Tracking local streamflow and snowpack levels in real time, as we do each week with our Data Dashboard, there was a pronounced, early peak on the hydrograph around May 19. Whether or not that was in fact the seasonal peak depends on how warm it gets in the coming days and weeks. Either way, the trend this year follows what the experts say is a hallmark of climate change in our region, with more runoff coming sooner, making things more difficult by the end of summer for riparian life and water users who depend on river flows.
Also this week at Aspen Journalism, Tracking the Curve is keeping us updated on COVID-19 trends. The statistic of greatest concern? Statewide, 9% of COVID-19 tests are coming back positive, which portends higher infection levels and a possible coming wave, as other regions of the country are experiencing.
Stay safe out there, hug your loved ones and enjoy the sunshine this Memorial Day weekend.
Thank you for reading and supporting Aspen Journalism.
With gratitude,
– Curtis Wackerle
Editor and executive director
Data dashboard: Did the rivers already peak? It’s possible but ‘it depends’
Hotel occupancy this winter season was on par with a traditional winter performance.
By Laurine Lassalle | May 24, 2022
• Roaring Fork basin snowpack at 40%.
• Lake Powell back above 3,525-foot target elevation.
Tracking the Curve
Documenting COVID-19 in Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties
By Laurine Lassalle | May 24, 2022
COVID-19 cases in Colorado are on the rise, with about 9% of the tests performed across the state being positive. Garfield County’s new-case incidence increased from 92 per 100,000 on May 16 to about 113 on May 23.
Demo permits for Aspen homes to be limited to a half dozen a year
“Aspen City Council agreed Monday to limit the number of homes that can be demolished within city limits in a year to six. The new policy, which was agreed on by the majority of council during a work session, is in response to the unprecedented pace of residential development in town and the impacts it creates on the community.”
Source: aspentimes.com | Read more
Swedish billionaire developing Aspen hotel sues Colorado newspaper over “oligarch” label
“In the lawsuit, Doronin’s attorneys argue the term ‘oligarch’ is synonymous with corruption, and so should not be applied to Doronin. … But Jeffrey A. Winters, author of the book ‘Oligarchy’ and a professor at Northwestern University, said that definition is wrong, and part of an effort by today’s ultra-wealthy to deflect criticism over their wealth and power and distance themselves from the term.”
Source: denverpost.com | Read more
State issues Vail Resorts a notice of violation for 2021 fish kill
“According to the report, water in the snowmaking pond had been treated with a ‘granular copper-based algaecide.’ In addition, the potable water flowing into the pond is treated with chlorine. The report refers to Vail Resorts as ‘Vail Corporation,’ and notes that the spill qualifies as a ‘discharge of pollutants,’ and that the company doesn’t have permits for any such discharge into Mill Creek.”
Source: aspentimes.com | Read more
Aurora may ban sprawling lawns, new golf courses to save water. Other Denver-area cities could follow.
“The climate-conscious, first-in-Colorado edicts proposed by the City of Aurora are clear: No new golf courses flooding grass with precious water. No grass in medians or decorative spots near offices. No home lawns sprawling out front and back — turf in backyards would max out at 750 square feet.”
Source: coloradosun.com | Read more
The marinas at Colorado’s Blue Mesa Reservoir won’t open this season as the threat of a water release to Lake Powell looms
“Federal and state officials said the plan is to leave Blue Mesa alone this year so it can start to recover. But they acknowledge the Colorado reservoir might be tapped again if Lake Powell needs more water to protect its ability to produce hydropower for millions of people across the West. Because of this possibility, the National Park Service has decided not to open Blue Mesa’s marinas this year.”
Source: cpr.org | Read more
Data Dump: Is Colorado River demand management unfair to farmers?
“Agriculture is the biggest consumer of water, so demand management in that realm will also pay the highest dividends. This doesn’t necessarily mean fallowing vast tracts of farmland. It might just mean irrigating more efficiently, plugging leaks on ditches, or switching to less water-intensive, more nutritionally dense crops. Land Desk readers will probably know what I’m saying: Maybe plant a little less alfalfa, instead of more of it!”
Source: landdesk.org | Read more
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