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Show m aaiBK mm By ROSELYN KIRK Water storage is still crucial, Weber Basin Water Conservancy officials say, but the board decided not to make a statement on how much water will be available to municipal water users until at least the end of January when the snowpack in the mountains moun-tains will give a clearer indication in-dication of the water available. availa-ble. WAYNE Winegar, manager of the water district suggested suggest-ed the board make a policy statement to municipal water users indicating that 100 percent per-cent of the water they purchased for 1978 would be available. But members of the board said that although the board is obligated to honor that commitment, such a statement might give the public the impression that water was not scarce. "With people cooperating as they did last summer, we should be no worse off than we were last year," Mr. Winegar said. But he pointed out that in all cases, water in the seven Weber Basin water reservoirs is down from last year. ALTHOUGH he declined to predict what the next two months would bring, he said he feared the same high ridge pattern similar to last year, was developing over Utah. "The whole country is getting water, but us." However, according to a report by Jimmy Kostoff, Weber Basin engineer, one positive sign showed increased water in the high mountain watershed measured by Soil Conservation Conserva-tion experts. According to that report, Trial Lake in the Uintas, as measured last week, had 49 inches of water content as compared to .5 at this same time last year. MR. KOSTOFF also said that in all cases, water storage has increased in reservoirs since Oct. 15. The district hopes to store about 300 acre feet a day in Willard Bay, including surplus water used to generate power. Mr. Winegar said the water from Willard Bay will be important in helping Weber Basin to meet water commitments. Keith Jensen, Weber County Commissioner and a member of the water board, urged that the district "not be in too big a hurry" to announce an-nounce that municipalities would receive their culinary water commitments. Although board members pointed out that is the obligation obliga-tion of the district to deliver the water if municipalities should demand 100 percent, if this happened, there would be no water left for agricultural users. LAST YEAR agricultural water users carried over 10,500 acre feet of water, in addition to cutting their water use by over 50 percent, Mr. Winegar said. At the present time, the district has 52,000 acre feet in storage. Mr. Winegar said additional water will be available from wells and water which can be pumped from Willard Bay when the drought relief project is completed. "With people's cooperation, we will be in no worse shape than last year," he said. w"l be dismal Jta -ML I reservo rs are Sft I although me "are S.'W I with snowfall maueWl 1 at this point tta EK?2T I Is not hopeful. Plctt; I Mr Winegar said that ,k" i district is obligated to S 100 percent of the 5,uPp:rA 1 municipal water i'n 'Q I made. But, Mr. Jensen i 'The municipal water C ' 1 given the option to iwT ' of that water to theia'J I whether they have' tnie ft. water or not." "".4 I NEIL Olmstead, WrtJj I Basin attorney sugRatM err each municipali given an account of t) . J ft that they had carried L y but tot further" m need n, be made At the present time . cording to the report mait? I Mr. Kostoff, the "V storage in the seven rese, voirs has increased it iiJft amounts since Oct isT Causey Reservoir, 1 250 , ' , feet; Lost Creek, 6M a L feet; Willard Bay, L.071 , fa feet; Wanship Reservto" f gain; Pineview, 1,080 -r J feet; and East Canyon is iT acre feet and Echo io i w acre feet. ' |