West Divide representatives have said they are not interested in a large storage project and are committed to maintaining the free-flowing nature of one of Colorado’s last undammed rivers.
Tag: Crystal River
Posted inWater
Protecting the peak on the Crystal
A “peaking” instream-flow water right would keep in the stream all of the water not claimed by someone else during years with high spring runoff, thereby maintaining these periodic floods, which are essential for growing new cottonwoods.
Posted inWater
Groups continue working on Crystal River protections
Subcommittee members said better understanding how that would play out in the Crystal River basin will require more work.
Posted inThe Runoff
The Runoff | Why the Crystal River runs dry
One thing this project uncovered (no surprise to most water experts) is that ditches on the Crystal are very inefficient, posing the question: Does the small amount of water used by the crops justify the large amounts diverted from the river, to the detriment of its ecosystem?
Posted inWater
Crystal River mapping project
Beginning high in the Elk Mountains, the Crystal River flows 40 miles through three counties, cutting a canyon under the flanks of Mount Sopris and winding past the towns of Marble, Redstone and Carbondale before joining with the Roaring Fork River. Along the way, its waters turn mesa hayfields, acres of alfalfa and Carbondale parks […]
Posted inWater
In dry years, Colorado’s Crystal River runs at a trickle — but why?
The factors that lead to a dry river bed are many and include unique geology, ill-defined legal concepts, misunderstandings about the value of water, inefficient irrigation systems and vague state guidelines regarding waste that seem to be enforced only under specific circumstances.
Posted inWater
Weighing options for protecting the Crystal
Some residents of the Crystal Valley, along with Pitkin County, have long been proponents of a Wild & Scenic designation. But others, wary of any federal involvement, have balked at the idea.
Posted inThe Roundup newsletter
The Roundup | East Mesa Ditch collapses into a sinkhole
In early September, 30-foot sinkholes caused the East Mesa Ditch – which pulls up to 41.8 cfs of water from the Crystal River – to collapse, cutting off about 34% of the 740 acres of hay and alfalfa it irrigates south of Carbondale from water. Laurine Lassalle created an interactive map showing parcels irrigated by […]
Posted inWater
Studies say Janeway site promising for Crystal River backup water supply
Although Janeway is the most promising area for a nature-based solution and the one overlapping potential project site of the two studies, it still has drawbacks.
Posted inWater
Community summit kicks off talks on how best to protect Crystal River
Although there may not be imminent, specific threats of dams or diversions on the Crystal, Wild & Scenic proponents say that doesn’t mean there won’t be threats at some point.