Minersville Report

[wormandbobber]

It is not about being honest or dishonest...but working with people and coming to a good resolution that benefits all parties. Here, in my area, many of the farmers who do not have pivots have still been able to raise a third alfalfa crop just because of the monsoon season despite being out of water. Knowing that Minersville is harder to fill starting from nothing, the new water master could work with those he serve to help them understand the benefits of keeping some water in the reservoir during a monsoon season when not as much water is needed because of rain. That's what I am saying. Compared to what has happened in the past, this is not happening now.

[PBH]

" 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.

I think what wormbobber is saying is that maybe the new water master should stand up to his employer and not cave in to their "demands" -- particularly if the WM knows better.  Just because the "employer" says to drain it, doesn't make it the right decision.


Beaver County has a vested interest in keeping water IN the reservoir.  They've spent a lot of money on the campground, and want people staying there.  That won't happen if the lake is empty.  They know this. 


Nobody is saying the he is a bad person.  But it is  to see the lake empty, but the alfalfa fields lush and green and looking forward to a 4th cut.

[Big Sky]

I understand being about the condition of Minersville reservoir, but the bottom line is that agriculture built, bought, and paid for that reservoir. It would absolutely not exist without them paying for it. We are in a record drought like none of us have ever experienced in our lifetime. The money the county decided to invest into the campground, and whether people come to the lake to recreate, is pretty irrelevant under such extreme conditions. Minersville is not unique to this in southern Utah... Otter Creek, Forsyth, and Koosharem to name a few are in the same type of situation. Until Mother Nature/God decide otherwise it will only get worse before it gets better.

[castnshoot]

More than a 1000 acre feet below the Conservation Pool now.

I gave a couple of guys access though my property a couple of weeks ago
to take sediment samples out in the lake bottom.

http://rocky.metridyne.com/

[FishfulThinkin]

It would be good for everyone to read up a little on water rights in Utah. I'm not a water expert but I know enough to recognize that there is a lot of misinformation about water in Utah. A few key bullet points that I know (or think I know)  Any water engineers or experts please correct me if any of this is not accurate:

1. The state owns all the water in Utah and no person or entity can legally own it. 

2.  The State Engineer (department of water rights) does grant water rights to allow the diversion of surface or ground water but that right is conditional upon "beneficial use" meaning use it or lose it. You actually have to have an engineer certify that the water is being used beneficially before the state will grant a water right. Those who originally built dams, ditches canals etc. and use the water (by permission granted in their "water right") have a higher priority claim to the water than subsequent claims. 

3. The water righs in Utah are over-allocated meaning that the state has granted rights to more water than there actually is available. There is currently and has been for the last few years a process called "adjudication" wherin the state is challenging water rights and making you prove benificial use. If you are not using the water right and haven't for 7 years you will lose that right. 

4.  There is a severe drought in the west including Utah that has been going on for about 20 years. This sucks for farmers, fishermen and everyone but the net result is that things are getting tighter and tighter with regard to water rights. I assume that this will continue as our state continues to grow putting more pressure on this limited resource. We are seeing things like secondary water metering, the adjudication that is taking place, ad campaigns for conservation and desert landscaping etc. etc. 

Anyway, as much as we'd all like to see our reservoirs stay filled and even see new ones built that's not reality without buying millions of dollars worth of water rights for each reservior that we want to keep full. I'd actually like to see it done and increase the "conservation pools" so the reservoirs can stay viable even in drought years but ly I'm short the few million $ it would take. Anyone else want to donate?

Just my $.02

[castnshoot]

I have water rights in Utah and have been through the process you showed above. There are specific allocations for which different amounts must be used for different uses,, IE residents, ag, livestock and so forth.

I actually lost a portion of some water rights once because I had no live stock on the property at the time of the inspection.

You have to hire your own state licensed water engineer, and he makes the report and files it with the state.

As far as conservation pools they are more or less a gentleman’s agreement, and a gentleman is not going to let his neighbor go broke so he has a place to fish.

Just look at the charts on the link above and you can see it playing out in real time.

[PBH]

The DWR own's a "secondary" right conservation pool at Minersville. In order to "claim" that c-pool the reservoir must fill past a certain level. If the reservoir doesn't fill past that point, then the c-pool isn't available. So, in poor winters with little runoff we never reclaim that pool, and the agriculture rights are allowed to drain the reservoir as far as they 'need'.

The question is: do they need to drain it dry?

Past water masters recognized the challenges with getting Minersville re-filled in the spring after allowing it to be drained below certain levels. Right now, the Beaver is running at 21cfs at Beaver -- but 0 at Minersville. Historically, the big challenge is getting water past Beaver to the lake -- a FAST spring thaw where the Beaver quickly runs high and flows past all the ditches faster than they can take it out, is ideal for filling the lake. Once that is over, water simply doesn't make it to the reservoir due to upstream diversions and use. That's a fight as old as Rocky Ford has been around.

The new master, no matter how good of a person he might be, and no matter what his "employers" are asking him to currently do, might regret drawing the reservoir down as low as he is. He's hurting those water users future use. So, while we might be getting a 4th cut of alfalfa this year, we might only get 2 cuts next year.

There is value in keeping water in the lake, and it isn't only value to fishermen.

[fishskibum]

i really like beaver and the tushers and try to make a few trips every year and support the local business that provide jobs but i can understand if the powers that be there want to prioritize agriculture and its benefit's vrs. a quality fishery and my and others tourism dollars
sure had a good thing goin on there for a while
i liked catching and releasing them bows and how it was managed

i like snow
hopes the diety of snowshedders Ullr brings it this year

i found this to be an interesting read and thought id share
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32412-y

[castnshoot]

If you found this to be an interesting read,, please never invite me out for a beer.?

i found this to be an interesting read and thought id share
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32412-y