Northern Utah mountains and basins have seen near normal precipitation so far this water year and statewide, reservoirs are sitting at about 83% full across the state.
That’s somewhat hopeful news in a season that still has months to go to accumulate more moisture.
“We still have great conditions,” said Gary Henrie, a civil engineer at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
At a water outlook briefing Tuesday, experts reviewed what has happened so far and what the future might bring.
Spring runoff predictions are incredibly difficult to predict right now, Henrie said, but the rough estimate at this point is that many areas may get anywhere from 70% to 90% efficiency.
Runoff at the Great Salt Lake is projected to be 102% of normal, and the lake has risen about four feet since it hit record lows a couple of years ago. While that it still far from being enough to get it to a healthy level, every drop counts — especially in light of its significant evaporation losses. A couple of good water years have helped in its recovery.
Water managers and forecasters are pinning their hopes on the rest of the snowpack accumulation season playing out over the next few months.
The northern Utah valleys are seriously devoid of snow and while it may seem cold outside, it is because we are not used to cold temperatures this winter. An arctic blast is expected to roll in this week, dropping temperatures even more — but bringing little precipitation.
Glen Merrill, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, said this month has been similar to last year’s dry October in terms of measurable precipitation, but of course opposite when it comes to the temperature.
“We had record warmth in October. I kept thinking ‘This is stupid hot.’”
The National Weather Service, in fact, noted in a social posting that this year has been the 10th least snowiest on record, so far, since record keeping from 1886.
While snowpack has reached near normal conditions in northern Utah and some other portions of the state, southwestern Utah is in bad shape.
Jordan Clayton, Utah snow survey supervisor for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said the area is breaking record lows and sits at only 29% of normal.
The area wavers between abysmal precipitation — leading to more concerns about drought — or copious amounts of water that spark flooding.
The Washington County Water Conservancy District is in the midst of the state’s most ambitious water reuse effort, which includes new reservoirs and pump stations. The $1 billion system will also include a water purification facility and new pipelines.
When complete, the system is projected to produce more than 24,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2042, enough water to serve more than 40,000 new homes.