July has been a hot and mostly dry month with only a couple of days of light rain and one day with large hail that didn’t last very long. Temperatures during the day have been in the high 90’s. No July monsoon’s as in the past. The AG Met sensor in Penrose only recorded .87 precipitation until the 29th of July and then just like that we have a total of 1.78 of precipitation for July.
Due to June’s significant rainfall, we have been
experiencing a significant number of calls concerning tailwater issues. These calls
are primarily coming from non-shareholders that are experiencing tail water
coming onto their property. In a couple of cases the water is traveling a long
distance. The water table has risen and irrigation water does not take very
long to saturate the ground before the water begins to run off. Many issues are
due to low areas within Penrose that are natural drainage areas. Water seeks a
path of least resistance and depending on the lay of land of those properties
that are being affected, it is possible the water will run to it. Shareholders need to be aware and responsible
to manage their water and make sure the water is not running off their field.
If the shareholder can’t manage the water, and is causing harm to others,
irrigation should not continue. Please read the Beaver Park Water rules and
regulations regarding irrigations.
For those who are not aware, Fremont County Department of
Transportation and our Water Commissioner met in the office regarding tailwater
in the bar ditches and running down the roads. The meeting resulted with the
Water Commissioner concluding that Beaver Park Water can and should continue to
follow their established rules and regulations regarding tail water. Fremont
County Department of Transportation did not put in bar ditches for excess
irrigation water, they are designed for drainage during rain events. Excess irrigation water erodes the paved
roads and causes cracks and sinking of the pavement and puts ruts in dirt roads.
Fremont County only has a minimal amount of budget to work with as it must
distribute its funds for roads through out all of Fremont County. We could be
better stewards of our irrigation water and not waste our benefit of receiving
irrigations when it’s available. It is the shareholders responsibility to
manage the water. If you are unable to manage the water, contact your ditch
rider and the water will be scheduled to another shareholder.
Please pray for rain!
