State Water Resources Division Creates
“Utah’s Open Water Data” Portal
The Utah Division of Water Resources announced Tuesday that Utahns can now easily access water use data through a new interactive data portal.
Utah’s Open Water Data portal allows Utahns to zoom and click an area of interest on an interactive map, resulting in a pop up that shows the water use in that area. Citizens can also download the underlying data. The tool improves water data accessibility and transparency. It can be accessed at: www.Water.Utah.Gov/OpenData.html.
“We wanted to present the water use data in a way that is accessible and understandable. This tool allows anyone to easily find, explore and download this important information,” said Aaron Austin, Senior GIS Analyst for the Division.
The portal was released in conjunction with a report that contains an analysis of residential, institutional, commercial and industrial water use data gathered by the Utah Division of Water Rights for the 2015 water year: https://water.utah.gov/2015WaterData.pdf. The analysis reflects updated and improved methodology based on recommendations from a 2015 Legislative Audit, 2017 Legislative follow up Audit and a 2018 third party analysis of the division’s processes.
“We are excited about the methodology accuracy and other improvements this data release represents. A lot of people worked very hard on this,” Rachel Shilton, the division’s River Basin Planning Section Manager, said.
While the improvements are encouraging, these changes make comparing the 2015 numbers to past water use data problematic due to the significant methodology differences. Changes in recommended secondary water use estimate inputs, as well as the transfer of second homes from the commercial category to the residential category, are examples of updates that impact categorical or total use estimates. As a result, the division will use the 2015 data as the new baseline for comparison and planning moving forward.
Likewise, comparisons from region to region within Utah are problematic due to differences in climate, number of vacation homes and other factors. Comparisons between Utah’s water use numbers and data from other states have little value given there is no nationally consistent methodology standard for analyzing and reporting water use numbers.
Administrative processes were changed in 2016 to ensure community water system data corrections are updated in the Utah Division of Water Rights’ database and website; however, these updated processes did not occur for the 2015 data. As a result, the quality checked data released on Tuesday will often differ from what is reflected on the Utah Division of Water Rights’ website. That said, the data released Tuesday underwent both legislative auditor and third-party review, and the division is confident that it is both reflective of regional water use and useful for planning purposes.
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Email: press@oc.usda.gov
USDA Extends Application Deadline for Dairy Margin Protection Program to June 22
Re-enrollment Continues Through June 22, Dairy producers urged to act now
WASHINGTON, June 12, 2018 – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today announced the re-enrollment deadline for the Margin Protection Program (MPP) for Dairy will be extended until June 22, 2018. The new and improved program protects participating dairy producers when the margin – the difference between the price of milk and feed costs – falls below levels of protection selected by the applicant. USDA has already issued more than $89 million for margins triggered in February, March, and April, and USDA offices are continuing to process remaining payments daily.
“Last week we re-opened enrollment to offer producers preoccupied with field work an additional opportunity to come into their local office to sign-up. We did get more than 500 new operations enrolled but want to continue to provide an opportunity for folks to participate before the next margin is announced,” said Secretary Perdue. “More than 21,000 American dairies have gone into our 2,200 FSA offices to sign-up for 2018 MPP coverage but I am certain we can do better with this extra week and a half.”
The re-enrollment deadline was previously extended through June 8, 2018. The deadline is being extended a second time to ensure that dairy producers are given every opportunity to make a calculated decision and enroll in the program if they choose. This will be the last opportunity for producers to take advantage of key adjustments Congress made to provisions of the MPP program under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 to strengthen its support of dairy producers. USDA encourages producers contemplating enrollment to use the online web resource at www.fsa.usda.gov/mpptool to calculate the best levels of coverage for their dairy operation.
The next margin under MPP, for May 2018, will be published on June 28, 2018. Therefore, all coverage elections on form CCC-782 and the $100 administrative fee, unless exempt, must be submitted to the County FSA Office no later than June 22, 2018. No registers will be utilized, so producers are encouraged to have their enrollment for 2018 completed by COB June 22, 2018.
All dairy operations must make new coverage elections for 2018 during the re-enrollment period, even if the operation was enrolled during the previous 2018 signup. Coverage elections made for 2018 will be retroactive to January 1, 2018. MPP payments will be sequestered at a rate of 6.6 percent.
To learn more about the Margin Protection Program for dairy, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency county office at offices.usda.gov or visit us on the Web at www.fsa.usda.gov.
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Love Thy Neighbor: Utahns Would Lend $177 to Help a Neighbor in Need, Reveals Survey.
“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” is one of the best known biblical commandments. But is it put into practice in American communities today?
New research from leading all-American window and door manufacturer, Windows USA, revealed that it is, with the average American stating they’d lend their neighbors a significant $166.85 if they were in need. What a country of good Samaritans!
Windows USA’s survey of 4,050 people highlights Americans’ big-heartedness across the country, but which state is the most generous? That is - if you suddenly find yourself with broken windows in mid-winter or without a roof in summer, who could you rely on the most?
Overall, it appears Alaskans have the biggest hearts – or the biggest wallets – revealing that they’d lend a considerable $706.15 to their neighbors. Following them are the good people of The Beehive State, who said they would lend a hefty $177.25 – among the most generous people in the U.S.! Residents of these states should have no problem asking the people next door to water their plants if they were going on vacation then! On the other end of the scale, North Dakotans were the least giving, though they would still lend $16.26 if their neighbors needed financial support.
Windows USA have created an interactive map of the U.S. to show how much people across the nation would be prepared to lend a neighbor in need:
http://www.windowsusa.com/love-thy-neighbor/
Windows USA’s survey may have proved that we’re a charitable country on the whole, but how long would we give our neighbors to pay us back? According to the results, the average person would wait 1.6 months before asking for repayment (if it hadn’t been made). Interestingly, one in ten (9.4%) said they would also charge interest if they lent money to a neighbor – so if you ever find yourself in need, make sure to find out the terms first! It’s the men who appear savvier (or more ruthless rather) when it comes to lending money, as 13.3% stated they’d charge interest, compared to just 5.9% of women.
What was surprising is that even though the average person is prepared to lend their neighbor a substantial amount of money, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re prepared to socialize with them! Windows USA’s survey revealed that in the past year the average household has spent less than four days hanging out with their neighbors (3.7 times in fact)! Considering they are literally just a few steps away 365 days a year, that’s not a great deal of entertaining happening... But despite this, a significant 42.2% of respondents said that they would consider their neighbors as friends.
So how many Americans would actually reach out to their neighbors and ask for money if they needed it? Well, over one in ten (14.8%) admitted they would ask to borrow money from next door. And surprisingly, despite feeling close enough to ask for cash, less than half (41.8%) of people would not give their neighbors a spare key to their home.
The survey also found that around only 1 in 10 Americans (13.6%) would also reach out to a neighbor for help with handy work, such as installing a new door or window. However, the majority of respondents said they wouldn’t trust their neighbor’s skills in the DIY department however, as 33.4% would prefer to call in a professional.
One of the most heartening statistics to come out of this study was that the majority of Americans (77.3%) would even volunteer to temporarily house their neighbors if their home became unliveable, for one reason or another.
Michael Allbritton from Windows USA says: “One of the biggest insights from our survey was how the majority of Americans will support and house a neighbor in need. It’s also deeply encouraging to find that people will provide considerable financial assistance to others in their community. It is clear from our study communities across the country can rely on each other as part of a wider support network.”
