Rio Blanco County Commissioners and staff discussed the nuance and minutiae of water administration in the White River Valley during a special work session Tuesday. “It will be tough for sure” said Commissioner Ginny Love, noting that residents will have to adjust to using less water, or even having water shutoff at certain times of year.
“There’s not much we can do about it, it’s more of how to learn to live with it,” said Colorado River District water commissioner Betty Kracht. She visited with the board to share background info about Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District’s (RBWCD) call on the river and answer questions about how water administration will affect residents of Rio Blanco County.
RBWCD placed a “standing call” on the river using multiple water rights, beginning with a 1966 decree for 620 cubic feet per second (CFS). Kracht explained that once the first right is met, another call (from another junior water right) would then kick in.
The White River is currently running at about 320 CFS. “So that’s a good sign the call’s never really gonna come off,” said Kracht, noting that if the call did come off, it would likely only happen during high-water/runoff periods in the spring and early summer.
Whenever the call is in-effect, water rights holders junior to RBWCD’s 1966 decree will be subject to shutoff/curtailment. According to Kracht, about one-third of rights in the drainage are junior to 1966.
Senior water rights holders can still use their allocated amount during the call, though Kracht warned they’ll still be affected by administration if they’re not in compliance with state water regulations. “With this call, anyone who wants to irrigate must have a headgate, must have a measuring device,” said Kracht, noting the measurement rules affect the entire county, not just people upstream from the Taylor Draw Dam.
Kracht further detailed results of water administration, which will include stricter enforcement of water use. For example, water decreed for irrigation can’t be used for livestock watering, or vice-versa.
WELLS
Wells are not currently included in the call, however Kracht said “if this call forces us to go into over appropriation for our drainage, wells will be looked at.” That would mean wells permitted only for domestic use couldn’t be used to water a garden, or livestock, as another example. She said residents concerned about that particular issue should consider getting their water right changed if they’re currently using water for something that’s not in their decree.
CATCHING UP
These kinds of restrictions are new to the White River Valley, “we’ve always been a free water, meaning you open that headgate, take as much water as you want,” said Kracht, “now you can’t take more than what you’re actually decreed,” she added.
“It’s been that way for most other divisions for the last 20 years,” said RBC Attorney Don Steerman. He also shared information about the implementation of water administration on the Arkansas River in Eastern Colorado. “One thing we found on the Arkansas is that most people were taking more water than what their decree entitled them to take,” Steerman said. He also pointed out that the information generated as a result of administration activities can provide “leverage” for people trying to sell or change water rights.
PREPARATIONS
Kracht said she had expected more residents to reach out with questions about the call on the river. RBC Commissioner Ginny Love guessed that people are not paying as much attention to the river and water diversions in general since it’s not irrigation season.
Kracht agreed and emphasized that people should get informed and prepared now so they’re not caught off-guard in the spring when administrative actions start affecting more users in the White River drainage.
The work session also covered potential effects on industry, water augmentation plans, subdivisions and more. You can view the entire meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmS9jh9NqCI
LANDFILL
During the BOCC’s regular meeting Tuesday, Landfill Manager Cory Silva said staff is urgently excavating Wray Gulch Landfill’s “Cell-B” to make space for 10,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from Wilson Creek. Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) documents indicate that during remediation of a Chevron well that caught fire during operations earlier this year, operators discovered a “historic release” of an unknown amount of produced water at the well site. Documents filed with the COGCC state “Impacted soils will be excavated and hauled to disposal at Rio Blanco County Wray Gulch Landfill in Spring 2023.” Silva continued his presentation, noting, “Chevron also has a new location with an additional 10,000 cubic yards a year for possibly the next three years.” COGCC documents show multiple additional spill reports filed by Chevron in 2022 including the discovery of another historic release approximately two miles east of the well that caught fire in June of this year. It is unclear what location(s) additional contaminated soil might come from. Silva said Caerus Energy expects to dispose of another 80K cubic yards of contaminated soil and drill cuttings in 2023 and additional 40K cubic yards of soil/drillings in following years.
PROJECT 70
The Wilson Creek field is part of an ongoing remediation operation filed under “Project 70” with the state oil and gas commission. Under remediation project number 70 eight COGCC spill numbers are identified and include a condensate release area with benzene contamination plume, multiple former tank battery and catch-tank leaks, an emergency overflow pit leak and more. The spills are still considered unresolved by the state.
By LUCAS TURNER | [email protected]om
