From Deseret News archives:
Runoff forecast looking good
Utah's snow cover, which largely dictates what sort of spring runoff the semiarid state will have in spring and summer, is "basically in very good shape in the north, and down south we're coming up but we're still way behind what we'd like to be," said Ray Wilson, hydrologist with the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service in Salt Lake City.
"Southeastern Utah really came up."
A week ago, residents of that section faced a snowpack only 36 percent of the normal level. But Monday morning, it was measured at 59 percent.
"That's a pretty healthy jump," he said.
A SNOTEL automatic reporting station in Cedar City found snow depth had doubled in a week. While still lower than it was last year, "it's come up quite a bit."
In southwestern Utah, the Virgin River region had 39 percent of normal a week ago but the recent snowstorms raised it to 55 percent. "That's up 16 percent from last week," Wilson noted.
"That last storm really hit the southern part of the state heavy."
Reservoir storage throughout the Beehive State is generally excellent. An exception is Bear Lake on the Utah-Idaho border. More than half a decade of drought means the lake is unlikely to fill this year, even though the snowpack on the Bear River's tributaries is 124 percent of typical.
"It depends on the timing of the runoff as to how much they (water managers) can put in the reservoir," Wilson said. To meet needs, much of the water will have to be distributed as soon as the snowmelt adds it to the system.
Farmers whose main water source is the Bear River likely will face some shortages.
At Stewart Dam, near the border on the Utah side, inflow to Bear Lake is projected to be about 250,000 acre-feet, "only about a third" of the amount needed to fill the depleted lake this year.
Snowpack figures are encouraging throughout most of the state: 114 percent of normal on the Weber and Ogden rivers, 107 percent along the Duchesne River drainage, 111 percent on the Dirty Devil River near Hanksville, 122 percent in the Provo River-Utah Lake-Jordan River region.
The figures are less impressive, but not awful, on Vernon Creek, Tooele Valley, 87 percent; and the Green River tributaries on the north slope of the Uinta Mountains, at 86 percent of normal.
E-mail: bau@desnews.com
Comments
- Rescuers reach stranded hikers 10:49 a.m.
- Blind woman follows the Son 10:41 a.m.
- Madoff's yacht on auction block 10:23 a.m.
- Report: OSHA needs to improve 10:21 a.m.
- GM reports $1.2B loss 10:20 a.m.
- Bacall, 2 others receive early Oscars 10:16 a.m.
- '2012' has box-office bang of $225M 10:13 a.m.
- Cox ready to shriek in 'Scream 4' 10:11 a.m.
- 'Hair' opens London with B'way cast 10:10 a.m.
- 'Twilight' part of heartthrob history 10:08 a.m.
- MWC expand? Get rid of deadweight
- Apostle's wife felt comfort in attack
- Relieved Cougs prep for Falcons
- TCU stays 4th in AP; Y. 19th, U. 23rd
- Wounded Utes limp home
- Jazz rookies had to grow up quickly
- Win in New Mexico good for Y?
- Bennett at center of GOP storm
- BYU happy to escape with victory
- Big games keep UHSAA coffers full
- TCU creams U.
231 - BYU happy to escape with victory
231 - Editorial: Mormons and gay rights
208 - Will state consider gay rights law?
151 - Can BYU root for (ick) Utah Utes?
131 - RSL heads to MLS title game
130 - Utes remain silent about BCS
120 - TCU stays 4th in AP; Y. 19th, U. 23rd
105 - Celtics crush Jazz
104 - 5A: Bingham rolls to title game
90
Sears is holding a special VIP night Sunday, Nov. 15, in stores and online.
How do you handle kids and contests? Our oldest daughter, 7, is of the...
You just proved everyone else right. It's not that they don't work hard....
Wow, nearly all of the people who have commented thus far have jumped...
Ever notice, folks.... just how "ME-ME", "MY"-MY" this world has become? ...
Madoff's? Isn't that a misnomer? Given that he stole the billions he used to...
I went to BYU, the U and others. There was much more freedom at BYU than...
WOW....... cool, a Utah man goes around the world in 126 temples, and (the...
It is just like this... Collie is a STUD! way to reprsent the BYU program...
Congratuations on a great year!!! I'm looking forward to seeing you in a BCS...
I agree. I don't see how this is considered to be "REFORM" if the old system...
for BYU fans to wake up and smell the Coffee er Postum. I see the BYU fans...


You can be the first to comment on this story.