Visitors from Great Outdoors Colorado going on a trip down the Arkansas with multiple member companies of the Arkansas River Outfitters Association. Photo by Luke Urbine
Among several items on the Chaffee Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) February 20 meeting agenda was a review of the community support awarded in the past fiscal year according to the county’s 1041 permit of the BlueTriton Ruby Mountain Spring pumping station. Also on their agenda, is the setting of the county’s Recreational In-Channel Diversion (RICD) flow days for the Arkansas River, and the Topside Annexation request.
BlueTriton logo
Representatives of BlueTriton provided an update on the balance of the funds within the accounts seeded through 1041-mandated contributions – (packet). A sum of $80,000 remains unassigned within the water category. The county is still waiting on the results of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) ground-water study; an estimated expense of $69,000. This will leave $11,000 in the discretionary fund.
“Staff identified two areas for these remaining funds,” said Asst. County Administrator Beth Helmke. “We could reinstate the partnership with both Recycle CO and Energy Smart Colorado. We had a historic agreement with them for home energy audits, and to facilitate the rebates with Xcel [Energy] and SDEA [Sangre de Cristo Electric Association].”
County residents weighed in, asking whether the county has an actual process for allocating these funds, and if so, asking what the process is for requesting use of these funds. Resident Jen Swacina asked for $1,000 for the newly-formed sustainability committee, to fund a water bottle refilling location in Salida. It was noted that last year funds were used to upgraded the water filling station at the boat ramp.
“The next one would be a water filling station at the Scout Hut,” explained Swacina. “They don’t want a water station attached to the Scout Hut – they want a freestanding one. We want one by the bicycle rack in Riverside Park, so we are now short in funds for that. Let’s use some of their funds from their sale of single-use plastic to mitigate that with a bottle refill station. We think $1,000 to go with what we’ve raised, would do it.”
While the BoCC indicated its support for a project like this, Commissioner Keith Baker pointed out that, “We should have a decision with a document number, so that when we do have questions on things like this, that we can point them to that. To say – this is what the commissioners decided, and if it is open to application, that they get a consistent answer.
County Recreational In-Channel Diversion
Each year at this time, the Chaffee BoCC carries out its responsibility to designate the eight days in June under the County Recreational In-Channel Diversion (RICD) when water rights for the RICD shall be measured at least 1,800 cfs. The BoCC also must discuss and finalize the 30-day Flow Recommendations for the RICD.
Setting these flow rates is a way of guaranteeing high enough water flow rates on the Arkansas to support a critical river recreation timeframe. Typically, it encompasses the Buena Vista Paddlefest, Salida FIBArk, and a higher flow for the end of June as the county heads into the Fourth of July holiday.
The discussion involved the days of the river events, as well as the training days before the mid-June river competition. Commissioner Greg Felt made the motion to shift the dates for the eight protected flow days to June 9 through June 16, and it passed unanimously.
Establishing the 30 days of 1,400 cfs was a longer discussion.
“This can shift from Memorial Day weekend to the end of June – the theory has been the point of decision,” said Felt. “Do we just do the month of June so we are protecting flows as late as we can, or do we move it forward to protect Paddlefest. But we’ve also seen where there were some years where there wasn’t a lot of water – this isn’t a calling right, this is a defensive right. I’m still leaning toward doing the 30 days of June … this way it covers five weekends, in terms of when people are apt to be boating.”
Felt made the motion to set June 1 – 30 as the 30 day flow protection, Baker seconded and it passed u nanimously.
Topside Annexation
The BoCC reviewed and approved a request to allow a parcel of county land to be proposed for annexation into the town of Buena Vista.
The development known as the Topside Business Park has been proposed by DCP Buena Vista LLC, which is petitioning to have a 30.371 acre tract of land on the “Annexation Map” annexed into the Town of Buena Vista. The proposed business park would be located along CR 317, adjacent to the southern boundary of Buena Vista.
The project area consists of a single parcel. The proposed annexation does not include annexation of any
of the CR 317 right–of–way. Of the 30.371 acres, all property is located north and east of CR 317. The property is currently vacant and unused, but was formerly the lagoons for the Buena Vista Sanitation District. These lagoons were retired in 2003 and remediated under the supervision of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment in late 2003 and into 2004.
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