- A Reader Writes: Why the county is in court 0 Nov 7, 2009
More specifically, the county is in court because after the water districts excluded the county from their negotiations, IID initiated a so-called validation proceeding that requires any objections to the massive realignment of Colorado River use to be litigated ... In part, to defend their deal that has momentarily removed the threat of federal reallocation of the Colorado River on less favorable terms to IID s landowners. (El Centro Imperial Valley Press, CA)
TCEQ: No wastewater discharge Nov 6, 2009
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) also expressed opposition. LCRA General Manager Tom Mason stated, LCRA opposes and respectfully requests that the Commission deny the petition until such time it can be scientifically proven that the Highland Lakes, a drinking water source for more than 1 million people and economic engine for Central Texas, would be protected under a repeal of the discharge ban rule with no degradation to current water quality. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)
Lawyer: State's taking of CAP funds illegal Nov 6, 2009
9 million taken to balance prior and current state budgets comes not from Arizona taxpayers but is part of a $100 million payment from Nevada in exchange for Arizona letting that state have some of its Colorado River water allocation ... Legal issues aside, Lynch said the move could leave residents without the water they need when the demand exceeds the amount of Colorado River water Arizona is entitled to take ... Central to the lawsuit is a 2001 deal between the states where Arizona agreed to... (AZCentral -- Business)
Wyoming briefs Nov 3, 2009
The roundtail chub is a large member of the minnow family that grows to about a foot long. It's found mostly in warm water streams of the Colorado River Basin. In 2003, the roundtail chub was considered for endangered species protections in the Colorado River drainage below Glen Canyon Dam. (Casper Star-Tribune, WY)
Last year's balloon regatta in Page. Nov 3, 2009
The Page and nearby Marble Canyon areas have miles of hiking trails and trout fishing on the Colorado River, and is a few scenic hours' drive from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Stay: Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas is offering specials, with walk-in rates starting at $89 per night. (AZCentral -- Travel)
EPA air rules could impact AZ water rates Nov 2, 2009
The Navajo Generating Station was built to provide power for the canal, which snakes 336 miles from the Colorado River near Lake Havasu City to Phoenix and Tucson. The power feeds pumps that move almost 500 billion gallons of water a year. (Fresno Bee -- State)
Cleaning dirty air risks costlier Arizona water Nov 1, 2009
The plant, owned by five utilities and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, powers the state's largest conveyor of water, the Central Arizona Project Canal, supplying electricity cheaply enough to pump water 3,000 feet uphill, from the Colorado River to Phoenix and Tucson ... The Navajo Generating Station was built to provide a power supply for the canal, which snakes 336 miles from the Colorado River near Lake Havasu City to Phoenix and Tucson ... The bureau acquired its interest for the benefit of... (AZCentral)
State water agency: Cut would hurt rural areas Oct 31, 2009
"We need more info about our aquifers in order to manage them better, but we can't do it on our own," said David Newlin, watershed-projects director for the Holbrook-based Little Colorado River Watershed Coordinating Council ... Additional money would be swept from the Arizona Water Banking Authority, which buys excess Colorado River water and stores it underground for future use. (AZCentral -- News)
Vegas Water Agency Vows Fight for Groundwater Plan Oct 30, 2009
5 billion, would let Las Vegas tap aquifers in other counties to relieve the region's reliance on the drought-stricken Colorado River. The Las Vegas area, home to almost 2 million of Nevada's 2. (KLAS-TV.com, NV)
Spider Rock in Canyon de Chelly. Oct 30, 2009
It's a great place to learn about the Pueblo clans, Hopi ancestors came here about 1260 to make a life on the edge of the Little Colorado River, building homes of stone and planting crops. The park has two ruins, Homolovi I and II, for visitors to examine, as well as a few trails that lead to petroglyphs. (AZCentral -- Travel)
Drought still on despite rainfall Oct 29, 2009
In fact, not only are Lower Colorado River Authority customers under mandatory water restrictions, the LCRA might seek authority from the state to restrict water use even further ... Every water user in the lower Colorado River basin has been affected by this serious drought and will continue to be affected. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)
LCRA might suspend new water contracts Oct 27, 2009
Every water user in the lower Colorado River basin has been affected by this serious drought and will continue to be affected. Everyone will have to make sacrifices and change how they use water. (Austin Business Journal, TX)
Calif. Drought Means More Imported Produce Oct 27, 2009
Yet for some reason, everyone in California feels entitled to big pools, big green yards, lots of fountains and water features, and don't worry, they can always pipe more water from the Colorado River to LA.. by californiadreaming October 27, 2009 2:07 AM EDT. (CBS News)
My View: Chromium 6 still threatens California's drinking water Oct 26, 2009
Another PG in Topock affected the Colorado River a drinking water source for millions. In Burbank, contamination by Lockheed Martin affected thousands, and in Riverside, TXI Corp's cement kiln contaminated the soil. (Sacramento Bee -- Opinion)
For farm-water rights, planners ready to deal Oct 26, 2009
Irrigation districts along the Colorado River hold rights that are all but impossible to pry loose unless the farmer wants to deal ... Costs could rise, for example, as a results of proposed environmental controls at the Navajo Generating Station, the Page power plant that supplies electricity to move water from the Colorado River to the farms ... If cities begin claiming the CAP water, many agricultural users will resume pumping groundwater, as they did before the canal began delivering... (AZCentral -- News)
The remaining games Oct 26, 2009
Prez Obama might have to compromise on health care issues, plus broker the Colorado River water rights issue, and promise full employment to the midwestern states to get the attention of all the big players in the FBS mess we are in now. Delbert D.. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
Farms looked at as water resources vanish Oct 25, 2009
YUMA - Along its final miles, the Colorado River snakes through a dizzying series of dams, canals, siphons and ditches, diverted to hundreds of users in Arizona and California until barely a trickle remains ... Because so much of what farmers use flows from renewable surface supplies, such as the Colorado River, agricultural water seems like a good pool to tap ... Most of the irrigation districts in Yuma hold rights to the Colorado River that predate Hoover Dam, which means if the river starts... (AZCentral -- News)
Woman Swept Away At Low-Water Crossing Found Dead Oct 24, 2009
Lower Colorado River Authority officials were also keeping a watchful eye on Lake Travis as waters could rise to between 642 and 644 feet over the next couple of days. Water levels were at 637 feet earlier on Thursday. (KWTX.com, TX)
Heavy rains force LCRA to open gates Oct 23, 2009
Published: Thursday, October 22, 2009 12:28 PM CDT AUSTIN Rains of up to more than eight inches in Kingsland and surrounding areas Wednesday evening and early today have resulted in the Lower Colorado River Authority opening floodgates at Wirtz and Starcke dams upstream of Austin. The floodgate operations are necessary to pass along runoff from Sandy Creek, which at 2 a.m. today was more than five feet above flood stage near Kingsland. (Brenham Banner, TX)
Dock And 40 Boats Break Loose In Lake Travis Oct 23, 2009
The Lower Colorado River Authority predicted the level of the lake would rise about eight feet as a result of the rain overnight. Earlier rains had pushed the level of the drought-depleted lake up about four feet. (KWTX.com, TX)
Hydropower industry braces for glacier-free future Oct 22, 2009
A lack of water for hydropower is already "critical" in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, according to the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which also sees risks to water supplies to southern California from the loss of the Sierra Nevada and Colorado River basin snowpack. In Europe, 20 percent of electricity comes from hydro -- generating potential that is projected to decrease by the 2070s, falling sharpest in the Mediterranean. (Scientific American)
Heritage status would boost SCV Oct 21, 2009
Yumas heritage status, granted in 1999, has allowed the community to improve an area where Native Americans and those who came after them took advantage of a narrow point to cross the Colorado River. Officials there were able to leverage federal funds to purchase property, restore wetlands, remove invasive plants, establish a park and encourage private investment, said Ann Walker, a spokeswoman for the Yuma Convention and Visitors Bureau. (Nogales International, AZ)
See the inner workings of Glen Canyon Dam. Oct 21, 2009
Glen Canyon Dam was built to store water from the Upper Basin states of the Colorado River Compact - Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico ... Lately, its main purpose has been water storage, not flood prevention, although in 1983, so much water passed through the Colorado River that an extension was added to the spillway ... Glen Canyon Dam, which created Lake Powell on the Colorado River, rises 710 feet from the bedrock. (AZCentral -- Travel)
Kofa's celebration begins Oct. 29 Oct 18, 2009
On Sunday, Nov. 1, at 9 a.m. at Gateway Park, near the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge over the Colorado River, Kofa alums will gather to remember members of all Kofa classes who have passed away. "It will be just kind of a quiet time to reflect," said Johnson. (Yuma Daily Sun, AZ)
Public input sought on new Merced River plan Oct 17, 2009
It has been difficult for me to understand how the park service can do such a great job of managing visitor capacity at Ellis Island, the Washington Monument, Mammoth Cave, Mesa Verde, rafting on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, to name a few examples, and have such a difficult time dealing with day-use automobile congestion in. For the third time in the past decade, the National Park Service is seeking the public's ideas for a plan to protect the Merced River, which runs through the... (Fresno Bee)
- Imperial County, Air Pollution Control District’s federal lawsuit challenges Imperial Irrigation District water transfer 0 Oct 17, 2009
The Imperial County Air Pollution Control District and the county of Imperial have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the legality of the Colorado River Water Delivery Agreement. The lawsuit is against the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. (El Centro Imperial Valley Press, CA)
Better photos: Have patience and follow the light. Oct 15, 2009
Other options include Colorado River rafting trips, Grand Teton National Park and Lake Powell. 602-712-2004. (AZCentral -- Travel)
Spending by SRP leaders on travel, dinners spurs concern Oct 15, 2009
In November, Williams spent $14,200 on a reception at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego during the National Water Resource Association conference, and weeks later spent an additional $14,500 on prime rib and lobster for a reception at the Palm restaurant at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas during the Colorado River Water Users Association conference. "It's a good opportunity for the board to meet these people and get on a speaking relationship," Williams said. (AZCentral -- News)
Stewart Loew and his wife, Laurel, farm 63 acres in Amado, and say several issues have some family farmers struggling. Photo by Alexander MacLean | Cronkite News Service Oct 14, 2009
Yuma s heritage status, granted in 1999, has allowed the community to improve an area where Native Americans and those who came after them took advantage of a narrow point to cross the Colorado River. Officials there were able to leverage federal funds to purchase property, restore wetlands, remove invasive plants, establish a park and encourage private investment, said Ann Walker, a spokeswoman for the Yuma Convention and Visitors Bureau. (Green Valley News & Sun, AZ)
Water conservation district sues state over raids on special fund Oct 14, 2009
Arizona agreed to set aside about 400 billion gallons of its excess Colorado River water for use by Nevada. In return, Nevada was to pay Arizona about $23 million a year for 10 years to cover the state's costs in finding the water, storing it and pumping it out. (AZCentral -- News)
Cocopah to host cultural celebration Oct 14, 2009
The Cocopah (Kwapa), also known as the River People, have lived along the lower Colorado River and delta for thousands of years. The Cocopah Indian Tribe is one of seven descendant tribes from the greater Yuman language-speaking people who occupied lands along the Colorado River ... Cocopah tribal ancestors also lived along the Lower Colorado River region near the river delta and the Gulf of California. (Yuma Daily Sun, AZ)
Chefs Food Fest in Laughlin, Nevada Oct 12, 2009
Food as art is all around the room when Colorado River area chefs are given free rein to create elaborate creations, full menus of items available for tasting by the public ... The goal every year is to raise money for Colorado River area charities. (Suite101.com)
Kayaking below the Hoover Dam | Oct 9, 2009
Kayaking the Colorado River below Hoover Dam ... Kayaking the Colorado River below Hoover Dam ... Kayaking down the Colorado River is a great way to experience the rugged beauty of Black Canyon. (AZCentral -- Travel)
LCRA bracing for water restrictions Oct 9, 2009
Austin-based LCRA is charged with delivering electricity, managing the water supply and the environment in the Lower Colorado River basin. LCRA serves a number of rural water and wastewater systems in the Texas Hill Country and communities north and east of San Antonio. (San Antonio Business Journal, TX)
49 favorite Arizona getaways Oct 6, 2009
The ranch, which traces its origins to Arizona pioneer days, also offers some of the best fly-fishing in Arizona, along the Little Colorado River ... Elevations in the two-part park (the Tucson Mountain District on the west, the Rincon Mountain District on the east) range from about 2,300 feet on the west side to 8,482 feet at the summit of Rincon Peak on the east side, a difference greater than that from the Colorado River to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. (AZCentral -- Travel)
Pro & Con: Funding parks Oct 6, 2009
Without ongoing commitment to the notion of commonly held and publicly accessible landscapes, our legacy can erode as surely as the land carried away by the Colorado River. National parks are a work in progress, and we are not done. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Rain pounds Leander, Cedar Park Oct 5, 2009
54 inches of rainfall in the last 24 hours, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority's website at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Leander has received 2. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)
- Voice: Policy against state law? 0 Oct 4, 2009
However, IID gets its water from the Colorado River. And the Secretary of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation are the watermaster of IID s water. (El Centro Imperial Valley Press, CA)
Arizona joins other states in bold push for change Oct 4, 2009
But on the other side of the Colorado River, California Forward is taking a far more aggressive approach in its pursuit of systematic change in a state paralyzed by a state budget meltdown and dysfunctional government. Different states identify different priorities, face different challenges and chart different maps to achieve their goals and measure their progress. (AZCentral -- News)
Hike was Grand Oct 4, 2009
We got our first glimpse of the Colorado River and dangled our sore feet into the icy water ... The climb upward began the next morning as we crossed a footbridge over the Colorado River. (The Augusta Chronicle)
Pipeline critics get a seat at the table Oct 4, 2009
The water would come from the state of Colorado's share of water under the Colorado River Compacts, a series of interstate agreements over river management. An acre foot is about 325,000 gallons of water -- the amount of water that would cover an acre to a depth of one foot. (Casper Star-Tribune, WY)
Edith H. Thomas Oct 1, 2009
At age 81, she joined five other women, 30 years her junior, for a roaring raft trip down the Colorado River. She was famous for her pecan pie. (Montrose Daily Press, CO)
LCRA: Drought concerns persist Oct 1, 2009
Officials from the Lower Colorado River Authority are meeting with agricultural irrigation customers in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties southeast of Austin to tell them that water for agricultural irrigation may be severely limited next year due to exceptional drought conditions. The lower Colorado River basin, including the Gulf Coast region, is experiencing a serious drought, which has caused water reservoirs to drop to less than 40 percent of capacity, said Kyle Jensen, LCRA manager... (Austin Business Journal, TX)
List of 20 recipients of Carnegie Hero medals Sep 30, 2009
-Allen Drew Nelson, 29, of Brooklyn, N.Y., saved a 36-year-old woman from drowning when she lost consciousness and was separated from her inner tube on the Colorado River in Dotsero, Colo. on July 14, 2008. (Concord Monitor)
LETTER: Logistics will doomgovernment-run system Sep 30, 2009
" Locke wrote on Sep 28, 2009 9:49 PM:" Divert the Colorado River and build a damn within 5 years, never. Oh no, the Normandy Landing could never succeed, it is a logistic nightmare. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Leander seeks right to release treated wastewater into lake Sep 26, 2009
However, 40 percent of the city is located in the Colorado River Basin. Wastewater from that side now must be pumped uphill. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)
LCRA Could Seek Tougher Water Restrictions Sep 26, 2009
AUSTIN (September 25, 2009)According to a Lower Colorado River Authority staff analysis, the current drought appears more intense than the dry spell of the 1950s. The LCRA could seek stricter water restrictions from users after mid-September heavy rains did little to ease the drought. (KWTX.com, TX)
- Imperial Irrigation District executive program manager, former Santa Ana manager of public works, adjusts to test job 0 Sep 26, 2009
Water Manager Michael King maintains his title but will focus on Colorado River affairs, Brady said ... Kevin Kelley, IID assistant to the general manager, said the change allows King to direct his expertise to the complex Colorado River system. (El Centro Imperial Valley Press, CA)
Hiker killed at Grand Canyon was Atlanta man Sep 25, 2009
Thomas Peake set out on a daylong solo hike on Monday from the canyon's North Rim down to the Colorado River and back. When the 39-year-old didn't return from the 3-mile round trip by dusk, National Park Service officials say his wife drove to the nearest town in the remote area and reported him overdue. (AZCentral -- News)
Power Line Work Delays Possible Sep 24, 2009
Some local power line construction could be delayed if the Public Utility Commission allows the Lower Colorado River Authority to extend the filing of line routes until next June. Certainly there s going to be disappointment in any type of delay, Terry Hadley, spokesman for the PUC said. (Fredericksburg Standard Radio Post, TX)
Theres no better time to hit the high seas Sep 24, 2009
From the gold-leafed aspens along the Colorado River to the bursting birch and maple of Michigans Great Lakes shores, seeing the foliage is a great excuse to explore the Great Outdoors. Pick up a paddle, rent a raft or hoist a sail over the nearest lake. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Body of hiker recovered from Grand Canyon Sep 23, 2009
Park officials say the victim started a day hike around 9 a.m. Monday on the Lava Falls Route trail and had planned on hiking to the Colorado River and back, a round-trip distance of about 3 miles. When he failed to return by dusk, his wife called the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center to report him overdue. (AZCentral -- News)
Protectionist US could break water flow Sep 23, 2009
Lessons can be learnt from the similarities between the complex issues of the Colorado River basin in the US and Australia's Murray-Darling river basin. Water managers and water utilities from the US, Australia and elsewhere are coming together more frequently to discuss water sustainability issues, to share experiences and to collaborate in finding solutions. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Peachtree Creek floods homes Sep 22, 2009
"Then the water started rushing. I'm talking Colorado River style," she said. Melke said part of the house's foundation had collapsed. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Metro)
Green River water & pipeline Sep 21, 2009
Although Million is seeking to draw water in Wyoming, the water itself would come from the state of Colorado's share under the Colorado River Compacts -- formal agreements among Western states over how to allocate water on the river system. Jeff Fassett, a former Wyoming state engineer, is consulting with Million on the diversion project. (Pocatello Idaho State Journal, ID)
Robin Recommends Sep 17, 2009
Strap on your parachute and get ready for an entirely different view of the Colorado River. In Parker, you can parasail from a boat and in minutes you're soaring 50 to 500 feet in the air. (AZCentral -- Travel)
Saturday in the park Sep 17, 2009
Now that soils are wet, however, additional rainfall in the coming days could run off into the streams and tributaries that feed the Colorado River and Highland Lakes. The rain caused flooding of small creeks, streams and low water crossings. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)
Little Mountain named to imperiled-areas list Sep 17, 2009
The Horse Creek-Ryegrass Rim region is home to native Colorado River cutthroat trout and offers excellent habitat for moose, elk, mule deer, sage grouse and pronghorn antelope. The Ryegrass Rim also provides crucial winter habitat for migrating mule deer. (Green River Star, WY -- Local)
Video: Vegas' CityCenter Opens Doors to World's Most Spectacular Offerings in One Singular Setting, December 2009 Sep 17, 2009
At ARIA, famed artist is creating an approximately 84-foot silver cast of the Colorado River, which will be her first work of art displayed in Las Vegas; Jenny Holzer will display a thought-provoking LED sign spanning more than 280 feet; Tony Cragg has commissioned three sculptures that examine the relationship between nature and the man-made world: Bolt, 2007, Bent of Mind, 2008, and Untitled (tall column), 2008; and Antony Gormley will display Feeling Material XXVII, 2007, an 8-foot sculpture... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
'Intersex' Bass Widespread In U.S. Rivers Sep 15, 2009
In addition, 40 percent of male largemouth bass from the Colorado River at Imperial Dam, Ariz ... in the Colorado River Basin were intersex. (Science Daily)
Planners sketch out new interstate to Las Vegas Sep 15, 2009
The Nevada DOT has devoted hundreds of millions of dollars to complete a freeway between the Colorado River and Las Vegas. New state law. (AZCentral -- News)
Drought has eyes turning to Mexico Sep 15, 2009
It is an engineered solution to the vexing problem of keeping the nearby Colorado River free of agricultural wastewater too heavy in salt compounds for drinking water and other use ... The biggest challenge involves a plan to take some of the wastewater, treat it at a desalination plant, and direct it to other uses under a treaty that proportions the Colorado River among the Western states and Mexico ... It has been long maligned as among the federal government's biggest white elephants, a plant... (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Power corridor amps Mesa's economy Sep 12, 2009
Along a single stretch of Power Road in east Mesa, researchers are making jet fuel from algae, tracking rattlesnakes with computer chips, making youth sports safer, helping us forgo expensive and risky blood transfusions and making Colorado River raft engines energy-efficient and pollution-free. And the institutions they work for are bringing jobs and wealth to an area hit hard by the economic downturn. (AZCentral -- News)
Arizona parks considering layoffs, fee increases Sep 11, 2009
Among the changes being considered is an increase in the cost of an annual pass popular in parks along the Colorado River. The Parks Board will consider the budget-related issues during a meeting Friday in Peoria. (FOX 11, AZ)
Anthology from National Geographic Adventure Sep 10, 2009
Other pieces tell stories of an ancient ceremony conducted by an Amazonian shaman to relieve depression, reindeer herders in Russia, and running the rapids on the Colorado River on Sept. 11, 2001. . (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Travel)
