Parowan Meeting Dec 2

A water meeting was held in Parowan on Friday December 2, 2010.  Prior to the meeting at the library, some of the participants went on a short field trip to view some earth fissures and ground settling in the Enoch area.  Among those attending the meeting were: LaDel Laub, Craig Laub, Lee Bracken, Senator Dennis Stowell, Kurt Vest (DWR), and Sterling Brown with the Farm Bureau.  Part of the meeting discussion involved the Escalante Valley Groundwater Management plan.  Some of the history was reviewed as well as recent activities of the water users.  There was some discussion on a regional solution to the declining groundwater problem and all those present felt it was a concept worth exploring.  (see documents listed under “history” on this web site)

Senator Stowell will be sponsoring some legislation at the upcoming session that is intended to amend and clarify both the groundwater management act and the local district statute.  The intended purpose is to better define the use of a special district as a tool that can be used by water right holders in a critical management area. 

It was also noted that a meeting will be held in Beryl on December 22 with representatives from the State Engineers office and the Escalante Valley Water Users.

Special Meeting Scheduled

A special meeting of the EVWUA executive Board has been scheduled with representatives from the State Engineers office.  It is expected that Kent Jones, (State Engineer) Boyd Clayton, (Deputy State Engineer) and Kurt Vest (Regional Supervisor) will be present and will review with the board the progress that has been made on the Escalante Valley Groundwater Management plan and discuss the plans and steps that will be taken in the future.  The meeting will be held Wednesday, December 22, 2010 in the conference room of Dixie Escalante Electric in Beryl at 1:00 PM.

Annual Meeting May 28, 2010

The annual meeting of the Escalante Valley Water Users Association was held on Thursday May 28th at 7 PM at the Beryl Community Center. Board Chairman Mike Brown conducted the meeting.  Following the approval of the previous minutes and the financial report, Marlo Reber, Cody Staheli, and Brad Bowler were elected to serve on the board.

There was a discussion on the status of the negotiations with the State Engineer.  It was reported for those who were not aware that Kent L. Jones is the new State Engineer.  Several of the board members have met with him and are optimistic there will be a spirit of partnership and cooperation as we work together to solve the groundwater problems in the Escalante Valley.

A report was given on Senate Bill 20 that was supported by Senator Dennis Stowell.  This will enable and allow the valley water users to form a district if it is determined this can be a useful tool as we move forward.  The benefits and flexibility of a potential district was discussed. 

A new web site was introduced that will contain information and history of the valley and the progress of a groundwater managment plan.  The web address will be: www.evwua.org

Those attending the meeting were: Mike Brown, LaDel Laub, Tom Casados, Carlyle Johnson, Fonda Marie Johnson, Robert Holt, Brad Bowler, Richard Whitelaw, Mark Jones, Donald Horsley, Cody Staheli, Kerry Holt, Lee Bracken, Sherwood Bracken, Mason Jones, Morley Wilson, Nyal Bosshardt,  Marlo Reber, Cody Staheli, and Brad Bowler.

Board Meeting

A board meeting of the EVWUA was held at the DEREA conference room on Monday April 26, 2010.  Board members present were Mike Brown, LaDel Laub, Robert Holt, Steve Jones, Marlo Reber, Cody Staheli, and Lee Bracken.  Senator Dennis Stowell attended and presented information about SB 20 legislation and the flexibility now available to the water users to form a two-county water management district.  Dennis handed out a summary of possible future steps to be taken in an effort to find an acceptable solution to the water problems in the Escalante Valley.

The annual member meeting of the EVWUA was scheduled for May 25th at the Beryl Community Building at 7:00 PM.

Our present fund balance is about $18,000.  The Board authorized an approximate $1500 expenditure to TerryWebco to create a web site for our organization.   It may be ready for introduction at the annual meeting.

Enterprise Reservoir Update

The most recent sno-tel reports as of March 15th still show some high levels of snow in the area behind the Enterprise Reservoirs.  Little Grassy reporting station shows 30.0 inches of snow with 14.1 inches of snow water equivalent while Gutz Peak shows 59 inches of snow and 21.o inches of snow water equivalent.

The smaller lower reservoir is looking much better following the draining last fall to replace the discharge gate and controller.  While much of the low snow is beginnng to melt, it looks like the lower reservoir may fill to capacity and could possibly overflow if conditions are just right.  This is a welcome sight for recreation enthusiasts and downstream farmers.

The upper Enterprise Reservoir remains at a very low level and still has tremendous capacity.  While there have been near record snow pack levels and a high percentage of snow in the water, it will probably take a warm wind and continuous temperatures above freezing or a warm rain before much of the snow pack upstream will ever reach the reservoir.  While conditions are still present that will allow this big reservoir to fill, it will take some kind of catalyst to make it happen.