Buffalo Bill Reservoir spring inflow projected to decrease

Posted 2/9/16

Less inflow is expected this year for the Buffalo Bill Reservoir, said Bureau of Reclamation Wyoming area manager Carlie Ronca at the district’s annual meeting Wednesday.   

The reservoir’s 30-year average inflow for April through July is …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Buffalo Bill Reservoir spring inflow projected to decrease

Posted

Predicted spring inflow to Buffalo Bill Reservoir is expected to be a little light and the Shoshone Irrigation District is easing off on projects due to less revenue.

Less inflow is expected this year for the Buffalo Bill Reservoir, said Bureau of Reclamation Wyoming area manager Carlie Ronca at the district’s annual meeting Wednesday.   

The reservoir’s 30-year average inflow for April through July is 678,000 acre-feet, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. This year’s April through July inflow is expected to be less than 570,000 acre-feet, she said.

Buffalo Bill provides the water for all three of the Powell area irrigation districts. The reservoir was almost 70 percent full Feb. 4 and the Shoshone Project will be OK with 83 percent inflow, according to Shoshone Irrigation District manager Bryant Startin.

As of Jan. 31, the Shoshone Project had 161,243 acre-feet of water in Buffalo Bill. The project account is for all four districts. When the account is full, it holds 330,710 acre feet, Startin said.

This winter, the district reduced the number of big projects because of less income from its power plant — a seasonal operation that’s fed by irrigation water, Startin said.

In 2014, the district earned $606,000 in revenue from the power plant, said Larry Cain, district ditch rider. During the 2015 irrigation season, the district earned $321,000.

The district’s power contract with PacifiCorp expired in 2014, Startin said. The best price he could find was a 10-year contract with Tri-State for 3.31 cents per kilowatt with no wheeling costs. However, the district will receive more each year. For example, the district will earn 3.49 cents per kilowatt in 2017 and 5.1 cents per kilowatt by 2024.

Wheeling costs are the price to send the electricity on a transmission line.

Water works

In 2014, the district applied for Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC) funding to purchase project materials. In 2015, the Wyoming Legislature approved $290,000 for 2015-16 projects, Startin said.

The district had $213,000 left, but $40,000 for a Rubicon gate and around $8,000 more for material on the Drop No. 25 project must be subtracted, Startin said. This fall, he will meet the WWDC with a list of projects, but at this point he hasn’t completed the list.

Due to the drop in extraction mineral prices, state revenue is down. The Legislature began its budget session on Monday.

A member of the public at the meeting asked Startin if WWDC would reduce funding due to less state revenue.

“I haven’t heard about any cuts they’re doing yet,” he said.

All repairs and projects are done by district employees. “They’re really good hands,” Startin said. “We’re lucky to have them.”

District Board President Bill Cox gave the crew a pat on the back too. “It’s just amazing what they do. It saves the district a ton of money.”

The following are some updates on the district’s projects:

• Drop No. 25 on the Garland Canal, near Road 7 and parallel to U.S. Highway 14-A, was moved 40 feet upstream on the Garland Canal, Startin said.

In concert with the district, Park County installed 48 feet of box culverts just below the drop to allow two lanes of traffic where it was just one lane before.

“We have a really good relationship with the county,” Startin said.

• The district poured the wing walls on the culverts and Garland Light and Power relocated power poles, Startin said.

• Last year, the two stems that lift or lower the gates were rebuilt at the Corbett Tunnel, a 3.3-mile long tunnel that feeds the Garland Canal.

• In the fall of 2014, district employees patched tunnel holes with a concrete epoxy, Startin said. The 2015 season was the first year water flowed through the tunnel following the repairs. “It still looks really good,” he said.

• The chute that crosses Alkali Creek near the district’s power plant was patched with a grout mix. Startin said the district would keep an eye on the chute that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1932.

• The district cleaned out eight clogged irrigation drains. Sometimes the tile drains collapse and create an obstruction, but in 2015 all the obstructions were tree roots, Startin said.

• The district purchased 250 gallons of Cascade moss treatment. The chemical was effective last year, freeing ditch rider time. “It took a lot of pressure off these guys to moss (removal) in June and July,” Startin said.

• Burying Lateral 16T was completed with nearly 1 mile of underground 24- and 15-inch pipe. The district has been converting the ditch to underground pipe for the last three years. Now the entire lateral is below ground, Startin said.

• The undershot below Frannie Canal near Lane 8 was excavated and replaced with a 18-inch concrete pipe, Startin said. Another Frannie undershot project just getting off the ground will be a 54-inch plastic coated corrugated steel pipe east of Wyo. Highway 295.

• The district rebuilt check structures on Laterals 8B and 67A, Startin said. Check structures divert water to a head gate to irrigate fields.

Comments