Water level at Mae Kuang Dam

[LawrenceN]

There has been a lot of talk lately about the water shortage. I bike up to the Mae Kuang Dam outside of Doi Saket frequently, every seven to ten days. I have decided to document the water level for anyone interested here in ThaiVisa. I will take these photos from the same point, though the zoom may vary a bit. You can encourage me to keep it up by liking my posts. I'm open to constructive suggestions.

Mods: Please leave this open through the rainy season. I plan to add photos over the next four months. Hope this is allowed.

Here is the first photo I took on July 9:

Here is the second photo, taken today:

I think you'll agree the photos are almost identical. Check out those rocks at the tip of the narrow strip of land that extends into the water. There was a bit of rain during these six days, but usage for tap water continued as normal, presumably. There is no water running in the irrigation canals from this dam.

[taotoo]

Data here in case it's of interest:

http://www.maekuangudomthara.com/home

[jonwilly]

Thanks for the photos.

i remember back in 2011 ? when the level was flooding the lowest tables in the restaurant maybe a 50 Ft difference.

john

[ChiangMai2]

From roughly the same spot, admittedly its about 9 years between the two pictures but its almost unrecognizable in my opinion.

[MESmith]

2011 at the restaurant

[khwaibah]

Taken December 2011.

Spillway.

[LawrenceN]

New photo today. Still no water in the irrigation canals. Note that the slender strips of land are more submerged now. A rock has disappeared from the long one, and a formerly attached rock on the left is surrounded by water.

Edited July 25, 2015 by LawrenceN

[MESmith]

Get a lot more rain over the hills than we get here in the valley.

Keep posting

[chiang mai]

The irrigation canals here have been flooded continuously for the past seven days, the klong that runs through our garden has not stopped. Mae Rim

[MESmith]

The irrigation canals here have been flooded continuously for the past seven days, the klong that runs through our garden has not stopped. Mae Rim

Other side of valley, different source. San Kamphaeng canals dry as a nun's.....

[chiang mai]

The irrigation canals here have been flooded continuously for the past seven days, the klong that runs through our garden has not stopped. Mae Rim

Other side of valley, different source. San Kamphaeng canals dry as a nun's.....

I'm a wiz with blue pipe, maybe we can divert some, or perhaps not.

Sorry, hope it all improves soon.

[LawrenceN]

The irrigation canals here have been flooded continuously for the past seven days, the klong that runs through our garden has not stopped. Mae Rim

Other side of valley, different source. San Kamphaeng canals dry as a nun's.....

Here's a map from the Irrigation Department showing a comparison of the water levels in the dams nationwide, as of July 15 this year and last::

https://www.facebook.com/raorukcholpratan/photos/pb.181317751941273.-2207520000.1437870695./900571560015885/?type=3&theater

The area around Mae Rim is watered by the Mae Ngat Dam, which was at 42% capacity last year, 20% this year. As MESmith noted. San Kamphaeng, which is watered by the Mae Kuang Dam is dry, probably because its water level was at 20% last year and only 12% this year.

I couldn't find a set of maps that gives more detail about the coverage of the water supply by each dam. This national map is too rough to show who's supplied where in Chiang Mai Province. A farmer told me that the Mae Kuang Dam supplies water all the way to Lamphun (through San Kamphaeng, as we already know).

[chiang mai]

Makes sense, so close yet so far away.

[MESmith]

Most of the smaller reservoirs in San Kamphaeng are very low.

[LawrenceN]

Surprise! Despite the recent rains, today's photo shows a significant decrease in the water level, probably due to maximum outflow from the dam. I was assured by the guy cutting grass that the reservoir will fill in the next two months.

[maanoi]

Wow massive drop. They are really gambling that the rains will keep coming

[kaptainrob]

Surprise! Despite the recent rains, today's photo shows a significant decrease in the water level, probably due to maximum outflow from the dam. I was assured by the guy cutting grass that the reservoir will fill in the next two months.

Because he believes in Buddha will provide ... or TMD's propaganda?

[MESmith]

The main irrigation canal running down the east side of the valley from Kuang dam has had plenty of water for a week now. They're letting water go for farmers, now that the rains have arrived.

How quick will it fill up? More than the 2 months quoted above, imho.

[LawrenceN]

The main irrigation canal running down the east side of the valley from Kuang dam has had plenty of water for a week now. They're letting water go for farmers, now that the rains have arrived.

How quick will it fill up? More than the 2 months quoted above, imho.

I thought it was clear I was joking when I said the guy cutting the grass predicted two months. He was a ragged minimum-wage guy. Of course, he has no knowledge or authority to make that claim, other than what he was told by the people around him. In other words, it's anyone's guess. I hope it fills in two months, but I agree with you that that prediction is perhaps overly optimistic.

[junglechef]

Anybody know if the boats that will take you across Mae Guam are still around?

[kaptainrob]

The main irrigation canal running down the east side of the valley from Kuang dam has had plenty of water for a week now. They're letting water go for farmers, now that the rains have arrived.

How quick will it fill up? More than the 2 months quoted above, imho.

I thought it was clear I was joking when I said the guy cutting the grass predicted two months. He was a ragged minimum-wage guy. Of course, he has no knowledge or authority to make that claim, other than what he was told by the people around him. In other words, it's anyone's guess. I hope it fills in two months, but I agree with you that that prediction is perhaps overly optimistic.

Usually a good idea to put a smilie or a few 555's after a joke or ppl will think you are a bit thick.

[LawrenceN]

New photo of the Mae Kuang Dam today. It's at its lowest level yet. There is no outflow in the irrigation canals leaving the dam.

I stopped roadside at one point today to talk to a farmer who was watching his hired man disc his field with a tractor. The field was dry. I asked him what he was going to plant, thinking maybe corn instead of rice to obviate the need for water. But no, he's preparing the field for rice. He said irrigation water is all gone and farmers would depend on rain. But that makes sense. That's the way it was for hundreds of years. Irrigation, when it came along in the 20th century was to make a second rice crop possible outside the rainy season.

Oh, by the way, I noticed this equipment on a building's roof (2nd photo) overlooking one section of the dam. I'm guessing it's a time-lapse photography setup. Can anyone confirm that? Note the big camera and the cylindrical thing next to it with the solar panel attached. I'm going to look around the Dam's website a bit more. If I find a page showing the dam filling in time lapse, I'll post the link here and stop posting my photos. If I don't find that page, I'll keep posting; any excuse for a bike ride ;^).

[kaptainrob]

Looks like a weather station with rainfall, temps etc + a CCTV.

[taotoo]

I agree it's weather stuff - it was put there a couple of years a go - previously they had an upside-down oil drum that presumably collected rain water for measurement. At least one of the three dams to the west has a similar setup.

[MESmith]

cctv is to check if anyone steals the water

[LawrenceN]

New photo today. Still not even up to where it was mid-July. No outflow into the irrigation canals.

[LawrenceN]

New photo. Reservoir filling slowly. Not much rain this week, but maybe rains more in the hills (as someone already pointed out). Note that what was sandy beach on the left is now covered.

[chiang mai]

Thanks for posting these pictures Lawrence, it's appreciated and really useful to see how it all might pan out.

[Sparkles]

Nice photos Laurence ,keep them coming if you have time.

Can't remember a drier "wet season," never before have we had to water the garden so consistently in the 7 years we have been here.I know thats only

a relatively short period but whether its the El Nino effect or not September is with us and records show the heaviest rain fall should come now.

If it doesn't the period October through to May may see some serious water shortages.

Its apparently raining hard in Chiang Rai...bring it on.

[LawrenceN]

New photo Saturday morning. Gates are open to allow irrigation outflow, which surprised me. Maybe one of our friends in Sankampaeng can tell us how long it's been flowing this time.