OCR Text |
Show Utah WaterSupplyAboveAverage Utah's 1977 water supply ranged from"below average" in Uintah Basin and for some users on the Sevier River to "above average" for most of the remainder of the state. May- June streamflow, according to provisional measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey, was generally in the range forecast last spring. However, flows were generally less than forecast in the Uintah Basin, Sevier Basin, Ogden Rasin, and more than forecast on the Beaver, Weber, and Bear Basins. Carryover reservoir storage as of Oct. 1 was above average except in Uintah and Sevier Basins. In contrast to a year ago when most of the state had an extremely low amount of snow water but was saved by summer rainfall in abundant amounts, this year produced adequate snow melt runoff but had very little runoff from summer rainfall. Summer temperatures tem-peratures were also above average for a longer period, causing additional water use. Last year summer precipatition (July, August, and September) accounted for 25 to 60 percent of the total year's moisture. In contrast, this summer produced only 3 to 22 percent of the total annual moisture. Reservoir storage as of Oct. 1 in 19 major irrigation reservoirs was 114 percent of average, compared to 88 percent of average last year at this time. Reports indicate in-dicate storage is very low in Moon Lake and Piute reservoirs and only about half average in Otter Creek and Sevier Ridge reservoirs. A good snowpack will be needed this year to provide these reservoirs with an adequate water supply for next season. |