BOARD02617 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

WGA, NOAA Partner on Drought Monitoring: Western Governors Association announced they would partner with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop recommendations for a National Drought Monitoring Network to improve drought monitoring and forecasting. Govs. Mike Johanns of Nebraska and Bill Richardson of New Mexico are WGA's co- leads for the drought issue. Senator Says Rio Grande Study a Wake-up Call: U.S. Senator Pete Domenici has expressed his willingness to help New Mexicans find innovative ways of addressing future water needs in light of a new federal report that throws open the question oflong-term availability of water. Domenicijoined USGS officials to release the findings of a landmark six-year evaluation of groundwater resources in the Albuquerque and middle Rio Grande region. The report presents a new, scientifically based scenario about the quantity of water available in the middle Rio Grande, where nearly halfthe state's population resides. The study outlines limits to the aquifer that serves the area, and the impact of population growth and other forces on groundwater supplies. Tree Rings Provide Insight into Colorado's Drought: Old trees in Colorado are providing insight into drought conditions. At the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society in Long Beach on Feb. 11 NOAA presented extended records from tree-ring data that can be used to reconstruct past hydro climatic conditions. Over the past year, NOAA has formed working partnerships with a variety of Front Range water management agencies who have expressed interest in incorporating tree-ring reconstructed flow records in their planning. These include Denver Water and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, several municipalities (Boulder, Westminster, Longmont), and a large private company (Coors Brewing Company), as well as; several consulting firms. Of immediate interest is the assessment of the unusualness of the 2002 drought, as well as information for managing possible continuing drought conditions. Analyses of streamflow reconstructions for the Upper Colorado and South Platte River watersheds suggest that the severity of the 2002-year drought has been matched or exceeded about five times in the past three centuries. Water Law Conference: The American Bar Association's annual water law Conference was held in San Diego on Feb 20-21. Interior Secretary Gale Norton's speech highlighted the Conference. She reiterated that federal interests could be protected under state law. The Secretary noted that 30 years ago things were different, but that now most states have instream flow laws and public interest standards that are conducive to federal interests. In this context, there is no reason for the fec1eral government and the states to fight. Other panelists and speakers included: . John Leshy, former Interior Solicitor and currently Professor of Law at Hastings College in San Francisco. He spoke about the "myth" that "water in the West was allocated and controlled through finely-tuned, tightly-run administrative.gystems." He concluded that the time is right to consider "promoting tighter and more active water administration by states." His solution is a "carrot and stick" approach with new federal financial assistance for state water administration, a manc1ate that states address the hydrological connection between groundwater and surface water and a requirement to create and implement "an effective system for setting and enforcing streamflows for environmental and biological p\lrposes." . A panel addressing, "TMDL's: The Impacts of Water Quality on Water Quantity." The panel concluded that the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program is the most powerful water quality tool in the Clean Water Act. . A panel addressing "Running the River by Litigation" that noted that ESA and other litigation is ongoing in virtually every basin in the West. . . A panel discussion about water quality management and regulation in Indian country. . . . 8