WMOD00314

• Project Name: Uintah Ecology Project
• Title: Potential Ecological Impacts of Snowpack Augmentation in the Uintah Mountains, Utah
• Date: 4/20/1981
• State: UT
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

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19

ANNUAL PRECIPITATIQN

Although the isohyeta1 map of Jeppson et a1. (1968) shows five

separate areas along the crest of the Uintas to receive over 101.6 cm

(40 in) of precipitation annually, the SCS precipitation gages show only

two stations to receive an average of over 40 inches. Lightening Lake at

3,338 m (10,950 ft) elevation on the headwaters of Rock Creek (tributary

to the Duchesne River) receives the largest known annual prec~pitation

in the Uintas with an average of 104.9 cm (41.3 in). The other station

with over 102 cm precipitation per year is at 3,020 m (9,900 ft) on

Shingle Mill Flat at the headwaters of the Weber river: this station

averaged 104.2 cm (41.0 in) for the last ten years, but only 99.7 cm

(39.2 in) in the period 1973-78. Trial Lake on the upper reaches of

Provo River lies at 2,989 m (9,800 ft) and is midway between Lightening

Lake and Shingle Mill Flats: that station averaged 98.8 cm (38.9 in) in

the period of concern. Lakefork Basin (at 11,100 ft. or 3,386 m) aver-

aged 88.9 cm (35.0 in) during the same period: this station is slightly

east of Lightening Lake and on the headwaters of Lakefork Creek. During

this period, two other stations on the upper part of the Weber River

watershed received over 95 cm (37 in): Redden Mine at 2,745 m (9,000

ft) and Chalk Creek No.1 station at 2,776 m (9,100 ft).

The storage gages thus suggest that only the northwest quarter of

the Uintas and the highlands just beyond that area to the southeast and

on the headwaters of the Duchesne River received over 102 cm annual

precipitation in the period 1973-78. Only two other stations outside

this area of the Uintas received over 84 cm (33 in) of precipitation per

year over the period 1973-78. Those exceptions were the Highline Trail