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Weber Basin Water Conservancy District is Northern Utah's regional water supplier for treated municipal water, wholesale irrigation water, retail secondary irrigation water, untreated industrial water and groundwater replacement water.
What a difference a year can make! At this same time last year, the forecast had highs of nearly 80 degrees. Now this area is receiving record-setting snow and temperatures have been colder than normal. The dramatic shifts in weather patterns from year to year are impressive, sporadic, and unpredictable and certainly legitimize the complexities of managing water supplies in northern Utah.
Those who live in northern Utah enjoy the benefits provided by the construction of the Weber Basin Project and the district's expansion and operation of this system. The most noticeable and impactful benefit is the annual delivery of hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water for drinking water and irrigation.
Several other benefits that are also provided, but not as readily noticeable, include flood control, recreation on reservoirs, waters for instream flows benefiting aquatic habitats and delivery of waters for waterfowl refuges along the Great Salt Lake.
Focusing on flood prevention
Recognizing this year's above-average snowpack and the flooding potential along the Ogden and Weber rivers, people want to know about the flood control responsibilities of the district and the complex planning and operations in preparation.
Reservoirs operated by the district and located along the Ogden River (Causey and Pineview) and the Weber River (Smith and Morehouse, Wanship, Echo, Lost Creek and East Canyon) allow the district to assist in the management of flows within the rivers. This is accomplished by either storing water, releasing water or a combination of the two.
Leveraging all sources of information and expertise available, district personnel decide when to store snowmelt runoff, when to release water and how much to store or release. All these decisions are made to fill all the reservoirs, and not allowing runoff to exceed river channel capacities to prevent flooding. It is a lot to digest and monitor.
Knowing how much and when the water will come down the Ogden and Weber rivers is a challenge. One helpful tool is the data provided by snow telemetry (SNOTEL) sites. These sites provide snowpack information that helps determine how much runoff is expected.
Another tool is the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. This center provides official forecasts of expected runoff volumes every two weeks. These forecasts are tracked on Army Corp of Engineer flood control diagrams that allow the district to evaluate available reservoir storage along both river systems with the forecasted April through July runoff volumes.
The most important tool is the expertise of district staff, especially when one considers that all data and forecasts can dramatically change as a result of a single storm. Drawing on past experience and the above-referenced information, the district decides how to operate the reservoirs to maximize storage potential and prevent downstream flooding.
Flood control operations have already begun with releases being made from reservoirs located along the Weber River and Ogden rivers. The district monitors the flood control situation daily and anticipates being able to fill all of the reservoirs while mitigating flooding risks along the Weber and Ogden rivers. But all of this planning is highly dependent on mother nature and how quickly the temperatures and weather patterns shift.
Conservation is always a concern
District administrators are grateful to users that prioritized water conservation over the past several years, whether through reduced and optimized landscape watering, landscape changes, participation in the district's rebate programs and free education classes or other activities.
These efforts will continue to be critical to ensuring our ability to accommodate a growing population, healthy economy and healthy Great Salt Lake. Please keep reducing! The past few years have shown these water-heavy years will be followed by drier years. Planning and preparing now will help weather the uncertainties of the future.
The district plans to begin pressurizing its secondary pipelines around April 24. This is an excellent time to take a few minutes and assess your system. Repair leaks, adjust sprinkler heads, clean filters and look for this year's water-wise landscape installation. Regular waterings aren't typically needed until around Mother's day and even then shouldn't be more than one day a week.
Please wait to water and visit the district's conservation website http://weberbasin.com/conservation to learn more about how you can reduce your water footprint.
