As one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, Wasatch County faces increasing pressure on its water resources. County Manager Dustin Grabau said while the county is surrounded by large reservoirs, years of drought are cause for concern.
“It's a serious issue everywhere,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Tuesday. “Wasatch County has the benefit of being adjacent to some reservoirs, so we think that we'll be able to meet some level of demand, but really, without any snow, we're kind of all in a little bit of trouble this summer.”
Through its special service districts, Wasatch County provides water service to portions of the unincorporated areas. Grabau says, if necessary, water restrictions could be imposed if conditions worsen.
“It's not something we've had to do in the past,” he said. “The county has been very conservative with it when it comes to ensuring that we have adequate water supply. Our irrigation water lines tend to dry up first, and so that means that some of those farms may end up going fallow, which is not good news for the farmers, not good news for our agricultural industry. But that's one of the advantages of having agricultural properties over residences, is you can turn off the tap on a farm for a year, and that's fine. That's much harder to do when someone's living in a home and can't shower, can't drink or those other things.”
Grabau said Wasatch County may be better positioned than some areas, with water sources above and below the Jordanelle Reservoir and in the foothills both to the west and east sides of the Heber Valley. Still, he says a low snow year affects everyone.
“Generally, those sources do well. The reservoir is fed by snow runoff, which is why there's some concern of what does the Jordanelle Reservoir’s level look like?” he said.
Meanwhile, the state of Utah announced last week it will spend $30 million to purchase the assets of U.S. Magnesium, including its water shares, to keep more water in the Great Salt Lake.
KUER reporter Sean Higgins said the company, which refined minerals on the shores of the lake, shut down in 2021 after struggling with mounting legal, environmental and debt challenges. State officials said acquiring the company’s water rights is a significant commitment to the lake’s future.
“This doesn't necessarily mean new water to the lake. It just means water that's already there won't be taken out and evaporated on purpose to refine these minerals,” Higgins told KPCW. “So, the state has really decided to step in; $30 million is no small chunk of change. I mentioned that we're in a tight budget year, so we'll see how the funding shakes out for this and how much water this will actually keep in the Great Salt Lake.”
With the Great Salt Lake hovering only a few feet above record lows, and the Colorado River not faring much better, several bills are expected to be introduced to address the shortages in Utah's 2026 Legislative session.
