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Group seeks to boost water protections

Ellen Miller, Special to the News

Published August 3, 2006 at midnight

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GRAND JUNCTION - A grass- roots political action group seeking to give this city the authority to protect its watershed from gas drilling has turned in more than twice the signatures needed to put their measure on the ballot.

The proposed ordinance would give Grand Junction the authority to tightly regulate and monitor oil and gas drilling on Grand Mesa, where the city gets its drinking water.

It would add another layer of protection for the city's water supply following the leasing by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management of about 13,000 acres within the watershed for gas drilling.

The leases have been sold but drilling permits have not been issued, pending resolution of protests filed by the city and others, BLM spokeswoman Mel Lloyd said.

Among those registering protests are U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar and Rep. John Salazar, both Democrats.

While the BLM says it includes watershed protections with its drilling permits, the Western Colorado Congress and several member organizations who are championing the ballot measure say more is needed.

"The city can't block drilling on federal land, but it can take steps to protect water quality," said Matt Sura, executive director of the Western Colorado Congress.

Supporters gathered 4,150 signatures; 1,580 are required to qualify the issue for the ballot.

City Clerk Stephanie Nye said Wednesday she hopes to finish verifying the signatures in about a week and take the matter to the City Council Aug. 16.

"They could either send it to the ballot or schedule a public hearing to consider it themselves," she said.

Officials with the BLM say they have listened to objections from Grand Junction and the nearby town of Palisade, and will work with local communities to assure the water's quality.

Grand Junction owns between 4,000 and 5,000 acres in the Whitewater Creek Basin and leases thousands of acres more from the U.S. Forest Service for reservoirs, pipelines and other delivery structures.

If passed, the ordinance would apply to high-risk activities in the watershed, including use or transport of hazardous materials, timber harvesting, mining, oil and gas drilling, and feedlots. It would give the city power to require additional protections not currently contained in city law or imposed by the Colorado Oil & Gas Commission or the BLM.

They include providing a list of practices to reduce risks to water quality, requiring drillers and other "high-risk'' users to post a bond to cover 100 percent of potential damages, and hiring third-party monitors to make sure water quality is maintained.

BLM spokeswoman Jamie Gardner said the agency normally doesn't speak to potential ordinances, but said there are instances where federal regulations "defer to state law for some purposes."

"But whether this could apply, we don't know," she said of the proposed ordinance.

Twice is nice

4,150 Total signatures gathered by a group seeking to give Grand Junction additional authority to protect its watershed from oil and gas drilling, more than twice the number needed to put the issue on the ballot.