WILLIAMS – While the City of Flagstaff Utilites division reports good news for Flagstaff, the recent winter storm does not seem to have had a major impact on the water situation in Williams. It is unknown what a spring thaw might bring in the future.

One person noted in a Facebook post that a Flagstaff radio station reported that Santa Fe dam on Fourth Street/Perkinsville road was full. It is probable that they mixed up the Santa Fe dam reservoir with the Buckskinner Park reservoir which has been filled with well water. The consequence of that was a number of dead fish last August from the chemicals in the well water.

The only impact that the recent snow has had on Santa Fe dam is to cover the road in the center of the dam with snow. The road was put in place to allow dredging of the reservoir a few years ago.

The City of Flagstaff Utilities Division reported on their Facebook page on March 3 that the lake levels in Upper Lake Mary is now 60% full with future runoff from snow melt still to come. This represents a doubling of the level previous to the storm. They estimate that this totals 1.6 billion gallons of water. They deliver approximately 2.8 billion gallons of water to customers throughout the year.

Williams should see what impact the snow melt should have as the temperatures continue to increase into the upper 50s and low 60s next week. The long-range forecast shows a slight chance of rain showers next Friday.