Drought Effects News Release

Submitted by Anthony D. Jantzer

Secretary, Manager,

Icicle & Peshastin Irrigation Districts

The Icicle & Peshastin Irrigation Districts believe that they will have to

start prorating water deliveries to the water users that receive water from

the Peshastin Main Canal soon if things continue on their current course.

This means that we will reduce the maximum instantaneous delivery flow from

6.75 gallons per minute (GPM) per share (acre) to 4.5 GPM.  It is hard to

know when this will happen. Peshastin Creek does not currently have enough

water in it to meet current water demands. We can and are bringing water

from the Icicle Creek and delivering it into the Peshastin canal. The pipe

that takes water from the Icicle Canal to the Peshastin canal can handle

about 15 Cubic Feet Per Second or about 6700 GPM and is currently

transporting about 10 CFS.  Once that pipe is maxed out and the end of the

canal goes dry, we will have to cut water use on the canal to make sure that

we can get an equal amount to all water users.

Our farmers are doing a good job with their water use. We would normally be

using about 48 CFS at this time and are currently only using about 36 CFS.

If they were trying to use their normal amount of water, we would already by

rationing water. The better job they do, will push back the need for

prorating. We ask all water users especially those serviced by the Peshastin

Main Canal to conserve water. This is a critical time for crops, and we all

need to do our best to make sure that water gets to where it is needed. We

do not believe that we will have to prorate any of the other water users. We

have started releasing water from the reservoirs. The reservoirs started out

about 2000-acre feet below full this year (approximately 20,000 AF max

capacity). Eight Mile Lake was not allowed to fill all the way due to the

condition of the dam and the water shed above it; Snow Lake did not fill due

to the lack of snow above it. The water sheds in our area are tracking at

about 70 percent of normal.  The Icicle & Peshastin Irrigation Districts have

a facebook page that we post things like this.  If you have questions

feel free to call the office at 782-2561 or the manager at 433-4064.