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Show I Page A8 Clc Thursday, April 8, 2004 tHimig-ttfocpenbe- nt La Sal snow pack at 58 percent; irrigation season to be cut to 75 percent that said, the by Michelle Wiley contributing writer As of April 1 snow pack for the La Sals was at 58 percent of normal, down by almost half of what it was on March 1. Precipitation in the Moab valley and in the mountains over the past weekend are not accounted for in the percentage, and could increase figure, although Dale Pierson, Grand Water Sewer Service Agency (GWSSA) manager, said that 58 percent could be high. Pierson obtained the snow pack data from Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in October and November. With water pumped from the Corbin and Beeman wells customer usage can go up to 90 percent, said Pierson. The issue that needs to be addressed is the cost of pumping, which will cost about $17 per acre-fo- Monticello. and that doesnt include possible maintenance. The pumps on those wells are ancient. Dale Pierson said that Moab City holds the first water rights to the Corbin well and that they would use it only in an emergency, and that Horace Beeman holds the water rights to the Beeman well. Pierson presented the GWSSA board and operating committee with four predictions for the upcoming irrigation season, with customers using 100 percent, 90 percent, 75 percent and 58 percent of allotted irrigation water. Pierson warned, These are only predictions for the situation right now. The weather in upcoming months could bring strange things. Kens Lake is the primary source for irrigation water in Spanish Valley and its estimated storage capacity when . . Lenore Arehart will return from her LDS mission on Friday April 9, 2004. She will be reporting on her mission experiences at the 4th North Chapel on Easter Sunday, April 1 1 2004. The service will begin at 1 1 :00 a.m. All friends and family are invited to come and hear her message and welcome her back to the , She has been servfor the past year in the ing community. Nauvoo Illinois Mission. JENSEN Rex Tanner, GWSSA Oper- ating Committee member and Grand County Water Conservancy District (GCWCD) board member, replied, I dont think that (the extra pumping cost) should be absorbed by the or 847 million gallons of agency. The irrigators should pay for pumping water. Pierson responded, The ir- water, with approximately rigation agreement says that full is approximately 2,600 acre-fe- Mission . ot et 326,000 gallons in one Pierson continued, If customers use 100 percent of their allotted irrigation water, Kens Lake will be completely dry by August. If customers use 58 percent, well get through the season adequately. When Spanish Valley Water Sewer Improvement District (SVWSID) Chairperson Karla VanderZanden asked about a requirement for leaving a miniin the mum of 400 acre-felake, Pierson responded, Its not required during a drought year. Irrigation usage at 58 percent would leave approximately in Kens Lake by 880 acre-feAugust and approximately 746 acre-feby October. GWSSA has an agreement with the Buacre-foo- t. et irrigators will share the responsibility during a drought. We dont have to pump, its just a nice thing to do. Tanner suggested setting the customer use and Kens Lake storage numbers based on a margin of error, although Pierson replied that he doesnt have that information. Gary Wilson, GWSSA president and chairperson for GCWCD and Grand County Water Special Service District (GCWSSD) stated, As an irri we send out gator I suggest a letter saying the irrigator will pay X amount if you want to use more than 75 percent of your allotted water. Dan Pyatt, GWSSA vice chairperson, and board member for SVWSID and GCWSSD, reiterated that, Customers need to be aware that even with pumping they can still only use 90 vices to the Gilmore property, d which straddles the San Grand line. The County County Council requested that SVWSID table the Gilmore property service commitment Juan-Gran- decision until a report is received from the Spanish Valley Round Table group and until a group of San Juan County residents form a committee to address the issue. There was also confusion amongst GWSSA staff and Operating Committee and SVWSID board members as to the stipulations of the water and sewer service agreement to Sunny Acres Lane subdivision. percent. Pierson said, As far as re- strictions we need to let customers know. Since March 22 Kens Lake has dropped one foot. Tanner made a motion for this irrigation season that irrigation users will pay for use over their 75 percent allotted water for costs associated with pumping at approximately $17 to $20 per acre foot and no use shall exceed 90 percent. Those who exceed 90 percent will be shut off. In other news: Out-of-tow- n We Gary Wilson need to make it clear where were going to start and stop this. We cant just give water to everyone who comes from San Juan County. If youre going to deny one person we need to be cautious and have policies set. Dan Pyatt pointed out, This is a SVWSID issue and we need more time before making a decision so that Dale can get more pieces of the puzzle. SVWSID will address the Sunny Acres issue at their next regular meeting at 7 p.m., April 15. property own- ers in Sunny Acres Lane subdivision, which is located in San Juan County, want to hook up to the water and sewer lines that currently run through their property. Dale Pierson said that he didnt feel comfortable w ith granting permission to hook up without board approval since the property is located in San Juan County and is adjacent to the Gilmore property. Last year there was controversy over whether or not to provide water and sewer ser et orthodontics et in braces will be in Moab reau of Land Management that a minimum of 400 (BLM) acre-feis left in the lake at all times for fishery purposes and that further draw down is for repairs only. Mary von Koch, BLM Realty Specialist, says that draw down further than 400 acre-feduring a drought is not year part of the agreement. Kens Lake sits mostly on BLM land and GWSSA has a y from the federal et et April right-of-wa- 15 Call agency. for an appointment Alan C. Jensen, D.D.S., M.S. 570 W. 400 N. Moab, UT 84532 Mary von Koch said, BLM could refuse Agencys right-of-wa- The the if the y lake falls below 400 acre-febut it would probably be better if we just had a meeting with them about it. Irrigation use at 75 percent would leave the lake with 349 et in August and 110 in October. GWSSAs 2003 annual report graphs Kens Lake as fallin ing well below 400 acre-feacre-feeacre-fe- t et et REBRGCKmmER&IUC. EASTER JEEP SAFARI VENDOR EXPO April 8 & 9 Hours: 7am to 10pm at Old Spanish Trail Arena Admission is FREE to the public Spring Loan Sale There will be 130 VENDOR BOOTHS turing... fea- Axels, Body Modifications, Bumpers, Differentials, Lights, Red Rock retail items, Ring & Pinions, Rock Sliders, Seats, Soft Tops, Stickers, Straps, Drive Lines, Suspensions, Tires, Tools, Wenches, Wheels, Travel Trailers, Shocks, Lockers, Stereos, Wiring Harnesses, just to name a few... Make your kitchen grow, add a backyard gazebo, or put a boat in your driveway with our incredible Spring Loan Sale. 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