Alternative Energy Could Make Ouray a Hotspot

OURAY – Energy independence and eco-tourism: these are two facets of Mayor Bob Risch’s new vision for Ouray. Risch presented his ideas to a receptive crowd at the Ouray Business Roundtable on Thursday, March 20 at the Ouray Community Center.

“I’d guess there’s a range of people here today, from those who think that global warming is a bit of a myth to those who think it’s a very serious problem and we’re not addressing it fast enough,” Risch said. “I happen to be on that edge of the range where people think it’s serious.”

Risch presented many possibilities, all focusing on development of the area’s alternative energy resources as well as promoting Ouray as a place where people who care about those sorts of issues can come.

“This is my vision right now: How many ways can we reduce our energy consumption, and then making this town known for that,” he said.

Risch began by citing Ouray’s abundant geothermal energy.

“We can use that energy in many ways,” Risch said, adding that new technologies make it possible to harvest energy even from cooler springs and tail water from the springs that are already in use, such as the hot springs pool. Risch said increased funding for alternative energy projects, especially from the Governor’s Energy Office, could help fund such projects in Ouray.

Risch also cited the century-old hydropower plant, owned by Eric Jacobson. He said that with newer equipment, the plant could produce up to one megawatt of energy, enough to power the city of Ouray.

Risch also said that the Ridgway Reservoir has significant energy-producing capacities.

“Even in low-flow years, there’s enough water there to create two to four megawatts of electricity,” he said. In fact, the dam was built with possible hydroelectric capabilities in mind, and the town of Aspen has expressed interest in partnering to make use of the site.

On the tourism front, Risch envisioned attracting people who want to leave a small carbon footprint when they vacation.

“Visitors to Ouray in the future will have it in their minds that this is important to them,” he said. “They’ll be looking for ways to vacation and recreate that don’t impact the environment unnecessarily.”

From the naturally heated hot springs pool to the numerous hiking trails in the region, there is plenty to draw the environmentally minded, Risch said. As a former member of the Red Mountain Task Force, he also has his sights set on the high country, where the U.S. Forest Service is looking at reopening old mining roads.

“What would we as a community like to encourage? Do we want to open it to everybody or is there some room for creativity? Maybe you can take a motorized vehicle up there, it just can’t burn carbon,” he suggested.

A big part of Risch’s plan would be to replace some of the streetlights with more efficient lighting, possibly high pressure sodium, which he said is two and a half times more efficient than the current mercury vapor lights.

The question and answer session that followed ranged from the idealistic to the mundane. While some citizens were interested in mandatory commercial recycling and changing out the city’s fleet to energy-efficient vehicles, others remained concerned with snow on the sidewalks and gravel on the streets. A newer resident asked if Risch expected flooding to be a problem this spring.

“The city is stockpiling sandbags,” he said. “It’s going to be an interesting spring.” Risch said that an area of particular concern is Skyrocket Creek, where a dam that formerly protected the hot springs pool is now gone and needs to be replaced.

Snow removal remained a hot topic of debate.

“We’ve just passed 17 feet of snow this year,” Risch said. “One or two more feet and we’ll break the record.” He said the city has gone through a record amount of diesel fuel hauling the snow, and that they’ve run out of places to put it. “It’s been a real strain on the city budget,” he said.

One main street business owner brought the discussion back to Risch’s new vision. “I think we’re on the edge,” she said. “I think this town is uniting, and it’s very exciting to me.”

Risch was encouraged by the public’s response to his ideas.

“It’s been rewarding for me to get the feedback that I’ve been getting, because I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen,” he said.