OCR Text |
Show a vhole new hall game If last Sunday's summer weather (coming after a two-day Spring) was any Indication, this well may be, a long hot and dry summer In Moab, despite the copious amounts of moisture which have been falling from the heavens the past sixty days. Last summer's brief brush with water shortages might have been only a prelude to more serious problems prob-lems this summer. Reports from the Grand County Water Conservancy District, which has been working with Moab City officials in planning for future water needs in Moab and Spanish Valley, indicate that well water sources used principally by the City to supplement spring-flow In peak use months of the summer, are not nearly so generous as they were a few years ago. Scattered Scat-tered reports from all over the valley Indicate that ground water levels are dropping, and once-productive wells are now in need of deepening or abandoning. The problem has cast a whole new light on the importance im-portance to this community of the watersof Mill Creek waters which have been owned by right for years, but which for the most part have flowed to lower Moab Valley where they mingled with the muddy Colorado and began their long journey to thirsty customers downstream. down-stream. The projected Mill Creek Project was originally conceived over a half century ago for the purpose of Irrigating considerable acreage In Spanish Valley that was fertile but dry. Later, controlling devastating floods down Mill Creek became a very important part of the project, and it was at that point that the assistance of the Corps of Army Engineers was sought and received. Now it appears that water for culinary use might far overshadow all the other benefits of the project. It Is reported that not only would a storage reservoir in Mill Creek Canyon be a back-up for culinary needs in the , community, it would probably rekindle the ground water supply beneath the valley. The project has been extremely quiet for several months. For that reason, The Times this week interviewed inter-viewed former Moab Mayor K. E. McDougald, who now heads up the Grand County Water Conservancy District, to ; see just where the project stood. His answers to questions were encouraging. The project, which has turned into an extremely complex and time consuming monster, is still very much alive, and final plans should be completed by mid-summer. The community owes Mr. McDougald and his board a vote of thanks for not becoming discouraged In light of the complexities of the problem. |