141, is no different.

“There has been a lot of misinformation flying around. Some people think they can no longer fish streams on public land and that is just not true,” said Dean Mitchell, Outreach coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR).

The Spectrum: Conserving water – The Central Iron County Water Conservancy District is evaluating suggestions for water conservation made in a study by Montgomery, Watson and Harza, a consulting company that has been conducting studies on the Lake Powell Pipeline project.

KSL: Southern Nevada water director: comments weren’t meant personally – The director of the Southern Nevada Water Authority says her comments about Salt Lake City were not meant as an attack against the citizens of Utah.  Earlier this week, Pat Mulroy told television station KCVB in Las Vegas, “They can’t spell conservation in Salt Lake City.”

Deseret News: Bountiful arsenic finding spurs water study – Bountiful city officials are funding a groundwater study after tests of water from a well near a community landfill found increased levels of arsenic.

Technorati Tags: Arsenic,Bountiful City,CICWCD,Jackson Flat Reservoir,Kanab,Lake Powell Pipeline,Pat Mulroy,SNWA,Water Conservation

Happy World Water Day! March 23, 2010

The official kick-off for World Water Day was actually yesterday, but it’s supposed to last all week.  The UN describes the day as, “…celebrated annually on March 22, was established by the United Nations in 1992 and focuses attention on the world’s water crisis, as well as the solutions to address it.”  National Geographic is devoting their April 2010 issue to global water challenges and has made it free for download until April 2.  If you become a ‘fan’ on facebook of ITT Watermark, they will donate $1 to Mercy Corps, Water for People, and the China Women’s Development Foundation.  Water.org has more information about Water Week as well.

The local chapter of Water for People has opened registration for their 6th annual golf tournament and benefit on May 3.  Here’s a flyer for the event:  2010 WFP Golf Tournament Invitation.  If you register before Apr. 5th they will give you a 10% discount.  Don’t miss this chance to see water-buffaloes roaming the links! (Unless you were in St. George last week – then you’ve probably seen enough. :))

Finally, Boston.com has a smaller collection of the photos from the National Geographic issue.  They are really impressive.

Now for the news…

Salt Lake Tribune: EPA to issue stricter drinking water standards – The Environmental Protection Agency is tightening drinking water standards to impose stricter limits on four contaminants that can cause cancer.

Provo Daily Herald – Opinion: Land owners backed by legislature – Since the Conatser ruling in 2008, the Utah Legislature has struggled with balancing private property rights and recreation rights.

Technorati Tags: EPA,stream access,Water for People,World Water Day,water quality

Water News Roundup – March 1, 2010

My apologies for Thursday’s news roundup – I was attending a funeral and couldn’t quite make it back to the desktop.  Lots to catch up on because of that, as you can see…

Deseret News:

Utah has too little snow in the North and too much in the South – One of Utah’s most popular winter attractions — sleigh rides at the Hardware Ranch in Cache County — is shutting down early because there just hasn’t been enough winter. It illustrates how bad our snowpack is and the tough decisions water managers will have to make later this year.

Rainwater could legally be yours –  The rain drops collecting in the bucket on your back porch may soon be legally yours under a measure endorsed Thursday by a legislative committee.

SUU students’ project aims to help aquifer – A group of Southern Utah University students are working to maintain water levels in the Cedar Valley aquifer by accelerating the rate at which water percolates into the city’s underground aquifer.

Logan fined $10,000 for water violation – he city of Logan has been fined $10,000 after an employee dumped thousands of gallons of polluted water into a ditch.  U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooke Wells issued the fine after the city pleaded guilty Tuesday to violating the Clean Water Act.

Salt Lake Tribune:

What about the sports complex? – If the federal government declares a massive flood zone across the street, what does that mean for Salt Lake City’s planned 160-acre sports complex, which also abuts the Jordan River, but has no levee?

Environmental groups sue over lack of notice – The Friends of Great Salt Lake say they weren’t given enough notice to object to the Utah Lake Master Plan.

Canal safety bill evaporates – A bill that would require state water officials to inspect canals for safety risks and canal companies to make plans for repairs and improvements to reduce those risks faded away during a legislative committee meeting Wednesday.

Wet storm welcome but we need more – With most big storms missing the Wasatch Front this winter, water officials had to be happy about the storm that hit Wednesday night and dropped a heavy, wet snow into Thursday morning.

New York Times – Science: Rulings restrict Clean Water Act, Foiling EPA – Thousands of the nation’s largest water polluters are outside the Clean Water Act’s reach because the Supreme Court has left uncertain which waterways are protected by that law, according to interviews with regulators.

Technorati Tags: aquifer,canal legislation,canal regulation,EPA,FFSL,FOGSL,Jordan River sports complex,Logan City,snowpack,SUU,Utah Lake Master Plan,water forecast,Water Quality

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 26, 2010

The Spectrum: Water standards lax?  If you Google Cedar City safe drinking water, a link on the first page takes you to test results collected by an environmental group that are posted both on the group’s Web site, www.ewg.org, and the New York Times Web site.

Salt Lake Tribune – Editorial: Utah’s pipeline problem – I have been fighting the proposed pipeline from Utah’s Snake Valley to Las Vegas for five years. This misguided project is one of three that seek to take water from Utah and move it out of state. It is astounding that Utah’s governor and the state Department of Natural Resources appear willing at some point to let the Snake Valley plan happen.

Big Gulp – A guy named Million wants to spend billions to pipe part of Wyoming’s Green River 400 miles to Denver and beyond. But as global warming threatens the flows in the Green, it would be foolhardy to suck great gulps of water from the stream. To sustain both wildlife and humans, the waters should be left alone.