Water supply outlook: plenty
By JOHN SERFUSTINI
Sun Advocate associate editor
A billion drops here, a billion drops there, and pretty soon you're talking about some real runoff.
Those drops have already been melting out of the snowpack above Scofield Reservoir. Although the lake was less than half-full (42 percent) at the beginning of the month, the Natural Resources Conservation Services estimates that there are about 45,000 acre-feet of water in the snow that will gush into the county's main water supply by July.
Scofield can hold 73,600 acre-feet at full capacity.
An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons of water, enough to cover a football field with a foot of water or supply a family of five for a year.
While the runoff news is good for lawns, farms and gardens this year, wet conditions have prompted the US Forest Service to issue a warning about travel in the Manti LaSal for the next few weeks.
The Forest Service says that rock and mud slides are common at this time of year, and with mountain soil being especially soaked this spring, conditions could be worse than usual.
Rock Canyon, Horn Mountain, Millers Flat and Maple Canyon roads are already closed for safety. If the weather suddenly becomes warmer and the flow rate increases some other areas of the forest may also have to be closed temporarily, the USFS reported.
Meanwhile, people are also advised to stay away from stream beds or low areas that may flood.
The reservoir has also been releasing water at an increased rate to make room for the anticipated runoff. article goes here
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