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J N s U 0 0 STATE LEGISLATORS GET A WATER-WISE TOUR OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO Philip Saletta, general manager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District, explains to state legislators how water is delivered from McPhee Reservoir. DENVER, CO —In August, members of the Colorado Legislature's Water Resources Review Committee, and other members of the public, partici- pated in a four -day bus tour of the San Juan and Dolores basins. Previously an interim committee, the now per- manent 10- person committee is co- chaired by Senator Lewis H. Entz and Representative Diane Hoppe. This year's tour started in Denver and followed the Colorado River to Grand Junction, where it turned southwards through the Uncompahgre Valley. The next day the group traveled to the Dolores Conservancy District and the Ute Farm and Ranch Enterprise. Speakers from vari- ous organizations accompanied the bus, keeping legislators busy with a stream of information. On the third day, the group toured the La Plata Valley and the pro- posed Long Hollow Reservoir site, finish- ing up the afternoon with a stop at the Animas -La Plata project. The final day, the group continued over to Pagosa Springs, and then through the San Luis Valley on their way back to Denver. A variety of sponsors help fund the trip, providing an excellent opportunity for legislators to familiarize themselves with water - related concerns explained first- hand by the people who deal with them everyday. The Committee has been making an effort over the last several years to tour its members through every river basin in state. "And we have almost made it to all of them," relates current chair Diane Hoppe. "The only basin we haven't covered is the Yampa and White in northwestern Colorado —maybe next year!" DON'T FORGET: OCTOBER 18 IS WORLD WATER QUALITY MONITORING DAY On October 18, volunteer monitoring groups, water quality agencies, students, and the general public are invited to join together to take an instant snap shot of the world's water quality. Four key indicators of water quality should be monitored: temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. To participate, choose any lake, stream, or other waterbody where you can safely monitor. Register your site on the World Water Monitoring Day registra- tion database at www.worldwatermoni- toringday.org/ You can either use your own equipment or the site has test kits for sale. After you have collected information about your site, they encourage all par- ticipants to report their data for inclusion in the annual World Water Monitoring Day summary reports. Locally, groups such as the Big Thompson Watershed Forum are part- nering with the U.S. Geological Survey, EPA, Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment, Division of Wildlife and others to make this into a day -long train- ing for teachers. "This is a great opportu- nity to share hands -on experience about the realities of water monitoring and educate the community about water qual- ity issues," notes Rob Buirgy the Forum's coordinator. "This will be the third year we've participated in this event, and we have plenty of good ideas we would be happy to share with other organizations who would like to do something similar." The Big Thompson Watershed Forum may be contacted at 970 -613 -6161 or www.btwatershed.org. 2 COLORADO FOUNDATION FOR WATER EDUCATION