Comments on: Ditch “inefficiencies” give us wetlands

By: Ditch “inefficiencies” give us wetlands — Writers on the Range – Coyote Gulch

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 13:02:29 +0000

[…] the link to read the article on the Writers on the Range website (Richard […]

By: sid sibo

sid sibo — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 02:21:50 +0000

In reply to Pat McMahon. "We all eat" is absolutely true, but western irrigation to grow alfalfa in desert landscapes to feed beef cattle? Not necessarily everyone has an equal stake in that equation. Just needed to toss that point in as well. Near me in western WY, ranchers subirrigate for two weeks under their porous fields before any water stays in place for plants to utilize (yep, alfalfa plants). That water comes from grandfathered dams on river water sourced in a wilderness area, where Colorado Basin fish species are at risk. Ouch.

By: Pat McMahon

Pat McMahon — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 23:23:53 +0000

It’s not right to think about this as an ag problem. We all eat and that makes it our problem. While municipal use is light, it is still real with the primary consumption being outdoor irrigation. Las Vegas’s net water use is close to zero as they have pretty much outlawed outdoor irrigation and the water from showers/toilets etc is cleaned and returned to the rivers. Residential properties in phoenix 20 years ago had 80% lush landscapes. Today, through progressive water pricing, that % has dropped to somewhere below 15%. Thankfully front range and western slope communities in Colorado are inching in this direction

By: Pat McMahon

Pat McMahon — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 23:05:13 +0000

Roaring Fork Conservancy is a watershed advocacy organization in the Roaring Fork Watershed. Our watershed contributes 10-12% of the water in all the Colorado River Watershed. We are deep into these subjects and have several initiatives in progress dealing with drought resiliency etc. We agree with your concerns about wetlands and have long advocated that lining ditches that just run through an irrigated field with no riparian value is good, but lining where they support wetlands is not good. There is a new study recently published that challenges the normal assumption that ag is 79% of the water use. Prior studies ignored how much water riparian habitat consumes and how much is lost to reservoir evaporation. Your article was thoughtful and spot on with what we are hoping to help accomplish. Would love to have a conversation

By: Buzz Burrell

Buzz Burrell — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 22:53:42 +0000

This is an interesting thesis: Continue to waste massive amounts of water because the leakage is beneficial. I am skeptical of this thesis. Because the question, “Will we prioritize water for urban uses, including urban sprawl?” is a red herring; as accurately reported here in HCN, we prioritize agriculture to a stunning degree. The swimming pools of SoCal are wasteful and culturally disgusting to us, but they use so little water it isn’t counted. Colorado River water is basically used to feed cows. I owned a farm in western Colorado for decades, remain sympathetic to classic western values, and yet the numbers tell the truth, and it’s time we update our perspective to be in line with the truth of where this water goes and what it’s best use is.

By: Rosemary Carstens

Rosemary Carstens — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 17:20:06 +0000

Thanks for this article, Rick Knight. I mentioned it on my Facebook page today along with some great memories around irrigation from my younger years: https://www.facebook.com/rosemarycarstens