Hi Friends of Colorado's Rivers, A few months ago we decided to ratchet up our…
Colorado River Update! Save The Colorado’s River Protection Makes The News!
Hi Friends of the Colorado River!
Over the last 10 days, we are deep in the heat of battle to protect the Colorado River, and we are making news!
First, on March 31st, the Boulder Daily Camera, in Boulder, Colorado, highlighted our work to fight the massive proposed Gross Dam expansion in Boulder County. The project would cause intense negative impacts on the Colorado River’s headwaters, on Boulder County, and on South Boulder Creek below the dam.
Further, the Boulder County government also has spoken out LOUD against the proposed dam expansion and has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to “deny” the permit due to the massive negative impacts. We spoke truth to power, as always!
“The FERC permit process is ongoing right now, and we expect that to end probably by the beginning of June,” Wockner said. “So when the FERC decision comes out, we are going to take a good hard look at it and make our final decision at that point. We don’t expect anything to change. We are still adamantly opposed to the project and we are actively planning to challenge this decision.”
Second, we continue to lead the public opposition to the proposed “West Fork Dam” on Battle Creek in Wyoming, a tributary to the Yampa River in Colorado. This crazy idea now includes the State of 
Wyoming trying to run a bill through Congress to get the federal government to sell off part of U.S. Forest Service land where the dam would be built.
The public-land sell-off might also allow Wyoming to avoid certain environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act. On April 5th, Wyoming Public Media, a news/radio site in Wyoming, highlighted our work to fight against this crazy dam idea.
But Gary Wockner, director of the advocacy group “Save the Colorado,” said he doesn’t think a land transfer would be that easy. “If they try to pour a massive amount of cement across this creek and flood a bunch of wetlands, then I still think they’re going to have to require permits from the federal government.”
Third, we are also deep in the fight against a proposal to divert a new 55,000 acre feet of water out of the Green River in Utah to pipe that water all the way across Wyoming and over to the Denver metro area 
in Colorado. We have legally “protested” the water rights transfer with the Utah Division of Water Resources, and we are speaking out against it in the media. On April 8th, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel highlighted our protest and work to oppose this project.
Gary Wockner, director of the group Save the Colorado, which also is protesting Million’s proposal, said it’s significant that “Utah is telling Aaron Million he can’t have Utah’s water and take it to Colorado.” He questions why Million would think Utah would give its water to Colorado. “I don’t know that there’s any legal basis for that,” Wockner said.
We could not do all of this work without your support! We are keeping track of, and fighting to the best of our ability, every single proposed dam/diversion/pipeline project in the Colorado River basin, and especially those in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. This river is already one of the most dammed and diverted rivers on the planet, and it’s sheer craziness to be further damming and draining it.
NOT ON OUR WATCH!
WITH YOUR SUPPORT!
Thank you for everything you do and keeping the Colorado River alive!
Gary Wockner, Director, Save The Colorado.
