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Show (v,x f 'Pathetic' water year in Davis County continues By MARK EDDINGTON Staff Writer Add yet another lousy month SALT LAKE CITY to what at least one expert is calling a pathetic water year. The figures are in, and the verdict is that January was about as dry as it was warm. "I dont know if you w'ould call it a drought. I wouldnt use the dreaded D word, but we have experienced a pretty dry period, said National Weather Sendee meteorologist William Alder. By Feb. 1, four months into the water year, the state traditionally has received about 60 percent of its yearly total of precipitation. This year, the state has only accumulated between 30 to 35 percent of its average annual total. January didnt help. With an average temperature of the sec36.8, January was 8.9 degrees above normal ond warmest January' on record. Precipitation during the month w'as dismal, slightly less than half of average. Mountain snowpack measurements are also in and are similarly discouraging. Its pathetic, really pathetic. said Randy Julander, snow surveyist with the U.S. Soil Conservation We havent gotten any better since January. Service. In some cases, were actually doing worse." Snow depths in the Weber River Basin are 46 percent of normal; Provo and Tooele basins are 48. All across the state, the lev els are very similar and very discouraging, Julander said. The lone bright spot is in a southeastern Utah, where the snowpack is 78 percent of average. What this means, Julander said, is that the spring runoff could be low and over fairly quickly, forcing w'ater suppliers to start dipping into their reserves early to meet the demand. But while there is room for concern, Alder and Julander insist the wise management of the states water suppliers should ensure there is enough water on hand to meet the demand in most areas of the state. Despite a healthy snowpack and precipitation last year, Julander said most water managers were gunshy and were very conservative about the amount of water they kept in storage. In Davis and Weber counties, for example, reservoirs are filled to about 60 to 65 percent of capacity. Weber Basin Water Conservancy District manager Ivan Flint likens that to having money in the bank. Without that wed be in real trouble, he said. Weber Basin supplies both culinary and irrigation water to 350,000 people in Davis, Weber, Morgan and Summit counties. The district relies on seven reservoirs and the Weber and Ogden rivers for water. Flint is not concerned this year, but worries about having to deplete his water reserves on hand for the 1995 irrigation season. Ideally, the district likes to have its reservoirs at 50 percent of capacity in the fall, on reserve for use during the irrigation season which l. Another water year like this one begins in could be real trouble, Flint said. 1 1 w, .jii iTfrd on the street cz Do you think Tonya Harding should be allowed to skate in the Olympics? Noway. Even if she is innocent those around her are not. To me, its a form of cheating and cheaters shouldnt prosper. Judy Long Bountiful hasnt She been tried. And her motives are suspect because he is benefittmg from his accusations at this point. A jury may or may not accept his position or convict her. Until then, under our system she is presumed innocent...lf we exclude her merely on the basis of an accusation, it's contrary to our system.-.Unles- s shes been tried and convicted, the ought to skate." mid-Apri- Jay Meservy Bountiful Measure would require public hearings & committee reviews Rep. Kira R. Burningham (R- - Bountiful) has filed a bill that would require all legislation to undergo committee review where public hearings are held. Currently, there is no such requirement, and in fact numerous bills come to the floor of the Utah State Legislature each year that have never had committee review and for which no public hearing has been held. One of the most important steps in achieving quality legislation is careful examination by committees and the public," said Burningham. He also explained that in the last few days of each years legislative session, bills arrive on the floor that have circumvented the committee process. Some of these bills become law without any hearing. Research from the Office of Legislative Research reveals that in 1991, 343 bills were considered by the Legislature on the last three days. Of those, 140 had Bountifuls NARFE chapter to meet at Golden Years Center Ihe BountifulSouth Davis Chapter of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees will meet at the Golden Yean Center on Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. for their regular monthly business meeting. Subjects to be discussed will include an update on the federal retirees lawsuit and the possible impact of Gov. Leavitt sPres. Clintons health care reform proposals as expressed in their State of the StateState of the Nation addresses. The Chapter Sen ice Officers duties will also be discussed along with a review of procedures to insure any reason why she shouldnt. If shes good enough to qualify, she should be able to compete. She received no standing committee hearing, and 38 actually became law. Figures from 1992 are similar. That year 342 pieces of legislation were processed in the last three days; 104 of them had no standing committee review; and 30 of those law. H.B. 43 would correct that problem. It requires that any legislation which has not had a committee hearing would be invalidated by the Office of Legislative Research. Exceptions can be made by a major vote of the Legislature. Frequently, legislators learn important and new perspectives when the public testifies in committee meetings, said Burningham. To circumvent that process means that the chance of poor legislation getting through is increased." Besides Burningham, H.B. 43 is by Rep. Evan Olsen, Rep. Byron Harward and Rep. David Jones. dont see I really hasnt been charged with anything yet. Its all just speculation. Roger Gines Bountiful If she was in on the attack on Nancy would say no. She looks the way the media is portrayher. saw her in practice and she Kerrigan, I guilty by ing I looked nervous. I'd let her skate, She be presumed shouldnt though. If are there guilty. enough hard facts that she did what she is accused of before the trial, then Id say no." Chris Cameron Bountiful preservation of the surviving spousal benefits in the event of the death of an annuitant. What records are needed? Will they be readily available without a major search? How can personalfamily records be preserved and made accessible in an emergency situation? Do you store your records in a shoe box in the back of the clos- Id let her skate. If she is found guilty, then they should take away any medal she has earned at the Olympics. Phillip Martin Bountiful et? For answers to these questions and more, attend the 8. All federal retirees, their spouses, sunivors and any other interested persons are Chapter meeting Feb. invited. Quotes for the week ending February 4, 1994 This is the best development around . . . Hes on parole so he's going back (to prison). Hes not passing go and Developer Stan Smoot on the Englewood Golf Course he helped develop. hes not collecting $200. Clinton police spokesperson Ranee Johnson on the arrest of a burglary suspect. A district judge will give more credibility and would be much more than just a mediator or referee. . . Bountiful City Manager Toni Hardy on citys decision to replace justice of the peace with a district judge system. All of us who slept on water beds didnt feel a thing . . . West Bountiful City Treasurer Bev Hill on IdahoWyoming earthquake which was felt by thou- sands of local residents The meat is cut with an ax . . . You have to spend half an hour getting the bone splinters out. Former Farmington resident U. S. Army Colonel & Michael Ramsdell on buying meat from Russian butcher shop |