Frequently Ask Questions
Q: What and who is the Duchesne/Strawberry River Water Users Association?
A: The Duchesne/Strawberry River Water Users Association consists of river commissioner(s) (state employees under the Utah Division of Water Rights), along with canal companies which are operated out of the homes of their managers, and the employees (i.e. ditch riders, water masters) who are seasonal. The association is made up of people who control the water use or rather regulate the water use and water rights for the Duchesne area. The D/SRWUA is one of seven agencies to manage water resources in the Duchesne area.
Q: What water resources does the D/SRWUA manage?
A: The D/SRWUA manages several rivers, canals, and reservoirs in the Duchesne county, along with other water agencies that also have ownership or water resources in the area. Some of the towns serviced are Duchesne, Fruitland, Myton, Roosevelt, Tabiona, and Upalco.
Q: Where does all of this real-time data come from?
A: There are many data collection stations along the river and at the reservoirs. Each station is equiped with sensors that measure various parameters (i.e. voltage, river flow, temperature). The data is recorded by a commercial datalogger (CR-10 from Campbell Scientific). Some of the stream flow data comes from stations operated by the USGS (United States Geological Survey). Snow pack data is measured at stations operated by the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service).
Q: How often is the data gathered?
A: Most data is gathered once every hour. Some data, such as images from the cameras, are collected as often as once every 10 minutes.
Q: How does the data get from the water sources to my computer?
A: Each station is equipped with sensors that measure various parameters (i.e. voltage, river flow, temperature). The data is recorded by a commercial datalogger (CR-10 from Campbell Scientific). Once an hour real-time data is transferred to the datahut via VHF radio, 900 MHz spread spectrum radio, over the Internet, via land-line telephone, or by cell-phone, where it is stored in a database. Each time you click on the web page, the code for the page instructs the web server to go and find the most recent data. Your browser then displays all the information on a web page.
The USGS stream flow data travels via satellite link and the NRCS SNOTEL data uses a radio transmission system called “meteorburst”.
Q: Please explain the remotely controlled canal gates.
A: The canal gates can be programmed to maintain a certain flow out of the reservoir. In addition, the “station” is equipped with a VHS radio and telephone equipment that is used to transmit the data to the server. These, however, are two-way devices, meaning that with the correct “login” someone can call the station and reset the parameters, such as the gate height or river flow. The sensors tell the program when the gate is meeting the new specifications. This type of automation is obviously applicable only to stations that have control gates or other means of channeling the water in a controlled way.
Q: What operating systems and programs does your webserver use?
A: The web server is an Apache-powered web server, run on a Red-Hat Linux system. In addition, the server stores data in a MySQL database. The code for the sites is written using mostly PHP mixed with HTML. Some features are made available using scripts written in Perl.
Q: I can’t find the page I’m looking for but it was there yesterday.
A: The site is constantly updating, adding, and changing. As technology improves and the users needs change, the site evolves to try and meet these needs. Sometimes files get re-named and/or moved. If you are having trouble finding a page email the webmaster
Q: Where can I go for more information?
A: Our system description gives a great overview of the county and how the site works. It gives more detailed explanations of the system components and where the site is looking to go in the future. It can be found under the “About” link on the menu bar.
Q: I found an error – Who do I report it to?
A: If you find an error on the site or a page that is not working, PLEASE report it to
