Latest news with #UtahWaterWays
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
The shape of Utah's water supply heading into the summer months
Utah's snowpack, which reached its peak late in March, suffered rapid depletion in April in most basins in the state to well-below normal precipitation. This culminates in a spring runoff that does not spin a good outcome. 'Resultingly, the water supply forecasts issued in this report predict substantially lower runoff volumes than those from last month,' according to the latest Utah Water Supply Outlook report issued this week by the Utah Snow Survey of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The report said as of May 1, Utah's statewide snow water equivalent (SWE) was 64% of normal (39% lower than last year's May 1 value, and a 28% drop from last month) Utah's fickle weather has many residents concerned. A poll released earlier this year said slightly less than half of Utahns seem to believe the state has enough water to meet our needs today, but 57% doubt that we will have enough water 20 years from now, according to a new study of Utahns' perceptions and priorities regarding water. The study released in April and was conducted by Envision Utah in partnership with Utah Water Ways, the Utah Division of Water Resources and the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner. Interestingly, 9 out of 10 respondents believe that they use less water than the average household, but 41% feel guilty for the amount of water they use on their landscaping. They also erroneously believed that more water is used statewide on indoor uses (like showering or washing dishes) than on outdoor irrigation and landscaping. At the time, Jason Brown, executive vice president of communications and education at Envision Utah, said a surprise takeaway from the survey is the worry by Utah residents that there will not be enough water to meet demand 20 years from now. 'To be honest, from a water conservation perspective, we were a little bit relieved that there's that much concern about the future because our water does sort of cycle from year to year, where one year we have a really dry year, we don't have a ton of snowpack, and then, you know, the next year we might have a lot more. It's easy to maybe get dismissive and say, 'You know what? It's going to be just fine.'' The latest numbers released in the NRCS report this week underscore the disparities that happen in how Mother Nature treats Utah when it comes to water. It shows: Extremely poor snowmelt runoff is forecasted for southern Utah, while northern Utah forecasts are more optimistic. Values range from 7% to 35% of average for the Southeastern Utah, Escalante-Paria, and Southwestern Utah regions, with the Upper Sevier only slightly better. Farther north, the Price-San Rafael and Duchesne basins have snowmelt runoff predictions in the 50% to 82% of average. Closer to the Wasatch Front, the forecast numbers vary widely; from as low as 28% of average for West Canyon Creek near Cedar Fort to as high as 93% of average for the Provo River at Woodland. Second only to Oregon, Utah is in the best overall condition for reservoir storage in the West, sitting at 83% of average, down only 4% from last year. While intermittent rainstorms this month have helped to delay the need for irrigation, the NRCS and other water watchers stress that conservation is vital to keep reservoir storage as stable as possible so there is enough carryover for next year. Michael Sanchez, spokesman for the Utah Division of Water Resources, said it is important for people to be vigilant. 'Conservation will be key as we move into summer. We do have a strong reservoir storage kind of throughout the state, but southern Utah is still struggling,' he said. Sanchez mentioned the drought declaration Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued last month for 17 counties, stressing the need for conservation and the wise use of water. 'We just want to make sure everyone is still taking that conservation mindset to heart and still still using water as wisely as they can,' Sanchez said. The division has a useful tool on its website advising residents of the amount of water they for landscaping given a specific area's condition. .
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Will the tap run dry? Most Utahns worry that will be our reality
Slightly less than half of Utahns seem to believe the state has enough water to meet our needs today, but 57% doubt that we will have enough water 20 years from now, according to a new study of Utahns' perceptions and priorities regarding water. The study released Thursday was conducted by Envision Utah in partnership with Utah Water Ways, the Utah Division of Water Resources and the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner. Other key findings include: Three out of four survey respondents were at least moderately concerned about water in Utah, and survey respondents rated water as the state's No. 2 priority behind housing/cost of living. Utahns are fairly split on whether or not their actions can make a difference through water conservation. Nine out of 10 respondents believe that they use less water than the average household, but 41% feel guilty for the amount of water they use on their landscaping. Survey respondents erroneously believe that more water is used statewide on indoor uses (like showering or washing dishes) than on outdoor irrigation and landscaping, but a majority see curbing outdoor water use as the most important way to reduce water use overall. The survey was conducted among 800 Utah residents in summer 2024. It found that Utahns seem to have a fairly sophisticated understanding of the role water plays in their quality of life — including hygiene, drinking water and food production as well as broader topics like the overall economy and outdoor recreation. Landscaping emerged in the survey as the No. 1 way to solve the water problem. Utah has made investments to make water-wise landscaping more attainable. More information can be found here. Some examples include savings of up to $150 to replace aging, high-water-use toilets with WaterSense-certified, water-conserving alternatives with a limit of two per household, and smart controller irrigation rebates of $100. Regionally, 63% of the state's population is qualified to receive up to $3 per square foot of incentive when they replace existing lawns with waterwise plants and other landscaping. Jason Brown, executive vice president of communications and education at Envision Utah, said a surprise takeaway from the survey is the worry by Utah residents that there will not be enough water to meet demand 20 years from now. 'To be honest, from a water conservation perspective, we were a little bit relieved that there's that much concern about the future because our water does sort of cycle from year to year, where one year we have a really dry year, we don't have a ton of snowpack, and then, you know, the next year we might have a lot more. It's easy to maybe get dismissive and say, 'You know what? It's going to be just fine.'' Brown said he believes those numbers represent an awakening among residents about the realities that come from living in Utah. 'I think what we see there is people recognizing that we're in a desert state and that water does seem to vary from our water levels in our communities and in the mountains and lakes and our snowpack,' he said. 'The reality is we are a desert state, and we are going to have to make some changes to how we use our water if we want to make sure that we have enough for the future. And so for people to be recognizing that this is going to be a challenge is honestly probably a good thing,' Brown said. 'It is probably a good place for us to be, living in the state that we live.' He said the groups were also surprised to learn that most people mistakenly believe indoor water consumption outpaces the water used on landscaping. 'There seems to be a perception that, you know water waste, or the most water that's being wasted or that's used is occurring inside people's homes when the reality is that our outdoor water use is generally a lot higher than what we use and waste indoors,' Brown said. With spring upon us, Brown reminded Utah residents that this is the perfect time for people to begin planning on changing up their landscaping preferences and taking advantage of the money that is available to help make that transition.
