OCR Text |
Show Irrigators Told Water Supply 'Poor' for 1959 Prospects for irrigation water in Beaver County during the 1959 growing season are "very poor," according to Ken Williams of Beaver, who received a telephone tele-phone call Wednesday from George Pearson of the Soil Conservation Con-servation Service. Runoff of the Beaver River is estimated at 11,000 acre feet, only 32 of normal. Snow measurements made on March 25 by Mr. Williams and Lee Strong, Beaver River water commissioner, com-missioner, showed very little increase in-crease during March. At Big Flat, 10,000 ft. elevation seven inches of new snow with only one inch of water content brought the total to 39 inches snow and 11.7 inches water. This compares com-pares to a 1958 measurement of 90 inches snow and 27 inches water. The. 22 year average is 20.8 inches water. Measurements at Otter Lake. 9300 ft., showed 34 inches of snow and 9.5 inches water, compared to 74 inches of snow with 20.7 inches water in 1958, and a 22-year average aver-age of 17.5 inches water. The snow pack at Merchant Valley, Val-ley, 8200 ft., is 19 inches deep and contains 9.5 inches water. In 1958 the 54 inches of snow contained 14.9 inches water, and the 27-year average is 12.1 inches water. Mr. Williams and Mr. Strong advised ad-vised irrigators of Beaver County to inspect their irrigation systems and make any needed repairs to conserve water. Concrete lined canals and sound, leakproof control con-trol structures are good insurance during a poor water year, they said. |