Snowpack buys Utah’s water supply some time but planning for a drier future is key
The high Utah mountains gained 30 inches of water this winter, compared to 12 inches the year before. That amount of water in one season has done wonders for Utah’s ongoing drought. “This time last year, about 99% of the state was in severe drought,” said Laura Haskell, the drought coordinator with the Utah Division of Water Resources. “So we have just about 14% [that] is in the moderate drought category. And that’s it.” Prior to this winter, Haskell thought it would take “several years” to replenish the reservoirs because of “how low they were.” Now, “all our reservoirs are expected to fill this year,” with the exception of Strawberry and Lake Powell. While Great Salt Lake’s water level has risen by 4 feet this year, it still needs more to ease concern.