The Utah Division of Water Resources recently released a Utah Water Condition Update. As of the beginning of July, the state’s water supply is still benefiting from the stellar winter as the gradual melt off has helped replenish water reserves. Utah has received 137% of normal precipitation, compared to last year which saw precipitation to be 7% below normal. Statewide reservoir storage sits at 86% while last year the reservoirs were around 59% full. Normally this time of year the reservoirs are at 72%. The major driver to the efficiency of the state’s runoff is the soil moisture. The record snowpack kept the soil moisture high, which lead to very little runoff soaking into the soil. Instead the run-off refilled streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. The director of the Division of Water Resources, Candice Hasenyager, stated that “last year, we were facing unfavorable records. Now, we are achieving positive milestones.This year’s exceptional snowpack offers us a unique opportunity to enhance our resilience to drought by continuing to conserve and preserve our water supply.”
