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Show Wafer supply out look The water supply outlook continues to look good for eastern Utah although forecasts dropped as much as 15 percent per-cent from those issued last month, according ac-cording to the March 1 report of the NOAA National Weather Service and Colorado Basin River Forecast Center in Salt Lake City. Forecasts now range from slightly above normal along the southern slopes of the Uintas to 160 percent of average on the Muddy River drainage. February precipitation was 25 to 50 percent of average throughout most of the Uintah Basin and 50 to 80 percent of average in southern areas.-Blanding and Mexican Hat were the only stations receiving above normal precipitation. Some of the higher elevations along the lee side of the Wasatch Range faired somewhat better but still most reports were less than normal. The seasonal precipitation, October through February, 180 percent in Vernal Ver-nal area and decreased southward to near average in the southeast. The mountain snowpack continues to remain above normal. As of March 1, the Duchesne River watershed was 123 percent of average. Price River - 139 percent and the San Rafael -137 percent of normal. Some lower percentages were evident on March 1 in the Duchesne Basin as compared to a month ago, but sufficient water contest still favors a good spring runoff. The only on-ly exception is in the southeast area of the state. Streamflow during February increased increas-ed sharply as some of the low elevation snow melted during the last two weeks. Seasonal runoff, October through February, on the Green River at Green River, Utah, was 606,000 acre-feet, 94 percent of the 15-year (1963-1977) average. On March 1, storage in Flaming Flam-ing Gorge Reservoir was 2.66 million acre-feet, 71 percent of capacity, 129 percent of average, and 300,000 acre-feet acre-feet less than last year at this time. Storage in Lake Powell is 19.5 million, 78 percent of capacity and 2.15 million less than last year at this time. Moon Lake Reservoir contains 18,580 acre-feet acre-feet and is expected to fill near the end of June. According to the Uintah Basin and Daggett Soil Conservation District March 1 report the water supply outlook is average to above average. Snow cover ranges from 104 percent on Ashley Creek to 146 percent on Rock Creek. Lakefork-Yellowstone creeks are 114 percent and Strawberry River 138 percent of the March 1 average. Most snow courses received below average February increases. Precipitation at mountain stations varied from 41 percent of the February average at Lakefork Mountain to 98 percent at Burnt Creek above Manila. Soil moisture is better than average in the top one to two feet of soil. Reservoir storage is near average. Streamflow forecasts dropped 3 to 10 percent on the south slope of the Uintas and now range from 102 percent for Yellowstone to 150 percent for the Duchesne at Randlett. Forecasts on the north slope raised with the Black's Fork 128 percent and Henry's Fork 129 percent of the April-September average. Peak flows are expected to be near average this season unless above normal precipitation and temperature occur during the snow melt period. Water supplies are expected to be adequate ade-quate for all users this season. 80 101 PRECIPITATION ! ! y.-'.j Percentage or the 3IT UTAH " ; I y:.iy v ;;?.; .::::::;:; . 007 1981 - FT3 1982 f r' 4 S-V"4"' 1M PRECIPITATION t - -:?.:''- 7 woccwiX ; Percentage of the jr V J ff I National Weather Serrlce V SMT- I Salt Lake City, Utah l 120-150 T, GSIATIR.AK 1 y j f m" f , t i f |