TU supports Windy Gap project in light of new river
protections
Says
new permit conditions put threatened river and fishery on road to recovery
(Denver)—Trout Unlimited today praised a multiparty
agreement reached with the Municipal Subdistrict of the Northern Colorado Water
Conservancy District (Municipal Subdistrict) that provides significant
protections for the Upper Colorado River to offset impacts from the proposed
Windy Gap Firming Project (WGFP) .The package of protections—negotiated among
the Municipal Subdistrict, Grand County staff, Trout Unlimited and the Upper
Colorado River Alliance (UCRA)—was approved today by the Grand County Board of
County Commissioners (BoCC) as part of a permit issued for the Windy Gap firming
project.
“These permit conditions provide critical measures
for protecting the health of the Upper Colorado River
and its world-class trout fishery,” said Mely Whiting ,
counsel for Trout Unlimited. “TU has not been able to support this project in
the past. But the subdistrict and the project participants have gone the extra
mile to try to address our concerns and do what’s right for the river.”
Already, water diversions remove about 60 percent of
the native flows of the Colorado
“For years, those of us living in Grand County
have seen the once-mighty Colorado Colorado River on the road to
recovery.”
A Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologist’s study last
year pointed to Windy Gap Reservoir as a primary cause for steep declines in
aquatic life and habitat in the Colorado River.
The study flagged the need for periodic flushing flows to help scour the
river bottom and prevent the buildup of choking algae and sediment, along with
a “bypass” channel around or through Windy Gap that would reconnect the river,
improve water quality, and boost river health. Trout also depend on cold water,
and excessively warm stream temperatures have been a problem, with the Colorado
Water Quality Control Commission listing the Colorado
River as being impaired due to high water temperatures. The conditions
included in the permit approved by the BoCC today include restrictions on water
diversions and other requirements that address each of these needs by:
·
preventing stream temperature impacts during low
flows in the summer.
·
providing periodic “flushing flows” to cleanse
the river during runoff.
·
requiring the construction of a Windy Gap Reservoir
bypass to reconnect the river, in accordance with the bypass study and funding
agreement.
The bypass agreement is one of the most important components
of the WGFP approval package, said TU leaders, who called the bypass “critical”
in addressing the root causes of habitat problems in the Upper
Colorado . A bypass study, paid for by the subdistrict, is expected
to be completed by October 2013. If river benefits are shown, WGFP participants
committed up to $2 million to construct the bypass. An additional $2 million
would be available from the Colorado Water Conservation Board if approved by
the Colorado Legislature during its upcoming session.
In addition, the permit includes measures to address
impacts to water quality and clarity in Grand Lake and to riparian vegetation
and wetlands, as well as monitoring requirements.
The overall package also includes an agreement with
Grand County to enable pumping and storage of water to deal with summer low
flow problems and the subdistrict’s commitment—approved by the state Wildlife
Commission last year—to contribute $4 million and in-kind services for stream
improvement projects in the Colorado River downstream of Windy Gap Reservoir.
“This is not a perfect deal,” said Whiting. “This is
the product of compromise. But looking
at the entire package, we firmly believe it offers the best chance for the upper
Colorado River ’s recovery. It also offers an opportunity
for a new way of doing business—where stakeholders work side by side with water
providers in an effort to protect our valuable streams. TU is proud to be a part of this effort to
find balanced, pragmatic solutions.”
TU noted that the agreement is the product of years
of hard work, negotiations and collaboration. “We thank Grand
County for its leadership role and tireless
efforts to improve the conditions of the Colorado River ,”
said Klancke. “The efforts of our landowner partners, UCRA, were instrumental. And, of course, we commend the subdistrict and
its participant water providers for their willingness to listen to our concerns
and work together to find solutions.”
Drew Peternell, director of TU’s Colorado Water
Project, said the agreement had larger lessons for Colorado
water planning.
“In our Filling the Gap report, we said that WGFP,
if done right, had the potential to
be part of a smart supply portfolio for Colorado ’s
Front Range , along with stronger conservation
and reuse programs and better ag-urban water sharing strategies,” said
Peternell. “We’re pleased that Northern’s subdistrict has stepped up to address
WGFP’s impacts on the Colorado headwaters so that it can achieve that potential
as a smart supply project. Through a balanced portfolio including smart supply
projects like WGFP, Colorado can meet diverse water needs, from municipal needs
to recreation, while keeping our rivers healthy.”
Peternell added, “The job of protecting the Upper Colorado isn’t finished. Denver Water needs to step
up to provide additional protections for the Fraser River in its Moffat
expansion project, which if done right, also has the potential to be a ‘smart’
project. We’re not there yet, but this agreement provides a roadmap of how we
can get there.”
