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Show lutStockmen Sought For iSolar Energy Project 3 1 The Utah Energy Office is seek-(ng seek-(ng Utah stockmen interested in K participating in a joint project to Jiirovide improved livestock water-ng water-ng on public and private lands and fetter management of sensitive ri- Parian areas. The Energy Office will install H olar-powered pumps in remote ar-. ar-. as to provide water away from ri-arian ri-arian zones and into livestock warring wa-rring troughs. Stockmen will con-ribute con-ribute in-ground pipes, storage lanks and troughs to complete this M! ffort Riparian zones are the areas of egetation growing along river and 1 -tream banks that stabilize the H tanks, preventing erosion that decreases de-creases water quality and degrades ish habitat. They also provide im-ortant im-ortant habitat for many other ildlife species. This protective egetation can be damaged or de-troyed de-troyed when a heavy concentration f livestock grazes in these areas. Studies have shown that im-iroved im-iroved riparian management could e more easily accomplished if dditional sources of water for live-tock live-tock were provided. Pumps could deally provide this water, but have lot been used due to the isolation If many range areas from electrical iower. , "We are interested in showing hat photovoltaic panels, which onvert sunlight to electricity, are a ost effective tool in riparian man- - igement where electricity is unavailable," un-available," said Energy Office Engineer En-gineer Britt Reed. "We are solicit-Dng solicit-Dng 'letters of interest' from stock-nen stock-nen with suitable locations near f treams where gravity flow-diver-ion of water from riparian zones as proved impractical." The Utah Energy Office is also vorking with Utah State Universi-. Universi-. y, the Utah Department of griculture, the U.S. Forest Service Ser-vice and the Utah Division of BVildlife Resources to identify locations loca-tions where the equipment can be ised. Sites will be selected based on ;eographic diversity, riparian zone :onditions, commitment of co-iponsor, co-iponsor, and engineering and economic eco-nomic feasibility. Two sites on "orest Service land have already een selected, one at Spawn Creek n Logan Canyon, and the other at tmig Crawford Spring near Randolph. Ran-dolph. D At Spawn Creek, a 24-panel nimp system will be installed. It vill pump approximately 7,500 ;allons of water per day, one-quarter )f a mile up slope through underground under-ground pipes into a storage tank. 7rom there the water will be dis- - ributed to five troughs on the range Aelow. The Spawn Creek and Big Crawford Spring projects will serve between 300 and 500 cattle. "There are a number of design variations available, depending on such factors as the amount of water needed and the vertical lift of the pumped water, so each proposed site will be individually analyzed," said Reed. "We've also designed the PV pumping systems to be mobile so stockmen can truck them to other sites when they move their cattle to other grazing locations." "By setting up several demonstration demon-stration sites, we're hoping to see some real improvement in the riparian zones, and we believe these projects will help stockmen retain the grazing rights they have held. However, to be successful, the demonstrations will require a minimum min-imum ten-year commitment," said Reed. Interested parties should contact the Utah Energy Office at 1-800-662-3633 or 538-5410 for more information. in-formation. Letters of interest must be received by Dec. 1, 1989. |
