inside windy gap turns 25 - northern water · windy gap turns 25 . ... takehegion t re on another...

INSIDEWater year:

A roller-coaster ride page 4

Conservation Gardensa study in saving water

page 16

WINDY GAP TURNS 25Celebrating the project’s past, present and future

NOVEMBER 2010Northern Water

WATERNEWS I November 2010 2

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

As we look forward to the day that the Northern Integrated Supply Project and Windy Gap Firming Project acquire the necessary permits and are constructed and storing water, we should take time to reflect and look back in history. TheColorado-BigThompsonProjectranksasacrownjewelintheeffortsoftheU.S.BureauofReclamationtoprovidewatersuppliestotheWest. NorthernWaterhasworkedasareliablepartnerandhasmaintainedandoperatedthisprojecttooneofthehigheststandardsthatcanbefound.There

islittlewonderthateachyear,manywaterprofessionalsfromaroundtheworldcometoNorthernColoradotoseehowitisdone.Theyrespectandwanttolearnfromoursuccess. Thisrespectforanexistingprojectdoesn’treducetheurgencyorneedforustocontinuetopattern,reproduceandbuildonourpastsuccess.Avibrantareaneedsareliableandflexiblewatersupply.Itdoesn’tstayvibrantifyoudonoth-ing.OurinvestmentinthefuturemeansbuildingNISPandtheWindyGapFirmingProject. Manyofuswillnotbearoundtoseeallofthebenefitsthatcomefrombuildingthesemuch-neededprojects,butthatis

howtheworldworks. Thatwastruein1937anditstillholdstruetoday.OurforefathershadthevisiontoknowthattheC-BTProjectwouldbecriticalforthefutureofNorth-ernColorado.Theyinvestedinus,andnowit’sourturntoinvestinthefuture. Itishearteningtoseetheincreasingsupportthatisbuildingeachdayfortheseprojects.TherehavealwaysbeenmanyNorthernColoradoresidentsthatsupportedthemquietly,butlately,Ihaveseenalotmoreofthatsupportstandupandbemuchmorevocal.Thepush-backfromNorthernColoradocitizenswhounderstandwhatreliablewatersuppliesmeanandwhowantagoodfuturefortheirfamiliesandfortheregionisgettinglouderandlouder.Theyknowweneedtobuildtheseprojects,theyseethebenefittotheregionandtheyarewillingtoputtheirsupportbehindtheseprojects. Ourindividualsupportneedstobedemonstratedtothepeoplethatwereelectedbyusinbothstateandfederaloffice.Weneedtoencourageourelectedrepresentativestosupporttheseprojects.Manyalreadydoandhavestooduptosupportthem.Whethertheyhavetakenastanceornot,itisimportantthatallourrepresentativeshearaboutthehighlevelofsupportthisregionhasfortheseprojects. TheresidentsofNorthernColoradohaveawaterconservancydistrictthatforthepast73yearshasfocusedononemission:Provideareliableandhigh-qualitywatersupplyforconstituents.Thatmissionisunwavering,anditalwayswillbe.S

Volume 30 • Number 1 • November 2010

WATERNEWS is the official journal of Northern Wa-ter and its Municipal Subdistrict. All rights reserved. Postage paid at Berthoud, Colorado. Postmaster: Send address corrections and other mail to:

WATERNEWS, 220 Water Ave, Berthoud, Colorado 80513,

or phone us at 800-369-RAIN (7246). Visit our website at www.northernwater.org or

e-mail [email protected]. Quote WATERNEWS if you like, but please

credit the publication. Thank you.

EditorsDana StronginBrian Werner

Senior DesignerJeff Dahlstrom

PhotosNorthern Water photos unless otherwise noted

PrintingVision Graphics

NORTHERN WATER BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Boulder CountyLes Williams

(President, Subdistrict Board)Sue Ellen Harrison Dennis Yanchunas

Larimer CountyMike Applegate

(President, District Board)Bill Brown

(Vice President, Subdistrict Board)Bill Emslie

Weld County Kenton Brunner

(Vice President, District Board)Don MagnusonJerry Winters

Washington and Morgan countiesJohn Rusch

Logan CountyBrad Stromberger

Sedgwick CountyGeorge Jenik

ABOUT THE COVER Lake Estes spills water at Olympus Dam in earlyJunePhoto by Jeff Dahlstrom

BY MIKE APPLEGATE

Reflections on a water district

3November 2010 I WATERNEWS

ItalsogavestafffromNorthernWaterandtheU.S.BureauofReclamationthechance to testLakeGranby facilities inawaythatcanonlyhappenwhenthereservoirisnearlyfull. OnJuly20,bystandersgottheopportunityseewaterfrom

GranbycomeoverthespillwayandrunintotheColoradoRiv-er.Althoughitmayhavelookedlikeanaturalspill,personnelwereconductingtestsonthereservoir’sradialgates.Operatorsraisethegateswhentheyneedtoreleasewaternearthesurface

ofthereservoir–asopposedtothemaingates,whichreleasewaternearthebottom. Operators test the radial gates yearly tobesurethattheyhaveafullrangeofmotion.Butproceduresalsorequiretestingwhenthereser-voirrisestohigherelevationslikethisyear–atestthat’sonlybeendoneacoupleoftimesinthelast20years.Thisteststhegatesunderagreaterload,createdbythereservoir’sfullness,tomakesurethegatesealsfunctionproperly. Granby has two radial gates, which wereraisedoneatatimeinincrementsupto2feet;the total release into theColoradoRiverwasabout2,000acrefeetofC-BTwater.S

GRANBY DAM SPILL during a test creates what some call the rooster-tail effect

THIS ISSUE

FEATURES 9 Windy Gap turns 25 The Windy Gap Project is now a quarter of a century old. Look back at its history and why Northeastern Colorado depends on it so much.

12Reservoir goop gets the boot Check out Windy Gap’s latest improvement (it’s a messy one).

16Gardens goal: Water-saving data Northern Water’s Conservation Gardens area in Berthoud is a pretty place to visit 24/7, but it also offers a centralized location to see landscaping studies in action and learn more about saving water.

DEPARTMENTS 4 WATER YEAR

8 PROFILE

15 DIRECTORS

18 BRIEFS

Under pressure: Gates pass the test

9

16

The 2010 water year didn’t just bring reserve-building water storage supplies.

Photo by Jeff Dahlstrom

Photo by Bill Shearer


WATER YEAR

For much of Colorado, water year 2009 ended the decade right, easing fears of continuing drought. But if 2009 was exciting, 2010 won’t soon be forgotten. The year startedout relatively calm,withNov. 1havingan equivalent of a 127 percent quota supply in Colorado-BigThompsonProject reservoir storage.Thatpercentage istheamountofwateravailable to fulfillupcomingC-BT allotment contracts. Winter precipitationfailedtoimpress;newspapersranarticlesaboutthebelow-averagesnowpack. Thenthesnows,rainsandwarmsnow-meltingtemperatures came – all at once. The surprisinghighpeakflowscalledforquickresponsefromwa-terprovidersandwaterusers. “Thiswasauniqueyear.There’sneverbeenany-thing like it in the last 54 years, since the C-BTProjectstartedfulloperations,”saidNorthernWa-terGeneralManagerEricWilkinson.“Werodetherazor’sedgeforthreeweeks.” TheedgeWilkinsondescribedcouldalsobeseenasatightropeactbetweenthescienceandpracticaloperationsoftheC-BTProject.Thebalancingactinparthingesuponthepossibilityofa“spill,”aneventinwhichC-BTProjectcollectionreservoirs,including Lake Granby, fill to capacity and addi-tionalinflowsmustbereleaseddownstream. When Lake Granby water spills, it goes backintotheColoradoRiverandbecomesunavailablefor future use within Northern Water’s districtboundaries.Thishashappened14timessincefull-timeC-BTdeliveriesstartedin1957. AGranbyspillhasseveraleffects.First,itcausesthelossofwaterthatorganizationsalreadypaidtopump.GranbystoreswhatcouldunofficiallybecalledlayersofwaterbesidesC-BT,includingwaterforWindyGapProjectparticipants,GrandCountyandtheMiddleParkWaterConservancyDistrict. For example,waterproviderswhouseWindyGapwaterpaidmorethan$143,000topumpabout6,100acrefeetin2010.Bycontract,thiswaterandanyinstoragefromprevi-

ousyearswillspillcompletelybeforeanyC-BTProjectwatergoesdowntheColoradoRiver. AGranby spill canalso lead to theneed toadjustC-BTProject operations, or how water is moved throughout thesystem.InthiscaseNorthernWaterandtheU.S.BureauofReclamation,thefederalagencythatownstheproject,worked

closelytogethertodeterminewhichchangesinprojectopera-tionswouldbestinfluencereservoirelevationsasrequiredbylawandforsafety. Finally,aspillcreatestheneedtoplanaheadforprobablespilloperationsfornextyearandbeyond.Inthepast,LakeGranbyhasoftenhadsuccessiveyearsoffill,thenspill.Nextyear’srunoffwillhavetobecarefullymanagedtomaximizestorageofC-BTwaterwhile timingthereleaseofpotentialspillflowstopreventfloodingdownstream. Theyearstartedwithwhatseemedlikenochanceofaspill.

Rapid runoff nearly tops off Granby

Lake Granby in June

BY DANA STRONGIN

Photos by Jeff Dahlstrom

WATER YEAR 2010’S ROLLER-COASTER RIDE

5November 2010 I WATERNEWS 5

Rapid runoff nearly tops off Granby

TheNorthernWaterBoardofDirectorsdecidedinNovem-bertooffera50percentinitialquota. After the rivers peaked much higher than expected, talkofspillchangedtopredictingthevariablesofwhenandhowmuch,notwhether. InApril theBoard increased theC-BTquotato80percent,whichmeanscontractholderscouldre-questuptoeight-tenthsofanacrefootforeachunitowned. “Ifwe’dhadasinglestormorthreehotdays,Granbycouldhaveswelledrightup,”Wilkinsonsaid.

However,aspillwasavoided,inpartbecauseMotherNa-turetookenoughmercifulbreakstoallowrunoffandprecipi-tationonboththeEastandWestslopestoslow. Reclamation also relaxed the standard procedure that re-quirespre-emptivereleasesfromGranbywhenthereservoiris6inchesshortoffull.Operatorswereallowedtowaituntilthereservoirwas2.5inchesfromfull.Thispreventedaspillandtheneedforpre-emptivereleases,becausethereservoir’speakelevationendedupbetweenthetwostandards. Althoughmakingchangestonormaloperationsisdifficultbecausetheyaffectdownstreamresidentsandotherinterests,thecollaborationbetweenNorthernWaterandReclamationto make this change demonstrates balancing mutual goals,safetystandardsandoperationalrequirements. Theyearendedonadrynote,withabnormallydryweatherinSeptemberresultinginamoderatedroughtdeclarationinmid-OctoberforNorthernWater’sEastSlopewatersheds. Theyearpassedwithoutaspill,butitsresidualeffectsput2011ontheradarscreen.WithC-BTProjectreservesata133percent quota equivalent onOct. 1, next year’s runoffmaytaketheregiononanothertenserollercoasterride.S

The level of this water year’s C-BTProjectstoragereservesofferedthefirstopportunity for the Northern WaterBoard of Directors to implement theRegional Pool Program since adoptingitin2005. The program offers a new way forNortheastern Colorado water users toleaseoutorbidonC-BTwater. “TheRegionalPoolProgramprovidesan opportunity to better manage andbeneficially use available C-BT Projectsupplies while assuring the continuingreliability of those supplies for projectallottees,”saidNorthernWaterGeneralManagerEricWilkinson. WaterfortheRPPcomesfromC-BTallottees’accountswhentheydonotuseallof theirquotaorcarryoverwater inagivenwateryear.TheRPPmakesthiswateravailabletoeligiblebidders,whomust demonstrate a recognized benefi-cial use of the water within NorthernWaterboundaries.TheydonothavetobeC-BTallottees. TheBoardhastheauthoritytoimple-menttheRPPwhenC-BTProjectstor-age reserves equal more than 200,000acrefeetascalculatedeachNovember.

Then,starting inJanuary, theBoardcanoffermonthlyallocations fromtheRPP. The allocations may continuethrough September and cannot exceed62,000acrefeetwithinthewateryear. When the Board allocates water to-wardtheRPP,ittriggersabiddingpro-cessthatawardswaterbasedonhighestbidsperacrefoot. ThisyeartheBoardmadetwoalloca-tions,oneinMarchandoneinJuly.TheMarch bids drew more than twice thedemandoftheBoard’s10,000-acre-footallocation. InJuly,however,theBoardallocatedanother15,000acrefeetfromthepoolbutonlyreceivedbidrequestsfor1,030acre feet.Thedecreased interest in the

laterallocationwaslikelyinfluencedbyheavier-than-normallatespringprecipi-tationthatsuppliedwateratanoppor-tunetimeforfarmers. Revenue generated by the lease ofRPPwaterisultimatelydistributedbacktotheC-BTaccountholderswhocon-tributedthewater.Thisyear’stwoallo-cations generatedmore than$304,200thatwentbackto86accountholders. Looking toward 2011, it’s likely theBoardwillhave its secondopportunitytoallocatewaterfromtheRPP. People interested in learning moreabouttheRPPcanvisitnorthernwater.organdclickontheRegionalPoolbut-tonorsignupfore-mailupdatesatregionalpool@ncwcd.org.S

First year of Regional Pool Program a success

2010 REGIONAL POOL PROGRAM BIDDING RESULTS March JulyWater allocated (acre feet) 10,000 AF 15,000 AFWater requested 22,120 AF 1,030 AFEligible bids 58 14Weighted average bid price $28.86/AF $15.14/AFMinimum winning bid price $22.12/AF $9.32/AF Revenues $288,646 $15,597

Lake Granby in June

Spring runoff’s high flows

WATERNEWS I November 2010 6 6

Available water shows project’s potential

BY DANA STRONGINNORTHERN INTEGRATED SUPPLY PROJECT

Thoseyearsareespeciallyencouragingwhentheyshowhowbeneficialproposedreservoirswouldbeiftheywerebuilt.

WhiletheregionsawthemajorityofColora-do-BigThompsonandlocalreservoirstorageat10-yearhighsduring2010,waterpassedbythatcouldhavebeenstoredintheproposedNorth-ernIntegratedSupplyProject’sreservoirs,GladeandGaleton,hadtheybeeninplace. NISPcouldhavedivertednearly80,000acrefeet of water into Glade Reservoir in 2010.Thecombined2009and2010waterdiversionswouldhavebeenabout112,000acrefeet,near-lytwo-thirdsofGlade’stotalcapacity.Galeton,ata45,000-acre-footcapacity,wouldbefull. Ifthetworeservoirswerealreadyconstructed,the NISP participants would now be restingmore comfortably in preparation for the nextdrought.Thewaterthatcouldhavebeenstoredwouldhaveprovidedthreeyearsofsupplybased

ontheproject’santicipatedreliableyieldof40,000acrefeetayear. FormerColoradoCommissionerofAgricultureDonAmentmayhavestateditbestduringaJuly2009eventwhenhesaid:“Withallthisrainwe’vehad,wouldn’tthishavebeenatimetofillareservoir?”S

More than 200 area farmers, offi-cialsandresidentsgatheredatAndersonFarmsnearErieonJuly15tovoicetheirsupportforNISPandhowitwillbenefitthe region’s thrivingagriculturalecono-myandheritagebyprovidingwaterforgrowing Northern Front Range citiesandtowns. IfNISPisnotbuilt,thefederalDraftEnvironmental Impact Statement pre-dicts that almost 100 square miles ofirrigatedfarmlandwillgooutofproduc-tion as thewater rights associatedwiththose farms are purchased by growingtowns in need of water for their busi-nessesandresidents. The July rally featured more than adozen speakers, ranging from farmerstoelectedofficials,whospokeabouttheneedtoprovidewatersuppliesforgrow-ingcommunities.S

WATER YEARS LIKE 2010, WHICHPROVIDEPLENTYOFRUNOFFTOHELPFILLSTORAGERESERVOIRS,CANBEEXCITINGFORWATERPROVIDERS.

Farmers rally for NISP

NISP in a nutshellWELL-KNOWN FEATURE:Glade Reservoir, an off-channel, 170,000 acre-foot reservoir northwest of Fort Collins, more than 2 miles out-side of the Poudre Canyon. It would be filled with Poudre River diversions during times of high flow through the existing Poudre Valley Canal.

IMPORTANT LITTLE-KNOWN FEATURE:Galeton Reservoir, a 45,000 acre-foot reservoir northeast of Greeley that would be filled with South Platte River water. Galeton water would be deliv-ered to two irrigation companies in exchange for a portion of their Poudre River water, which would be stored in Glade.

WHO NEEDS IT:15 water providers – four rural water districts and 11 municipalities – are paying for and would receive water from NISP, which has an anticipated reliable yield of 40,000 acre feeta year.

WHO WANTS IT:Besides the 15 participants in the project, there’s a lot of formal support for NISP: five ditch companies, 16 agricultural organizations, six business organizations, seven chambers of commerce, three water conservancy districts, three conservation districts, eight newspaper editorial boards, three boards of county commission-ers, a West Slope organization and nearly two dozen public/elected officials. To see a detailed list, visit www.gladereservoir.org.

WHERE IT STANDS: A federal report on the project’s potential impacts, called the Supple-mental Draft Environmental Impact Statement, is scheduled for publica-tion in 2011. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would then release a deci-sion in 2012.

Here’swhatsomeofthemhadtosay:

“We’re forgetting what the drought looked like in 2002 and what the next one is going to be like.” StateSen.GregBrophy(R-Wray)

“It’s obvious cities are asking for more water rights, and if they keep doing that, our water will be depleted and there goes our livelihoods.” DonKorrey,Sterling-areafarmer

“It’s our water. We’re saving it for a not-so-rainy day.” StateSen.MaryHodge(D-Brighton)

Spring runoff’s high flows on the Poudre River in Fort Collins

Northern Water loses key people

Dale Mitchell Savvystafffinancier,

generousgiver

Mitchell started with North-ern Water in 1986 as finance department manager and re-mained in that position until he passed away in March.

MitchellalwaysprovidedexpertadvicetotheNorthernWaterBoardofDirectorsoninvestment-relatedmatters.HemanagedandcoordinatedNorthernWater’sbudgetingprocesswithprofessionalism,patienceandaccuracy.

ManyWindyGapparticipantswillrememberMitchell,whoattendedmeetingseverymonthandgavefinan-cialreports.Heansweredparticipants’questionsaboutfinances,thebudgetandexpendituresingreatdetail.Also,hehelpedrefinancetheWindyGapbondsseveraltimes,whichresultedinmillionsofdollarsofcostsavingsforparticipants. Mitchellledthesuccessfuleffortduring2009and2010tohireafinancialinvestmentfirmtoadvisetheBoardonmaintainingasustainabledefinedbenefitfundforNorth-ernWater’sretiringemployees. HealsoservedasamemberoftheColoradoFounda-tionforWaterEducationBoardofDirectorsandservedasthefoundation’streasurer. Mitchellwasaquietmanwithsometimessurprisinghobbiesandhabits,whichwillalwaysbememorabletofellowfinancialservicesstaffmembers. “We’dalwaystalktoeachotheraboutwhatwe’dcomeupwithforourHalloweencostumes,”saidJohnBudde,whoisnowthedepartmentmanager.Mitchellwasalwaysquietabouthiscostumecreationprogress,butthenwouldshowuponthebigdayandsurpriseeveryonewithanelaborategetup. “Hewassofrugalandthrifty,butatthesametimehe’dgivetheshirtoffhisback,”saidStaffAccountantColleenKrabbenhoft.

Hank Kugeler Experiencedbusinessman,

notablejokester

Kugeler served as a member of Northern Water’s Board of Directors starting in 2000 and remained in the role un-til he passed away in March.

Kugeler,agraduateofYaleUniversityandformerU.S.Navyaviator,wasoneofthreeBoulderCountyBoardappoin-tees.HebroughtexperiencetotheBoardasabusinessownerwithmanyyearsintheoilandgasindustry.

Kugelerwasveryinvolvedinhiscommunityandservedasthesecretary/treasureroftheNorthBoulderFarm-ersDitchCompanyboard.HewasalsoamemberoftheBoulderCommunityHospitalBoardofDirectorsfrom1987to1997. “DirectorKugelerbroughtawiderangeofknowledgetotheBoard,withhisexperienceinoilandgasaswellasditchcompanyoperations,”saidNorthernWaterGeneralManagerEricWilkinson.“Hisefforts,contributionsanddedicationtowaterissuesleftalastingimpression.” WhileonNorthernWater’sBoard,Kugelerservedaschairmanofthebuildingcommittee,whichoversawthedevelopment,constructionandfinancingofNorthernWater’sBerthoudheadquarters.HealsoservedontheBoard’slegal,retirementfundandfinancecommittees. RayJoyce,whoservedasaNorthernWaterBoardrepresentativeforBoulderCountybeforeKugeler,remem-beredKugeler’sfinancialacumen.“Hewasanexcellentfinancialbusinessman,”Joycesaid. JoycesaidKugelerwasalsoamemberoftheBoulderRotaryCluband,throughthat,frequentlyhelpedwithcommunitycharities.Healsoenjoyedplayinggolfatcoursesaroundthecountryandwasaduckanduplandgamehunter. “Hewasknownfortellingajokeaboutonceaday.Helikedagoodcleanjoke,”Joycesaid.“Hewasaverylike-ableguy.”

IN MEMORIAM



PROJECT UPDATESPROFILE

New Denver Water CEO brings West Slope know-how to Front Range Jim Lochhead, who started as Denver Water’s CEO/man-ager on June 1, comes into the position with three decades of water-related experience and a readiness to learn more. Lochhead,anativeCalifornian,hasalwayshadaninterestinenvironmentalandnaturalresourceissues. Heearnedabachelor’sinenvironmentalbiologyattheUni-versityofColoradoin1974wherehetookclassessuchasecol-ogy.Hisplanwastobeahighschoolbiologyteacherandrun-ningcoach. Thoseplans changedwhenLochhead sawhis score on the

biologyexamforpotentialgraduatestu-dents. It turnedout that studying ecol-ogydoesnotnecessarilymakeastudentanexpertinbasicbiologytopicslikecellsandorganisms. Soheopted to try the law school en-tranceexam,whichofferedabetterscore.“I said, ‘Well, I guess I’m going to lawschool,’”Lochheadsaid.Thematchendedupbeingagoodone.While in school, Lochhead clerked fora firm specializing in water law, whichlaterhiredhimtostartanofficeinGlen-wood Springs, where he lived with thiswife,Abby,formorethan30years.TheirdaughterKobyPolaskiisanimmigrationattorney in Aurora, and their son IancoachesskiracinginVail.Lochhead’sresumehasgrowntoincludeanarrayofroles inthewaterandnatu-

ralresourcesworlds,fromnegotiatinginterstatewaterissuestoservingontheColoradoWaterConservationBoard. Lochheadwas also executivedirectorof theColoradoDe-partmentofNaturalResourcesfrom1994to1998;theposi-tionrequiredtravelandgainingadeeperunderstandingofhowColoradoworksondifferentlevels,notjustwater.Hefinishedthepositionwithagoodsenseofaccomplishment. “IwaswonderinghowIwouldfeelcomingout.Peoplearedistrustful and skeptical of government. Would I feel like Imadeadifference?”hesaid.Theanswerwasyes. Lochhead is especiallyknownand respected forhis effortsonColoradoRiverBasinissues,includingservingasvice-chair-manoftheUpperColoradoRiverCommission,whereherep-resentedColoradoin interstatewatermanagement.He’s seentherivergofromhavingapotentialsurplustoashortage. “Therealityofanoverallocationconflictcameonalotsoon-erthanwethought,”hesaid. Lochheadhasbeentoutedbyseveralgroups,including

WesternResourceAdvocates,asastrongselectiontoheadDen-verWaterbecauseofhisWestSlopeperspective,commitmenttoconservationandworkexperience. Lochheadknowshehasabig,importantroletofill. “Denver Water affects a lot of different things,” he said.“ThatfootprintgoesallthewaytotheWestSlope.” AsthelargestwaterutilityinColorado,DenverWater’sac-tions impactwatermanagement issuesnot juston theFrontRange,butstatewide,Lochheadsaid.Nowmorethanever,theutilityneedstokeepalong-termperspectiveandconsiderthesustainabilityofitsprogramsandpractices. LookingbackatDenverWater’shistory,Lochheadseestwoevents that changed theorganization’s outlook and role.Thefirst,the1974PoundstoneAmendmenttothestateconstitu-tion,restrictedthecityandcountyofDenver’sabilitytoannexmoreland.TheotherwastheEnvironmentalProtectionAgen-cy’s1990vetoofDenverWater’sproposedTwoForksdam. That’s when the utility’s board of directors truly said theyneededtodowhat’srightforDenverWater,Lochheadsaid. “Wecan’tbeall things toallpeople,awidemetropolitan-areaprovider.Butwecan stillworkcooperativelywithotherutilitiesifthat’sbeneficialtoDenverWater,”hesaid. Thatchangeinmindset,Lochheadsaid,canbecreditedinparttoformerDenverWaterCEO/managerChipsBarry,whoadvocatedcollaborativepartnershipsamongwaterentities. LochheadwillcontinuetofocusonDenverWater’sthreefu-turesources:conservation,reuseanddevelopingsupplies. “Notanyoneistheanswer,”hesaid. Lochheadis familiar toNorthernWater,withhisworkonColoradoRivernegotiations,GreenMountainReservoirissuesandthePlatteRiverEndangeredSpeciesRecoveryProgram. “JimhassomuchknowledgeofnotonlyColorado’swateris-suesingeneral,butalsotheworkingsofNorthernWater,”saidNorthernWaterGeneralManagerEricWilkinson. “We lookforwardtoworkingwithhiminhisnewrole.” DenverWater andNorthernWater in spring2009 jointlyoffered mitigation and additional benefits to Grand Countyandotherentitiesinreturnfortheirsupportoftwoproposedprojects,DenverWater’sMoffatCollectionSystemProjectandNorthernWater’sWindy Gap Firming Project. Both involveincreasingthereliableyieldofexistingprojectsthatdivertwaterfromtheWestSlopetotheFrontRange. “IseeNorthernWaterasapartnerinworkingtogetherwithusandotherstomeetfuturewaterneedsinColorado,includ-ingtheWestSlopeaswellastheFrontRange,”Lochheadsaid.“Weneedtomutuallycreatesolutionsandworkinconjunctionwitheachother.TheeconomyofNorthernColoradoisintegraltoDenverandviceversa.”S

WATERNEWS I November 2010

“The economy of Northern Colorado is

integral to Denver and vice versa.”


Windy Gap turns 25The Windy Gap Project was originally conceived as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project in the 1950s whenthe U.S. Bureau of Reclamation produced a study on a potential West Slope extension to the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.

BY BRIAN WERNER

1985 - 2010FEATURE

A WINTER DAY AT WINDY GAP BEFORE CONSTRUCTION



T In 1970, the committee helped create Northern Water’sMunicipal Subdistrict, an independent water conservancydistrictwiththesamepowersastheparentdistrict.NorthernWateremployeescarriedouttheMunicipalSubdistrict’sworkandthenbilleditfortheappropriatehours,aprocedurethatcontinuestoday. TheMunicipalSubdistrict’schargetogetWindyGapbuiltwasmucheasier saidthandone.It took11years toget theproject through thepermittingprocess,which included theacquisitionof23local,stateandfederalpermitsandlicenses. Unlikemostwater suppliers, theMunicipalSubdistrict isrequiredbytheWaterConservancyActtodesign,constructandoperatetheprojectinamannerthatwillnotimpairtheColoradoRiverBasinorincreasecoststoitswaterusers.Tosatisfy this requirement, the Municipal Subdistrict provid-ed mitigation measures and additional benefits to theWestSlope.Theseincluded: • $10.2 million paymenttotheColoradoRiver WaterConservationDistrict,usedasseedmoneyto constructWolfordMountainReservoir • $550,000 to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Servicefor endangeredfishspeciesstudies • $500,000 to upgradeandprovidenewpumpsfor rancherdiversionsdownstream • $420,000 to Hot Sulphur Springsforupgradingwater

andwastewatertreatmentfacilities. TheMunicipalSubdistrictalsoenteredintoanagreementwiththeColoradoDivisionofWildlifetomaintainminimumstreamflows, includingperiodicflushingflows, in theColo-radoRiverbelowWindyGapwhen theproject isdivertingfromtheriver. The first shovel of construction dirt was turned in May1981.Theconstruction,whichtookfouryears,haditsownchallenges, including anonsite flood and the dis-coveryofancientarchaeo-logical artifacts along thepipeline route. Pipelineconstructionwasheldupfornearlyayearwhilear-cheologists documentedthefindings. The Windy Gap Proj-ectwascompletedinJune1985 and includes a di-versiondamontheColo-rado River that createsthe 445-acre-footWindyGapReservoir, a pumpplant andasix-milepipelinetoLakeGranby,wherewaterentersC-BTProjectfacilitiesforconveyancetoNortheasternColorado.

FEATURE

Longmont Mayor Ralph Price files for water rights

How the project came to be

WINDY GAP TIMELINE

Six CitiesCommittee formally created

MunicipalSubdistrict formed

Carriage contractto use C-BT facilities executed, then challenged

Six Cities’ water delivery contracts signed

Environmental report submitted to Reclamation

Carriage contract upheld

JULY 17 FEBRUARY 24 JULY 6 OCTOBER 3 JULY 11 MARCH JULY 18

Conditional water rights decree granted

Settlement with West Slope entities signed

Reclamation approves project

Groundbreaking ceremony

Pipeline firsttested

Reservoirfirst filled

Supplemental agreement with West Slope entities signed

Windy Gap Project dedication

1967 1969 1970 1973 1975 1977 1977

FEBRUARY 23 APRIL 30 APRIL JULY 11 NOVEMBER SPRING MARCH 29 JUNE 29 1978 1980 1981 1981 1983 1984 1985 1985

The study looked at building a pipeline start-ing at Windy Gap, a cut in a ridge west of Granby that is often subject to high winds. The pipeline would run to Willow Creek Reservoir, include an enlarged Willow Creek pump plant and then pump the additional water into Lake Granby. The estimated cost was $8.4 million. When this effort failed to move forward the idea was dormant for more than a decade until Northern Front Range growth revived it. In the mid to late 1960s officials from several FrontRangecitiesbegandiscussingwheretheycouldfindwatersuppliesforthefuture.Sixofthem–FortCollins,Gree-ley,Loveland,Longmont,BoulderandEstesPark–band-edtogetherin1969andformallyorganizedthemselvesastheSixCitiesCommitteewiththepurposeofpursuinganewwatersupplyatWindyGap. THE WINDY GAP MANIFOLD is 9 feet in diameter and connects to the

plant’s four pumps

ARCHEOLOGISTS dig at the pipeline route, the site of several Native American ruins


W TheMunicipalSubdistricttookastepback–25years,tobeexact–tocelebrate theWindyGapProject’sanniversaryduringtheJune2010BoardofDirectorsmeeting.Includedin thebrief ceremonywere remarks from former employeesand Board members involved in theproject’sformativeyears. Formeroperationsandmaintenancedepartment head John Bigham jok-inglydescribedanearlytestonWindyGap’spumps.Turning thepumpsoffmeant that the water was supposedtoflowbackdownthepipelinetothepump plant but not flood it. SinceJohnandotherswerestandingintheplant’sbasement, “Wehoped that alltheengineerswereright!” (Theysurewere.) On a more serious note, Bighamsaid,“Itwasanexcitingtime.” Also speaking was Larry Simpson,who was Northern Water’s planningdirectorfrom1971until1982andwasgiventheresponsibil-ity for overseeingWindyGappermitting and construction.Hebecamegeneralmanagerin1982.SimpsontalkedaboutmanyofthepeoplewhomadeWindyGappossibleaswellas

somememoriesof therigorousnegotiations that tookplacewithWestSloperepresentatives. Board members and guests watched a short video of thededication,which includedremarks fromtwoleadersat the

time, Municipal Subdistrict Presi-dent W.D. Farr and CongressmanHank Brown. Their comments fo-cused on the agreements betweentheWest andEast slopes thatmadeWindyGappossible. Talk about Windy Gap’s successfueled positive thinking about thefuture of a proposal to constructa dedicated storage reservoir forWindy Gap water, a project whichisnowgoingthroughthepermittingprocessandisfeaturedonpage14ofthismagazine. FormerBoardmemberRayJoycesaid that, after all these years, he isstillwaitingforWindyGaptohave

itsowndedicatedstorage. “Ihaven’tgivenupyet,butit’sgoingtohavetohurryuptomakeitinmylifetime,”Joycesaid.“I’mconfidentthisisgoingtohappen.”S

Longmont Mayor Ralph Price files for water rights

How the project came to be

WINDY GAP TIMELINE

Six CitiesCommittee formally created

MunicipalSubdistrict formed

Carriage contractto use C-BT facilities executed, then challenged

Six Cities’ water delivery contracts signed

Environmental report submitted to Reclamation

Carriage contract upheld

JULY 17 FEBRUARY 24 JULY 6 OCTOBER 3 JULY 11 MARCH JULY 18

Conditional water rights decree granted

Settlement with West Slope entities signed

Reclamation approves project

Groundbreaking ceremony

Pipeline firsttested

Reservoirfirst filled

Supplemental agreement with West Slope entities signed

Windy Gap Project dedication

1967 1969 1970 1973 1975 1977 1977

FEBRUARY 23 APRIL 30 APRIL JULY 11 NOVEMBER SPRING MARCH 29 JUNE 29 1978 1980 1981 1981 1983 1984 1985 1985

Windy Gap celebrated, 25 years laterOn June 29, 1985, about 450 people gathered to dedicate the newly constructed Windy Gap Project. Under beautiful skies, people from both sides of the Continental Divide met in front of the plant for ceremonies, a picnic lunch and tours of the facility.

SNOW COVERS a section of Windy Gap’s pipeline, which was trucked over the Continental Divide in sections

FOUR PUMPS, each with 12,000 horsepower, can discharge a combined total of 600 cfs


FEATURE

Windy Gap goop gets scoopedThe Windy Gap Project has benefitted from two decades of improvements, including pipeline rehab and a switch to a more reliable power system.

ThebottomofWindyGapReservoirhas slowly risenbe-causeofsilt,whichisriversedimentthatflowedintotheres-ervoirandsettledovertime.Siltisnatural,butwhenitsettlesthegoopybuildupcancauseseriousdamagetofacilities. In the case of Windy Gap, Northern Water staff recentlyfound out just how much buildup there was.This fall, theydewatered,ordrained,thereservoirtofind7to9feetofsiltinfrontofthepumpplant’sgatechamber–morethanpredicted. “Thiswasmorethanasmall issue.Dealingwithitturnedinto a much larger project than we anticipated,” said NobleUnderbrink,whooverseesNorthernWater’sWestSlopeopera-tions.

FACILITY DAMAGE DEMANDS ACTION SiltbuildupinWindyGapReservoirwasn’tnewstoNorth-ernWater’sMunicipalSubdistrict;evenbackintheearly1990s,itwasonawatchlist.Butitbecameanobviousproblemabouttwoyearsago,whendiversweredoingregular inspectionsofthe gates in front of the pump plant. Instead of finding theusualbuildup,whichtheycouldmoveawaybyhand,theyen-counteredawallofsiltsothickitwaslikecompacteddirt. Thedivers alsodiscovered amoreominousproblem:Twomajorshaftsofthehydraulicgateswerebent.Thepartshadtobereplaced–a$34,000bill.

MOST RECENTLY, WINDY GAP RESERVOIR UNDERWENT A CLEANUP – FROM THE BOTTOM UP

Top: Excavators move silt in preparation for dump truck removalLeft: Equipment rests in front of the Windy Gap Pump Plant


BY DANA STRONGIN


Thedivers’inspectiontriggeredadetailedinvestigationintohowbesttoremovethesilt.Infall2009,personnelloweredthe reservoir elevation and did trial pumping to check theconsistencyofthesilt.Thesiltwassandy,soitcoulddrywhenthereservoirwasdrainedandthenberemovedwithbulldoz-ers.Otherwise,thecontingencyplanwastocreateapondforthesilttositinandseparate.Thispreparatorydrawdownalsoallowedstafftoconductananalysisonthesiltandcheckforhazardousmaterials.Therewerenone,whichsavedtimeandmoney.

Whenthefullremovalproj-ectstartedinfall2010,itwasestimated that about 5,000cubicyardsofsiltwouldneedtoberemoved.Thatestimatewasveryclose:Thetotalwasabout 5,600 yards – about750dumptruckloads. During the review andplanningprocess,staffmem-bersalsonotifiedandworkedclosely with stakeholders,including downstream resi-dents, Grand County, the

MiddleParkWaterConservancyDistrict, theColoradoDi-visionofWildlife,HotSulphurSpringsandtheU.S.ForestService.Afterplanswereinplace,theMunicipalSubdistrictwaitedfortherightriverconditionsandpreparedequipmentbeforebeginningtheproject.

REMOVAL RAMPS UP OnAug.20,operationsstaffstartedthesiltremovaleffortbydrainingWindyGapReservoir,whichwasstandingatanelevationof7,826feet.Leftbehindwerejustafewlargepud-dles,with theColoradoRiver stillwinding itsway throughthebottomofthereservoir. Notwosiltremovalprojectsarethesame,Underbrinksaid,causingtheneedfordifferentapproaches–andtheflexibilitytochangethemmidcourse.

Throughout the project, staff had to maintain adequateflows in theColoradoRiver fordownstreamusers.Releasescouldbemadethroughabypasssetupinfrontoftheplant,thegateonthespillwayandtheun-gatedpartofthespillway.Thewaterlevelinfrontoftheplant’sgateshadtobekeptaslowaspossibleforsiltremoval–notaneasytaskgivenpre-cipitationandchangesingroundwaterlevels. Intheend,operationsstaffusedacombinationofpump-ing,bothforwaterandforslurry(matterthathassolidssus-pendedinliquids).Theyusedsandfiltrationtoseparatesomeofthewaterandsilt,andkeptasteadystreamofdumptrucksgoingtogetthesiltoutofthearea.SILT FINDS A GOOD HOME WheredidNorthernWaterput750 truckloadsof silt? Itturnsout theblack stuffhadvalueforGrandCounty. Just uphill from WindyGaptothenorth isa formerGrand County-owned land-fill. Because Grand Countyofficials closed the landfill,they are required to vegetateit. Northern Water truckedthe silt to the landfill, whereit was mixed with organicmulchandusedas topsoil topromoteplantgrowth. As a result, truck round-tripswereaboutthreetimesfasterthantheywouldhavebeenhadthematerialbeentakentoNorthernWater’sgravelquar-ry,whichis8milesawayfromWindyGap. WiththesiltprojectcompleteSept.30,theMunicipalSub-districtcanexpecttoavoidtheneedtodoasimilarremovalprojectforyearstocome.S

Grand County used the silt to revegatate its closed landfill

A silt/water mixture begins its trip into a sand filtration area

Portable pumps helped maintain flows for nearby downstreamusers throughout the removal project

Photo by Amy Johnson

A dump truck awaits another load of silt. Staff trucked 750 loads to a nearby landfill as a benefit to Grand County



WATER PROVIDERS Tencities,tworuralwaterdistrictsandonepowerproviderare paying for and would benefit from the proposed WindyGapFirmingProject.Theprojectwouldproduceareliable,orfirm,supplyforWindyGapwaterproviderstouseeachyear. TheexistingWindyGapReservoirisbestdescribedasadi-version structure rather thana storage space. Instead,WindyGapparticipantsrelyonspaceinLakeGranby. The firming project’s key feature would be the construc-tionofChimneyHollowReservoir justwestofCarterLake,southwestofLoveland,onlandpurchasedjointlybyNorthernWater’s Municipal Subdistrict and Larimer County. LarimerCountywouldmanageboatingandfishingonChimneyHol-lowReservoirandalsohasplansforhikingandothertrailsonitsportionofland,whichisdedicatedasopenspace. ChimneyHollowReservoirwouldstoreWindyGapwaterandreducerelianceonC-BTstoragespace. ThefirmingprojectparticipantsincludeallbuttwoofthewaterproviderswhoalreadyreceiveWindyGapwater.Collec-tively,the13entitiesfaceanestimatedpopulationof825,300by2050–morethandoublewhatitwasin2005. The time,money and effort theparticipants have alreadyputintotheprojectshowhowcriticalitis.Theyhavealreadyspent $8 million on the environmental permitting process,which formally started in 2003.The reservoir site land pur-chasewasanother$4million.

PROJECT STATUS Northern Water’s Municipal Subdistrict, which is coor-dinating the project, has been involved in negotiations withGrandCountyandotherWestSlopeentitiesforayearandahalf.Iftheentitiesagreenottoopposetheproject,NorthernWaterhasofferedtoworktogetheronmitigationmeasures,aswellasadditionalrelatedbenefits,allofwhichwouldimproveconditionsontheColoradoRiver.NorthernWaterhopestoseeagreementscomeoutofnegotiationssoon. Also,DenverWaterpartnered in thenegotiationsbecausetheutilityisseekingapermitforitsproposedMoffatCollec-tionSystemProject. Although Chimney Hollow Reservoir would make addi-tionaldiversionsoffoftheColoradoRiverpossible, itwouldnot exceed amounts already allowed under the original, ap-provedWindyGapwaterrightsandpermits. Participantshavebeenworkingwithotheragencies togettheirrecommendationsonaspectsoftheproject.Forexample,theyhavebeendiscussingpotentialmitigationplanswiththeColoradoDivisionofWildlife,whosewildlifecommissionwillreviewthewildlifemitigationplaninearly2011.

ThenextstepinthepermittingprocesswillbetheU.S.Bu-reauofReclamation’sreleaseofadocumentcalledtheFinalEn-vironmentalImpactStatement.Truetoitsname,itwillreviewindetail theproject andmitigation for itspotential impacts.Thedocumentisexpectedtocomeoutbytheendofthisyear. Reclamationisexpectedtoissueadecisiononwhethertheprojectshouldbebuiltinspring2011.S

WINDY GAP FIRMING PROJECT

Windy Gap water waits for storage spotWhile Northern Water staff worked on the Windy Gap Reservoir silt removal project this summer, 13 Northeastern Colorado water providers have hoped for several years to move dirt in a different way: building a new storage reservoir.

How Chimney Hollow Reservoir would workWATER FOR STORAGE: Is diverted from the Colorado River and conveyed to the East Slope via existing C-BT Project facilities, to the underground Bald Mountain Tunnel From tunnel, enters inlet to underground pipeline and flows by gravity into Chimney Hollow Reservoir

WATER FOR DELIVERY: Is released from Chimney Hollow where it either: Enters the Flatiron/Carter Pressure Tunnel and flows into Carter Lake Reservoir for delivery via the Southern Water Supply Pipeline or the St. Vrain Supply Canal Enters Flatiron Reservoir for delivery via the Hansen Feeder Canal and Horsetooth Reservoir

BY DANA STRONGIN

Hansen Feeder Canalto Horsetooth Reservoir

Saint Vrain Supply Canalto Lyons

SouthernWater SupplyPipeline

Flatiron Penstocks

PowerPlant

Bald MountainTunnel from Pinewood Reservoir

Chimney HollowInlet Pipe

SpillwayChannel

Dam

Dam

Dam

Dam

DamDam

Inlet/Outlet Tunnel

ProposedChimneyHollow Reservoir Carter

LakeReservoir

FlatironReservoir

Proposed Chimney HollowFacilities

Flatiron/CarterPressure Tunnel

Spillway Canal& Stilling Basin18E

18E

31

31

8E

C-BT Project Existing FacilitiesChimney Hollow PipelineSpillway ChannelInlet/Outlet TunnelSpillway CanalProposed Dams

Legend


DIRECTORS

Northern Water Board sees changes

Brad Stromberger, Logan County Stromberger,ofIliff,worksand

livesonhisfamilyfarm,whichisnearthefarmownedbypreviousNorthernWaterBoardmemberandfellowfarmerBillCondon,whoretiredfromtheboardinSeptember.StrombergerappliedforandwasappointedtoCon-don’sLoganCountypositioninOctober.

StrombergersaidhegainedaninterestinwaterissuesbytalkingtoCondon.Stromberger

foundedandisnowpresidentoftheLowerLoganWellUserswellaugmentationplan,whichservesabout140wells. HeisalsothevicepresidentoftheLowerSouthPlatteWaterConservancyDistrictBoardofDirectors,andheisoneofthefoundersoftheDistrict64ReservoirCompany. StrombergersaidhewaslookingforwardtogettingmoreheavilyinvolvedinwaterissuesthroughhisserviceontheNorthernWaterBoard.

Dennis Yanchunas, Boulder CountyYanchunas,ofLongmont,wasappointedinAugustandwillserveouttheremainingtwoyearsoflateDirectorHankKugeler’stermasoneofthreeBoulderCountyrepresentativesontheBoard.

Yanchunashasthreedecadesofwater-relatedexperienceservingonmunicipalandruralwaterboardsandworkingforagriculturalditchcompanies.HeispresidentoftheSt.Vrain&LeftHandWaterConservancyDistrictboardandalsoservedaschairmanfor12outofhis15yearsonthecityofLongmont’swaterboard.Hesaid,“After30yearsofworkinginwater,Ifeltthat

servingasadirectorontheNorthernWaterBoardwouldbeagreatwayformetocontributetotheregionanditswaterneeds.”

Kenton Brunner, Weld County Brunner,aretiredfarmerfromWindsor,hasbeenontheBoardsince1994. For20years,Brunnerfarmedmorethan1,000irrigatedacres.Hiscropsincludedbeets,corn,pintobeans,barley,

cucumbersandalfalfa,andhefedcattleandsheep.Beforethat,hewasadistrictsalesrepresentativeforShellOilCo.HehasbeenontheWindsorWaterandSewerBoard,whichfocusesonwater,sewerandstormdrainageissues,since1979andhasbeenchairmansince1990.HehasalsoservedontheKernReservoirandCachelaPoudreIrrigation&ReservoirCo.boards.

Hesaidhe’senjoyedhistimeonNorthernWater’sBoardandhopestocontinueforalongtime.

Sue Ellen Harrison, Boulder CountyHarrison,ofBoulder,replacedRuthWright,whoretiredinSeptember2009afterserving15yearsontheBoard.Harrisonhas30yearsofexperienceasanenvironmentalattorney,including25yearsasaBoulderassistantcityattorney.Sherecentlyretiredfromthatpositionandisinprivatepractice.HerextensivebackgroundincludesservingaschairoftheColoradoWater

QualityCommissionandasanattorneywiththeEnviron-mentalProtectionAgencyandtheColoradoAttorneyGen-eral’sOffice.“I’mexcitedtobeinvolvedwiththeissuesfacingNorthernWater,”Harrisonsaid.“TherearemanychallengesfacingtheFrontRange,includingtheprovisionofwaterforcitiesandagricultureinaresponsible,environmentallysensitivemanner.”

Two new members were appointed to the Northern Water Board of Directors by district court judges and two were reappointed this fall. The directors, who are from Northern Water’s eight-county service area, serve 4-year terms. The 12-member Board sets policy for Northern Water management, staff and legal counsel.

NEW APPOINTMENTS

REAPPOINTMENTS


Although the gardens, in the backyard of the Berthoud headquarters, offer plenty of pretty sights, they contribute a lot more. The area is rife with studies designed to help hom-eowners and professionals alike make smart decisions about landscaping and water use. NorthernWater’sirrigationmanagementstaffmembershavebeenworkinginthepastyeartoexpandthescopeofthegar-dens’studiesandtooverhauldatacollectionmethods. Thesechangesarepartofanefforttoincreasetheamountofinformationcollectedtohelppeoplewiththeirownlandscapes.Withgooddataandsoundadvice,itcanbealoteasiertodecidewhatwater-savingsolutionsmayworkbest.

Last fall, staffrepairedeachofthegardens’80flowmeters,whichmeasurehowmuchwaterisgoingtoeachirrigationzone.Bymakingthesechangestotheexistingflowmeterequipment,datacollectionisnotonlymoreaccurate,butalsopaintsacom-pletepictureofwaterusethroughoutthebackyard. The southeast endof thegardensboasts aplazawitheightthemedXeriscapeplots.Staffmembersareusingtheupgradedwatermeters to refine eachplot’s specificwaterneeds.Peoplewillbenefit from learningmoreabout thegrasses’ andplants’exactwaterusesotheycanconsiderwhatwouldworkbestfortheirlandscapes. Also, having a mix of low-water use plantings, shrubs andmulch insteadof just grass can greatly reducewater use, saidMarkCrookston,headoftheNorthernWaterirrigationman-agementdepartment.

“That’samotivationfornothavingjustfenceline-to-fencelinegrassthatpeoplehavetomoweveryweek,”hesaid,andallowsforsomecreativethinkingwithoptionstovarycolor,texture,heightanddiversitywithinalandscape. After all, thepointofurbanoutdoorwater conservation iscombining the potential for water savings with visual appeal,butlandscapersshouldalsoconsidertheinitialcost,installationandmaintenancerequirementsandanticipatedwear. NorthernWaterhopestoeasetheworkbehindthisplanningbysharingthedatathat’scomingin,whichwillbecomeincreas-inglyusefulasitisgatheredovertime. “It’s a perception shift, and it involves time, money andwork,”Crookstonsaid.“We’retryingtomakeiteasier.” Manyofthegardens’keystudieshavebeenthroughpartofone growing season, and it takes a set of four full seasons ofdatacollectiontoproducemeaningfulresults.Heexpectsstafftohavethesestudiesfinalizedin2014. Recentadditionsandtweakstoseveralofthestudiesinthebackyardalsoprovidealotofpromise:

LYSIMETERS – Precise budgeting tool This study,on thewest endof thegardens,willdeterminehowmuchwater11differentgrassspeciesuse.Thegrassesarerepeatedfourtimesinsmallplots,whicheachcontainalysim-eter,abucketthatregistersallwatercontentchanges.

Theresultswillbeespeciallyusefulforwaterbudgeting,whenpeopleneedtoknowhowmuchwateragrassusesthroughouttheseasons,Crookstonsaid. “Thereisascarcityofharddataonhowmuchwaterusevariesbetweendifferentgrassspecies,”hesaid.Whenthisinformationiscollectedoverenoughseasonalcycles–especiallyoveralengthoffouryearsorso–itwilltell landscapersmoreaboutwhat’snormal.

LINE SOURCE IRRIGATION – Deficit stress comparison Manygrassescomewithstandardrecommendationsforhowmuchtheyshouldbeirrigated.Somecanwithstandgreaterdefi-cits–butwhichones,andhowmuchlesscantheytake? Thisstudy,onthenorthend,shows12differentgrassessidebysideatgradientamountsofirrigation,whichdecreaseasthey

BY DANASTRONGINCONSERVATION

Studies to offer tips, ideas for water-saving landscapes

16

WHEN IT COMES TO NORTHERN WATER’S CONSERVATION GARDENS, “CONSERVATION” IS THE KEY WORD.

November 2010 I WATERNEWS 17

progressnorth.Thesecomparisonsofferachancetoseewhichgrasses canwithstanddeficit irrigationbetter, andhowmuchstressongrasswouldbetolerablevisually. Thissummer,staffmadechangestoboththelinesourceandlysimeterstudiestoincreaseaccuracyofdatacollection.Thetwogohandinhand,saidMaryHattendorf,watermanagementandconservationspecialistforNorthernWater. “Thegrassesinthelysimeterstudyarewellwatered,butinthelinesourcestudy,whichcontainsallofthesamegrassesandthensome,gofromwellwateredtofacingaseriousdeficit.Thenwecanseewhatlooksbetterasthatwaterisreduced,”shesaid.

ALTERNATIVE GRASS MIXES – Stability check In theory, Hattendorf said, a mix – which includes mixesofdifferentgrassspeciesinoneplot–ismorelikelytosurvivestresses,anditcouldalsopossiblydecreasewaterneeds. “Buttheissueis,aremixesstableovertime?”shesaid. Thisstudy,justeastoftheweatherstation,isfundedinpartby theU.S.BureauofReclamation.NorthernWater staff re-cently reseeded some of the mixes to ensure the appropriategrasseswereincludedinthecorrectproportions.

SMART CONTROLLERS – Brain for the buck Smartcontrollers,whichirrigatebasedoneithersoilmoistureorweatherconditions,couldbesuperiortosprinklersthatrunontimers.Butfiguringoutwhichcontrollertogetisconfusing. NorthernWateristesting10controllers,fourbasedonsoilmoistureconditionsandsixbasedonweatherconditions,pri-marilytemperature. Manycitiesareofferingrebatesonsmartcontrollerpurchas-es,Crookstonsaid,butpeoplejustaren’tsurewhattobuy. “It’s very interesting. Some are easier to install and imple-

ment,andsomeareverytransparentinhowtheyworkandwhattheyaredoing.Othersareblackboxes,”hesaid.

COMPARATIVE IRRIGATION – Spray vs. drip Thisstudyinthenorthwestcornerallowsvisitorstoseethesamegrassessidebyside.Halfareirrigatedwithpop-upsprin-klersandhalfwithsubsurfacedrip. Seeingthisvisualmayhelppeopledecidewhethertogowithsubsurface,whichhasahigherinstallationcostthanpop-ups. Staffrecentlystartedgatheringdatafromthisandotherstud-ieswithinfraredtechnology,whichusesheattomeasuretem-perature.Knowingthetemperatureof thegrass isonewaytorevealwhetherit’sstressed. Visitors should expect to see final, more reliable results in2014,butNorthernWaterwillsharethepreliminarydatathat’sbeingcollectedyeartoyear.Ifyouareinterested,[email protected]

CONSERVATION GARDENS AREA A STANDOUT IN THE STATE Northern Water’s Conservation Gardens was recently named one of the top 11 Showcase Gardens out of about 90 in the state by the Plant Select program. Plant Select’s goal is to share information about the best plants for the intermountain region. Northern Water’s backyard is a Plant Select demonstration garden because it is public and provides real-life examples. The backyard was elevated to the special showcase status for design, plant diver-sity, maintenance practices and vision. The gardens, in the backyard at 220 Water Avenue in Berthoud, are open to the public 24/7. Visitors can take a free cell phone tour any time.

HOW-TO SEMINAR SERIES A SUCCESS This summer Northern Water offered a new free public seminar series on efficiency in landscaping and watering. Irrigation management staff hosted 20 midday seminars from April through early September. They included demonstrations and take-home materials on topics such as Xeriscape principles and irrigation guidelines. Northern Water plans on hosting another how-to series in spring or sum-mer 2011. Because it will be the program’s second year, Northern Water is looking for feedback about what would work best, especially ideal time, location and length of seminars. If you have any feedback on the how-to series, please send an e-mail to [email protected].


ThetwobodiesofwaterweretemporarilydammedoneachsideoftheShadowMountainConnectingChannelstartingOct.1forrehabilitationwork.Usingthinportabledams,stafffromNorthernWaterandGarneyConstructiondrainedtheareainandaroundthechannel,whichwasbuiltinthemid-1940sandlatermodifiedtoprovideboatandpedestrianaccessbetweenthereservoirandthelake. Therehabjob,whichwillimprovesafetyandoperationalefficiency,includedstructuralworkthatpassersbywon’tseeandotherimprovementsthatwillbeobvious,suchasupgradedhandrailsandanewwalkwayontheeastsideofthestructure. NorthernWaterplannedtohavethechannelreopenedtoboatandfoottrafficbytheendofOctoberandhavetheareacleanedupbymid-November.S

Boat access channel gets some TLC

WEST SLOPE BRIEFS


ABOVE A drained Shadow Mountain Connecting Channel area is cleared for rehab work during an October maintenance projectBELOW Workers stand in the channel, made dry in part by temporary dams, pictured here holding back Grand Lake

THE CONNECTING CHANNEL BETWEEN SHADOW MOUNTAIN RESERVOIR AND GRAND LAKE HASN’T BEEN LOOKING ALL THAT CONNECTED LATELY. BUT IT’S ALL FOR A GOOD REASON.



NORTHERNWATERISAPARTICIPANTINTHEUPPERCOLORADORIVERENDANGEREDFISHRE-COVERYPROGRAM,whichincludesaprovisionthatwaterproviderssend10,825acrefeetofwaterdowntheColoradoRivertowardGrandJunctionbetweenJulyandNovember,whenflowsarelowandtemperaturesarehigh. NorthernWater,onbehalfofitselfandothertransmoun-taindiverters,hasproposedanoptiontoprovidehalfofthatwaterbyrestrictingirrigationoflandsonthelowerendoftheRedTopValleyDitchnearGranby.Theditchwaterhistori-callyusedonthoselandswillinsteadgointoLakeGranbyforlaterrelease. Becauseoftheexistingconditionoftheditchandbecausetherecoveryprogramoptionwouldchangeditchoperations,NorthernWaterhasbeenworkingwiththeditchcompanyto

improveheadgatediversionstructuresinordertomaintainorimproveditchoperationsfollowingtheproposedchanges. Thisfallstaffmembersreplacedheadgatesandtheiroutletpipes.Theyalsoconstructedrockcheckstructures,whicharelikesmalldamsdownstreamofheadgatesthathelpregulatethewatersurfacelevelsintheditchupstreamofthecheckstructures.Toinstallthestructures,staffexcavatedsectionsoftheditchandreshapeditssideslopes.Thentheyinstalledanerosion-fightingmaterialontopofthegroundandundertherock.Constructionincludedimprovementson480feetofditchandtheinstallationof1,500cubicyardsofrock. Duringnextspring’sirrigationseason,staffwillmonitortheoperationofthefivesitestheyimprovedtoseeifitwouldmakesensetodothesametypeofworkonsomeoftheditch’sremainingheadgates.S

For the third year in a row, Northern Water’s Municipal Subdistrict gave Grand County the opportunity to release Windy Gap Project water to supplement Colorado River flows. In July, the water providers that re-ceive Windy Gap water deliveries agreed to offer Grand County 3,000 acre feet of unallocated, or unrequested, water. Grand County officials purchased the water for $78,450, the cost of pumping, operation and maintenance, and deter-mined their own pattern for releases to

best benefit fish habitat and downstream irrigators. Windy Gap water users later agreed that Grand County could have another 2,000 acre feet of water at no additional cost. To accomplish this, the Municipal Subdistrict did not make a previously planned, mid-September reduction in releases out of Lake Granby. This opera-tional change kept a total of 65 cubic feet per second running down the river, rather than 50 cfs. In early October, the Municipal Sub-

district offered more water for a specific reason: supplemental flows to flush sediment before the start of brown trout spawning season. Operators incrementally released Windy Gap water from Lake Granby early Oct. 6, which flowed through Windy Gap Reservoir and into the Colorado River several hours later. The increased flows ran a couple of days, with the peak reaching 450 cfs. The total flush pro-vided about 1,000 acre feet to benefit the river and fish habitat.S

Red Top Valley Ditch work intended to improve operations for next season

Windy Gap water benefits Grand County


BEFORE A section of Red Top Valley Ditch in a previous irrigation season AFTER The same section this fall, with new headgate structures and rock

Photos by Amy Johnson

Northern Water220 Water AveBerthoud, Colorado 80513

Address service requested

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PAIDPERMIT 266

FT COLLINS CO

CALENDAR

November 15 to 17, 2010Colorado Water Conservation Board MeetingNorthernWaterheadquarters,Berthoud,COForinformation:(303)866-3441,www.cwcb.state.co.us

November 18, 2010Northern Water Fall Water Users MeetingEmbassySuitesHotel,Loveland,COForinformation:(800)369-7246,www.northernwater.org

December 5 to 7, 2010The Irrigation Association 31st International Irrigation ShowPhoenix,AZForinformation:(703)536-7080,www.irrigation.org

December 15 to 17, 2010Colorado River Water Users Association Annual ConferenceCaesar’sPalace,LasVegas,NVForinformation:(760)398-2651,www.crwua.org

January 12 to 14, 2011 Four States Irrigation Council 58th Annual MeetingHiltonHotel,FortCollins,COForinformation:(402)960-3670,www.4-states-irrigation.orgJanuary 26 to 28, 2011Colorado Water Congress Annual ConventionHyattRegency,DenverTechCenter,COForinformation:(303)837-0812,www.cowatercongress.org

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