From Denver to LA: Colorado River EARTH DAY Update!

Hello Friends of the Colorado River!  

Happy EARTH DAY!  We hope you get outside and enjoy yourself today, maybe near your local river or stream!

What’s new along the Colorado River?  First, we are working to hold Denver Water and other Front Range Colorado cities accountable!  Unfortunately last week, the CEO of Denver Water, Jim Lochhead, sent a letter to all of the water planners in the state saying that Denver and other Front Range cities must have another large “Trans Mountain Diversion” from the Colorado River.  He said that this type of diversion — like the much maligned Flaming Gorge Pipeline proposal — should be a “fundamental part” of the Colorado Water Plan process.  Well, we lambasted this proposal with a press release here, which generated this story in the Grand Junction Sentinel here.  As Colorado moves forward with its water planning process, it must focus on conservation and efficiency, water reuse and recycling, and water-sharing agreements with farmers, not pipe-dream boondoggles proposed by Denver Water.  We will keep working hard to protect the Colorado River and hold water managers accountable!

Second, we have great news about our petition to “encourage” the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to focus more on water conservation and recycling — we’ve hit 5,000 signatures!  Woop!  Thank you for your support and signature on this petition!  Los Angeles and all of California is still mired in this extensive drought, and there’s no better time to double-down on conservation and recycling as the path forward for the future.

Collecting stormwater, and then recycling and purifying it, is an excellent choice for cities on the Southern California coast — doing so can create new drinking water as well as protect beaches and oceans from dangerous stormwater runoff.  Conservation and recycling offer a path forward for cities in Southern California and around the entire Colorado River basin.  If you haven’t signed the petition on Change.org, you can click through here and do so.

Third, the water is still flowing in the Colorado River Delta!  Amazing photos and stories continue to flow out of the Delta right along with the water.  Click here to see some of the recent photos on facebook.  Our friends at Canoe and Kayak Magazine took a trip down the river in the Delta and also created this short and wonderful video — click through here to Youtube to watch the video.

News reports continue to document how the water is rejuvenating wetlands and restoring the ecosystem in the parched Delta.  Here’s a story from National Geographic that also shows several videos of the restoration process.  As the water returns, wildlife is again visiting the area, and the ecosystem is beginning to repair itself.  As Jeff Moag of Canoe and Kayak Magazine said, “They say it’s an experiment, but it feels like a river.”

Finally, we were delighted to help co-sponsor Los Angeles Waterkeeper’s Stand Up Paddleboard race last weekend near Malibu (photo below).  LA and Malibu receive and use Colorado River water — we are all in this together.  Summer’s almost here!  Grab your paddleboard!  Stay tuned for more updates! Thank You For Your Support!