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Water News and Opinion
EPA official defends Wyoming report before U.S. House panel.
At a House Science Committee's energy and environment subcommittee hearing on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's draft report on its investigation of groundwater contamination near Pavillion, Wyo., EPA Regional Administrator James Martin defended the report. He denied that the report, which linked groundwater contamination in Wyoming to oil and gas operations, would in no way apply in other areas of the nation, due to geological differences.
Casper Star-Tribune; February 2, 2012
'Gasland' filmmaker arrested at House subcommittee hearing.
Joshua Fox, the filmmaker whose documentary "Gasland" galvanized concerns about a drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, was arrested Wednesday for not having proper media credentials while trying to film a House subcommittee hearing on an Environmental Protection Agency's report on water contamination in Wyoming.
Los Angeles Times; February 2, 2012
EPA official defends Wyoming report before U.S. House panel.
At a House Science Committee's energy and environment subcommittee hearing on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's draft report on its investigation of groundwater contamination near Pavillion, Wyo., EPA Regional Administrator James Martin defended the report. He denied that the report, which linked groundwater contamination in Wyoming to oil and gas operations, would in no way apply in other areas of the nation, due to geological differences.
Casper Star-Tribune; February 2, 2012
'Gasland' filmmaker arrested at House subcommittee hearing.
Joshua Fox, the filmmaker whose documentary "Gasland" galvanized concerns about a drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, was arrested Wednesday for not having proper media credentials while trying to film a House subcommittee hearing on an Environmental Protection Agency's report on water contamination in Wyoming.
Los Angeles Times; February 2, 2012
Source of oily sheen on river in Wyoming still a mystery.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality continues to search for the source of intermittent oil spotted in the North Platte River near Casper's former Amoco Refinery since the first sighting was reported in the spring of 2010.
Casper Star-Tribune; February 1, 2012
Study links algae growth in Snake River to Idaho cities, farms.
The U.S. Geological Survey completed a two-year study funded in part by Nampa and Caldwell that found farms and cities in the Treasure Valley are sending enough phosphorous into the Snake River to contribute to algae growth that is killing fish.
Idaho Statesman; February 1, 2012
Wyoming governor schedules meeting with Pavillion residents.
Gov. Matt Mead will meet Monday with residents of Pavillion to discuss long-term solutions to water contamination problems in the Wyoming community, where residents have been relying on commercial water delivery and filtration systems since 2009 due to high levels of sodium and the presence of hydrocarbons in the groundwater.
Wyofile.com; February 1, 2012
Wyoming governor schedules meeting with Pavillion residents.
Gov. Matt Mead will meet Monday with residents of Pavillion to discuss long-term solutions to water contamination problems in the Wyoming community, where residents have been relying on commercial water delivery and filtration systems since 2009 due to high levels of sodium and the presence of hydrocarbons in the groundwater.
Wyofile.com; February 1, 2012
Irrigation system improves forage on National Elk Refuge in Wyoming.
Last year was the first year the $5.1 million irrigation system installed on the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming was used, and the watering has paid off in the form of increased forage that has so far delayed supplemental feeding of the estimated 5,750 elk and a couple of hundred bison currently on the refuge.
Jackson Hole Daily; January 28, 2012
Utah official: SEC probe of investor won't change nuclear-plant decision.
In its application for water rights to build a 3,000-megawatt nuclear power plant near the Green River in Utah, Blue Dog Holdings named LeadDog Capital as the source of $30 million in financing, but the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is alleging the New York-based hedge fund is scamming its investors, a fact that the Utah state engineer said doesn't change the validity of the decision to approve the transfer of the water rights to Blue Dog Holdings.
Salt Lake Tribune; January 27, 2012
Colorado Trout Unlimited issues 'Kill or Spill' cards to help reporting.
The Denver Trout Limited Chapter named the angler who first reported the oil spill in Sand Creek and the South Platte River as the Chapter's first "Hero of the South Platte," and the organization has issued "Kill or Spill" cards that contain information on reporting other such spills that it is handing out to anglers.
Denver Post; January 26, 2012
Wyoming lawmakers press for land exchange, sale.
Sen. Phil Nicholas, the chairman of the Wyoming Legislature's Senate Appropriations Committee, is advocating the state buy 11,000 acres of land near Laramie to protect an area that provides the city with its drinking water. A component of the deal would involve the owner of the 11,000-acre parcel getting half of the Y Cross Ranch owned by the University of Wyoming Foundation in exchange, and paying the University of Colorado Foundation for its half of the Y Cross.
Casper Star-Tribune; January 26, 2012
Boards back farmers in Utah water pipeline project.
After two boards recommended to the Utah County Commission that farmers' lands near American Forks not be condemned to allow the Central Utah Water Conservancy District to bury a water pipeline under the properties, the water district may have to find a new route for the pipeline.
Salt Lake Tribune; January 25, 2012
EPA report links oil, gas operations to groundwater problems in Wyoming.
The Environmental Protection Agency's report detailing the findings of its three-year study of groundwater contamination in an area of Wyoming near Pavillion does not link problems with drinking water wells, but rather an aquifer 800 feet below the surface, and the contamination found in the aquifer was linked to oil and gas operations, but not the use of hydraulic fracturing.
Wyofile.com; January 24, 2012
BPA, Columbia Land Trust buy Oregon ranch to protect fish habitat.
The Bonneville Power Administration and the Columbia Land Trust paid $5.3 million for the 920-acre Columbia Stock Ranch along the banks of the Columbia River in Oregon near St. Helens as part of the ongoing effort to provide estuaries for salmon.
Portland Oregonian; January 24, 2012
GOP senators want review of EPA report on hydraulic fracturing in Wyoming.
Ten Republican senators, including Sen. Mike Crapo from Idaho, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the ranking GOP member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, the ranking Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, have requested that the Environmental Protection Agency's draft report on water contamination near Pavillion, Wyo. that suggested a potential link between hydraulic fracturing and the contamination undergo a stringent scientific review.
Idaho Statesman; January 23, 2012
Utah approves water rights for nuclear power plant in Green River.
Opponents to the proposed nuclear power plant in Green River said Utah lost its only chance to deny the project when Utah State Engineer Kent Jones approved the plant's use of 53,600 acre-feet of water per year owned by Kane County and San Juan County water conservancy districts for its operations.
Deseret News; January 22, 2012
EPA extends public comment period on Wyoming water contamination study.
At the behest of Wyoming and the gas industry, the Environmental Protection Agency extended the time for the public to respond to its study on water contamination in the Pavillion area that said hydraulic fracturing operations may be linked to that contamination.
Casper Star-Tribune; January 20, 2012
Montana begins work on management plan for Madison River.
The Madison River in Montana is one of the state's most heavily fished, and provides a variety of other recreational uses, and the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has begun working on a management plan for the river, with public hearings scheduled to begin next month.
Billings Gazette; January 20, 2012
Biologist tracks fish recovery following Montana wildfire of 2000.
The findings of a study that tracked fish recovery in streams in Montana's Bitterroot Valley following the wildfires of 2000 generally support the studies in Yellowstone National Park in 1988 that concluded wildfires ultimately had a beneficial effect on stream habitat and trout. Bitterroot Trout Unlimited is sponsoring Michael Jakober's talk "Fish and fires: You can burn us but we'll be back," on Thursday in Hamilton.
Ravalli Republic; January 18, 2012
Utah governor not ready to take stance on Wyoming-Colorado water pipeline.
Although Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead has made known his opposition to the pipeline project proposed by Colorado businessman Aaron Million to carry water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Wyoming-Utah border to cities on Colorado's Front Range, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said he needs to study the proposal more thoroughly before deciding what his take on it should be.
Salt Lake Tribune; January 17, 2012
Idaho city loses a day's worth of drinking water when pipeline breaks.
Twin Falls crews quickly repaired a 40-year-old water pipeline that broke in Idaho's Rock Creek Canyon, but city officials estimate that a million gallons of water, about a day's supply for the city, were lost before the break was repaired.
Twin Falls Times-News; January 13, 2012
Utah's proposed June sucker plan for Provo River draws protests.
Utah's June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program would divert flows from the Provo River to create a river delta to provide more hospitable habitat for the endangered fish, and at a meeting Thursday night, so many people turned out to protest the plan and the effect it would have on the river that the state decided to hold another open house on the proposal.
Salt Lake Tribune; January 13, 2012
Ski areas association sues USFS over water rights.
The National Ski Areas Association filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Colorado against the U.S. Forest Service over the agency's permitting revision that requires some ski areas to transfer water rights to the agency.
Denver Post; January 11, 2012
Encana officials ask EPA to suspend public comment on Wyoming report.
The Alberta-based company that owns the natural gas field in central Wyoming where federal Environmental Protection Agency officials have found a potential link between the use of hydraulic fracturing and contaminated drinking water wells near Pavillion asked the EPA to suspend the public comment period on its draft report.
Billings Gazette; January 10, 2012
Researchers tie Colorado drought to aspen die-off.
Researchers in Colorado said the drought that gripped the state between 2000 and 2004 damaged aspens' ability to move water, which is causing a dramatic die-off of the trees.
Denver Post; January 9, 2012
Federal judge rules Atlanta Gold must clean up arsenic contamination in Idaho.
A federal judge in Idaho ruled that Canada-based Atlanta Gold is responsible for the arsenic-laden water flowing out of an abandoned mining tunnel in Idaho, and that the company must continue to operate a water treatment plant built in 2006 to address that arsenic contamination.
Idaho Statesman; January 9, 2012
Yellowstone Park report addresses lake trout removal, grizzly bear genetics.
In its sixth progress report to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Committee since Yellowstone National Park was removed from the committee's List of World Heritage in Danger sites in 2003, Park officials said that $1 million is needed to help remove lake trout from Yellowstone Lake, and that within the next decade, grizzly bears may need to be imported into the park to expand genetic diversity of the species.
Billings Gazette; January 5, 2012
Another earthquake shuts down drilling water injection well in Ohio.
The operator of an injection well near Youngstown had agreed to halt the disposal of discharge water from hydraulic fracturing operations on Dec. 30 after a 10th earthquake on Dec. 24, but less than 24 hours after that agreement was reached, a much larger, 4.0 magnitude earthquake occurred, and authorities imposed a moratorium on the injection of discharge water in a five-mile area around the Ohio reinjection site.
New York Times; January 2, 2012
Hunting, fishing groups join environmentalists to fight federal legislation.
Members of Trout Unlimited, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and the Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development are joining the National Wildlife Federation and other similar organizations to oppose House Resolution 1581, the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act of 2011, while Safari International and the National Rifle Association support the legislation.
Durango Herald; December 31, 2011
Montana blocks shipments of fish eggs from federal hatcheries.
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer wants the Interior Department to change its policy on bison management, and in order to get the agency's attention, he has blocked the shipment of fish and wildlife from federal facilities in and out of Montana, putting planned shipments of fish eggs from federal hatcheries within the state on hold.
Missoulian; December 23, 2011
Encana fires back at EPA's report on hydraulic fracturing in Wyoming.
Alberta-based Encana Corp., the second largest producer of natural gas in North America, tore apart the Environmental Protection Agency's investigation of possible water contamination by the use of hydraulic fracturing near Pavillion, Wyo., calling the federal agency's investigation fraught with errors. Encana officials said they planned to file a response to the EPA's report that details each and every one of the errors by Jan. 27.
Edmonton Journal; December 21, 2011
Montana governor's ban on moving wildlife stalls fish restocking plans.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer imposed a rule prohibiting the Interior Department from transporting wildlife in or out of Montana, and while the rule was directed primarily at bison, it is also prohibiting planned stocking of fish from the national fish hatchery in the state to various lakes and reservoirs.
Helena Independent Record; December 21, 2011
Cabin owners shun PacifiCorp's offer on wells after Washington dam removed.
PacifiCorp acknowledged that the removal of the Condit Dam in Washington state could affect water wells near the lake, and the utility offered cabin owners up to $5,500 to drill new water wells or to hook up to the city of White Salmon's water system, even though the utility believed it had no responsibility to do so. Cabin owners said the amount is much too small and the company could well afford to pay much more.
Portland Oregonian; December 21, 2011
Gov. Mead joins the ranks of opponents of Wyoming-Colorado water pipeline.
On Friday, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead provided his comments on Aaron Million's proposal to ship water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir to Colorado's Front Range, and charged that Million's shift of the proposal from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was an attempt to short-circuit the approval process, a charge Million denies.
Casper Star-Tribune; December 19, 2011
Million unfazed by environmental groups' opposition to Colorado water pipeline.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has received more than 170 comments on Colorado businessman Aaron Million's proposed pipeline to ship water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming to Colorado's Front Range cities. On Thursday, environmental groups in the region chimed in with their objections, but Million said interest from energy companies wanting to obtain water to use in hydraulic fracturing made the project all the more feasible.
Denver Post; December 16, 2011
High water floods portion of Wyoming town.
Flat Creek in Jackson usually overflows its banks at some point in the winter due to ice dams caused by extreme cold, but this year the flooding was extensive, with water rising quickly, and officials of the Wyoming town are investigating what caused the extreme conditions.
Jackson Hole Daily; December 15, 2011
Wyoming communities oppose plan to ship water to Colorado.
Aaron Million's latest federal application for a permit to build a 500-mile pipeline from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir to cities along Colorado's Front Range has sparked opposition from Wyoming communities who don't want to see Wyoming water piped away to Colorado.
Billings Gazette; December 14, 2011
Washington state asks anglers to stop pike from Idaho and Montana.
Northern pike illegally stocked in rivers in Montana are making their way through Idaho via the Pend Oreille River and into Washington state waters, and Washington wildlife officials plan to ask anglers to catch and keep as many of the voracious predators as they can catch.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; December 14, 2011
Thousands of confused birds crash land in Utah.
Lights from a Walmart parking lot and other parking lots in St. George confused migratory grebes, causing thousands of the aquatic birds to crash land around the Utah town, where officials and residents were picking up the dead and wounded birds on Tuesday.
Denver Post; December 14, 2011
Montana riverbed dispute takes historical turn before U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments between the state of Montana and PPL Montana over a dispute on riverbed rental for the utility's hydroelectric dams. A good portion of the debate on Wednesday focused on whether the rivers on which the hydroelectric dams were located were navigable, with seven historians weighing in on the debate.
Great Falls Tribune; December 8, 2011
Megadam in Alaska could be first in U.S. in 40 years.
Alaska wants to build a hydroelectric dam on the Susitna River, one of the nation's last remaining wild rivers. The dam would be the fifth tallest in the nation, but the project faces a host of obstacles, including a tiny shrew that would be flooded out of its habitat.
New Scientist; December 8, 2011
Okla. senator asks EPA to explain comment on Wyoming water probe.
Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, the ranking Republican on the U.S. Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, wrote Environmental Protection Agency Director Lisa P. Jackson and asked that she explain her recent comment that hydraulic fracturing operations in central Wyoming near Pavilion may have contributed to groundwater contamination.
Casper Star-Tribune; December 8, 2011
Utah water district under fire for creating artificial stream.
The Washington County Water Conservancy District is creating an artificial stream to run by its office in St. George in a riparian area created to emulate the ecosystem along the Virgin River, which will include desert plant species. District officials said the Red Hills Desert Garden will help educate the public about the fish that live in the Virgin River and its surrounding ecosystem, but members of the Citizens for Dixie's Future said the district should have used the funds to buy water rights to help maintain flows in the Virgin River, where three endangered fish species are found.
Salt Lake Tribune; December 4, 2011
U.S. Supreme Court to hear Montana PPL riverbed case Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear from attorneys for the state of Montana as well as PPL Montana on the utility's appeal of a Montana Supreme Court decision that found PPL Montana owed the state rent for the riverbeds on which the utility's five hydroelectric plants operate.
Great Falls Tribune; December 3, 2011
Wyoming governor wants broader review of Pavilion water study.
During talks about his proposed budget, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead said that the Environmental Protection Agency's investigation into water contamination in the Pavilion area warranted a more extensive look and although his budget didn't have any money specifically allocated to such a study, Mead said the state would have a role.
Casper Star-Tribune; December 2, 2011
Public comment period for Las Vegas water pipeline ends today.
The comment period on Southern Nevada Water Authority's proposal to build a pipeline to ship groundwater from northern Nevada to Las Vegas ends today, and the Nevada state engineer is expected to make a decision on the pipeline by the spring of 2012.
Salt Lake Tribune; December 2, 2011
NYT investigation finds not all energy leases the same.
In a review of more than 111,000 oil and gas leases signed by private landowners, primarily in Texas, but also in Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, the New York Times found less than half required the energy company to compensate landowners for contaminating water and that two-thirds of the leases allowed the leaseholder to extend the lease without the approval of the landowner.
New York Times; December 1, 2011
EPA groundwater probe nixes Wyoming gas lease deal.
The Texas company that had planned to buy gas leases, a natural gas gathering system, a gas processing plant and related compression facilities near Pavilion from Alberta-based Encana Corp. backed out of the deal after learning more about the Environmental Protection Agency's investigation into groundwater contamination in that area of Wyoming.
Casper Star-Tribune; November 29, 2011
For Idaho city's new parks, it's the water.
Crews are busy in the Boise River building Boise's new whitewater park, and when that project is done, the Idaho city could begin work on the new Esther Simplot Park. Residents can take a look at the master plan for the proposed park that will offer flatwater for boating, swimming and fishing, as well as other natural amenities.
Idaho Statesman; November 29, 2011
Watersheds in Montana national forest worst in four-state region.
Region 1 of the U.S. Forest Service covers forests and grasslands in Montana and portions of Idaho and the Dakotas, and the watersheds contained within the Helena National Forest are in the worst shape in that region.
Helena Independent Record; November 28, 2011
EPA, W.R. Grace in talks about waterborne asbestos in Montana river.
Asbestos is being washed from the W.R. Grace vermiculite mine near Libby into streams and creeks and, ultimately, the Kootenai River in Montana. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials and W.R. Grace representatives have been working on a remediation plan for the mine that includes a plan for Rainy Creek, the stream that contains the highest level of asbestos.
Ravalli Republic; November 28, 2011
Redden asks that salmon case be assigned to another judge.
U.S. District Court Judge James Redden has thrice rejected the federal government's proposed plan for protecting wild salmon runs on rivers in Washington, Oregon and Idaho where hydroelectric dams operate, and last week, the 82-year-old judge who has been working under a reduced caseload, asked that the salmon case be reassigned to a different judge.
Great Falls Tribune; November 28, 2011
Demands for water circling the Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming.
Colorado's water dilemma follows the spine of the Rocky Mountains, with most of the rain and snow falling on the west side of the mountains and most of the population growth occurring on the eastern side of the range. Fort Collins entrepreneur Aaron Million wants to pipe Green River water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Wyoming-Utah border to those cities, and a group of Colorado cities are pitching their own plan to do so.
Wyofile.com; November 22, 2011
Oil shale debate ignites as Congress takes up Lamborn's bill.
Colorado U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn's legislation to expand the acres of federal land in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming open for oil shale development will get a hearing today, but opponents of the measure said companies should prove that they have developed the technology needed to draw the oil from the rocks before more land is opened for development.
Durango Herald; November 21, 2011
B.C. passes legislation to protect Flathead River basin.
Last week British Columbia passed a law codifying the agreement struck more than a year ago by Premier Gordon Campbell and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer to protect the Flathead River Basin from mining.
Great Falls Tribune; November 21, 2011
Students at Idaho school pack their own water due to contaminated well.
Students at Raft River Elementary School and Raft River Junior/Senior High in Malta are taking their own water bottles to school or drinking the bottled water provided because the wells upon which the schools depend for water have tested positive for coliform bacteria over the past six years. Since voters denied a recent levy that would have provided a new water source, the students will continue to pack their own water.
Twin Falls Times-News; November 21, 2011
EPA says chemicals found in Wyoming monitoring wells 'a concern'.
The Environmental Protection Agency found high levels of methane, benzene and chemicals in two water-monitoring wells in the Pavilion area of Wyoming, and in an interview that will be broadcast Saturday and Sunday on the Bloomburg cable news channel, EPA Director Lisa P. Jackson said the high levels may be related to the use of hydraulic fracturing.
Casper Star-Tribune; November 18, 2011
Arizona researchers: Colorado tree rings reflect cycle of megadroughts.
University of Arizona scientists analyzed tree rings from dead and living bristlecone pines in Colorado's San Juan Mountains that date from 268 BC to AD 2009, and found that megadroughts in the West occurred more often than previously thought.
Los Angeles Times; November 18, 2011
House GOP pitches bill to ramp up energy drilling to pay for roads.
On Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner said Republican lawmakers were working on a bill that would expand domestic energy production to fund a multi-year surface transportation bill that would provide new jobs. Sen. Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that passed a surface transportation bill last week, said the House bill puts tourism, recreation and fishing jobs at risk, and said financial analysts indicated the GOP bill would fall far short of raising the revenue needed.
Washington Post; November 18, 2011
Appeals court affirms plan for Montana silver, copper mine.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Revett Minerals planned Rock Creek silver and copper mine in Montana's Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's analysis that the underground mine presented no significant threat to grizzly bears or bull trout.
Missoulian; November 17, 2011
Water issues has Nerd Gas seeking new Wyoming site for gas plant.
Officials of Casper-based Nerd Gas Co. said concerns about available water resources at Lake De Smet forced them to consider other sites in Wyoming for its proposed natural gas-to-gasoline facility, and the company said it is also downsizing the proposed plant.
Casper Star-Tribune; November 17, 2011
Federal regulators point out pipeline problems in Montana, Wyoming.
After this year's high water in Montana that led to a rupture of a pipeline under the Yellowstone River that cost Exxon Mobil an estimated $135 million to clean up, companies are scrutinizing areas where pipelines and rivers and streams intersect. The U.S. Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a report Tuesday that pinpointed problems with pipelines at seven major river crossings and hundreds of smaller crossings in Montana and northern Wyoming.
Missoulian; November 16, 2011
Wyoming irrigator gives water right to state to maintain flows for fish.
Paul Hagenstein, a Wyoming rancher, is the first to use a water law put in place in 1986 that allows irrigators to transfer water rights to the state to maintain in-stream flows for fish, and the state Board of Control approved that transfer last week.
Wyofile.com; November 15, 2011
EnCana taps into toxic aquifer for shale gas drilling in NE B.C..
Due to concerns about the copious amounts of water used in hydraulic fracturing, a drilling process that uses water, sand and chemicals to crack open rock formations holding natural gas hostage, Encana Corp. has tapped into a briny aquifer more than a half mile underground in northeastern British Columbia. It is treating the water to reduce hydrogen sulfide to healthy levels, using the water in the drilling process, and then it plans to contain the used water underground in glass and metal casks.
Toronto Globe and Mail; November 14, 2011
EPA finds high levels of benzene in Wyoming groundwater.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not report a source for the high levels of benzene found in groundwater in Pavilion, a community in Wyoming where residents have claimed that the use of hydraulic fracturing had contaminated their drinking water wells.
Casper Star-Tribune; November 11, 2011
Sherman: Colorado water projects a good template for other USFS projects.
On Wednesday, U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary Harris Sherman said projects in Colorado where the U.S. Forest Service has secured funding and personnel from Vail Resorts and Denver Water and other utilities to complete projects in watersheds is a process the agency should incorporate in other states.
Durango Herald; November 10, 2011
Wyoming county keeps close tabs on selenium with bimonthly tests.
Lisa Ogden, the sole employee of Natrona County's Conservation District, and an employee of InterTech Environmental & Engineering Inc., tours the Wyoming county every other month, taking water samples to test for selenium levels.
Casper Star-Tribune; November 10, 2011
Idaho, Washington want federal help to keep mussels at bay.
During the last summer, inspectors in Idaho and Washington kept dozens of boats with zebra and quagga mussels from reaching waters in their states, with most of the boats with the invasive aquatic species coming from the Great Lakes region. The remainder of the boats came from federal waters in Arizona and Nevada, prompting calls for more federal intervention to keep boats from those waters leaving the area with the mussels attached.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; November 7, 2011
Wyoming county conservation district gets $250,000 for selenium study.
The Natrona County Conservation District must raise $250,000 to match the grant awarded the district by the Wyoming Water Development Commission and the Legislature's Select Water Committee to monitor selenium levels and find ways to mitigate high levels of the element in streams in the Middle North Platte Watershed.
Casper Star-Tribune; November 7, 2011
Wyoming residents question Encana's sale of gas field.
Alberta-based Encana Corp. is selling its central Wyoming gas field to Texas-based Legacy Reserves, a move residents in the Pavilion area, who are claiming that Encana's work has polluted their drinking water wells, said is just a measure to avoid liability for fouling their water.
Casper Star-Tribune; November 6, 2011
EPA releases guidelines for its 'hydraulic fracturing' study.
On Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the outline of its study of the drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, with the effects of the large-volume water withdrawals needed for drilling, the impact of above-ground spills of the chemicals used in the process, and how the use of the drilling method has affected drinking water supplies in states where thousands of wells have been drilled in recent years using the method.
Seattle Times; November 4, 2011
Wyoming water panel asks legislators to recommend Green River study.
At its meeting today, the Wyoming Water Development Commission will consider a recommendation from its staff that the water panel approve a measure to be submitted to the Legislature's Select Water Committee to fund a $300,000 study of the upper Green River watershed.
Jackson Hole Daily; November 3, 2011
Atlanta Gold denies it must clean up Idaho tunnel.
The Idaho Conservation League and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center sued Atlanta Gold, alleging the Canadian miner violated the Clean Water Act by allowing arsenic-laced water to run out of an old mine tunnel into Montezuma Creek. At a hearing on Tuesday, the lawyer for Atlanta Gold said the company may just pack up its equipment and walk away, leaving the Forest Service to clean up the problem with the $35,000 bond it had posted.
Idaho Statesman; November 2, 2011
Corporations on a path to use less water.
In an effort to cut water consumption around the globe, Levi Strauss worked with cotton farmers in India, Pakistan, Brazil and West and Central Africa to develop more efficient irrigation systems for their cotton crops and has begun a campaign urging customers who buy their jeans to wash them less often. PepsiCo developed a way to sterilize plastic bottles without using water and has worked with farmers growing potatoes for its Frito-Lay brand to plant drought-resistant potatoes.
New York Times; November 2, 2011
Hay a precious commodity in drought-stricken Texas.
Ranchers in Texas are lining up for donations of hay, and one has resorted to buying day-old bread to feed his herd and others are simply selling out because it costs too much to buy what hay is available.
New York Times; November 1, 2011
Hay a precious commodity in drought-stricken Texas.
Ranchers in Texas are lining up for donations of hay, and one has resorted to buying day-old bread to feed his herd and others are simply selling out because it costs too much to buy what hay is available.
New York Times; November 1, 2011
Nuclear power project in Utah must first prove it has the water.
Before Blue Castle Holdings can build a nuclear power plant in Utah, the company must prove it has the water necessary to operate the plant. Aaron Tilton, the CEO of Blue Castle, wants to divert 53,600 acre feet of water from the Green River for the project.
Deseret News; October 31, 2011
Wyoming hatcheries produce a plethora of golden trout.
For the first time in 17 years, Wyoming Game and Fish hatcheries have met stocking requests for golden trout, and the hatcheries were able to ship 41,000 eggs to Idaho to help stock alpine lakes there.
Casper Star-Tribune; October 27, 2011
Wyoming Game and Fish to poison reservoir to remove suckers.
The 34-acre Diamond Creek Dike Pond near Buffalo Bill Reservoir is stocked annually with 3,400 trout, few of which survive because they fall prey to white and longnose suckers, so Wyoming Game and Fish will poison the reservoir to kill the suckers and will restock the reservoir in 2012 with Yellowstone trout.
Casper Star-Tribune; October 27, 2011
Wyoming catfish swims 415 miles to Montana.
A catfish tagged in 2007 by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Clear Creek east of Sheridan was caught by an angler fishing the Yellowstone River near Pompey's Pillar in Montana.
Casper Star-Tribune; October 24, 2011
EPA plans rules on wastewater from drilling operations by 2014.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials said Thursday that new rules would be written to regulate wastewater from hydraulic fracturing drilling operations by 2014, but the rules would apply only to water treated at wastewater treatment facilities and not to operations such as in Wyoming and Colorado, where the wastewater is injected underground or stored in evaporative ponds.
Denver Post; October 21, 2011
FERC accepts Million's permit to build Wyoming-Colorado water pipeline.
On Tuesday, Fort Collins entrepreneur Aaron Million received notice from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that it had accepted his preliminary permit application on the hydroelectric components of his water pipeline project that would carry water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Wyoming-Utah border to Colorado's Front Range; a 60-day comment period is now under way on the project.
Casper Star-Tribune; October 21, 2011
USFS's mapping campaign to lessen impact of retardant drops.
The U.S. Forest Service officials said Wednesday the 12,000 to 15,000 new maps that show streams and other waterways, as well as areas where sensitive species can be found, will enable the agency to avoid those areas when dropping retardant on fires.
Missoulian; October 13, 2011
Idaho water board approves another water recharge 'payment'.
Idaho's plan to recharge the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer has been limited by funds available to do so, but last week the state's Water Resource Board approved spending $132,700 to inject 44,245 acre-feet of water back into the Lake-Erie sized aquifer, the second such recharge effort funded this year.
Twin Falls Times-News; October 13, 2011
Montana tribes trumpet success in trumpeter swan recovery.
For more than a decade, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have been working to bring trumpeter swans back to the Flathead Reservation, and this year 33 cygnets were reported on the Montana reservation.
Missoulian; October 13, 2011
USFWS declines to protect chub found in 4 Western states.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that it would not list the northern leatherside chub, a small desert fish found in waters in northern Utah, Nevada, southern and eastern Idaho and western Wyoming, for protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Idaho Statesman; October 12, 2011
Idaho cheesemaker says EPA Clean Water Act lawsuit a paperwork problem.
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has filed a lawsuit against a Jerome dairy processor alleging that it violated its wastewater discharge permit nearly 3,000 times over a four-year period, but Jerome Cheese Co. officials said the problem is a paperwork conflict only.
Twin Falls Times-News; October 7, 2011
ConocoPhillips on the hunt for possible Yellowstone Pipeline leak in Idaho.
ConocoPhillips shut down its Yellowstone Pipeline last week as a part of its normal operations, but a slow drop in pressure in a stretch of the pipeline between Enaville and Cataldo in Idaho prompted the company to dispatch dozens of workers who installed booms in the Coeur d'Alene River while they searched for a possible leak.
Coeur d'Alene Press; October 6, 2011
Federal appeals court upholds Idaho man's Drinking Water Act conviction.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' affirmed the conviction of an Idaho man for violating the Safe Drinking Water Act for ordering employees of his feedlot to inject surface fluids into irrigation wells. The Idaho U.S. Attorney General said Cory King's conviction was one of the first successful prosecutions in the nation under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
Twin Falls Times-News; October 6, 2011
Ceremony to unveil Utah river restoration project set for Friday.
It's been more than a decade since Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey first championed restoration of a stretch of the Ogden River where it passed through the downtown area of the Utah city. Three and a half years since restoration efforts began in earnest, and some $7 million and change later, the project will be unveiled at a ceremony Friday.
Salt Lake Tribune; October 6, 2011
EPA, Montana reaches watershed agreement with groups.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality reached a settlement agreement with the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Friends of the Wild Swan that requires those agencies to take a watershed-wide approach on addressing water quality in 28 watersheds by 2014 that will improve habitat for native fish including bull trout in the Blackfoot, Bitterroot, Clark Fork, Flathead and Kootenai rivers.
Missoulian; October 5, 2011
Denver, Aurora's water deal to southern suburbs a first in Colorado.
The Water Infrastructure and Supply Efficiency (WISE) agreement proposed by Denver Water and Aurora Water would provide purified water to cities along the southern end of the Front Range in exchange for an agreement not to divert water from Colorado's Western Slope.
Denver Post; October 5, 2011
Montana riverbed rental case on U.S. Supreme Court's docket.
On Dec. 7, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear PPL Montana's appeal of a Montana Supreme Court decision that said the utility owed the state rent on the riverbeds on which its hydroelectric dams sit. The bedrock of the dispute is whether the rivers on which the dams operate are "navigable."
New York Times; October 3, 2011
Interior Secretary seeks balance between conservation, energy work.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has been in the Rocky Mountain West this past week, stopping in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, where urged attendees at an energy industry meeting in Vernal to support the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Denver Post; September 30, 2011
Energy development near river in Colorado, Wyoming concerns anglers.
An increase in oil and gas drilling along the North Platte River in Colorado and Wyoming has anglers concerned about how energy development will affect the river, of which a stretch has been designated both a Wild Trout and Gold Medal river.
Casper Star-Tribune; September 28, 2011
At Wyoming forum, energy industry officials defend hydraulic fracturing.
At a forum on hydraulic fracturing hosted by the University of Wyoming's School of Energy Resources and the Haub School & Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources in Laramie, representatives of oil and gas companies defended the drilling method. Tom Doll, the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission supervisor, said there had been no documented cases where the use of hydraulic fracturing had contaminated drinking water.
Casper Star-Tribune; September 27, 2011
Utah can't afford signs to warn anglers about mercury levels in fish.
Members of the Mercury Work Group were told by Utah health department officials that the agency can no longer afford the $15 signs that are posted on waterways to warn anglers that fish caught in those waters contain high levels of mercury.
Salt Lake Tribune; September 23, 2011
Interior Department releases EIS on dam removal in Oregon, California.
The environmental impact statement prepared by the Interior Department on the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River in California and Oregon was released on Wednesday, indicating that the removal would improve water quality and fish habitat, as well as provide much needed jobs in the area. This Portland Oregonian article provides good background on the dam removal issue.
Portland Oregonian; September 22, 2011
Rainbow trout to be removed from Yellowstone Park lakes this week.
The National Park Service will kill rainbow trout in Yellowstone National Park's Goose Lake and two other nearby lakes this week, with the plan to reintroduce genetically pure Westslope cutthroat trout in those lakes next year.
Idaho Statesman; September 20, 2011
Utah legislators begin debate on paying for Colorado River water pipeline.
In 2007, Utah lawmakers directed the state Water Resources Office to build a 139-mile-long pipeline to ship water from Lake Powell to the southwestern corner of the state, and Tuesday, legislators will begin discussing just how to pay for the project, which is estimated to cost between $1.1 billion and $2.4 billion.
Salt Lake Tribune; September 20, 2011
Outside Magazine names Colorado city 'Next Big Thing'.
The October issue of Outside Magazine says Durango is the "Next Big Thing" for its river access and mountain bike trails; Boulder was the only other Colorado city to make the magazine's "Life is Better Here."
Durango Herald; September 16, 2011
Colorado water board approves $72K to study Wyoming pipeline.
At its meeting on Wednesday, the Colorado Water Conservation Board approved spending $72,000 to study the feasibility of Aaron Million's proposed pipeline project that would move water from Wyoming's Flaming Gorge Reservoir to Colorado's Front Range cities, and approved the spending of another $100,000 if the initial study proves promising.
Denver Post; September 15, 2011
Report warns of effect hydraulic fracturing could have on B.C. water.
The Pembina Institute's report, "Shale Gas: Risks to B.C.'s Water Resources," urges the British Columbia government to develop a comprehensive water management plan to get ahead of the rapidly developing shale gas industry in the province's northeastern region, warning that such operations could easily use billions of gallons of water annually.
Vancouver Sun; September 15, 2011
USFS under fire for delay in fighting Oregon wildfire.
Oregon's federal lawmakers and state and local officials are all questioning why the U.S. Forest Service didn't immediately dispatch crews to fight the lightning-sparked Dollar Lake fire before it burned 6,200 acres in a watershed that provides drinking water to Portland and threatened the Bonneville Power Administration's high-voltage power lines.
Portland Oregonian; September 14, 2011
Wyoming-Colorado water pipeline on Colorado panel's agenda.
At its meeting today, the Colorado Water Conservation Board will discuss funding a study of the pipeline proposed by Aaron Million to carry water from Wyoming's Flaming Gorge Reservoir to Front Range cities in Colorado.
Denver Post; September 14, 2011
EPA gives go-ahead to fertilize Idaho reservoir to improve kokanee numbers.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's plan to resume work begun in 2007 to add nitrogen to the 55-mile-long Dworshak Reservoir in Idaho to help balance the phosphorus and nitrogen content of the reservoir to support kokanee populations.
Idaho Statesman; September 12, 2011
Opinion
Utah Gov. Herbert's opposition to Flaming Gorge project would be awkward.
The fundamental reason Utah Gov. Gary Herbert hasn't taken a strong stance opposing the proposed pipeline to carry water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Wyoming-Utah border to Colorado Front Range cities is that opposing that cockamamie project would make his support of an equally cockamamie pipeline from Lake Powell to the St. George area hard to defend.
Salt Lake Tribune; January 18, 2012
Tribes may play a key role in future water decisions in the West.
The Animas-La Plata Water Project in Colorado is a component of a settlement forged between the federal government and the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes, and may well provide a template for future settlements between tribes and the federal government that have their beginnings in the 1908 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Winters v. United States. An essay for The Range blog by Heather Hansen, Red Lodge Clearing House.
High Country News; December 30, 2011
Utility has the fairer stance on who owns Montana riverbeds.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the appeal of a Montana Supreme Court ruling over riverbed rental for hydroelectric plants that said Montana owned those riverbeds and PPL Montana owed them rent for its plants on rivers in the state. The state had to reach back to Lewis and Clark days to define navigable, a definition it apparently ignored from 1891 through 2004, a good foundation for the justices to decide in favor of the utility.
New York Times; December 21, 2011
Two more Utah communities come to their senses on water pipeline plan.
Cedar City and Iron County officials have backed away from their support of a proposal to build a pipeline to carry water from Lake Powell to southern Utah. Unfortunately, their defection means Washington County and St. George officials realize they won't have to share that water, meaning their support will grow, as will the likelihood that all Utah residents will share the cost of the project.
Salt Lake Tribune; December 13, 2011
B.C. pilot project proves province needs rules for lake power projects.
Renewable Power's run-of-river project was a first in British Columbia to allow a lake drawdown to generate power when river levels are low, but the project resulted in the siltation of the usually clear Tzoonie River. Before any more of these proposed projects are allowed, the Ministry of Environment needs to put some guidelines in place. A column by Mark Hume.
Toronto Globe and Mail; November 27, 2011
U.S. needs to follow Canada's lead and protect Flathead River Basin.
Now that British Columbia has banned mining and other development in the portion of the Flathead River Basin that lies within that Canadian province, the U.S. should make good on its promise, and pass the North Fork Watershed Protection Act, sponsored by Montana U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester.
Missoulian; November 21, 2011
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