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Show N 6A, Lakeside Review, April 29, 1981 Pag lies M mi Si red Weiier Freesiers iy Bv LUCINDA M. SCHUFT Staff Writer Will there be water for your garden this year? Every spring people in Davis County and throughout the Western United States ponder this question. The Wests rugged history is spattered with blood shed in the quest to control the precious water supplies. Those who succeeded were the primary settlers and cultivators of the western lands. As population increased irrigation systems were designed to bring moisture to the parched lands which, though fertile, supported only a minimum of vegetation whthout water. Later reservoirs were constructed to help extend growing seasons by increasing available water supplies each year. Eventually, people became in- terested in predicting water supplies and out of this desire grew a science which today helps residents of the Western United States plan for their crops and gardens with reliable water predictions. Water forecasts today are conducted by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. Starting in January of each year, more than 1,500 snow course sites in the West are monitored monthly for snow depth and water content. The information collected at the sites is compiled, and monthly forecasts are produced. This information is used by farmers and ranchers to plan their crop sizes and also to help water storage facilities control the amount of water reserved for the coming year. The prediction of water supplies in the West was started in the early 1900s when a University of Nevada professor snow depth taking began measurements on Mt. Rose, located just outside Reno, Nev. In the 1920s the surveys were first conducted in Utah by Dr. George Dewey Clyde who later became governor of Utah. Clyde was at that time a professor at Utah State University in Logan. Snow course readings were taken at that time by men who went out on skis or snowshoes to the different sites and recorded the snow depths. As technology brought more efficiency to the many areas of American life it also had a dramatic effect on the snow surveys and how they were taken. Clyde was himself instrumental in aluminum designing' a snow tube which is still used today to take snow depth readings. The hollow tube marked in inches not only measures the depth, but allows snow samples to be weighed at each readingfor water content estimates. Snow surveys today are conducted by teams of men who check the snow courses throughout the state by helicopter. From January to June each 'year the survey courses are checked monthly, and the information is fed into a computer which compiles the water forecasts Bob L. Whaley, director of the water forecast system in Utah, said snow! light-weig- ht , jcourse readings originally involved 20 to 40 samples being taken at each snow bourse site. Today, he said, the program hwas been refined to the point where most sites are read with only five samples being taken. Snow course locations are established by the soil conservation people. Whaley said the locations are picked in areas which are pinpointed for having the most water to supply stream flows. He said they try to put them in areas protected from wind and sun so the readings will not be affected by melting and drifting. The length of the snow courses vary from 15 to 100 feet depending on the location, The samples takeout each location are averaged to give the reading for that course. Once this information is received and put into the computer it is compiled into the monthly reports which are used by a number of water related industries. The information helps with crop planning on the part of farmers and sets lending guidelines for financial institutions which support agriculture. Manufacturers who produce farm equipment will also use the forecast in planning their inventory each year. , In addition, the forecasts are used as a management tool by the water districts and reservoirs throughout the state. With forecasts the amount of water retained can be altered from month tomonth to handle the runoff predicted to occur without losing water supplies for the coming year. - Staff Photos By Lucinda Schuft SOFT SOIL under the snow could effect the accuracy of a reading. Lewis Hart removes the dirt picked up when measuring the depth before recording the measurement. 11 a snow tube inserted at various locations along a snow course. Lewis Hart of Western Design Counsultants prepares to take a sample on the Lower Farmington snow course located in Farmington Canyon. SNOW IS MEASURED with ONE DEPTH is measured the snow collected in the hollow tube is weighed to determine the water content Reese Jarrell (left) and Hart determine the weight or the snow on the Farmington Lower course which will be averaewi with the other readings to determine the amount of snow in the location ( |