Minersville Report

[castnshoot]

Took these photos today. Where we were yanking on big Rainbows not so long ago,, now the Antelope have moved in.


Sorry for the quality of these photos, I had to screen shot them off the TV.
There were 20 in this herd. This shot is just north of the clam beds.



This shot is out past the clam beds pretty much the middle of the lake.



This is looking back towards the dam out past the clam beds.
If you zoom in you can see the dam in the back ground.
These seens can all be seen from my porch for those of you who know where my house is.



The big wash that runs though my property has run a huge head of water into the lake a couple of times in the last two weeks. Better than nothing I guess.

[wiperhunter2]

Pretty crazy how low it is there, what do you think the max depth is there, at this point?

[castnshoot]

Maybe 15 feet.

[PBH]

boat ramp is now out of the water.



Those pictures pretty much justify the DWR's decision to open the lake up to harvest again.

[wiperhunter2]

boat ramp is now out of the water.



Those pictures pretty much justify the DWR's decision to open the lake up to harvest again.

Did it get lower than that last year?

[PBH]

I don't think so.

[fishinfool]

Oh wow. That's not good. This monsoon has not helped at all then. I was hoping for better news.

[wormandbobber]

Oh, I am sure the monsoons have helped, but the plan from the beginning of the summer was for the water master to drain the reservoir.

[wiperhunter2]

Oh, I am sure the monsoons have helped, but the plan from the beginning of the summer was for the water master to drain the reservoir.

Why would they want to drain the lake? Is there plans in place to do repairs on it?

[PBH]

they want to drain the lake to grow alfalfa. They always want to drain the lake.

[Big Sky]

Ummm, the reservoir would not even exist if it weren't for the farmers.
"Minersville Reservoir was created in 1914 by the construction of the Rocky Ford dam, an Embankment dam to impound water from the Beaver River which heads in the Tushar Mountains for use in agriculture."
So yes, when push comes to shove the farmers will drain it to grow their crops. It's the whole reason the reason the reservoir is there. Recreation in the form of fishing, boating, sailing or whatever is very much secondary and should never override an reservoir built primarily for irrigation. It would be nice to see the state in conjunction with the Utah DWR actually build some more reservoirs in southern Utah that are primarily for recreation use. I doubt it will happen much though. Most people just like to whine and complain about the farmers rather than open their wallets and build a recreation body of water.

[TT600]

I don’t think the farmers would be too happy if the DWR built some new reservoirs upstream of Minersville. The problem isn’t building dams, it’s finding water to fill them.

[castnshoot]

Most of the pig farm are shutting down out west of the lake. If the run off sumps go dry the dung from the hogs has to be dug up and disposed of.

Scuttal Butt is they are looking at harvesting silt from the lake bottom to mix with the dung from the sump shut downs. Makes for a high nitrate top soil / fertilizer, that can be called organic.

[fishskibum]

if we drain it they will come with open wallets
good luck with that tourism mindset

[Big Sky]

Who said anything about putting another dam on the Beaver River? There are a number of other creeks and springs in Beaver county that could have a recreational reservoir created from them. Heck, there are a few that just run off into oblivion that aren't being utilized for much of anything. I'm not talking about forming a reservoir the size of Minnersville more like the size of the Tushar Mountain lakes.

[wormandbobber]

The reality is that the water master for Minersville has changed in recent years. The old master worked hard at keeping enough water in the reservoir to sustain the fishery (remember that sportsmen have paid a good chunk of money to acquire a conversation pool in Minersville, so technically some of that water is owned by fishermen. The reservoir can be drained this year because the reservoir did not fill enough.) The new master seems intent on taking as much water as possible. With the monsoon season this year, I believe more water could have been saved. The old master didn't like to completely empty it even if he legally could because of the difficulty in refilling it. He also understood that the water is not only valuable for the famers who utilize it but also the county as a whole...saving as much water as possible is a win-win for everyone involved including the farmers. My bet is that the new water master will learn that lesson over time as well.

[Big Sky]

The reality is that the water master for Minersville has changed in recent years. The old master worked hard at keeping enough water in the reservoir to sustain the fishery (remember that sportsmen have paid a good chunk of money to acquire a conversation pool in Minersville, so technically some of that water is owned by fishermen. The reservoir can be drained this year because the reservoir did not fill enough.) The new master seems intent on taking as much water as possible. With the monsoon season this year, I believe more water could have been saved. The old master didn't like to completely empty it even if he legally could because of the difficulty in refilling it. He also understood that the water is not only valuable for the famers who utilize it but also the county as a whole...saving as much water as possible is a win-win for everyone involved including the farmers. My bet is that the new water master will learn that lesson over time as well.

This is a 100% false statement. In fact I can't believe someone would post this nonsense. I personally work with the water master. I see him every day. He is an avid fisherman and is sick about the condition of the reservoir. However he has to answer to those he works for. While he does control the flow of water from the reservoir, he does have to answer to those he works for, and they determine the amount that is released. As for the conservation pool it is the smallest part of the ownership of the water in the reservoir compared to the agriculture pool. It does not and never will supersede the agriculture pool and rights to the water.

[wormandbobber]

Never said the conservation pool supersedes the agricultural pool (If the reservoir had filled more, though, he would have had to keep that water in the reservoir.) Also, I did say that the new master could have saved more water like the old one. I stand by that.

[castnshoot]

Who said anything about putting another dam on the Beaver River? There are a number of other creeks and springs in Beaver county that could have a recreational reservoir created from them. Heck, there are a few that just run off into oblivion that aren't being utilized for much of anything. I'm not talking about forming a reservoir the size of Minnersville more like the size of the Tushar Mountain lakes.

Big Sky if you are serious this would be a great place to start.

The Robinson Tanner reservoir. Used to hold some nice fish. It is a couple miles up stream from Minersville lake. It has not been in much use for years.

It is privet. Get a coalition of like minded folks together and work out a deal with the owner. Get the state involved with it as one of those access deals.

It is a nice sized lake, and plenty deep enough for good winter survival. Might even be able to work a small tail water into the deal, and use the sportsman’s reserve pool from Minersville water to help in keeping it full.

You, Wormbobber, and PBH should form a citizens exploratory board, and start making some calls.

Here are the cordanace, and contact info.




the

[Big Sky]

" Also, I did say that the new master could have saved more water like the old one. I stand by that. "
Looks to me like you are saying the former water master was less honest with his employer than the current one. If you want to stand by that it's your choice. I prefer honesty. I know for a fact the current WM is doing what he has been asked to do by his employer, and is not coming up short or over what he has been asked to do. Nothing would make him happier in regards to the reservoir than to have it still have water in come October 1st.