Why Utah’s monsoon rain isn’t refilling reservoirs as drought conditions worsen
The summer’s deluge of monsoon rain has eased demand on local water supplies, but it won’t be enough to pull Utah out of a drought or refill the state’s shrinking reservoirs, state water officials warn. That’s because monsoon storms often hit lower elevations and come in short, intense bursts, said Laura Haskell, drought coordinator with the Utah Division of Water Resources. Much of that water rushes over the ground instead of flowing into the streams that feed Utah’s reservoirs. … At the end of August, Utah’s reservoirs were at 52% of their total capacity statewide, according to the state water division. That’s 15% below what’s typical for this time of year — and 18% lower than where reservoirs stood at this time last year.
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