Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued an Executive Order Thursday declaring a state of emergency in 17 counties due to drought conditions that are leading to low streamflow forecasts and increased water demand.
Those include: Washington, Iron, San Juan, Kane, Juab, Emery, Grand, Beaver, Garfield, Piute, Millard, Tooele, Uintah, Carbon, Sevier, Sanpete and Wayne.
Currently, severe drought covers 42% of the state and 4% is experiencing extreme drought.
The governor’s office said the last time conditions warranted a drought declaration was in April 2022. At that time, 65% of the state was in extreme drought, with over 99% of Utah experiencing at least severe drought conditions.
That same year the Utah Drought Response Plan was created to outline a process for monitoring the state’s water supply availability.
The Division of Water Resources monitors conditions through monthly coordination with state and federal partners. The Drought Response Committee meets twice a year regardless of conditions.
If drought develops, the committee meets more frequently to coordinate and address needs.
The state’s reservoir storage is serving as a buffer for Utah’s water supply, but director of the Utah Division of Water Resources Candice Hasenyager asked residents to be aware of how much water they are using.
She said, “Hold off on irrigating until your landscape needs it. Most of northern Utah can hold off on irrigating until Mother’s Day or until temperatures are in the mid-70s for several days.”
Utah’s snowpack peaked on March 23 at 14.3 inches, which is equal to the state’s typical annual peak.
About 95% of the state’s water supply comes from the snowpack with reservoir storage helps Utah preserve that water for use in dry summer months and drought years.
In his order, Cox asked Utahns to use water wisely, both indoors and outdoors. Simple tasks like turning the water off while brushing teeth, shaving and doing the dishes can help preserve water.
More information on the best water practices is available at SlowTheFlow.org.
