At the annual meeting of the Cottonwood Creek Consolidated Irrigation Company on Jan. 20, Craig Johansen in his Presidents Annual Report to the CCCIC included several interesting items that could affect the amount of available water for this coming year and other subsequent years.
He confirmed that the snow level in the mountains was below 50 percent and that Emery County was one of the driest counties in the state. Most if not all the last snowstorm went to the valleys and not on the mountains. We may be in for another very dry year unless we get about 120 percent more snow than usual for the remainder of the year.
Johansen reported on the progress of the Adobe Wash Project. This project will include a dam that will hold 900 acre feet of water in preparation for a pressurized irrigation system if approved by the various government agencies and if the CCCIC membership approve spending the millions of dollars this project will cost. Preliminary steps have been taken by making requests for approval of this project.
An analysis of the membership shows that more than half of the shareholders own fewer that six shares of CCCIC water. The company has a problem with the quantity of shareholders growing, by families giving shares to their children and grandchildren. This increases the cost of administration. In addition, if the shareholder does not use the water for irrigation or lease it to someone else that will use the shares of water, those shares of water can become forfeit.
Johansen reported on two Senate Bills currently before the State Legislature that would affect water users throughout the state if enacted. They are Senate Bill 95, “The In Stream Flow Requirement” for water companies to provide enough water in the stream for dilution of sewage going downstream, without regards to the water needs of cities and agriculture. This bill is sponsored by Mike Dmitrich of Price.
Senate Bill 29, the Trout Unlimited Fishing water requirement for water companies to provide enough water for trout fishing habitat. This would allow a non government group to lease water for 10 years to provide habitat for fish.
If you are concerned about these legislative proposals contact Brad King, Mike Dmitrich of Price or Kay McIiff of Richfield your representatives in the State Legislature.
These two Senate bills could reduce the amount of water available in dry years for municipalities and agriculture users.
The Cottonwood Creek Consolidated Irrigation Company is concerned about preserving the water rights of the irrigation company.
[dfads params='groups=4969&limit=1&orderby=random']
[dfads params='groups=1745&limit=1&orderby=random']