Water engineer disagrees with findings of return flow study
Dear Editor:
Please accept these comments correcting misinformation published on page 9 of the July 17th edition under “…Return flow study indicates flood irrigation benefits river flows”. The article cites Liz Chandler as referring to results of a groundwater modeling study by Dr. Ryan Bailey. Liz purportedly stated something to the effect that, “…up to 75% of summer base flows in the study area can be attributed to return flows.” She went on to affirm that, “The research is already informing infrastructure and water management decisions.” This gives the false impression that accepted science supports choices that perpetuate status quo use of the White River.
The Bailey Study found that from July through September about 75% of water in the river is from groundwater discharge. Readers should be apprised that groundwater discharge is not synonymous with groundwater return flow and that the finding pertains to the bottom of the study area, below Powell Park, not to Meeker, and not to the top of the study area, above Agency Park, where return flow is a small portion of river water. Also, return flow is not new water; it is recapture of a fraction of the water that was taken from the river in the first place. The idea that river flow would be 75% less, were it not for irrigation, is bogus, because flow would not be diminished upstream prior to being partially recovered downstream – it would just pass through, with minimal loss.
These semantic, spatial, and temporal discrepancies muddy explanation of study results in a way that perpetuates a misleading narrative published by the Herald Times before and supported again in this instance by an unfortunate choice of headline. The truth is just the opposite of your claim. Base flow above the large irrigation diversions provides a dependable source of hundreds of cubic feet per second. Sometimes almost all of this water is diverted, meaning taken from the river by irrigation ditches, leaving one or more segment(s) of the channel close to dry, too warm, and hypoxic (aquatic critters suffocate). Part of the water returns, laden with additional salts, later on, downstream. Lagged return flow accrues when not needed. Flood irrigation can play a positive role in our community, but it does not benefit the river.
Irrigation benefits river water users and the economy in which their production occurs. Upside can be realized without taking as much water from the river by lining or piping ditches (reducing seepage loss), converting to sprinkler application without expanding area (twice as efficient), and cultivating different crops (beans need much less water than alfalfa). During the current long-term trend of decreasing watershed yield, decisions like these will be necessary to preserve local agriculture while also keeping a live river. Accurate explanation empowers irrigators to exercise the courage necessary to sustain both by confronting and adapting to new facts, instead of being soothed by convenient fiction. The pep rally propaganda published so far fails to provide this service. Please do better in future.
Thank you.
Samuel Collin Robinson
Professional Engineer
Grand Junction, Colorado
Dear Editor:
While the wildfire situations are on our minds, let’s make a list of what to take in case of emergency evacuation. If you have a list prepared, it will help you make the best choices while you’re stressed and in a hurry. Following are the basics of a list I have started that perhaps will help you make your own list.
If you have any advance notice of possible evacuation, get your vehicles filled with gas and ready to roll. Charge your phones. Talk with your family about whether you will all ride together or drive multiple vehicles.
Pick a destination and get to one spot and then re-assess whether you can stop or if conditions mean keep going. Stay in touch with emergency information resources to stay informed about wildfire spread or containment.
Take:
-Medications. Pack all the medications you usually take. If you run out, you’ll have the bottles with labels that will make re-ordering easier. If you have refrigerated meds, take an insulated pack with ice or a blue cube. Replace ice as needed to keep cold. And remember to take your meds even though you may be on a strange schedule or in a strange place.
-Purse, wallet, cash, credit cards, and checks. If time allows, go to an ATM/bank and get cash before they run out. If electricity goes out, your credit cards won’t work to charge gas, food, or hotel expenses.
-Laptops, computers, e-readers, other electronic devices and chargers.
-Cell phones and chargers – keep everything charged. Add charging cords to your vehicles if you don’t already have them.
-Flashlight or headlamp. We always travel with headlamps. It is amazing how often you can find yourself in an unlit or dark place.
-Clothes – pack a bag of toiletries, toothbrush, clothes, extra shoes, and jackets. Remember summer nights in Colorado can get cold.
-For kids – take some toys and books that will provide entertainment and distraction.
-Heritage and special items – you won’t have space to take everything, so take one representative item. For us, that would be Jay’s art so we would pick one small piece.
I would also pack our sterling silverware collected since we were first married plus my grandma’s silverplate that I inherited. These aren’t necessary items, but they are very special. Jay would take one of the rifles that used to belong to his dad. Treasured books, Bibles, and photos are other items to consider.
Think about this in advance so you make an informed decision, not a panic choice. You can’t take everything, so be selective.
Remember, all these items must fit in your vehicle/s. When Jay and I discussed our “wish list” of items to take, it would take several vehicles to haul all that stuff. So, we kept winnowing the list which is very hard to do, but necessary.
I realized it would be a tough decision driving one of our vehicles while Jay drove the other, causing us to be separated. Still, leaving a car to possibly be burned to ashes is not a great choice either.
Destination. Think about and discuss where you might go if you are evacuated. Do you have relatives or friends you could stay with? Perhaps go to a camping location if you are a camper. If not, get information about motels, B&B’s, etc. in the nearby area.
Water! Since you’re not the only one evacuating, water may go quickly. Fill your water bottles and be sure to stay hydrated. We stockpile gallon jugs of water for camping trips, which I also recommend as a preparation step. You can refill them from a faucet.
Snacks and/or food. Take at least some food to keep you going if restaurants are closed. Worst case, you could be stuck on a highway for a long time or never find an open restaurant.
Extra keys to house and vehicles. Lock everything but be sure you take keys with you.
Well, I’m sure there are many more items to add. I encourage you to create your own evacuation list and keep working on it as more things come to mind. Let’s hope we don’t have to use these, but like the boy scouts, “be prepared.”
Kaye Sullivan
Meeker
