VOLUME 25, NUMBER 9
LYONS, COLOR ADO
PAGE 5
CONTRAST Local conservancy district pairs with ditch company to rescue trout By Greg Lowell Redstone Review LYONS – One of the side effects of the 105,000 ir r igat ion structures on Colorado rivers is the accidental Lowell death of millions of trout and other fish species. The fish become “entrained” when they are sucked into irrigation ditches from the river or instinctively follow the diverted current. When the water diversions are shut off fish are trapped in rapidly shrinking pools and die or become easy prey. But a pilot project by the St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District in collaboration with the Highland Ditch Company could be the first step in a statewide program to save valuable sportfish and safeguard the ecological health of local rivers and streams. The pilot kicked off Sept. 27 when the Conservancy District’s staff and a paid consul-
tant team stepped in to rescue more than 200 trout shortly after Highland Ditch’s headgates from the St. Vrain River in Lyons were shut down after the irrigation season. Under contract with the District, commercial aquaculturists Rod Beavers and his sons Brayden and Brendt used dip nets to capture the entrained fish. The fish were counted, measured and then quickly returned to the St. Vrain River. The majority of the fish were brown trout but there were also rainbow trout rescued. At the end of the project, all fish entrained in the pool behind the headgates were saved, and a few fish farther down the rapidly drying ditch were also recovered. “We hope that the results of this pilot project can be scaled up across the district, and
CEMEX Lyons update By Sarah Lorang Redstone Review LYONS – As you may recall, Boulder County issued a Notice of Termination to the Cemex Lyons cement plant in April, citing increased traffic hazards and improper expansion of its use. Many community members are now wondering why Cemex is still operating. The April notice gave Cemex 30 days to respond by either: 1) providing evidence that the director’s decision was incorrect, 2) reducing the plant’s expansion, or 3) appealing the decision to the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners.
It’s important to note that Cemex can continue operations as long as its appeals are ongoing. Instead of appealing immediately, Cemex chose to challenge the director’s decision and requested a 60-day extension to submit a new traffic study, intended to counter the one used by Boulder County. It’s worth noting that the traffic study used by Boulder County was originally conducted by Cemex, which submitted it without objection to CDOT in August 2023 to obtain a new access permit. Cemex also filed a large Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request with Boulder County, estimated to take 400 to 500 hours to complete, effectively granting Cemex an additional four-
potentially in other parts of Colorado,” said Jenny McCarty, the District’s watershed program manager. Healthy fisheries are essential not only for the ecological health of local streams but also for supporting the recreational fishing economy, she added. The Highland Ditch Company has been diverting water from the St. Vrain River since 1871, using the water to irrigate 35,000 farmland acres. “This initiative is an example of the symbiotic relationship that can exist between local agriculture and environmental health,” said Wade Gonzales, Highland’s Ditch and Reservoir superintendent. “This pilot project shows how we can work together toward common goals.” The St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District (www.
month extension. Cemex’s new deadline to provide all evidence is November 8, 2024. The County will review this evidence and either uphold or withdraw the Notice of Termination. If the County upholds the decision, Cemex will have 15 days to either reduce the plant’s expansion or appeal to the County Commissioners. Cemex has indicated it will appeal if the decision isn’t in its favor. A representative from Boulder County shared that, assuming the decision to terminate is upheld, it would take about 45 days to schedule a public hearing before the Commissioners, likely pushing this process into February or March 2025. In January 2024, the community provided feedback to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) on the renewal of Cemex’s Title V (Air Quality) Permit. CDPHE has since indicated it plans to make changes to the permit, which is encouraging, but the process has been slow. CDPHE should have an additional response by the end of the year. Another ongoing issue is Cemex’s reclamation bond, intended to cover environmental cleanup costs when it ceases operations. The bond hadn’t been updated in 20 years and was set at $8.9 million. While the process of adjusting this bond has stalled for over a year, we’ve managed to secure an increase to just under $22 million.
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to determine the level of urgency, the agencies that should be dispatched and notes to the responders for that specific situation. Dispatchers will start to send out help even before the call is done so it’s best to call 911 immediately. The Boulder County Communications Center has algorithms built into its system to help the dispatchers know what services to call. Calling 911 actually helps BOCO build data and understand what needs
A heroic fish salvager carefully nets fish to be relocated to safer waters, ensuring their protection and survival. svlh.gov) was created in 1971 as a local government, non-profit agency dedicated to safeguarding water resources for all and promotes and partners on local water protection and management strategies. Lyons resident Greg Lowell is a Lyons Town Board Trustee and serves as the liaison of the Ecology Advisory Board.
However, our estimates suggest that cleanup costs would exceed $30 million, so we continue to push for a higher bond. If Cemex walks away without fully reclaiming the site, Colorado taxpayers could end up covering any expenses above the bond – a scenario that’s happened multiple times before. Lastly, Eagle Materials in Laramie, Wyoming – the company from which Cemex bought its limestone mine in 2018 – recently announced a $400 million investment to expand and modernize its cement plant. This upgrade will increase production by 400,000 tons per year, reduce carbon emissions by switching from coal to natural gas, and lower cement costs in the Denver market. Cemex has claimed its cement is necessary to keep prices low, but Eagle Materials is already proving that’s not the case. For the latest updates on Cemex Lyons, please subscribe to our newsletter at goodneighborslyons.com. Sarah Lorang volunteers her time as Co-Founder of Good Neighbors, serves as Chair of Lyons’ Historic Preservation Commission, and regularly volunteers at Lyons Elementary, where her two children go to school. Professionally, she works as a consultant with a wide variety of businesses to optimize their client experiences, both internal and external.
each community is experiencing and possibly qualify for resources, such as a Resource Officer. Use 411 as a non-emergency number. This will get you to the same dispatcher but will just delay the process going through prompts. Use this number if you have more time and don’t think it’s a life or death situation. A good example: illegal camping within town limits or sleeping in a vehicle after dark. Use 211 as a resource number. You will receive a lot of useful information from a live agent. You can be on hold for a long time waiting for an
agent and their hours are only Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., so it’s limited to business hours only. It is for resource information only. Staff keep all information current and are the first to know of any new programs being offered and have an extensive outreach system. Some examples of information: vaccination sites, housing, tax services, food pantries, hygiene needs, including footcare, transportation, child care, senior care, suicide, new parents and pregnancy assistance. Continue Briefs on Page 10