The 2017 water season in the Mancos Valley is looking good, for now, Mancos Water Conservancy District Superintendent Gary Kennedy said Tuesday.
“It’s looking like a good water year as of right now,” he said.
Snotels are up to 190 percent of normal or above for the Jackson Gulch Reservoir basin, Kennedy said. All reservoirs in the area are at 50 percent of capacity or more, he said.
That could change later on in the winter or spring, he said. Sometimes February and March can be dry, so Kennedy said he doesn’t like to give firm predictions for the season until March.
The water district is wrapping up the books for 2016 and preparing for the 2017 water season, he said. The district board passed the 2017 budget at their December meeting.
The district is still pursuing several long-term issues, including the title transfer of the Jackson Gulch project from the Bureau of Reclamation to the Mancos water district.
Other long-term projects include a reservoir rehab project and a hydroelectric lease of the power permit for the dam, Kennedy said. There are contractual issues that the district is working to resolve with those projects, he said.
Area public safety officials got together Wednesday for an emergency action plan meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to keep everyone in the know about what to do and how to get information out in the event of an emergency at the Jackson Gulch Reservoir dam.
