Bret Berger
StoneFly Technology
<bret@stoneflytech.com>
Roger Hansen
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Provo Area Office
<rhansen@uc.usbr.gov>
Rachel Jensen
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Provo Area Office
<rjensen@uc.usbr.gov>
v1.3, 21 May 2003
The Emery Water Conservancy District Hydrologic Web Site is the center piece of a system of communications links, computer servers, remote measurement devices, and water gate actuators which enable water managers in the Emery Water Conservancy District to more effectively measure and control the water resources under their control.
This system description attempts to give a general overview of the county and its water issues, how the automation process works, and answer questions about the logistics of how the information gets from the river to your computer screen. If you would like a more detailed description on the history of the Emery county project itself, please see our Project History.
The Emery Water Conservancy District is a water district that is entirely contained within the political boundary of Emery county. Emery county is located in the Green River Basin, east-central Utah. It is 165 miles southeast of Salt Lake City (Utah's capital city). Carbon county borders the region on the north, and was originally part of Emery county. The Green River provides a natural boundary between Emery and Grand counties on the east. On the west and south the county is bordered by the counties; Sevier (west), Sanpete (west), and Wayne (south).
The major towns are Huntington, Castle Dale, and Orangeville, with Huntington being the most populated (1,875 residents). The county population in 1995 was 10,638. This number is expected to rise to approximately 12,510 by 2020. The current growth rate is 1.9%.
The county covers 4,445 square miles of land, only 7% of which is privately owned. The federal government owns 83% of the land and the state of Utah retains ownership of the remaining 10%.
Emery county is known for the geological wonder, the San Rafael Swell. This area is said to have been a hideout for outlaws such as Robert LeRoy Parker (Butch Cassidy) and the Sundance Kid. The region also provides a great environment for fishing, hiking, rock climbing, and horseback riding. The desert scenery is said to be very unique. Emery county has a large number of pictographs and petroglyphs that can still be seen on the rocks of the canyons and on valley hillsides. There were many tribes known to have roamed the area before a group of Mormon colonists settled the region. Among these tribes were the Fremont Indians and the Ute Indians.
The economy in Emery county is maintained mostly by the coal mining and power production industries. The economy also depends on agriculture. The average income was reported at $13,576 in the late 1990's. Average annual precipitation is only about 7.5 inches, although precipitation levels of 30+ inches have been reported in the higher elevations in the region. Elevations range from 3,700 feet above sea level to 11,530 feet above sea level, thus providing a number of different growing climates and physiological areas. Temperatures range from an average of 22 degrees in January to an average of 72 degrees in July.
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