Dry Everywhere

[meancuznalfy]

Not much snow this winter and no rain this spring has everything around here dry. Montana not any better. Lakes, rivers and creeks are really low this year. Just got back from Montana to see 3 fires just south of town and had another one in the Snake River canyon.









Clark Canyon reservoir, never seen it that low.




Bit better, but won't last long unless we get some rain.

[wiperhunter2]

Seems pretty dry in much of the West this Summer.

[meancuznalfy]

Yep, see the farmers aren't hurting though. Wildland fires already, put my mom on water restrictions already, gonna be a long summer.

[wiperhunter2]

Yep, see the farmers aren't hurting though. Wildland fires already, put my mom on water restrictions already, gonna be a long summer.

Seems like a lot of wasted water. IMO the day will come where farmers and ranchers will need to conserve water a lot more than they currently do.

[meancuznalfy]

I hope so, hate seeing roads watered, but around here they rule. My uncle dows all his from springs on his place, no public water involved. As far as mom, its the town water supply, only at 60% capacity so can't water lawn much and June just started, usually happens in August.

[wiperhunter2]

I hope so, hate seeing roads watered, but around here they rule. My uncle dows all his from springs on his place, no public water involved. As far as mom, its the town water supply, only at 60% capacity so can't water lawn much and June just started, usually happens in August.

I'm not sure what the rules are in Idaho and Montana but it Utah they have a rule that you must keep your lawns green and they could actually fine you if you don't. A few years ago, one of my neighbors decided they did not like to mow their lawns and have all that upkeep that a lawn involves, so they pull out their lawn a put in that red bark chips. They almost went to jail over it but after getting a lawyer and fighting over it in court, the Judge decided to allow it, as long as they had a certain number of trees and bushes. Pretty funny how they even have a law like that, considering how Utah is one of the driest of all the states. 
As far as farmers and ranchers watering the roads and over watering everything, here are my thoughts. Right now the libs are pushing for fewer and fewer cows, trying to push us to vegetarian lifestyle, I don't see that happening in my life but if they are successful with that push, there will be little need for all the alfala that is grown now, which consumes a lot of water. Next, if farmers convert over to a different watering approach, like drip irrigation, that would be a huge games changer, as far a water being wasted. True, it would cost a lot of money to get a project like that going but if this drought continues for long, big changes will need to be put in place because wasting water on the scale we do today, cannot continue.

[meancuznalfy]

Lol, there's no laws here or at moms about having green lawns, maybe in subdivisions with a hoa. I agree some changes need to be made to save some water and still irrigate crops.

[meancuznalfy]

Dam, fires everywhere, some of my old stomping grounds are ablaze, my uncle had to move his cows due to a fire. Can't see across the valley today again due to the smoke. A bit of selective logging may help with clearing the forests of combustible materials.

[meancuznalfy]

Dam, getting worse, Oakley Reservoir is in pretty poor shape now, another bad winter and spring and it'll be unfishable.

[wiperhunter2]

Wow, that is low, did you try any shore fishing while you were there?

[meancuznalfy]

Yes we did, didn't do any good, but I'm guessing most of the lake is shallow and pretty warm still.

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See, they've pulled fish limits on Condie and Winder reservoirs over by Preston to salvage fish as they are drying up.

[wiperhunter2]

Yes we did, didn't do any good, but I'm guessing most of the lake is shallow and pretty warm still.

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See, they've pulled fish limits on Condie and Winder reservoirs over by Preston to salvage fish as they are drying up.

I noticed that too, in a number of lakes in Utah limits have been raised or removed too. Lets just hope the prediction of heavy snow this Winter come true. Too bad your closest local lake did not produce for you, too bad there isn't a road that goes down close to the Dam, it must be pretty deep there still.