CD3 candidate questions Boebert voting record
Dear Editor,
On Wednesday night [June 21, 2023], our Congresswoman, Rep. Lauren Boebert filed a privileged motion that would force a vote on a resolution to impeach President Joe Biden. Ms. Boebert promises to bring the resolution to a floor vote on a daily basis, ad infinitum.
Last year, Ms. Boebert delivered federal remittances to Colorado Congressional District 3 (CD-3) of $4.95 billion. The average Congressional district in the state enjoyed federal remittances of $6.05 billion. Our district was short-changed by approx $1.1 billion, which amounts to $1,452 per man woman and child in CD-3. That is real money that could have been used to fix our roads and bridges.
I am certainly no fan of President Biden. His weak foreign policy, his open borders (with the attendant 107,000 annual opioid deaths), his alleged corruption with ties to Russia and China, his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and his green boondoggle to wealthy donors is wilting our public fisc and international prestige. But, somebody needs to explain to me (I am running for the Republican nomination in CD-3 against Ms. Boebert) how impeaching Joe Biden will increase federal spending in the largest non-single-state Congressional district in the nation.
Russ Andrews
Carbondale, Colorado
USGS White River algae study
Dear Editor,
The U.S. Geological Survey released its final report on the White River Algae Study in January. I haven’t seen further public discussion of the findings. Here are a few comments on the report and suggestions for follow-up.
At the request of the County, coordinated by the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts and sponsored by several water interest groups, scientists from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) studied hydrologic and biological conditions in the White River above Meeker from 2018 through 2021. The purpose of the study was to determine the cause of algae blooms in the river which had increased in the preceding few years. The researchers summarized their findings in public presentations a year ago, ahead of their final report.
As is their tradition, USGS carried out a methodologically rigorous study of stream flow, streambed conditions, nutrient load, bank cover, and other parameters that might contribute to algae growth. They concluded that the key variable determining the extent of algae bloom during the period of the study was the volume of spring runoff. In years with high peak flow, as in 2019, the rush of water tumbles cobbles along the river bottom and scrapes off algae. The effect appears to last into subsequent years with lower algae mass.
On the other hand, following a small spring runoff, prolonged low flow through the summer and associated higher water temperatures both favor algae growth. Under low flow conditions the availability of nutrients in the water, particularly nitrogen and phosphorous compounds, regulates algae growth. USGS found evidence of increasing phosphorous concentrations basin-wide and relatively higher levels of phosphorous compounds on the upper reaches of the White relative to nitrogen. Downstream, closer to Meeker, they found increased nitrogen relative to phosphorous. Increased nitrogen presumably reflects runoff from fertilizers, septic systems, and other sources of organic waste along the river. The USGS did not identify point sources of excess nutrients.
USGS did not study the effect of insecticides. Material safety studies of common insecticides demonstrate significant harm to aquatic organisms including macroinvertebrates that graze on algae, and other studies of macroinvertebrates along these stretches of the White River have shown a correlation between insecticide sprays and decreased numbers of macroinvertebrates.
Take home from the USGS final report: The relatively high runoff this year will probably suppress an algae bloom. Even so, and especially in future years with lower runoff, it behooves landowners along the river to take extra precautions to limit nutrient runoff into the river and to preserve and restore vegetation along the river banks. A healthy buffer of vegetation along the banks helps to remove nutrients before they reach the water, but fertilizers, septic system runoff, pond effluent, fish feed, manure accumulation, etc., all add excess nitrogen and phosphorous. Whether or not insecticides contribute to the algae problem, avoiding their application benefits the river system in many other ways as well. Meantime, it would be wise for the County to monitor nutrient loads along the river, especially in low flow years, in order to identify point sources and to protect the river system.
Dr. Bob Dorsett
Meeker
References:
Final report, USGS White River Algae Study. 2023. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/fs20233005
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