Ken’s Lake is 50 percent lower now than it was at this time last year, and it’s lower than it was when Grand Water and Sewer Service Agency shut down the valley’s irrigation water last October, at the traditional end of the season, agency officials say.

GWSSA manager Mark Sovine sent at letter requesting 20 percent cutbacks to irrigation water users, a group that includes farmers, the Moab Golf Course, and a limited group of homeowners. The letter warns that as of Aug. 11, the water in Ken’s Lake would last only 40 days at current consumption levels.

“There’s been zero weather this year,” Sovine said of the conditions. “Earlier in the spring we hoped there’d be more rain this summer. At this point our plans are to not count on that.”

That earlier hope stemmed from a poor start to the water season. With lake levels below normal in the spring, Sovine had requested voluntary, non-specific conservation measures in May. That request led to significant reductions in use.

“We’re doing everything we can to make [the water] last,” Sovine said. “We’re running our pumps, and we’ve cut back 90 percent over the season.”

The pumps draw water from GWSSA wells to supplement Ken’s Lake water, but they don’t address everyone’s needs. Spanish Valley Vineyard owner Stacy Dezelsky is concerned for her grapes.

“The people up where I live, which is where the predominance of the grape growers are, is the only place that cannot receive supplemental pumped water,” Dezelsky said. “In previous years, like in 2002 when it ran out, everybody else got supplemental pumped water but us. And we use the least amount of water of anybody.”

That year, the vineyard lost two-thirds of its crop, Dezelsky said. “On a per-crop basis, that cost us about 10 grand,” she said. “For lost product, lost wines with their potential added value, lost us almost sixty thousand dollars.”

She points out that alfalfa farmers, who make up the bulk of Ken’s Lake water users, get multiple cuttings per season, while grapes come ripe at the end of the season.

“Most people don’t understand that while, for the alfalfa growers the reduced water means maybe they won’t get a fourth cutting, for us the entire crop is at risk.”

That’s just the cost if the water stops flowing before the grapes are ripe, Dezelsky said. If there’s no water at the end of the season, the entire vineyard could be at risk.

“We need to water our vines heavily before winter, because it’s ground moisture that prevents winter kill,” she said. “If there’s no moisture in the ground, and we get a hard freeze, it will kill my vines. Usually they shut it off in late October or early November, and that late watering is crucial to us.”

Dezelsky hopes GWSSA will portion out water with the goal of keeping enough in reserve for that final watering, rather than running the lake dry in early October. Some users, including the Moab Golf Club, the single largest user in the system, do have other options.

The golf course has already increased use of their own pumped-water supply, and golf course superintendent Ned Kirk said they’re ready to rely solely on their own water come October, when cooler weather means lower watering requirements.

But that decision also translates to higher costs for the golf course. They’ve spent an additional $2,000 in pumping costs this season, but Kirk said they recognize the importance of cooperating in the conservation effort.

“It’s important for the community to know that the Spanish Valley Water District and the water users are all working together to help with the shortage,” Kirk said. “They’re not dictating what we can and can’t do; we’re working hand-in-hand.”