Colorado’s water quality declined 21% for rivers and streams
and 31% for lakes over the last eight years, and will continue to decline if
changes aren’t made, according to Water
Under Pressure, a new report released today by Environment Colorado
Research & Policy Center.
The report cites under-funding and understaffing at the
Water Quality Control Division (the “Division”) as the biggest challenges to
protecting Colorado’s
water resources.
“We need more cops on the beat; without proper inspection
and enforcement of existing water quality protections there is no way to start
improving water quality,” said Stephanie Thomas, Clean Water Advocate for
Environment Colorado and author of the report. “Water is the lifeblood of our
state, creating outdoor recreation opportunities, providing drinking water for
our cities, and helping Colorado
farmers grow our food.”
An example of the Division’s need for more staffing is
oversight of booming stormwater permits, which are designed to protect
waterways from sediment and chemicals running off of construction sites
associated with residential and commercial development as well as oil and gas
drilling. In 2006, stormwater permits rose 20% over the previous year, to 5,268
active permits.
Yet over the last eight years, the Division has been so
hampered by funding limitations that it had only allocated 25% of one employee’s
time to inspecting these sites and supervising the handful of contractors hired
to help. With this level of resources,
the Stormwater Unit was able to inspect less than 1% of stormwater permit sites
in 2005.
“In fact, an EPA audit of Colorado’s program found that it would take
the Division 70 years to inspect each storm water permit just once,” said
Thomas.
The report goes on to illustrate that some of Colorado’s
biggest challenges to water quality include rapidly expanding energy
development such as oil and gas drilling and mining.
"Colorado and other Rocky Mountain states are feeling the
impacts of a widespread energy boom,” said Max Dodson, who retired in January
after 35 years working at the EPA regional office, in charge of overseeing Colorado’s water quality
efforts. “We're doing a relatively good
job given the circumstances, but we still need more presence on the ground to
protect our water. This energy boom is
going to be around for a long time. Protecting water quality has to be part of Colorado's and the
country's long term energy strategy."
Also, sprawl and irresponsible urban development are playing
a large role in affecting Colorado’s
water quality. For instance, roads and parking lots can deposit up to 2,000
times more sediment and chemical runoff into our waterways than lands that are
forested.
“The sprawl and irresponsible urban development resulting
from our skyrocketing growth is a huge contributor to decreased water quality,”
said Thomas. “Over the last eight years Colorado
has added 820,000 residents. The effect
is like a city the size of San
Francisco moving in and paving our wetlands, prairies,
and forests into shopping centers, roads, and parking lots.
“The Division needs a big influx of funding and staff in
order to keep up,” continued Thomas. “In
fact, modeling done in 2004 indicates that the Division may need as many as 80
new employees.” While the Division has hired 22 new staff members in the past
couple of years, it has a long way to go towards 80, and that number may even
be increasing with Colorado’s
growth pressures.
The report also highlights the declining suitability of our
rivers and streams for fishing. The percentage of waterways the Division
designated as not fishable nearly doubled in just four years, jumping from 8%
in 2002 to 15% in 2006.
“In just four years, we’ve discovered that the percentage of
streams deemed unfishable is twice what we originally thought,” said Eddie
Kochman, former State Aquatic Manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
“Angling, rafting, and kayaking are part of Colorado’s $10 billion outdoor recreation
economy. We need to ensure the Division is adequately funded and putting enough
eyes in the field to protect our precious water quality. Colorado must ensure protections for aquatic
wildlife and outdoor recreation opportunities for future generations.”
A big question is where the Division will find the funding
for additional employees.
“One option is to charge higher fees on those who most use
the Division’s services, like permit holders, to fund new employees,” said
Thomas. “Another may be to further
develop contractual relationships with local health department personnel who
can then conduct more inspections.”
