West Colorado River Basin
(August 17)

The West Colorado River Basin lies in Southern Utah , east of the Wasatch Mountains . It encompasses about 15,630 square miles and includes the Price River , San Rafael River , Muddy Creek, Dirty Devil River , Escalante River , and Nine-Mile Creek. Communities include Price, Helper, Huntington , Orangeville, Castle Dale, Ferron, Emery, and Green River . Total population of the basin is about 36,000 people with about half living the above communities. Mountains of the Wasatch Plateau on the west side of the basin drain to the arid regions and the Colorado River on the east side of the basin. With the highest snowfall and precipitation, the mountains provide most of the water in the basin, however, they account for less than 20% of the overall area of the basin. Similarly, the major reservoirs are located in the mountains.

There are two climate regions in the West Colorado River Basin. The mountains on the west edge of the basin are in the South Central Region while the remainder of the basin is in the Southeast Region. Review of both the Palmer Drought Index and Palmer Hydrological Drought for the two climate regions indicates that the mountains are in the third consecutive year of drought while the remainder of the basin is in the seventh consecutive year of drought.

The amount of surface runoff water has been much less than normal this season. In fact, this year is among the driest years of record. The Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI) has not changed since the last report of June 11, 2004. This is simply because the snowpack is gone and the spring runoff is over. The SWSI for the Price River was –3.47 with a percentile of 8%. The SWSI for the San Rafael River was –2.88 with a percentile of 15%. Water storage at four major reservoirs currently averages 51% of total capacity.

rice City appears to have adequate water while Helper continues to struggle with reduced water supplies and technical problems. Helper has been forced to buy additional water to meet their needs. The consensus among irrigation companies and water suppliers is they will make it through the year. However, “making it” was accomplished by reducing deliveries by 25 to 50 percent and by stopping irrigation deliveries sooner than in normal years. Watering restrictions for secondary systems were also necessary. Voluntary reductions of water use and water conservation have become an accepted way of life for all water users.

Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI)
The Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI) is a predictive indicator of total surface water availability within a watershed for the spring and summer water use seasons. SWSI values are scaled from +4.1 (abundant supply) to –4.1 (extremely dry) with a value of zero (0) indicating median water supplies as compared to historical analysis.

he following figures for the Price and San Rafael rivers are from the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Internet website. The latest available data is May 1, 2004 . These are the only streams in the West Colorado River Basin for which SWSI and percentile ratings are available. The Price River has a SWSI of –3.47 and a percentile rating of 8%. The latter figure indicates that 8% of historical events have had less total water supply and 92% have been greater than this one. The San Rafael River has a SWSI of –2.88 and a percentile rating of 15%. The latter figure indicates that 15% of historical events have had less total water supply and 85% have been greater than this one. These figures indicate this is among the driest years recorded for these streams.

Snow and Water Data
Moisture data is obtained from SNOTEL sites within the basin. It should be noted that only 11 SNOTEL sites are available for the 15,630 square miles that incorporate in the West Colorado River Basin . Further, all of these sites are located in the mountains on the west side of the drainage. Therefore, these numbers should not be used over the entire drainage area.

he following figures are from the NRCS Internet website as of June 9, 2004 . As with the SWSI, no additional information has been provided since the last report. This is due to the snowpack having melted. This late in the season, the data is not meaningful for future water supply planning. It is provided for historic purposes. Overall the three drainages in the basin were at 95% of average for Total Precipitation. The Price-San Rafael Basin (5 SNOTEL sites) was at 86% of average for Total Precipitation. The Dirty Devil Basin (3 SNOTEL sites) was at 97% of average for Total Precipitation. The Escalante River basin (3 SNOTEL sites) was at 103% of average for Total Precipitation. Data was not available for two SNOTEL sites in the Dirty Devil drainage and for one SNOTEL site in the Escalante River drainage.

Reservoirs:
Reservoir information is derived from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NRCS, and National Water & Climate Center Internet Website. The information for the four major reservoirs in the basin is summarized in the following chart as of July 31, 2004.

Reservoir	Current Storage 1,000 af	Average Storage 1,000 af	Reservoir Capacity 1,000 af	Current Storage Percent of Average Storage	Current Storage Percent of Reservoir Capacity
Huntington North	2.2	2.8	4.2	79 %	52 %
Joe's Valley	46.1	52.8	61.6	87 %	75 %
Mill Site	15.2	NA	16.7	NA	91 %
Scofield	12.2	44.7	65.8	27 %	19 %
Total of 4 Reservoirs	75.7	NA	148.3	NA	51 %

Cities
Price City water supply is primarily Colton Springs and flow from these springs appears to be about average. Their situation remains much the same as it was in June. For now, the overall water supply for the city appears to be adequate. Large water users, such as schools, churches and parks, are on a rotating watering schedule. No water use restrictions are planned, however, the city will maintain awareness. Water conservation practices are encouraged by including a newsletter every quarter with the water bills. The Mayor and Community Director both encourage water conservation.

elper City continues to struggle as they have earlier this year and in recent past years. Water flows from the springs in Spring Canyon supply the city, however, they are at less than 40% of normal. Backup well Colton No. 1 is still broken but is anticipated to be back on line by mid-September. Colton Well No. 2 remains unavailable due to problems regulating flow from the pump. All this has necessitated continued purchase of water from the Price River Water Improvement District. This is the first year this has been necessary. While this provides the needed water, it is a large strain on the city budget. Grant money has been approved to repair the water line from springs in lower Fish Creek. Design work is under way and construction should follow soon. Ordinance restrictions are in place, including no daytime watering. Water rates were increased on April 15, however, there has not been a noticeable decrease in water usage. This remains a challenging time for water suppliers in Helper.

Irrigation Companies
Castle Valley Special Services District feels they are going to make it this year. Start dates for providing water were the same as usual and there have not been any restrictions on water deliveries. Secondary water systems are not allowed to water between 10 am and 6 pm. The cities of Cleveland, Huntington, and Orangeville only allow watering two days a week from secondary systems. Delivery to secondary systems will be stopped the first two weeks in October, which is normal. Irrigation deliveries will be curtailed about mid-September.

Huntington Cleveland Irrigation Company reduced allotments to about 54% at the beginning of the year and this has worked so far. They expect to meet before the end of August to decide on possible further restrictions or revising the end of delivery date.

Emery County Water Conservancy District has felt the impact of the drought. Agriculture allotments have been restricted to 75% of normal and they anticipate ending allotments about mid-September. This will end the irrigation season about 6 weeks sooner than normal. Their city customers have been very effective at conservation all year and their allotments should continue until October. They feel they will make it through another difficult year.

Price River Water Improvement District relies primarily on Scofield Reservoir and, of course, water levels there are down. One major canal company will stop drawing water on August 21 and another is stopping the first week in September. Also, Price City typically reduces its use of Scofield water about October 1. As these reductions take place, the district sees itself as barely squeaking by this year. No restrictions are in place since people seem to use more when specific hours are mandated. Voluntary water conservation is still encouraged, primarily no daytime watering. Water remains tight this year and there is concern for next year.

rice River Water Users Association sees this year as challenging. On June 7, their board voted to restrict deliveries from Scofield Reservoir to 65% of normal. This is the first time in several years the delivery had to be reduced. Delivery start dates were the same as usual. Given the low levels in Scofield, they anticipate stopping water delivery by the first week in September. Everyone has done a good job at conserving water so far, however, they are concerned about what next year will bring.