Dear Editor:
Have you heard the one about the ostrich who was asked how things were going? “Everything looks fine down here,” he said.
With all that is going on in our river basin, doesn’t the public deserve to be in the room as important local water discussions are being held?
If ever there was a time to keep the public in the know, that time is now. Consider:
- Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District placed a first time ever call on the White River
- A “significant portion” of the county’s $4 million check to the same Conservancy District (RBWCD) has disappeared in a mysterious wire transfer fraud.
- Their hydro plant that has lost money the past few years.
- We are at a crisis level year after years of drought
- Major downstream reservoirs — Lake Mead and Powell — are close to the ‘dead zone’
Our White River basin has two water conservancy districts which meet roughly at Yellow Creek half way between Rangely and Meeker.
Covering the west end of the county, the RBWCD, was recently awarded $4 million by the county, despite some significant opposition, to pursue the Wolf Creek Dam project. Two weeks ago a county press release stated that a significant portion of the total amount had been lost to wire fraud, now being investigated by the FBI.
While the RBWCD does have regular meetings, they are just not readily available to the tax paying public. Minutes and agendas are not available on the website, and to be aware of when the meetings are, citizens need to either visit the office or the Rangely Town Hall to inspect the bulletin boards. Few citizens want to spend hours driving through the dark to appear in person to learn what is going on, and thus are left out, with no virtual attendance offered, despite public requests and easily available technology.
Meanwhile, on the east end of the county, the Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy covers the headwaters of the river and has within its district Lake Avery, likely the single most popular water feature in the county. This reservoir, about to undergo renovation, holds the potential for expansion, which with its upriver location could have important benefits for the entire county and river basin.
Given the importance of the issues these two groups are discussing, the combination of regular meetings and virtual attendance might go a long way in getting the public informed and potentially on board with at least some of the plans that are being made. Yet both of these districts have a long way to go regarding accessibility and communication with the public on exactly what is going on.
Yellow Jacket has no website, no Facebook page, no bylaws other than state law, no staff and apparently met only twice in 2022 despite the critical importance of what they are charged with — our water security.
RBWCD meets regularly, has staff, yet makes it very hard for the public to monitor their work. They do not post meetings except at their office window and at Rangely Town Hall in an obscure location.
Despite a sizable budget and millage rate, along with $4 million of county wide money, the RBWCD does not make their meetings accessible via electronic means. This, despite the fact that their work impacts all citizens in the county and would take hours for those in the east half of the county to attend in person. Additionally, executive sessions held in secrecy, refusing to identify the topic, have become a commonplace part of their board meetings.
With a call on the river already in place during winter time high flows, and the likely certainty of growing challenges in the future, perhaps others agree that bringing this important water work out of the shadows is important. It seems a reasonable ask for a call to action
- More transparency with virtual attendance for the public (both districts),
- More structure, published by-laws, budgets and minutes (both districts)
- More frequent meetings (for Yellow Jacket)
… and appreciation for these dedicated citizens as they work to meet the challenge of our river’s and our community’s future.
Deirdre Macnab
4M Ranch
Rio Blanco County
Thoughts expressed on opinion pages are exclusively those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Herald Times. You are welcome to submit signed letters on matters of local interest to [email protected], mail to PO Box 720, Meeker, CO 81641 or drop off at 304 4th St., Meeker. there is no charge.
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