Water Level Too Low to Launch at Chin

[Pike fisher]

The title pretty much says it all.

Took four young boys out this morning thinking that we were going to hammer some 'eyes at Chin, only to find out that the lake is about half its normal size. I would estimate that it is down about 20 feet. Impossible to launch a boat, the shore is so muddy you probably can't even put a canoe in.

Fortunately the Ridge is right full, so we went cross country to there and had a great day on the lake.

[jeffreys 21234]

Yea that's what inlaws told me on their way back from the states farmers must be running the pivots like crazy this year with the little bit of rain I'll still. Never forget when that lake fryer up to pretty much a channel running threw the middle that was one dry hot summer

[kouleerunner]

Chin was lowest in 2001, canal under the bridge was visible. Long story as to why.

[Wes_G]

http://www.environment.alberta.ca/ap...ort.aspx?wor=2

As of Friday, Chin is at %36.2 capacity. I am wondering how low they are going to let it get before they start pulling water from some other reservoirs. Definitely sucks for the fishery.

[calgarygringo]

I remember that low year well. Drove my F150 out to the edge of the canal under the bridge for a picture. Normally 25 feet or so of water in the spot.

[npauls]

Saw pictures of chin today and you can pretty much walk across the whole lake by the bridge.

Wont be long now until it is too empty for them to pull anymore water.

[TROLLER]

I wonder why they would be holding water back at Stafford. Must be a reason to lower Chin, F&W must be OK as long as there is still some water for the fish.

[MathewsArcher]

Irrigation facilities are not managed for fish and the irrigation district can in fact kill fish under licence by DFO. No requirements to ensure fish survival in these impoundments.

[panko]

Yes matthewsarcher we all get that we've heard it a million times then explain to me why all other lakes r full but chin is a puddle Waterton full, forty mile full,Safford full, rattlesnake full, that's smrid then u go to EID.Newell full,Rolling Hills full, you get the idea. So tell me why chin is empty. Don't tell because they can we all know that, tell me why just chin is empty.

[huntsfurfish]

Probably because corn crops and suger beets crops require more water.

This is not unusual for chin to draw down more than others.

[panko]

Huntsfurfish wrong there's corn and sugar beets all threw the south, picture butt has way more corn than the chin area has and kehoe is good.

[huntsfurfish]

Originally Posted by panko

Huntsfurfish wrong there's corn and sugar beets all threw the south, picture butt has way more corn than the chin area has and kehoe is good.

Ok so why is it? Is the Picture Butte corn sweet corn for human consumption or silage? Also 2 different irrigation districts. Some reservoirs require certain levels to keep the flow going in canals as well. 40 mile is end of a line reservoir and expensive to get water out(all has to be pumped out to another canal).

Edit:

40 mile - 88%
Sauder - 67%
Murray - 49%
Chin - 32%
Stafford - 97%
Horsefly - 63%
Grassy -76%

As said you have to pump out 40 mile and that costs money.
Stafford I believe needs to maintain higher levels to flow into the canal, grassy also and there might be water agreements on some of these other reservoirs as well such as Milk River ridge(not 100% sure about this one though).

[700]

Any pics?

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by panko

Yes matthewsarcher we all get that we've heard it a million times then explain to me why all other lakes r full but chin is a puddle Waterton full, forty mile full,Safford full, rattlesnake full, that's smrid then u go to EID.Newell full,Rolling Hills full, you get the idea. So tell me why chin is empty. Don't tell because they can we all know that, tell me why just chin is empty.

Rattlesnake is not full.

[Dale S]

[QUOTE=huntsfurfish;3591017]Probably because corn crops and suger beets crops require more water.

This is not unusual for chin to draw down more than others.[/QU

Potatos use the most water.

[panko]

Huntsfurfish I don't know why, I'm asking, I've been asking smrid seems to b top secret, everyone tells us all cause they can. No Chet where is all this after we kept hearing about all winter. Snow pack was 110 % of normal. I just want someone to tell why EID can manage the water better than smrid

[panko]

Yes dales I've lived here my whole life to, I know what crops are grown here.But dale don't u find it strange chin is the one every year ?

[rcmc]

Chin is to small to meet down stream demand on a dry year, (Bottleneck)
it needs to be expanded.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by panko

Yes dales I've lived here my whole life to, I know what crops are grown here.But dale don't u find it strange chin is the one every year ?

Phone them, tell them their irrigation, is putting a damper on your fishing.

[thenaturalwoodsman]

Originally Posted by rcmc

Chin is to small to meet down stream demand on a dry year, (Bottleneck)
it needs to be expanded.

Can't be? If Chin is to small to meet the demand now, then tell me why the Hutterite colony that is expanding just got all the "New SMRID" water rights on top of the lake going east??

[thenaturalwoodsman]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

Phone them, tell them their irrigation, is putting a damper on your fishing.

Some of you city people should just worry about bike paths, curling rinks, and going to the mega mall.

[fluxcore]

Chin has some "VERY" deep holes that will keep the fish going, maybe even fatten them up with the concentrated bait fish available! Access is pooched for the remainder of the season and will only get worse that's the biggest issue

[MathewsArcher]

Originally Posted by panko

Huntsfurfish I don't know why, I'm asking, I've been asking smrid seems to b top secret, everyone tells us all cause they can. No Chet where is all this after we kept hearing about all winter. Snow pack was 110 % of normal. I just want someone to tell why EID can manage the water better than smrid

I have no idea really but imagine the EID has a much larger allocation to divert and store under their licence. As the Basin is closed neither EID or SMID can apply for increased diversion licences. If SMID chooses to use all the water they have under licence they can choose to do so.


Neither can divert more than what is allocated to them under licence.

[huntsfurfish]

Originally Posted by panko

Huntsfurfish I don't know why, I'm asking, I've been asking smrid seems to b top secret, everyone tells us all cause they can. No Chet where is all this after we kept hearing about all winter. Snow pack was 110 % of normal. I just want someone to tell why EID can manage the water better than smrid

Its been kinda hot. And little to no rain too.

[huntsfurfish]

Originally Posted by panko

Huntsfurfish I don't know why, I'm asking, I've been asking smrid seems to b top secret, everyone tells us all cause they can. No Chet where is all this after we kept hearing about all winter. Snow pack was 110 % of normal. I just want someone to tell why EID can manage the water better than smrid

Its been kinda hot. And little to no rain too. Not sure you know that.

[panko]

Yep it doesn't get hot in brooks that's funny

[huntsfurfish]

[QUOTE=Dale S;3591054]

Originally Posted by huntsfurfish

Probably because corn crops and suger beets crops require more water.

This is not unusual for chin to draw down more than others.[/QU

Potatos use the most water.

Thanks Dale.

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by thenaturalwoodsman

Some of you city people should just worry about bike paths, curling rinks, and going to the mega mall.

Maybe Calgarians and South need to lobby for a new super mega, mega mall with a fish pond in it to take pressure off the reservoirs.

[kouleerunner]

OK, I'm funny this way, but I have to Fact Check everything in my world, and I hate bad information going across a Forum (makes me wonder why I am part of many forums....).

Water usage by crop
Alfalfa 540-680mm (largest user)
Corn (Silage) 500-550mm
Timothy 500-550mm
Sugar Beets 500mm
Potatoes 400-550mm
Wheat 420-480mm
Barley 380-420mm

Source: Alberta Agriculture.

Now, most of the heavy user crop are located downstream of chin, and most are heavy users use water through the entire season. Grains are basically finished around Mid July.

Crops downstream of chin require water sooner than those upstream (climate and planting date). Thus higher demand earlier. There is the possibility to hold water back for power generation as well, however I dispel this for now, as power generation does not hold much return these days, but may still be a factor.

After ponderting this I would suspect that SMIRD holds as much water upstream as possible, as lower use crops and shorter season are upstream, to be able to supply the higher water, higher value crops later in the season, such as Sugar Beets, Potatoes, and Silage Corn, and make room in the fall for spring Runoff in upstream reservoirs. This is my suspicion, not fact, but the point is there is more to this than what we may see.

Long story short, there is much more to water operations in an irrigation district than what we know an see. Dale S is correct, this is not unusual. It happens almost every year, last year was an exception, as unusual high rainfall in July reduced the irrigation requirements of the crops.

my 2c

[Dale S]

A couple of pics from the west dam of Chin. And on the other side of the dam is Stafford. I know the SMRID has an agreement with the land owners to keep the water levels up.

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