Black box of San Rafael swell

[flounderbuoy]

I am wondering when to expect flows on this to rise to runnable levels. anyone have info on snowpack statistics, how dependent this run is on snowfall, and if the flows are predictable on yearly basis. any important beta would be cool too (flows,hazards, good stuff) thanks

[Chip]

The San Rafael is pretty much a snowmelt run. Nearby gaged streams are Ferron Ck. Muddy Ck. and the Price River which all show increasing flows. The USGS gage on the San Rafael near Castledale isn't reporting, but the downstream gage near Green River #09328500 shows declining flows, so the irrigators & powerplant are taking nearly all the water.

For realtime flow data, go to <http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis> and select Utah, then click on the appropriate dot on the map. Draw your own conclusions.

Pretty much the same drill for snowmelt info. Go to <www.wrc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel> then click on Utah. There are 3-4 sites on the Wasatch Plateau. Click on a dot, then look at the Current Water Year column and select Snow-Water Equivalent Daily Graph. That will show you how much water's in the snowpack and how fast it's coming down.

I looked at a couple graphs and the melt is well underway.

[R2-D2]

After our stellar snow pack last year we find ourselves hurting this year. Pack level are between 25-50% on the Wasatch Plateau, not a good situation. The Uintas are fairing much better (Upper Provo Falls) but if anything goes down it will be fast and furious. The good news is that Joes’s Valley Reservoir is at close to 80% one of the key components for flow in the Black Boxes. Here is a link to the tea cup diagrams for the drainage.

www.ewcd.org/reservoirs/teacup.php/

We’ll just have to see how the rest is managed. Cottonwood Creek and Left Fork of Huntington are also quality runs in the drainage and it will probably all go down together, so you could link it all up over a weekend or so. Here is another link for snow pack:

http://www.cbrfc.noaa.gov/snow/snow.cgi

The CBRFC Daily rec river report also provides an estimate for Cottonwood Creek.

Hummm, now if there where only a quality guide book coming out with some good run descriptions on the region that would be SOOOOOOO convenient.

Keep your fingers crossed for flows…

[johng]

R2-D2 -

Many thanks for the great link, which I've been watching with great interest for the past several weeks. My hope is fading - you think there's any chance it'll come up this year, or is the snowpack too far gone even if the reservoirs fill?

johng

Originally Posted by R2-D2

After our stellar snow pack last year we find ourselves hurting this year. Pack level are between 25-50% on the Wasatch Plateau, not a good situation. The Uintas are fairing much better (Upper Provo Falls) but if anything goes down it will be fast and furious. The good news is that Joes’s Valley Reservoir is at close to 80% one of the key components for flow in the Black Boxes. Here is a link to the tea cup diagrams for the drainage.

www.ewcd.org/reservoirs/teacup.php/

We’ll just have to see how the rest is managed. Cottonwood Creek and Left Fork of Huntington are also quality runs in the drainage and it will probably all go down together, so you could link it all up over a weekend or so. Here is another link for snow pack:

http://www.cbrfc.noaa.gov/snow/snow.cgi

The CBRFC Daily rec river report also provides an estimate for Cottonwood Creek.

Hummm, now if there where only a quality guide book coming out with some good run descriptions on the region that would be SOOOOOOO convenient.

Keep your fingers crossed for flows…