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OURAY - September 3, 2008: It was Christmas holiday, 2001. Tim Beene had company visiting for an idyllic stay at his mountain home in the Elk Meadows subdivision high on Miller Mesa.

But things didn't turn out so great. A shallow subdivision waterline had frozen and broke. The Beene home went without water for 10 straight days.

"We had people going to town and renting hotel rooms just so they could take a shower," he remembers.

Indeed, water line failures have plagued the 126-lot subdivision over the years. When Elk Meadows was created at 8,500 feet south of Ridgway in the early 1970s, the lines weren't trenched deep enough in several places. With freeze-ups common, crews would burn tires to thaw out the tundra and PVC pipes. Click for more...


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To receive the Colorado Water News newsletter monthly, or to discontinue receiving the newsletter, please select the respective link below. Subscribe Unsubscribe	COLORADO'S WATER NEWS Fort Morgan Water Board Weighs Fee Structure Fort Morgan - September 9, 2008: Water is a complex and uncertain issue throughout the West, and Fort Morgan is no exception. The city’s Water Advisory Board is juggling several issues as it works to ensure a dependable supply of water for the city’s future. One of many steps toward that goal is the creation of a new water development policy, which the water board discussed at its monthly meeting Thursday. The water development policy essentially dictates that anyone who constructs new homes or commercial buildings in the city must purchase water to supply that building. Since the city recently adopted a new rate structure for water use, city officials have been working on the new policy governing how new construction will be asessed for access to city water. Click for more... Cyanide gold-mining ban challenged in high court DENVER— September 9, 2008: Invoking a 1992 pollution disaster, attorneys for Summit County told the state Supreme Court Tuesday that counties have the right to ban a cyanide-based gold mining technique if they believe it will hurt the environment. An attorney for the Colorado Mining Association argued that counties that prohibit the practice are trying to usurp powers reserved for state regulators. The court heard arguments in the mining group's lawsuit seeking to overturn Summit County's ban on the use of cyanide to extract gold from ore. The justices did not say when they would rule. Attorney Josh Marks, representing Summit County, said local officials are concerned about a repeat of the Summitville gold mine disaster, when a 17-mile stretch of the Alamosa River was rendered lifeless after a containment basin failed, releasing water tainted with heavy metals. The cleanup cost taxpayers more than $200 million. "The counties are concerned about contamination of watersheds and the catastrophic consequences of another Summitville," Marks said. Justice Greg Hobbs told Marks that Colorado has a long history of supporting mining operations, and he questioned whether the county has the authority to ban a procedure approved by state regulators. Click for more... CU Study: Reservoirs Partly Responsible for Invasive Lake Species BOULDER - September 3, 2008: A growing number of dams and man-made reservoirs is leading to a surge in unwelcome lake-water lurkers, such as zebra mussels and spiny water fleas, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado. Impoundments create “stepping-stone habitats” for invasive species to sneak into natural lakes, ponds and waterways, where they disrupt the natural habitat. The research team combined data on water chemistry, the distribution of five “nuisance invaders” and boating activity from the Great Lakes region for the study, according to Pieter Johnson, an assistant professor at CU and one of the lead authors. Click for more... Nelson Tunnel site added to EPA Superfund priorities CREEDE — September 3, 2008: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday added the Nelson Tunnel/Commodore Waste Rock pile near Creede to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. The draining mine adit and waste rock pile are located about one mile north of Creede in Mineral County. The Nelson Tunnel/Commodore Waste Rock pile is part of the Creede Mining District, one of Colorado’s largest historic silver mining districts. The area is located along West Willow Creek, which flows into Willow Creek, a tributary of the Rio Grande River. Click for more... Elk Meadows Fixes Problematic Water System OURAY - September 3, 2008: It was Christmas holiday, 2001. Tim Beene had company visiting for an idyllic stay at his mountain home in the Elk Meadows subdivision high on Miller Mesa. But things didn't turn out so great. A shallow subdivision waterline had frozen and broke. The Beene home went without water for 10 straight days. "We had people going to town and renting hotel rooms just so they could take a shower," he remembers. Indeed, water line failures have plagued the 126-lot subdivision over the years. When Elk Meadows was created at 8,500 feet south of Ridgway in the early 1970s, the lines weren't trenched deep enough in several places. With freeze-ups common, crews would burn tires to thaw out the tundra and PVC pipes. Click for more...
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COLORADO'S WATER NEWS

Cyanide gold-mining ban challenged in high court

CU Study: Reservoirs Partly Responsible for Invasive Lake Species

Nelson Tunnel site added to EPA Superfund priorities

Elk Meadows Fixes Problematic Water System