Environmental News
Environmental News from Boulder, Colorado
#bouldercounty #boulderfire First info more that 11/2 hours after fire starts
Oct 29th
There are two fires located approximately 1/4 mile west of Boulder Canyon. It is about 10 acres in size and moving north. Currently the fire is burning near Elephant Buttress above Dome Rock on city of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks.
#1 – 5 acres
#2 – 1 acre
Evacuating-
Canon Park Subdivision, base of Boulder Canyon
Mouth of Sunshine Canyon up to Poorman Road, includes Seven Hills subdivision and Anemone Rd.
Knollwood Subdivision
Boulder Canyon (State Hwy 119) is closed at Settler’s Park in Boulder
Evacuation area: Evacuated residents are advised to go to the Jury Assembly room at Justice Center, 6th & Canyon
About 2 dozen firefighters are on-scene
Reporting:
Four Mile Fire Protection District
Boulder Rural
City of Boulder Fire
Sugarloaf
Boulder County Sheriff fire crews
Single engine tanker requested
Mutual aid requested from Rocky Mountain Fire and Lefthand Fire
10/29 09:00 EOC Activited for Boulder Canyon Fire
The Emergency Operations Center has been activated for the Boulder Canyon Fire. More details will be posted here as information becomes available. At this time, the emphasis is on dispatching emergency and fire personnel to the fire and working on mapping the area.
The fire is burning on public land at Mile Marker 40 in Boulder Canyon near Elephant Buttress.
Here we go again #Boulderfire #BoulderCounty fails to get info out
Oct 29th
So far the OEM, city nor county have gotten their butts out of bed to inform news media or public which was the case during the Four Mile fire. The daily camera is speculating. KGNU is asking questions as are we. Meanwhile smoke pours over Boulder and our public officials are slow to rise. Get the hell going. Twitter is abuzz with “whats gong on?
Boulder facility goes ‘off the grid’ generating total power from non-fossil fuels for first time
Oct 29th
In this case, Coordinator of Wastewater Treatment Chris Douville explained, the plant was able to draw all of the energy it needed, roughly 1,200 to 1,400 kilowatts at any given moment, from the solar array and from its two co-generation (co-gen) system engines. The co-gen engines capture and burn the gas that is coming off the anaerobic digester process tanks, using that gas to generate additional power instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. The solar system, when at its peak on Thursday, was generating close to 800 kilowatts.
Douville said the success was attributable to a combination of factors, including relatively low wastewater flows, less demand than usual, a clear solar day and cooler temperatures. Data captured at the plant shows the milestone was reached at 11:30 a.m. The plant did not start drawing power from the traditional source again until 2 p.m. Attached is a screen grab that shows the solar photovoltaic production for the day.
“This is a great example of what we can get to,” said David Driskell, executive director of Community Planning and Sustainability. “It shows it is possible to really change our energy mix, and that will have long-term economic and environmental benefits to us as a community.”
While going “off the grid” is impressive, the ultimate goal for the WWTF is for 50 percent or more of the facility’s power to come from alternative sources, over a monthly or annual basis, Douville said. The city hopes to meet this goal through a combination of energy efficiency efforts and maximizing its alternative supplies.
SOURCE: CITY OF BOULDER NEWS RELEASE