Enjoy the Snow in the High Country

There's still plenty of winter left at Great Basin National Park. Here are some ideas of what to do:

Spring Runoff Has Begun!

It might only be April and we still have freezing temperatures at night, but spring runoff has begun. We have historically reached peak flow on Baker and Lehman creeks on June 15. However, as in most of the West, climate change has caused warmer springs and earlier peak flows. This is of concern because then there's less water for the late summer and early fall, reducing habitat for fish and water for irrigating crops.

I had heard that Lexington Creek was running high, so I went down to check. This creek is usually dry year round down by Pruess Lake, but it was already running into it--in April.

On the southwest side of the lake I found this road being washed out by Lexington Creek.
The little waterfall was impressive. There were fairly recent tracks of someone fording it. That wouldn't be possible now.

The water was really brown. Most of the channel is dirt, so it erodes fast.

We might be seeing more of these washouts in the next couple months. Be sure to always check a crossing before you drive across it. You don't want your vehicle to be washed downstream and then filled with water and sediment!

Further upstream, where this road has been in place a long time, the crossing still looked in good shape, as long as you have high clearance and four-wheel drive.

Snake Valley Water Videos

County Seat TV 14 made these videos:
First, an overview of what's at stake if water is pumped out of Snake Valley.

A panel discussion with Phil Gardner from the USGS, Jon Harja with the Utah Governor's Office, and Millard County Commissioner. They discuss the science behind the numbers and what Millard County and Utah want to see happen in Snake Valley.

Snow Survey Results

Here are the results from last week's snow survey along the Baker Creek drainage:

March 31, 2011

Site Snow Depth Snow Water Equivalent Percent of Average
Baker Creek #1 24 in 7.8 in 134%
Baker Creek #2 61 in 20.2 in 143%
Baker Creek #3 72 in 17.3 in 101%

Additional snow course information for the region can be found at:
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/data/snow/basin_reports/nevada/wy2011/lostnv4.txt

This is down from the 152-182% from March, but we're still looking good.