Show W mu SO tuition in S levier rives valley W xv 7 I 1 lAr hgr ily Y eorge KO 1 I clyde tural li ci station tho the prospects for ft a good bond supply ot of irrigation water on oil tho the sevier river watershed while not alarming must be viewed with some concern if I 1 interpret correctly tho the data collected on a recent survey of tile entire sevier river basin since october 1 I 1925 there has been a marked deficiency in the accumulation of precipitation at all tile the valley stations october was a month of heavy precipitation but november december and january were below normal tho the fall storms however soaked up tile tho ranges and their Is a fair supply of moisture in fit tho the soil boll no storms of any ally consequence occurred in fit tile tho sevier valley before the middle ot of february tho the snow cover over the sevier river water shod shea la is the lightest that has been known since records have been kept there is a practically no snow below tile the fot foit elevation and a relative light cover above the snow cover on tho the east side of the Pa livant range Is very light in the clear creek section bention the snow cover is fair above the foot con coil tour but there is practically no snow below that elevation the mangult cli ch lake section is practically devoid of snow there has been little drift ing and there aro are few snow banks anywhere on tile the watershed the mountains ot of tile the sevier watershed were free from until february and there was little wind to cause drifting after tho the february snowfall Pan gultch lake is at an all elevation of feet and normally carries on j I 1 boril toril ril first a i heavy snow blanket 40 amis this year it Is devoid of snow the bist fork ot of tile the sevier has been open all winfer on oil march thero there was very snow left on the wat the pass into Esc escalante alanto valley lias has been open al winter and the esca escalante lanto range carries only a very light snow cover the old timers in pie ilie fast east fork and panguitch Pan gultch lako lake sections say this js is the driest year they have ever known ond and they have been in the section tor for forty years thu U S weather bureau in cooperation with tho the forest service has maintained for about ten years snow stakes at different points on oil the watershed the average of these snows tako r readings Is indicative of the average snow cover cover beginning with 1920 the average snow stake readings havo have been as follows 1920 57 inches 1921 38 39 inches 1922 84 inches 1923 88 inches 1924 1024 43 inches 1926 1925 46 inches 1926 33 inches while there aro are no records available for 1919 1019 this year is remembered as ono one in hi which tile the water supply was more deficient even than in 1921 the lowest year in the above group the year 1921 was low in ili water but by strict cou con atlon and a good supply in ili the reservoirs to start with alto ho shortage was not serious rious Be basing basin conclusions upon the averages given above tile the 1926 snow enow cover Is slightly more than one halt half the average and aid considerably sider ably below tile tho short years ot of 1924 and 1925 the year 1926 ag is the third of three successive dry years the grou ground lid storage therefore la Is probably low in ili december 1923 tile the moan mean flow at gunnison was cuble cubic feet per in december 1921 1924 it was in ili december 1925 it was and in january 1926 it was only 59 per cent of lust years very little water flows pat amt tile tho pluto reservoir and thero there ars are only a few small between pluto and tile the gunnison station tho the flow past the gunnison Gunn lson station Is therefore nearly all return flow which this year was less than one half that of M measurements drains in valley indicate approximate same decrease in drainage runoff the combined storage capacity on the sevier river la Is sufficient to com control the tha mean annual run off this year the reservoirs were only partly filled on oil april first anen the irrigation season and draft on tile tho reservoirs began the total amount of water in storage on april first this year was considerably less than in wiy previous year the thres thre 3 main storage reservoirs on tile the sevier river are sevier bridge capacity pluto capacity otter creek capacity on march first tho the sevier bridge reservoir contained in ili 1923 1921 POO acre foot feet in ili 1925 acre feet in 1926 1920 acro acre feet on oil march 19 1925 tho the pluto plate reservoir contained and on oil march 19 1926 acre feet on oil march 15 1925 otter creek contained 21 and on oil march 14 1925 1926 acro acre feet these theae figures show a of acro acre foot in sevier brid bridge go acre feet in bluto and a gain of acro acre feet in otter crook in 1925 1025 on oil april first the otter creek storage was about the same as last year but tho the sivler bridge and ill pluto showed an even greater deficiency than indicated the total inflow into tho the plute reservoir on april 1 1926 was only one halt half what it was a year ago the irrigation season started on april 1 I with a 50 per cent cut on oil nil all primary water last year there was sufficient natural flow to supply per cent primary rights nearly all thru april the deficient snow cover eliminates imi nates any possibility of an increase in fit primary water and storage may have to be drawn to supply tile the shortage it Is plain that facts point to a possible water shortage in tho the sev lor for valey unless there is abnormal precipitation during the spring and summer however with careful use of existing supplies and cooperation between all parties on the river the effects of tho the shortage may be reduced to a minimum in ili 1919 the prospects for water were poor but by careful uso use of water and tile the elimination imi nation of waste a prospective poor year was turned into one of the best crop years sevier valley has over ever had but it must be remembered that in 1919 the valley had a greater storage supply to start with and a bettor better primary flow to get the crops started the years 1921 1924 and 1925 were also marked by a short water supply in fit the sevier valley but the effect of a water shortage during these years was mat reduced by careful methods of irrigation and the proper use ot of available storage water the season of 1926 may develop a more severe water shortage than any of the years mentioned above so careful use of the existing supply of stored water is of greatest importance wherever primary water Is not needed it should bo be stored for later uso use and high water that may conic come should bo be stored whenever possible farmers should bo be prepared to let the spring rains take tile the place of irrigation whenever wh enover possible and to conserve tho the irrigation Irr gatlon water for lator later use this may often be done to good advantage on streams such as the sevier where storage is available close cooperation between all users and interested parties is strongly urged and it Is recommended that on oil streams where no storage is a callable val lable ditches bo be held ready to catch any high water that may come off and that lauds lands be irrigated heavily as long as the high water lasts on lands below storage reservoirs irrigation should be ba practiced sparingly and tho the water stored tor for use later in ili the dry season unless there la Is a deficiency in the spring rains which would make it necessary to irrigate to supply moisture for or the seed beds it is advised that all primary water together with any high water bo be stored during april to supply late season demands improved methods of irrigation should be practiced and the land should bo be cultivated to conserve moisture finally all lanterns should ld bo be kept bright so that water may lie bo watched during the night as well as during tile tho day |