Drought forces cuts for Ken’s Lake water users
by Jeff Richards
contributing writer
May 31, 2012 | 1319 views | 0 0 comments | 8 8 recommendations | email to a friend | print


Due to a lack of snow this past winter, the Grand Water and Sewer Service Agency said this week that it has asked Ken’s Lake irrigation users to reduce their water usage by 40 percent, or to use water at 60 percent of their normal usage. The agency mailed notifications of the mandatory water restrictions to water users this week.

“As good as last year was, that’s as bad as this year is,” GWSSA Manager Mark Sovine said this week. “Although we had a great water year last year, we’ve essentially had zero precipitation so far this year, which means no runoff.”

Sovine said that while Ken’s Lake water levels are usually at about 2,000 acre-feet and rising at this time of the year, the lake levels were at 1,171.5 acre feet and falling as of May 29, according to data provided by the agency.

“Last year was such a good water year, and so we started out this year in good shape, thanks to the water that was left over,” Sovine said. “But with no new precipitation, that situation has changed.”

He said that the restrictions are considered “mandatory” for all Ken’s Lake water users until further notice.

According to GWSSA data, Ken’s Lake water levels were at 1,808 feet on March 30, 2012, which put the lake at 137 percent of normal. But just two months later, the total water in the lake is only at 59 percent of normal, the data shows.
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