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Show Water supply outlook for Uintah Basin The water supply outlook for Eastern Utah according to the March NOAA-National NOAA-National Weather Service River Forecast Center in Salt Lake City is above normal. April through July streamflow forecasts again showed some sharp increases over last month values. The Strawberry and Lower Duchesne Rivers had rises up to" 50 percent. February precipitation for the second month in a row was well above normal, ranging as high as 652 percent of average at Green River, Utah which was a record February rainfall. Eastern Utah stations reporting record February rainfall. ..Green River, 1.63 inches, previous record 1.00 inch. 1958; Hanna 2.81 inches, previous 2.66 inches in 1969 and Mexican Hat 1.44 inches, previous 1.28 inches in 1948. Seasonal precipitation is also above normal over the entire eastern half of the state. Portions of the Uintah Mountains reported precipitation amounts of over 200 percent of normal. Snowpack measurements over eastern Utah were above normal ranging up to 165 percent. Reservoirs were about the same as last month, with Strawberry Reservoir at 107 percent and Scofield at 125 percent of the usable contents (1963-1977 (1963-1977 average). Flaming Gorge Reservoir at the end of February contained 2.24 million acre-feet, 60 percent of capacity. Moon Lake storage on February 29 was 8,990 acre-feet and is expected to fill by late June or early July. The mean daily peak flow for the Strawberry River near Duchesne is expected to reach 900-1300 cfs. With high runoff volumes anticipated from the heavy snowpack, it is possible that snowmelt peak flows this spring may produce some minor flooding. Interest along stream channels susceptible to flooding should be alert for high flows and exercise the necessary precautions. Water supply outlook for the Uintah Basin area according to the U.S. Soil Conservation Service ranges from near average to above average, according to the March report. Snow cover improved 9 to 40 percent with Ashley and Lakefork-Yellowstone Creeks now 181 percent of the March 1 average. Strawberry River is now 159 percent, Uintah-Whiterocks 166 percent and Black Fork 154 percent of average. Precipitation at mountain stations I ranged from 188 percent of average at i Rock Creek Ranch to 190 percent at Indian Canyon. Soil moisture is generally below average under the snow pack but improved im-proved at valley locations. Reservoir storage is still below I average in Moon Lake and Steinaker but a little better than last year at this time. i Stream flow forecasts range from 107 percent of the April-July average for Whiterocks River to about twice average for the Duchesne at Myton. Water supplies are expected to be near to above average for those on natural streamflow. Reservoir water users may have a reduced supply if reservoirs reser-voirs do not fill. P ' " UTAH -' , , Kl .:i:r.er .Service |