An anonymous angler shows his pellet-head “trophy” on Jones’s property.
Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter
Billionaire Paul Tudor Jones II wants to use phosphorus to help create more food for the steelhead-sized triploid trout he has planted in the eight miles of Colorado’s Blue River that runs through his 25,000-acre ranch. The problem is, phosphorus can lead to algae blooms and other negative effects in the watershed. What will the downstream effects be on the Upper Colorado, for example, which is already facing an uncertain future following the East Troublesome Fire that burned over its headwaters last fall?
Maybe instead of figuring out how to feed unnatural fish in the Blue, it’s time to acknowledge that certain rivers have a “carrying capacity” and if that means fewer, smaller fish than it takes to get your Ya Yas out, so be it. It would be great if some more attention and money got spent on mitigating the effects of the fire disasters that happened within a virtual stone’s throw of the Blue River.
We wonder what TU and other conservation organizations will have to say about this…
4 Comments
The article you linked states that TU supports the Ranch’s proposed plan. It also talks about improving the area above the ranch. I understand you are displaying your sentiments and views about this proposed plan, but maybe dig a little deeper into the article and plan before bashing everything. Removal of the dam seems to be a better idea but highly unlikely.
The article does not state that TU supports this. The quote:
“ We have to better understand those factors. And measure them. And then rate them,” said Richard Van Gytenbeek, the Colorado River Basin outreach coordinator for Trout Unlimited, a nonprofit that advocates for fish habitat and supports the ranch’s proposed experiment.”
Dan, James is correct, it actually does note that Trout Unlimited supports the proposed experiment, you may want to re-read your quote…
To whom it may concern,
I would like to comment on the gentleman’s plan to add phosphorus to the Blue River to grow larger fish. As an environmental engineer who has practiced for 50 years in Colorado, I am against such action. Upstream of his ranch wastewater treatment plants, that cost millions of dollars, have been constructed at Summit County, Dillion/Silverthorne, Breckenridge, Frisco, and many smaller facilities. A large portion of the construction and operating costs of these WWTPs are associated with phosphorus removal to the levels required to minimize algae growth; and now, this guy wants to put it back into the water. It would be much cheaper to just stop running the WWTPs to remove P.
Now, let’s talk about legalities. Addition of P would be considered discharge of a pollutant under the Colorado Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES permit). This addition of P could be considered a discharge of pollutants without an NPDES permit and a chargeable offense. It’s time for him to think again.
Ron
Ronald G. Schuyler, PE, BCEE, WEF Fellow, CWP
Wastewater Process Specialist and Principal
COWAC, 840 Broadway, Fort Lupton, CO 80621
[email protected] Office: 303-857-6721 Cell: 303-913-6070