Thursday, October 25, 2018

Update for Water Advisory Board


I took the liberty of updating a water supply slide from last month's Water Advisory Board meeting.  We have been blessed with significant runoff rains.  For this I am grateful.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

North and South Pools to Equalize with Less than Two Foot Rise

Image result for twin buttes north pool level with south pool

If the North Pool at Twin Buttes Reservoir increases 1.7 feet it will be level with the South Pool.  This hasn't happened in my 25 years living in San Angelo.  I've windsurfed and paddle-boarded both pools but never have been able to go between the pools (other than by land).

Our recent water level rise has been historic.  Early September 2018 pool levels were similar to those pictured here from 2012.  The North Pool is up over 32 feet since mid September.

Related image

The irony is the City of San Angelo just thumbed Tom Green County farmers who have significant water rights to Twin Buttes.  It will interesting to see if farmers chose to ignore city effluent in favor of Twin Buttes lake water.

Update 10-28-18:  The Standard Times ran a story on wastewater reuse.  It did not mention the city deal with local farmers to take effluent in place of water from Twin Buttes.

Update 10-29-18:  Concho Valley Homepage picked up the equalization story.   They said the pools equalized at 1926.50 ft elevation.  From prior readings of the South Pool the target I used was 1927 ft elevation.  What's a half foot between friends?   

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Massive Runoff into Twin Buttes and Lake Ivie

Twin Buttes North Pool rose over 14 feet, adding at least 30,000 acre feet to San Angelo's water supplies.


 The North Pool only has to increase 6 more feet for the pools to equalize.  That hasn't happened for a long time.

Lake Ivie did even better with a 48,000 acre foot increase.

Blessings from heaven.  Lord, keep everyone safe in the midst of all this.

Update 10-19-18:  Twin Buttes holds roughly 80,000 acre feet of water between the two pools.

Update 10-21-18:  It now holds over 90,000 acre feet between the two pools.  Lake Ivie has double this amount with 185,600 acre feet and Lake Spence 113,300 acre feet (with no functioning pipeline to supply the city water).

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Twin Buttes Tributaries Flowing



The North Pool at Twin Buttes Reservoir rose over five feet in the last week and seventeen feet in the last month.  All four tributaries contributed to today's rapid increase but the South Concho River topped the list.


Yes, it does flow into the South Pool, no longer in dead pool status.  The water runs through the Equalization Channel into the North Pool.  The next biggest contributor was Dove Creek.


The Middle Concho River, long high and dry, did its part to raise the North Pool:


Thank heaven for the rain.  May it raise our lakes in a manner that keeps people safe. 

Update 10-17-18:  The South Concho flowed at 19,000 cubic feet per second as of 22:45 this evening.  Twin Buttes North Pool is up another foot to 1911.71.