LOCAL NEWS: Delta City Councilors are looking at possibly building an emergency water treatment plant on the Gunnison River as an alternative to the rising cost of Project 7. According to reporting in the Delta County Independent, the town is concerned about the skyrocketing cost to build a new treatment plant near Ridgway with six other area entities. Early estimates to build the new plant have ballooned from $60 million to over $180 million. Delta’s share would come in around $30 to 32 million. Due to the changes in pricing, council members gave city staff approval to put out a request for proposals for the construction of a smaller emergency treatment plant in an effort to explore all possible options and gauge potential costs of those options. More on this story is at deltacountyindependent.com
A bill to transfer Crystal Reservoir from the U.S. Forest Service to the city of Ouray, has been referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. According to reporting in the Ouray County Plaindealer, the effort to move the reservoir into local ownership came almost 18 months after the Forest Service initially decided to drain it due to safety hazards, citing a crack in Full Moon Dam identified during one inspection in May 2023. City officials asked for help reclaiming the reservoir in a letter sent in September 2024, saying draining the reservoir “deprives the City of a valuable public asset.” More on this story is at ouraynews.com
STATE NEWS: In September, Colorado Parks and Wildlife released a plan to support biodiversity and guide the conservation of the state's most vulnerable species and habitats. The 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan... known as SWAP... has been widely praised for its scope. It’s also drawn criticism, particularly around the state’s approach to wolf reintroduction. Dr. Richard Reading is chair of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, a citizen board appointed by the governor that sets regulations and policies for the state’s parks and wildlife programs.
For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, K-G-N-U's Susan Moran spoke to Reading, to find out more about the State Wildlife Action Plan, and what it could mean for the future of conservation in Colorado.
