December 2014 update

Annual Review

January- provided us with a Brush Hollow reading of 92.10 ft. Tumbleweeds clogged up water delivery to Penrose Water District.

February-Brush Hollow remained at maximum capacity. Penrose received .25 of moisture from snowfall. Tumble weeds continued to be a problem clogging up screens. Annual Shareholder meeting was held February 22^nd. 70% of the shareholders were represented either in person or via proxy. Gary Ratkovich and Sonny Daniels retained their positions on the BPWI Board of Directors.

March – Penrose received .50 of precipitation in the form of snow. Brush Hollow reading reached 93 ft. Early irrigation began March 17^th.  Tumble weeds were still causing the staff to clean screens and ditches. Snow pack and water stored in Brush Hollow provide a promising outlook for irrigation this year.

April – Irrigation began April 15^th. Tumble weeds caused some water boxes to spill over. Assessments were due the 1^st of April.

May- Proved to be a very wet month with .50 inch of precipitation in the form of snow and 1.70 inches of moisture received from rain. First irrigations are being delivered as scheduled. Many shareholders have held off planting fields to avoid the freeze.

June- Summer temperatures have arrived and rain provided .78 inch of precipitation. A new ditch rider was hired to replace Don Hampton. His name is Jeremy Ervin and will manage the lines previously managed by Don. A fire broke out in Phantom Canyon and Brush Hollow was accessed to provide water via helicopter buckets. Beaver Park Water was compensated for proving the water to fight the active fire.

July – Most of the month was hot and dry with a few showers that cooled us off into the 70’s. Second irrigations were in process. Our Superintendent of 14 years, Tom Sanders left Beaver Park Water to pursue another line of work.  The Board of Directors were challenged with finding a replacement. Tommy Lilze was put into place as interim superintendent until replacement could be found.

August - After review of applicants, the Board of Directors choose Tom Lilze as Beaver Park Water’s Superintendent. With this change, an immediate need for a ditch rider became priority one. Many applicant’s and interviews took place and finally Ronny Beldin was offered the position. Ronny will manage lines previously managed by Tom Lilze. Tom Lilze not only was challenged with a new position, but also had to train his replacement and continue to run irrigation water. Afternoon rains were the norm and Third irrigations began. Brush Hollow’s level was at 82 ft. and the creek flow was at 32cfs.

September – Brush Hollow was at 75 ft. and the creek was at 19 cfs. Third irrigations were being completed. Very little precipitation was received in September. Some shareholders were receiving their fourth irrigations. Something that has not happened for quite some time.

October - Very little rain fell in October, however during one 24hour period Penrose received 1.16 inches of rain. Temperatures began to fluctuate; one day summer and the next fall conditions.  Irrigations continued with forth irrigations. The community of Penrose enjoyed the fall festival of Apple Day. Many local apple orchards were able to provide apples from their harvest.

November – Irrigation season officially ended November13^th, all the water from the lake was shut down. The ditch riders were excited to complete the season with minimal problems. It was a long season and Larry Degenhart was placed on layoff status until next year. Very little moisture was received throughout the month and Brush Hollow was at 65.28 ft. The 2015 shareholders annual meeting was confirmed for Saturday, February 28^th, 2015 1:00 pm at the Penrose School Gymnasium. Notifications will be sent out in January to all shareholders.

December – Brush Hollow is currently at 70.07 and Beaver Creek is running at 5.76 cfs. Jeremy, Ronny and Tom Lilze have concentrated their efforts to cleaning the upper ditch with mowing and pulling trees. This effort will reveal what areas need immediate attention and what areas the staff can work on this winter. The upper ditch repair is our first priority. The final week of 2014 provided us with temperatures in the single digits during the day and below zero temperatures at night.