Letters - Sunday

WATER WARS

Terminal storage critical to ensure constant supply

I read recently that proponents of Brush Hollow Reservoir expansion as an alternative to Pueblo Reservoir expansion claimed that Brush Hollow would eliminate the need for Jimmy Camp Creek Reservoir (“Gallagher, developer: Our water plan cuts cost in half,” Metro, March 6). Elimination of Jimmy Camp Creek Reservoir would be foolhardy.

Storage at Pueblo or Brush Hollow reservoir serves as regulating storage, which is designed for two functions: Water is stored in regulating storage during the spring snowmelt and runoff for use during other parts of the year; Water is stored during years with yields that are heavier for carry over and use during years with lesser yields, such as during a drought. The more water you have stored, the longer drought a system can tolerate.

Jimmy Camp Creek Reservoir would serve as a different type of storage — terminal storage. Terminal storage is located at the downstream end of a delivery pipeline, and also serves two functions: seasonal storage and emergency storage. Water is pumped up delivery pipelines, like the proposed Southern Delivery System pipeline, at a constant rate throughout the year. Since water is consumed more heavily in summer, seasonal storage is drawn down during that period, and replenished in the winter. Emergency storage is used to supply customers during pump station or pipeline outages.

Rampart Reservoir serves these functions at this end of the Homestake pipeline. Customers dependent on a delivery pipeline without terminal storage would be at risk.

While the existing Fountain Valley Conduit does not have terminal storage, it has only a relatively small capacity of 13 million gallons per day for Colorado Springs share. This pipeline enters the distribution system at a point which can be covered by other sources, so that pipeline’s outages have been overcome easily by our city. Effects of those same outages on the other Fountain Valley Conduit cities have been more severe.

For these reasons, terminal storage must be included in plans for any delivery system that would deliver water to our city, whether from storage in Pueblo or other locations along the Arkansas River. For these same reasons, the scheduling for the Jimmy Camp Creek Reservoir phase of SDS must follow the Phase I pipeline construction as soon as the Colorado Springs Utilities financial resources will allow.

Charles E. Conser

Colorado Springs

A SENSIBLE CHOICE

Brody won’t be tied to special interests

Voters in City Council District 1 can make a real difference in the April 5 election. Council candidate Al Brody has my enthusiastic support because he’s willing to give us straight answers about where he stands. He is actively involved in a number of community interests and is quite knowledgeable about city issues. While his opponent, Scott Hente, is a member of a rich and powerful special-interest group, Brody refuses to accept large campaign contributions that could give even the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Brody demonstrates a genuine concern for the average citizen and long-term welfare of our community. Business-as-usual candidate Hente makes his living in real estate development and construction. Nothing against developers, but in this era of increasingly expensive and scarce water, the growth industry is not the right force to be dictating city and utilities policy.

Let’s elect Al Brody, a man of integrity who will represent us for a change.

Dave Gardner

Founder and Chairman, SaveTheSprings

Colorado Springs

PLANNED PARENTHOOD

Opponents of school talks work to protect lives

Occasionally I read a letter certain that it must be written purely sarcastically, only to realize that, unbelievably, the author is serious. George Brazill wrote just such a letter in the March 8 Gazette (“Students will pay for halting group’s talks”). Incredibly, Brazill actually believes that the “true objective” of those of us opposed to Planned Parenthood giving talks to students is “to stop the dissemination of birth control information.” He thinks our motives behind this are because we feel birthcontrol “costs men their manhood” and that we, being religious, are “trying to increase our numbers.”

There is a serious debate raging in our nation over abortion with huge ethical impacts on both sides of the divide; we don’t have time for Brazill’s ludicrous concoctions.

Those of us opposed to Planned Parenthood giving sex ed to students are opposed to it because Planned Parenthood administers abortions. We believe an abortion kills a human being. Every year in this country more than 1 million abortions are performed.

This is not about birth control, the robbing of manhood, religious zealots attempting to promulgate our faith through offspring, nor any other absurd ideas Brazill cooks up. This is about life and death.

Irony upon ironies, Brazill actually thinks he is defending the lives of youngsters. In reference to students who will be denied hearing from Planned Parenthood, he wrote, “what a shame that some youngsters will forfeit their lives for such foolish and selfish notions.” Thirty million youngsters of my generation already have. It is time to end the foolish and selfish notion of legalized murder in this nation and put an end to abortion.

B. Jay Strawser

Colorado Springs

SOCIAL INSECURITY

Asay had it wrong; Congress pays into plan

Why do conservatives continue to lie to the American people about Congress and Social Security? Congress is paying Social Security taxes. Its pension plan is in addition to, not in place of Social Security.

In addition, the plan most often referred to is a voluntary plan. Although in the distant past, Congress was not on Social Security, they have been since the early 1980s. I love political cartoons, but Chuck Asay needs to get his facts straight.

David Organ

Loveland

CAMPUS POLITICS

Political labels have changed from days gone by

Letter writer Malcolm McCollum can’t find many “left-wingers in American universities (“Rosen lacks proof of leftist faculty claims,” March 8). He must be like so many others who have forgotten, or have never known, what a true conservative is. Not too many years ago, George Bush would have been considered a liberal, John Kerry and Howard Dean would have been called socialists, and Ward Churchill would have been called a traitor.

Allen McDermott

Monument

ETHICAL EATING

Consumers opt for health by consuming less meat

According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, Americans were consuming 11 percent more food per capita in 2003 than they did in 1985. However, meat consumption during the same period rose by only 7 percent for a net loss of 4 percent of the food market share.

The greater food intake, satirized in the prize-winning documentary, “Super Size Me,” is largely responsible for the current epidemic of obesity, a precursor to diabetes and heart disease.

The relative drop in meat consumption may be attributed to widespread availability of tasty, wholesome soy-based meat alternatives and to growing public awareness of the devastating impacts of meat consumption on human health, environmental quality and animal welfare.

It may also testify to the effectiveness of public diet education campaigns like “5 A Day” and “The Great American Meatout,” which is observing its 20th anniversary on March 20. Their Web sites, www.Meatout-Mondays.org and www.5aday.com provide recipes and other useful information for embracing a wholesome, nonviolent diet this spring.

Corey Maker

Colorado Springs