The U.S. Senate Hears The Colorado River!

Hello Friends of the Colorado River!

This was an important week for the Colorado River!  On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Water and Power held a hearing about the Colorado River and the Department of Interior's Basin Study that is moving forward.  U.S. Senator Mark Udall initiated and chaired the hearing, and he did a wonderful job!  Testimony at the hearing came from a variety of voices throughout the basin including states, tribes, farmers, and the environmental community. Senator Udall introduced the hearing with a strong statement specifically calling for more water conservation in cities and farms and protection of the Colorado River.  The hearing was widely covered in the media -- click here to read coverage in the Summit County Voice.  In addition, Senator Udall's opening statement is on YouTube here -- take a look and enjoy his speech.

Some bad news in Western Colorado this week!  The natural gas spill that occurred in the Colorado River tributary of Parachute Creek continues to leak cancer-causing benzene in and around the creek.  Further, the level of benzene increased this week -- although the spill occurred 6 months ago -- to above EPA safe drinking water standards.  This dangerous spill continues to baffle regulators and the clean-up crews.  Click here to read the story in the Denver Post. Tons of contaminated soil has already been removed from the site, and clean-up crews continue to work under the supervision of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. As tens of thousands of oil and gas wells are drilled and fracked throughout the Southwest U.S. that require thousands of miles of pipes, refining plants, and compressor stations, it only seems inevitable that our water supplies will be impacted by all of this dangerous industrial activity.  The State of Colorado needs to get a handle on this spill as soon as possible!

Still time to win a free raft trip this summer! You can enter our photo contest and win a free raft trip through the Gates of Lodore on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument! You can enter to win by clicking here!  Our amazing friends at O.A.R.S rafting have offered this great 4 days/3 nights trip for 2 people to help protect the Colorado River and support our organization. What do you have to do to win?  Just send us your coolest, funnest photos of recreating on water on the Colorado River or on any river in the Southwest U.S. Do you have great rafting, kayaking, swimming, playing in water photos?  How about photos of kids covered in mud alongside the river?  Send them to us here!