Snowfall so far ‘a great trend’

Following the snowstorms on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday last week, Price City officials are optimistic about the water level being able to be sustained at the Scofield Reservoir following a couple of dry winters.
“If we project that vertical movement, it’s going to be pretty high,” Public Works Director Miles Nelson said during the first City Council meeting of the year on Wednesday night. Nelson presented a piece of paper that showed how the recent snow fall has positively affected the Scofield reservoir. “We’re on a great trend,” Nelson continued. The report for 2017 so far has been much more positive than recent years, which have seen drought conditions.
“This winter has been a wonderful thing,” City Engineer Russell Seeley said in a phone interview Friday. The above average snowfall has put the reservoir in a good position for the rest of the year with it already being over the 12 inches needed to be filled. Seeley noted that if the snowy weather continues, the reservoir will be well above average, a stark contrast compared to previous years. In the report handed out at the meeting, it showed that water usage average was below average last year, with June, July and August being the months that levels were used the most.
Last season was a tough year as it was a drier winter and when April came around, lawns were brown instead of green, signaling a drought was in effect. Other states in the West have also faced drought conditions, including Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho and California. California has had one of the worst droughts in recent memory.
However, despite all the positives coming from the snowfall, there have been negatives associated with it. One of those is the question if local schools should close after heavy snowfall.
According to a Carbon School District press release, Superintendent Steve Carleson said, “There are no set rules in the state of Utah as to when schools should be closed for emergencies or weather events.” The schools remained open last week despite the three heavy snowstorms.
“We have to consider closing schools carefully,” Carlsen stated. He explained that there are numerous factors to consider when closing the schools. Day care consideration for parents, accuracy of the weather forecast and food insecurity for students are just a few of the factors that have to be considered.
According to the NRCS (National Resources Conservation Service) website, Price is already at the 75 percent for the snow depth year peak, with April being the peak month.