January – Penrose welcomed snow with ½ inch of
precipitation. The upper ditch relining project progressed with 630 feet
completed. During the relining project water to support Penrose Water District
was transferred directly from Brush Hollow.
February – Penrose continued to receive snow in smaller
amounts with ¼ inch of precipitation. The upper ditch lining project was still
in progress. The annual Shareholders meeting only had 62% of the shares
represented at the meeting. Representation has steadily declined over the past
couple of years. Butch Miller retired from the Board of Directors and the seat
he vacated was filled by elected Shareholder Tim Hall.
March – Connie Johnson was chosen by the Board of
Directors to be the new Superintendent. The upper ditch relining project was
completed for the year and water restored to the upper ditch, supplying Penrose
water district and Brush Hollow. Snow pack throughout the State was higher than
normal, however this only impacted Arkansas River Basin. We were not as
fortunate from our water source from Pikes Peak. Preparation for the upcoming
irrigation season began by cleaning all the canals throughout the system.
April – Irrigation delivery began the 17th of
April. Two new ditch riders were hired to deliver water to the East side and
the West side deliveries. We started irrigations with Brush Hollow 10 feet
lower than the previous year. Snow melt from the creek was uneventful and we
are hopeful for moisture in the form of rain to support our irrigations.
May – Mother nature was very kind to us providing a total
of 1 ½ inches of rain and or rain/snow mix during the month. This was much
welcomed. Brush Hollow continues to drop down from irrigation use, keeping a
watchful eye on the levels became a priority for the Superintendent. Management
of pumpers also has become an issue as many were not following the guidelines
for pumping. Sunday, when no pumping is permitted was a concern.
June – Much like May, June provided us rain storms and
the creek was running higher due to rain. This sudden increase in the creek
also allowed more water to be captured into Brush Hollow. Due to the
significant rains and great water management by our superintendent, we were
able to begin second irrigations. Beaver Park Water established a Face Book
page in effort to notify shareholders of immediate concerns.
July- Penrose received a greatly needed surprise of rain
that provided Penrose with 2.71 inches of precipitation. Unfortunately, we also
experienced a weather event that recorded over 600 c.f.s. in the creek. The
wall of water damaged telemetry, uprooted trees and took out walk over bridges
by the diversion. The extreme debris clogged up the system not allowing any
water to travel into our system. The staff made a muddy and slick trip up to
the diversion site to unblock the flow of water and stop the spilling over the
diversion. All else within the system appeared to be working as expected,
irrigations resumed as scheduled. The LDA line on the west side was dug up due
to a leak. Face book has proven to be a great way to communicate to a major
portion of our shareholders.
August – Busy month for staff finishing 2nd
irrigations and starting of third irrigations. The rains received during the
summer provided good hay crops for many shareholders. Throughout the year
several lines were replaced due to leaks and damage, all have been repaired and
working to deliver irrigations.
September – Summer finally arrived with hot and dry
weather conditions. Beaver Creek was running low and irrigations that continue
are only being delivered from the water received from the upper canal. As
irrigations are down to a minimal amount, repairs are being done throughout the
system. Beaver Park Water was awarded additional Grant Money for continuation
of repairing the lining in the upper canal.
October – The month started warm and dry and moved right
into Winter with 6-8 inches of snow received in Penrose. Without the ability to
store water we continued to deliver irrigation water from the water in the
upper canal. Work began to build and place covers on the water boxes in system.
All screens are being made specific to each box and held down with lag bolts to
secure the sides.
November – 2019 irrigation season came to an end with
many shareholders receiving 3 irrigations. Mowing began on the upper ditch when
possible and we did receive some snow during the month, totaling .34 inches of
precipitation.
December – The AG met sensor wasn’t working most of the
month so precipitation numbers were not available, however we did receive a
couple of significant snow falls in the area. Temperatures have dipped down to
the single digits and breaking ice in the stock tanks is now part of the chore
schedule. We are looking forward to next year with a trained full staff on
board. The Board of Directors and Staff wishes everyone a safe holiday season.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
