" " .m .-,.--' fx- ..- " " . .... . , T - r- .. .v.'-' .. . ... :,. ...,. ... .. SPRING RUNOFF? Water passes under Ashley Creek bridge on north U.S. Highway 40. Steinaker is full so the water is being tnm., ' down the creek. 8 TUrned Good water supply predicted for Spring Steinaker Reservoir is nearly full and streams are forecast to be overflowing in what water officials are predicting to be a good potential water supply for Ashley Valley this spring. Since Jan. 17 Steinaker Reservoir has been within 800 acre feet of being full. Water flowing into the reservoir from Ashley Creek has been turned off and is flowing in the Creek below the Steinaker diversion. Usually Ashley Creek is dry below Steinaker until early spring. Red Fleet Reservoir, north of Steinaker, still lacks 5,000 acre feet of water to fill. A spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey said most of the streams in the Ashley and Whiterocks drainages are predicted to be 130 to 150 percent full this spring. Based on February measurements, by the peak runoff period, April to July, Ashley Creek will be 135 percent of normal nor-mal peak flows. "I wouldn't dare say there is going to be any flooding," said G.C. Anderson, supervisor of hydrology in the local U.S. Geological Survey office Although there is the potential for a lot of runoff this spring, whether there will be any flooding depends on the weather," Anderson said. "If we get a real hot spell this spring, the streams could overflow their banks," Anderson said. February measurements show the snow pack on the Ashley Forest is 200 percent of normal which would indicate a large water supply, but predicting when the peak flows will come and the amount of flow "is pretty hard to predict," said Kim Burton, U.S. Forest -Service. "Usually flooding in the area is caused caus-ed when there is no change in temperature until late spring when there is a rapid warming accompanied by mild rains on the snow pack," Burton said.