Lake Powell Real Estate Blog Moved!
By Heather | May 8, 2008
Please note the Lake Powell Arizona Utah Real Estate blog has moved to it’s new home at
LAKE POWELL ARIZONA UTAH REAL ESTATE BLOG
In the future Heatherrankin.net will host many photos from the Lake Powell area.
Thanks for your support!
Topics: Lake Powell | No Comments »
Real Estate and the Lake Powell Pipeline Part 1
By Heather | March 22, 2008
First off: There is a meeting scheduled in Big Water, Utah at Town Hall on April 3, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. (Mountain Daylight Time - not AZ time) with the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
This is one of several meetings going on the week of March 31st to inform the public of the status of the Lake Powell Pipeline. Other meetings will be held in Apple Valley, Hurricane and Kanab. These meetings are not meant for public comment - that should be interesting…..
Background: The proposal on the table is to build a 66 inch pipeline from Lake Powell 120 miles to Sand Hollow Reservoir, above St. George, UT. This pipeline would deliver 70,000 acre feet of water annually to St. George. Kane County would receive 10,000 acre feet and Iron County 20,000 acre feet. One acre foot of water is 325,851 gallons and is roughly enough water for a family of four for one year. The Washington County Water Conservancy District has paid for the studies so far.
Wow!
The possible impacts of this pipeline are enormous not only on the growth of new homes and commercial developments in the areas receiving water, but there is a whole other side to this, agricultural. It takes much more water to irrigate one acre of land than one family. One possible benefit of this pipeline is that agricultural areas which in the future would be shut down to reappropriate the water for homes and commerce, would be left alone with their current water supply.
The water would only flow down to Saint George for so many miles. Eventually the water would have to go to a pump station that would pump it up hill so it could get to Sand Hollow. One of the ideas is to have it push turbines on the way down hill to Sand Hollow and generate enough electricity to off set the cost of the initial up hill pumping station. There are seven hydro-power stations proposed along the 120 mile route. Now enter the State of Utah.
A few days ago the State of Utah filed a petition with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asking the FERC to take over the Lake Powell Pipeline project, or at least take the lead in it. This action starts the environmental assessment process in motion and begins the public comment period.
So, now it begins. The Citizens for Dixie’s Future is firmly against the project. Their statement is that the pipeline does not support Utah Dixie’s values of ‘living within their means” From a recent St. George Spectrum Article “Citizens for Dixie’s Future believes our communities can become model desert cities of the future by using local water sources efficiently. Let’s avoid the suffering seen in today’s mortgage crisis. Let’s live within our means.”
Next up - the water district that serves Phoenix and Tucson have a Motion to Intervene as they feel it will threaten their water supply. Can you see the federal law suit looming????
According to Eric Mills, deputy director for the Utah Division of Water Resources “The big news is that we have submitted the preliminary application documents with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and are on our way to a 4 1/2 year process that will result in license permits for the Lake Powell Pipeline Project,” Millis said. “The next big step is the scoping process where we hold meetings where anyone interested in the project can attend and comment”
He then went on to say “Things shouldn’t change too much unless there’s controversy or something unexpected happens and slows things down.”
It would appear from the early input here that controversy is bound to happen.
Part 2 will be an overview of what happens at the Big Water Town Hall meeting on April 3rd… stay tuned!
Links
State Department of Water Resources
Washington County Water Conservancy District
Citizens For Dixie’s Future
Topics: Big Water News, Lake Powell | No Comments »
School in Sedona
By Heather | March 21, 2008
I’ve been attending Arizona Real Estate Licensing School in Sedona. Now, if a person has to go to 90 hours of school, it might as well be in Sedona! On Sunday there was a blizzard which lead to a 139 car pile up in Flagstaff and Sedona received hail, snow, thunder and lightening from the same storm. The following afternoon as the storm was clearing out, I got these two shots.
This one is by a high school, right off the highway.
Topics: Real Estate Tips | 2 Comments »
Lake Powell Colorado River Flood Update
By Heather | March 19, 2008
On Friday the good news started hitting the papers. It was a SUCCESS!!
The general thought is that this flood is all about the endangered fishies. It is, no doubt, but in my book it is also about the sustainable habitat downstream that has been created by the dam, as well as us wee humans enjoyment of the resource.
Before I get to the news, it is somewhat fascinating that the Salt Lake Tribune’s lead story on the flood was “Dam Test Revives Beaches, Gulps $4 million in electricty” while the Arizona Daily Sun out of Flagstaff “Big sandbars from big flood”.
There are two distinct camps in this story, and several arms (no - not adjustable rate mortgages) to each camp.
Camp Environmental dislikes everything to do with the dam and feels it should be done away with. However, that camp has been much quieter the last seven or eight years we’ve been in a drought and Lake Powell levels have fallen as it provides water to the lower states.
Camp Electricity and Water Sports - well yes, most all of us like electricity and like to be able to flip a switch and have it work. 1.5 million folks get power from Glen Canyon Dam on any given day. Somewhere between 2 and 3 million people will visit Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area this year and enjoy this awesome resource.
My soapbox ~ The dam is here. The river is changed. The original fishies are struggling. The power is used. The water storage is used. Managing the dam to make everyone happy is not going to occur. The Bureau of Reclamation and their adaptive management program have changed the way the dam is operated, drastically in the hope of mitigating damage.
On With The News…
“The results of a manmade flood in the Grand Canyon last week were immediate and substantial, adding as much as football field-sized areas of vital sediment to sandbars and banks along the Colorado River” according to Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Steve Martin.
After returning from a five day trip down the river through the Grand Canyon he also said, “On a couple of big sandbars there were already beaver tracks, bighorn sheep tracks. You could see the animals already exploring new aspects of the old canyon.”
He said the new sandbars range in size from small nooks and crannies to ones as large as football fields.
“It changes the feeling of the canyon as you see the sediment along the shoreline from a feeling of increased sterility to one of a greater amount of vibrance,” Martin said. “The benefits are substantial.”
So, how long will the sandbars and newly created habitat last? Some say 18 months, some say much longer. My thought is that we need to continue to monitor the river, continue to care and continue to act in a manner that is reasonable not only for the fishies but for all the people too.
Topics: Lake Powell | No Comments »
Getting Your Home Ready For A Good Show
By Heather | March 13, 2008
As important a landmark as buying a home is in people’s lives, you’d be surprised at how much of it can turn on snap decisions. If you’re selling a house you’ll have to put careful thought into customers’ first impressions, because many sales will be made or lost before they reach the front door – or as soon as they walk through it.
First consider “curb appeal” – the feeling customers get from the upkeep of the house and grounds, and how comfortable this makes them imagining themselves as a resident. You want to do everything you can to make them see your house as their house, both outside and in.
A new paint job is an investment that will more than pay for itself, and neat landscaping – trimmed shrubs, new flowers – puts your prospective buyers in just the right frame of mind. In the desert environment, keeping tumbleweeds removed is a big plus. Eastern Kane County has many homes with natural landscaping which can be shown off to their best with a small amount of time.
Inside, kitchens and bathrooms should be in sparkling condition – these rooms are known to be what makes up many home-seekers’ minds. Removal of odors like pet smells and smoke will lessen distractions for customers you want focusing on your home’s possibilities, and clearing of clutter is crucial.
The less belongings you have crowding your rooms and closets, the bigger the home will appear, and the easier it will be for potential buyers to envision placing their own possessions there. Put some things in storage if you need to, or hold a garage sale to help cut down on some of the build-up you were going to clear out for moving anyway (just hold it before buyers can see the piles on your lawn or the cars lined up on an otherwise peaceful street). For buyers picturing themselves in your home, it’s also good to present the house in as general taste as possible – personal memorabilia, collectibles, and eccentric wall colors and furnishings should go out with the clutter. Repainting rooms in a neutral white also helps convey the sense of spaciousness.
Clean windows, fresh flowers, and other small details with big impact – they’re what you want to remember. From major improvements which guarantee a return on your investment, to subtle touches that tip the scales in your favor, the features of a house that we often take for granted can be the ones that determine your homeselling success. According to the National Association of Realtors®, curb appeal alone accounts for half of all home sales.
A little effort now saves you a lengthy process later. I can guide you in all the above matters and more, from supplying a checklist of presentation tips, to recommending affordable painting contractors, to helping you rearrange the furniture. Whatever it takes, I can give you confidence that, for some buyer soon, the showing of your home will be love at first sight.
Topics: Real Estate Tips | No Comments »
Big Water Speed Limit Reduction a Hit
By Heather | March 13, 2008
No pun intended. Driving though Big Water has changed notably in the last few months. The new 55 mile per hour signs up are a welcome relief to many people on both sides of the Utah/Arizona border.
This is a story with a long history of local residents and elected officials attempting to have the speed limit reduced through Big Water. It is an idea whose time has come.
In April of last year, a local resident and business owner, Mike Miller, was injured and his car totaled while attempting to turn left off Highway 89. Thankfully, Mike survived but sustained serious injuries.
For years, city officials have been attempting to figure out how to have UDOT lower the speed limit through Big Water. Thankfully, the first step in the process has occurred and the limit is now 55 mph instead of 65.
Rick Parsons, Big Water Mayor, has been to numerous UDOT meetings trying to raise the warning flag of impending disaster. The flag got real with Mike’s accident.
Wayne Chapman, a Big Water resident, wrote an open letter to Governor Huntsman in July pleading the case for the lowering of the speed limit before a child is injured or killed.
Not to write my own editorial here but UDOT indicates the speed limit revolves around Big Water’s master plan. However, after 17 years of living here, there have been many people on town council and planning and zoning, who have tried to get this problem addressed to no avail. The traffic on Highway 89, especially in summer months with tourists and visitors to Lake Powell, increases dramatically over winter months. The vehicle that plowed into Mike’s car was a 22 wheeler semi-truck.
The new lower limit hopefully will become permanent and the first in a series of steps to make Big Water’s highway access safer and more visitor friendly.
Here is where the new 55 MPH signs are located on Highway 89. Click on map two times to get full size view.
Topics: Big Water News | No Comments »
Cottonwood Canyon Road Work
By Heather | March 9, 2008
For the past several weeks I’ve been making the 57 mile journey to Kanab from Big Water a couple of times a week. Driving by the Cottonwood Canyon road entrance it is obvious there is major construction work going on. On Thursday, coming back from Kanab, I was behind a large, side dump semi-truck hauling the biggest boulders I have seen in a long time. Being adventurous, I decided to stop at the mouth of the canyon and check it out.
Cottonwood Canyon road is a 48 mile long, sometimes very steep, back country road that leaves Highway 89 outside of Paria and ends up at Cannonville, Utah. Rain can make the road impassable, even to 4-wheel drive vehicles. One of the main attraction on the journey is located about 2/3 up the road toward Cannonville. Grosvenor Arch, a spectacular natural double arch, is one of the most photographed items in the Grand Staircase monument.
For the past two years Cottonwood Canyon road has been in a state of disrepair due to heavy spring flooding. The repair job is costing 1.5 million dollars and is being paid for as a joint venture between 2 federal government agencies and Kane County. The road is scheduled to reopen fully in mid April.
Before you go: Check with the one of the Monument Visitor Centers for road conditions and weather forecasts. The Big Water Visitor Center is staffed year round.
Topics: Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument | No Comments »
Colorado River Spring Runoff and Lake Powell Part 1
By Heather | March 9, 2008
Seven of the last eight years the water flowing into Lake Powell from the Colorado River, and upper basin tributaries, has been in the state of drought. 2002 saw only 25% of average inflow in to the lake. Average is such a misleading word when used in describing events in the desert. Not much average happens here.
This year looks like, while not the end of the drought, to at least be a good water year. As of March 2, 2008 snowpack conditions above Lake Powell are at 124% of normal.
Lake Powell is a huge water storage tank. After all of these years of drought, it is low. That means the lake has been doing it’s job providing water to millions of people and agricultural uses downstream. The lake is currently 110 feet below full and is storing 45% of it’s overall capacity.
A wet spring could see an increase of 50 or more feet of water hit Lake Powell during our spring runoff time. Increase in lake elevation usually begins the end of April and winds up the first week of July. 50 feet would help the lake not only in storage capacity, but in recreational opportunities.
There are plenty of areas to “recreate” on at Lake Powell even with the lower water levels. However, tourism has been down here for several years due to a variety of reasons (another blog). The public perception that Lake Powell is empty, or gone, is but one of them. Maybe, as the lake begins to rise and with the media attention just having been focused here with the floods, we will see more tourists visiting.
Topics: Lake Powell | No Comments »
FHA Increases Limits Nationwide - Stats for Kane County and Coconino County
By Heather | March 7, 2008
Last week, President Bush signed into law a $152 billion economic stimulus bill that includes temporary increases in loan limits for the government sponsored enterprises ie. Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and FHA until December 31. In order to help sort all of this out Realtor.Org has put up a page explaining the new loan limits and breaking them down by each county in the country.
The chart for each county can be found here:
From the National Association of Realtors:
“NAR expects the impact on the housing market to be significant because of the infusion of capital into the mortgage market, which should result in lower interest rates across the board. In addition, there will be a direct impact on high-cost areas that previously required borrowers to take out costlier jumbo mortgages”
For Kane County, Utah this in the second such raise in just six months. Our new limit under the economic stimulus bill is $383,750 up from $291,129.
Coconino County, Arizona, has been increased from $324,000 to $450,000.
Kane Counties last increase was in August of 2007 when new FHA/HUD loan limits went into effect for certain counties nationwide.
According to the HUD/ FHA website, the August increase in loan limits centered around the fact that home prices have increased dramatically the last few years in Kane County.
FHA found that many buyers were well qualified but lacked sufficient down payment funds. The August 2007 increase in loan limits went from the previous $204,250 to $291,129 and was designed to help more consumers in purchasing a single family home.
A big “thank you” should go out to all Kane County real estate and mortgage professional who were instrumental in gathering the data FHA used to determine the August increase, according to HUD regional director, John Carson.
Topics: Mortgage News | No Comments »
Photos of the Glen Canyon Dam 2008 Experimental Floods
By Heather | March 7, 2008
I spent the afternoon checking out the habitat beach building experimental flows from Glen Canyon Dam. The sheer power of the water is awesome. Standing behind the Carl Hayden Visitor Center at the dam the noise of the water floats up the canyon wall. 300,000 gallons of water a second hitting the Colorado River makes a heck of a noise!
We drove to the overlook turnoff by Denny’s and hiked down to “The Whitehouse”. Once there we climbed onto a large cliff and took this photo. The photo is in HDR using two images.
People were coming and going at the overlook behind the visitor’s center, but we stayed quiet awhile. There is something magical about that place. The water, the sun, the technology, the canyon ~ just beautiful.
Topics: Lake Powell | No Comments »
« Previous Entries