Community Economic Localization (Colorado)

September 12, 2006
Note from Louis:

Good News from Mark Fuller:
"You will be happy to learn that the RWAPA Board endorsed moving forward with the Watershed Plan with a slightly modified funding scheme that called for a slightly higher contribution from the RWAPA reserve fund and a slightly small one from the member municipalities. I will be contacting the member governments today to get agenda time for a presentation/request. Will let you know when those get scheduled.
Thanks for all your contributions and assistance, another hurdle crossed!" - Mark
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CEL Water Committee Meeting
August 30, 2006

Presentation/Discussion with Mark Fuller Watershed Committee member
The Watershed Committee has the goal to develop a plan for water in Roaring Fork valley. Currently there is no vision for watershed or preserving resource.
The committee has been working on a watershed plan, which they are approaching in phases:
1st. Phase (currently happening)
~ public outreach - gather stakeholders, create a constituency
~ state of water shed support - gather studies and data and put in order that makes sense, boil down to a useable piece of information in written, graphs, network - so ordinary citizens can understand the watershed 2nd phase -(in the future) - series of recommendation for policies and action/ regulations, programs to bring consistency to water management up and down the valley - up to down stream (water use) consideration
How can CEL Participate? By being a part of the network and, when the time comes, by showing up at the towns' meetings to show support.
There is a need for grassroots citizens' support to gain strength.
The
watershed information needs to be presented in layman's language in order to raise the general understanding of the threats, the need to preserve and the need to change.
How will you get to the community? By finding stakeholders - those who are affected by the water - and soliciting ideas from them. Some of those stakeholders are: agriculture people, ranchers, ditch companies.
What are missing are citizens as a group of stakeholders Additional Information:
The Regional Quality Water Management Plan (208 plan) was not user friendly.
CEL's interconnectedness can help to raise public awareness.
Water in the state of Colorado is a property right - if you don't own it you have no say in what happens to it. If it falls out of public hands it falls out of public use.
Gas and oil companies are buying up water rights and drying out land.
Ruedi Water and Power Authority has uncontracted water available for purchase from Bureau of Reclamation. $12,000. Ruedi W & P Authority has a need to sell so as to pay off dept. This dept has grown from 4 million to 11 million due to interest on federal loan.
Currently the water is released so wells with junior rights keep pumping, but this may be required to stop by demand of senior water rights.
One consideration is the economic value of water leaving valley verses keeping it here.
At this point Garfield County is not represented at state level in water negotiations. John Martin has shown some interest.

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Notes from the CEL Water Discussion at Joani's house, July 27, 2006

Roaring Fork Collaborative - provides educational component, recommended collaboration with CEL Water
PSOP – Preferred Storage Option Plan, provides for the enlargement of the Turquoise and Pueblo Reservoirs, negotiated by the River District, often without the knowledge of the public.
ACTION POINT: challenge the River District to improve their relationship to the public
Immediate issues – PSOPs and Shoshone Water Right
Water is highly contested and coveted because WATER = DEVELOPMENT = PROFIT
Garfield County is the least progressive county in water issue participation, lacks involvement and engagement in the public process of decision-making regarding water.
Northwest Council of Governments – administers the 208 plan (under Clean Water Act) for the Roaring Fork Valley. However, Garfield county is excluded from this group despite containing the senior Shoshone water right.
ACTION POINT: go to Commissioner and request involvement with the NW Council of Gov'ts
Garfield county lacks influence in water discussions due to a lack of knowledgeable/passionate water representatives.
ACTION POINTS: elect a new River District representative.
Gina: contact water recreation users for their support/knowledge
Will Evans - variables are population growth, climate change and peak oil. A protected water source is essential to forming a localized economy. We have to engage farmers and ranchers in this process.
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Notes from the Water Discussion at Carbondale Town Hall, August 7, 2006

John Wesley Powell – suggested watershed as the most important community boundary. His recommendations were not taken in drawing up municipal boundaries.
Dan Richardson, City of Aspen Canary Initiative – Over the past 25 years there has been a 3 deg. F increase in average temps and a 20 day change in frost duration.
2100 projections – continued temp increases; more rain, less snow; earlier spring run-off, end of ski industry in this valley due to less snow depth and an earlier melt.
Ecology – species move further up mountains; increase in invasive species; increase in wild fires; earlier insect hatches.
Pressure experienced with climate change – Skico will need to make more snow; municipal demand will increase with increasing population growth; water will need to be stored for agricultural purposes with earlier run-off date; tourism industry will be hurt by altered run-off periods, industry skiing may disappear altogether.
Local Energy Source – provides security, revenue, savings and a cleaner environment.
Obstacles – the tendency for people to focus on the short-term and the familiar.

Louis Meyer, CO Riverbasin Roundtable – this is an issue of environmental science, policy, sociology, law, etc.
THE INTER-STATE PICTURE:

CO moisture comes from the Pacific in the winter, the Gulf of Mexico in the summer. This can and will change with increasing temperatures and altered global wind/water currents.
More water will come as rain, less as snow. This results in changes in ecological, agricultural, tourist (and more) cycles.
A 2 deg. F change in the CO Riverbasin (CO RB) will result in a 4-15% decrease in water (source: EPA).
The Crystal River in particular is very dependent on snow because there is no upstream reservoir.
Reservoirs will fill quicker in the spring and less later on.
2001-2003 are the driest years on record for the CO RB
"CO River Compact" : CA early development resulted in senior rights for the entire western region. A 1922 state-drawn agreement for water estimated 16 million acre-ft of water to the Divide. In 2001-2003, that figure was closer to about 3 million acre-ft.
Lake Powell – benefits upper basin states by supplying the lower basin during times of drought. A downward trend has the Lake currently at about 38% capacity. If this continues, upper basin states will be required to provide water to senior right lower basin states without the help of the reservoir. The Compact doesn't specify upper basin states' share, except the "left over." This is bad news for CO.
State-wide water committee – concluded there will be a "gap" in water supply/deman for 7 CO watersheds by 2030.
Ag conversions – conversion of agricultural land to municipal uses.

THE LOCAL PICTURE:
Trans-Mountain Diversions – impact the CO River and the Roaring Fork River
Moffet Tunnel – Denver Water is taking more water through this diversion
PSOP – see above. There is currently legislation allowing for the study of these types of storage expansion projects.
Shoshone Water Right relaxations – increase the likelihood of the Cameo call, both impact the Roaring Fork River. This will especially impact Rifle's drinking water quality, which may require desalination technology as a result. Salinity is an issue in every case of displaced water.
ACTION POINTS: CO River Roundtable – set up in each watershed and holds political influence (Louis is Garfield County rep). In Garfield County we need increased public involvement with water decision-making, elected official involvement with the general public, and county involvement with the NW Council of Governments (a product of the CWA 208 Plan). Garfield's lack of overall involvement in watershed issues has already resulted in several losses for our community, including the Shoshone/Excel agreement with Denver Water.
The public can demand more transparency from the River District, which makes too many decisions behind closed doors.
The Roaring Fork Conservancy is working on creating a watershed plan. This should be distributed widely.
Talk to the Commissioners about joining the NW Council of Gov'ts
VOTE!

Will Evans, CEL - there are 2 events to consider: Peak Oil and Global Warming
CEL – can we be sustainable in the face of outside unsustainable development and the pressures that are exerted on our essential systems?
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
CEL – represents alliances and partnerships
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Water Committee Report (8/3/06)
Since the last CEL meeting, the Water Committee has communicated through email and met for a roundtable session (July 27, 2006 at Joani's house) to discuss the current state and future prospects for water in this valley. Here are the results of these discussions:

The purpose of the Water Committee is to create a network for building alliances, educate ourselves and the rest of the community, and take action when an opportunity presents itself. At this early stage, we wish to keep our mission broad and flexible in order to allow co-evolution with the larger group, and to foster a healthy and creative adhocracy.

The identified variables to achieving a localized economy, to which water is essential, are population growth, climate change and peak oil.

OPPORTUNITIES:
The Roaring Fork Watershed Collaborative
– provides an educational component related to water quality and quantity issues, led by Roaring Fork Conservancy, USFS and Pitkin County. Promotes regional cooperation and integrated planning in the Roaring Fork Valley to balance development, ecology and community values. Joining this group is a must for the Water Committee, and the website is a wealth of information: http://www.roaringfork.org/sitepages/pid169.php
Recreation Group Collaboratives

- Raise awareness among those who use water for their recreation (ie. rafters, kayakers, anglers) of the water issues facing the valley. These are our supporters and they are often a great source of knowledge.
Ranchers and Farmers – a group that has a lot to teach us about the importance of water and its history in the valley; often the hardest group to reach because they're busy working!

VULNERABILITIES:

PSOP (Preferred Storage Option Plan)
– enlargement of certain reservoirs (ie. Turquoise and Pueblo) so that a district can "firm up" their water rights. These developments are negotiated by the River District, often without public participation or knowledge. Opportunity: challenge the River District to increase its public presence and bring this process to our attention.
Shoshone Water Right

– Denver voters decide on November 6th whether to ratify an agreement between Xcel Energy in Glenwood and the Denver Water Board, which would result a relaxation of Xcel's senior water right and increased storage of CO River water in upstream reservoirs (Green Mountain and Dillon.)
NEEDS (especially in Garfield County):

increased education/awareness of the complicated processes involved in water distribution
increased engagement between communities and their water officials
involvement with the Northwest Council of Governments (NW COG)
knowledgeable and passionate water representative to speak for the needs of the community
connect with water recreation people, ranchers and farmers (emphasis on ranchers)

NOTES:
A valuable inventory of local water resources can be found the Roaring Fork Conservancy website (www.roaringfork.org), and specifically at http://www.roaringfork.org/sitepages/pid137.php

There is a free water conservation workshop being held by the Great Western Institute on August 7 and 8 at the Glenwood Community Center. Information can be found at http://www.greatwesterninstitute.org/workshops.html.