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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1960)
9 hw Lock onaf 1 9 MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Or. Sunday, Jan. 31, 1960 Reservoirs Low For This Time of Tiri if I - " ! : l , ,-...;-::...:;:., r J ' If I : 111 Evi-' -" tesft y" GATES EXPOSED "If you haven't got it at the fish screen below, checks the gauge here, you haven't got it," Paul Culbertson which shows that Fourmile lake has not waxes philosophically as he looks over the come up at all since last October, water stituation at Fourmile laxe. Hoffbuhr, - L J J: yf ' SINKS TUBE Hoffbuhr, right, pushes tube Into the snow to draw out a core at the Fourmile lake snow course. Some Indication that the tube reached dirt must show after it is extracted. If there is more than a i W - , "J . " istjS? Sir - y V--1 ' - J) . rX CCr I EMERGENCY SHELTER Billie Creek cabiii, maintained by the Medford Irrigation district for emergency use,' served as lunch room for noon stop on snow survey last Wednesday. Hoffbuhr relates that the cabin came in mighty handy the time he fell Fire Destroys House Applegate Valley Fire Fri day night destroyed a small frame house owned by Mr. ' and Mrs. John Deter about two miles south of Ruch. Cause of the blaze, which was reported to the ranger station here by passersby at 8:30 pjn., was unknown. The house and everything in it wer destroyed . when th "stain," the excess dirt must be carefully removed to give accurate reading. Culbert son, at right is ready to weigh the tube. To get the weight of the snow, weight of empty tube is subtracted from the total. through the snow into the icy canal water. Approximate snow depth is indicated by "cap" on woodbox at left. Many is the time the ladder at right has had to be used to gain entrance to the cabin because of deep snow. Hoffbuhr said, but not this year. In Applegate Valley ranger crew arrived on the scene. Mr. and Mrs. Deter were visiting friends in Jackson ville at the time of the fire and their three children were attending a skating party in Grants Pass. Only a trailer house, which the family used as a bedroom, and a deep freeze were salvaged. .i... -';:t:.k1"' ODD JOBS FOR MACHINES New York -UPD- Electronic computers are proving their versatility by tackling an in creasing versatility of odd jobs. Some universities report they use computers to pre pare class schedules, while other machines are being readied for such specific jobs as telling oil companies where to build new gas stations and abandon old ones. Year, Crew Notes By BOB VROMAN Mail Tribune Staff Writer "Water shortage next sum mer? Ha! They said that last year and we still had plenty to go around." A statement like this was heard recently in a conversa tion about our current irriga tion water supply. What this person didn't take into consideration was the fact that in order to give everyone enough water to see their crops through the driest year on record, the water in southern Oregon reservoirs was drawn down to an all time low. Now, right on the heels of the driest year, comes another one, which, so far, has not brought enough pre cipitation to fill the reservoirs to anywhere near normal. Serious Water Problem Orchardists and farmers are facing a serious water problem. The only tiling that can get them out of this "jack pot" is a vast amount of pre cipitation, coming in torren tial proportions for weeks on end. And this is not likely. According to Jack Hoff buhr, manager of Medford Ir rigation district, there is only about a month left for this "miracle" to happen. - After that, the chances of getting precipitation that would real ly count in the total water picture tapers off rapidly. Fruit growers, nevertheless, must go ahead with prepara tions for a normal crop, cul tivating, spraying and other wise caring for their trees. They have to gamble on whether or not the rains are going to come, and most of them feel they are sticking their necks way out this year, for none can remember a water situation quite as bad as this. Snow Survey Trip The sad picture was brought sharply into focus last Wed nesday when Hoffbuhr and Paul Culbertson, chairman of the board of directors of Med ford Irrigation district, took the monthly snow survey and inspection trip in the Fish lake and Fourmile lake areas. Going with them on the trip were Ben Garrahaw of North American Weather corpora tion (as an observer), Hoff buhr's 11-year-old son, Den nis, who helped record snow measurements, and Jim Smith driver of the Copco Sno-Cat. The machine was loaned to the Medford Irrigation district under their cooperative snow survey plan. Since the Dead Indian road had been plowed free of snow by loggers in the area, it was possible to take the 4-wheel drive station wagon and the truck to the Fish lake sum mer homes junction before putting the Sno-Cat to use. There the cat was "walked" off the truck on planks and the party transferred lunches and snow-measuring gear in to the cab. Snow shoes and skiis were already aboard. -First Course The first course to be measured was the one on Rye Spur, where readings are tak en along side, the road. Since this is a new course, no meas urements from past years are available for comparison, but the situation didn't look good. And what's more, the ground beneath did not appear to be saturated. The snow depth averaged 27.7 inches with a water content of 8.6 inches. Ground saturation is the "unknown factor" in measur ing the season's water supply, and a very important one. The soil in this part of the Cascades is mostly volcanic ash and highly absorbent, and before any water can run into reservoirs, the ground must satisfy its own thirst. This year, lack of fall rain was reponsible for low ground saturation. When precipitation did come it was in the form of snow which stayed on the surface instead of soaking in. Just how much of this year's snow pack will melt and drop into the ground instead of be coming run-off cannot be cal culated, but from all indica tions the ground is still "sponging" it up. This fact was verified more substantial ly later on the trip. To Fourmile Lake After taking the readings at Rye Spur, which is just north of Fish lake, the party headed for Fourmile lake, some nine miles away. The group stop ped for lunch at Billie Creek cabin, an emergency shelter maintained by Medford Irri gation district. The snow was noticeably deeper. After half an hour the Sno-Cat was again forging toward its destination. At Fourmile the snow-measuring tubes and scales were removed from their canvas feel t J sSruT'. - xv. CHECKS SCALES-Weight of snow in tube, to get accurate reading. Hoffburh's son, Den indicated by sensitive scales, Is used to de- nis, records figures as they are called out. termine water content. Paul Culbertson, The picture above was taken at the Fish chairman of the board of directors for Med- lake snow course near the summer home ford Irrigation district, left, holds scales site, while Manager Jack Hoffbuhr steadies tube , LOW WATER The picture above, taken last week, shows a big part of the gate tower at Fish lake dam above the water level. The staff gauge on the tower indicates that the lake contains 3,773 acre feet of water now as compared to a normal for this time U4 EN ROUTE As the Tucker Sno-Cat rumb- employee. The Sno-Cat was loaned to Med- les up the road to Fourmile lake, Jack Hoff- ford Irrigation district by Copco, under co- buhr turns to talk to Paul Culbertson in operative snow survey setup. Machine is the back seat. Driver is Jim Smith, Copco radio-equipped. bag. Hoffbuhr and Culbert son were apprehensive of what these readings would tell. After all 10 of the cores were taken it figured out that the average snow depth was 37.2 inches, with a water con tent of 11.4 inches. This is 49 per cent of the 1938-52 normal late January reading. The water content averages 23.8 inches over the years, and this year it is less than half that figure. No Water A look at the water level guage at the dam showed that no water had entered the lake since last October. This meant that what snow had melted up to now, both from on top and from the warmth of the earth, had gone someplace be sides into the reservoir. It was soaked up by the ground. Calculations showed that the lake did contain 4,209 acre feet of storage water at the present, compared to the average 6,700 acre feet for this time of year. Full, the lake holds 16,600 feet and it's the top half that really counts, for wien the water gets low it takes "for ever" to run out. Besides that, if the lake has to be drawn down to nearly empty much work must be done to remove silt deposited in the channel immediately in front of the release gates. This has not had to be done since the water shortage in 1930-31, Hoffbuhr said. ' The same situation was re vealed at Fish lake, although the percentage of water for this time of year was slightly higher. The lake now con tains 3,773 acre feet instead of the 4,400 acre feet that is considered normal, or, 84 per cent of what it should be. Hoffbuhr explained that un derground springs in Fish lake bring the water up rath er rapidly at first, then after the springs are submerged, a of year of 4,400 acre feet, or 84 per cent of what it should be. It is a certainty that it will not come up to normal unless unusally heavy precipitation occurs within the next 30 days. balance in pressure cuts off the flow and the lake fills largely from run-off water after that. Near Normal Although the snow depth and water content was near normal at Fish lake, precipi tation reading showed that only about half the usual amount of rain and snow had fallen in the area so far this year. Precipitation is record ed by means of an automatic EVEREST AND JENNINGS WHEELCHAIRS & WALKERS HUDSON'S PHARMACY 613 E. MAIN PH. SP 3-5345 1 Block East of Hawthorn Park Open Sundays and Holiday 10 A.M-9 P.M. . Weekday 8:30 A.M. - 10 P.M. I j I. i - I . I I 1 : 1 . s u Ski READS GAUGE Jack Hoffbuhr, above, reads the automatic cone gauge that shows precipitation fallen in the Fish lake area so far this year. The reading is cumulative because of a layer of liquid, resembling arcti-freeze, that prevents evap oration after wate- has settled to the bottom. The gauge showed that only about half the normal amount of rain and snow has fallen in the area this year. cone gauge located on the pier at Fish lake dam. Other elements that are to be considered in the water supply picture are evapora tion, intensified by warm southerly winds, ice crust, snow compaction and numer ous other variables. The truth is, we are way short on irrigation water this year, and the fact must be faced up to. Other irrigation districts in southern Oregon will feel it, and our general economy must be ready to "roll with the punch" if our fruit, cattle raising, and farm crop industries suffer from lack of water. Just because we have never run short be fore, common sense tells us it is no reason to think that it can't happen. Two out of every three housewives found newspapers to be the most helpful adver tising medium in the buying of food products, according to an Illinois Consumer Survey. Our Beautiful New MORTUARY 2100 u u H LU X u X U BEFORE YOU BUY CEMETERY PROPERTY . Inspect our cemetery. Estab lished in 1932 as Medford's first endowed care memorial park. Low monthly payments. Q Investigate and Save SISKIYOU FUNERAL SERVICE PHONE n SP 2-5488 ALL WITHIN Siskiyou Memorial Park ONLY MEMBER OREGON INTERMENT ASSOCIATION IN MEDFORD O is) 605 HIGHLAND MARSHALL'S Carpet ' Cleaning Aids CARE BETWEEN CLEANINGS Go over your carpet with sweeper or vacuum daily. Vac uum thoroughly at least one a week. A vacuum with beater brush action (such at a Kirby upright) it best especially for high pile carpets. Ba sura to ask for and get a soil retardant put back in your carpet whan you have it cleaned. 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