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Show Will the Mill Creek Project eliminate flooding problems? The Grand County Water Conservancy District is attempting to answer questions pertaining to the proposed Mill Creek Water Project by means of a question and answer forum to be published each week in The Times-Independent. Last week's feature included a general description of the project. This week, the District addresses itself to three major questions that have been asked concerning the project, and they follow. If you have questions about the project you would like answered, don't hesitate to contact the District Office, 125 East Center, Moab, and they will be dealt with in subsequent columns: QucHtlont Will the Mill Creek Project eliminate the annual flood problem? Answer: No. Neither the diversion point at the Seeley Tunnel, nor the lake will be capable of accommodating a flow other than normal high water. Question! Are we certain of water capacity to Insure our present and future needs? Answer: The Utah Division of Water Resources estimates that from 5,000 to 7,000 acre feet of water available to Moab Valley for irrigation is presently unused and passes directly into the Colorado River. This occurs primarily from winter and surplus spring flows when all of the water cannot be used. The storing of this otherwise lost water in the proposed storage basin is sufficient to furnish water requirements for some proposed growth. Question! Why should residents of Spanish Valley vote to increase taxes for this project when there seems to be at present adequate water In Individual wells? Answer: Many wells in the valley have had their water table lowered appreciably. Some have even gone dust dry. No expert can predict how long the well water will last and there is no assurance that present drought conditions will not continue. The idea of the Mill Creek Project is to capture most of the water flowing into this valley for immediate use or storage for use at a more advantageous time. A second benefit will be decreased reliance on some individual water wells, so hopefully they may recoup to their normal level. Therefore Spanish Valley residents will benefit by selectively' eliminating well water as the primary source, and minimizing the possibility of insufficient insuffi-cient year-round irrigation water. The Mill Creek Project is also prepared to furnish to the Spanish Valley Water & Sewer District 400 acre feet per year of culinary water, which will further reduce the strain on some water wells in that both culinary and irrigation waters will be furnished to Spanish Valley residents. Question: How will the water rates compare to present city rates? Answer: The City of Moab does not have a rate for ' irrigation water at the present time. Irrigation of lawns and gardens in the City is done with culinary quality water and that rate is the same as for household use. The rate for irrigation water in Spanish Valley will be approximately $20.00 per acre foot. The rate for culinary water outside the City limits will be set by the Spanish Valley Water & Sewer District after their costs are known. Question: Will the Mill Creek Project ever be self-supporting and not dependent on tax dollars? Answer: Yes. The project will eventually pay for the entire cost, however, in the start up years, it is necessary to add tax dollars mainly for interest on bonded indebtedness and as the interest goes down so does the need for tax support. Question: Why should the City of Moab support this County Project? Answer: The City of Moab is under contract to receive from the project 1000 acre feet of culinary water per year. 1 This water, as previously mentioned, will be sold to the , City at a price below present charges to City customers. This additional water should alleviate the yearly water rationing and assure Moab City water for expansion. Question: Where exactly will the dam be placed, how high will the dam face be, who will engineer the project, and who will operate the facility when It Is completed? Answer: The diversion dam will be in Mill Creek approximately 200 yards upstream from the Seeley Tunnel (Flat Pass Road) and will be only about 15 feet high and will allow flood water to pass over the top. The deepest fill on the reservoir storage lake will be from the bottom of the existing wash to the highest level of the lake which will be about fifty feet wide at the base and will fill the wash to a height of approximately 80 feet at the center. This portion of the engineering will be done by a well qualified engineering firm. The balance of the engineering will be done by the State of Utah Division of Water Resources staff. The entire project will be built by the Division of Water Resources. Operation and maintenance of the project will be the direct responsibility of the Grand County Water Conservancy District in cooperation with the Special Service District. |