Most Utah reservoirs are near or exceed average water levels

SALT LAKE CITY — Right now, most Utah reservoirs are 73% full — which is good news according to state water resource officials. The even better news is that current water levels at reservoirs are about 18% higher right now than they are normally.

That’s not the case everywhere. Some Utah reservoirs are measuring at 14% and even 9% full. These include Yuba and Settlement Canyon.

Those lower numbers are okay too. They’re expected, according to Laura Haskell, the Utah Division of Water Resources Drought Coordinator.  

The difference between single-year and multi-year reservoirs in Utah

“The [Utah] reservoirs that are only 20% full right now are usually designed to be a single-year reservoir,” Haskell said. “They will collect water in the spring and then they’ll use it throughout the summer, and the reservoir will be mostly empty in the fall.

Lower Enterprise and Gunnison Reservoir are examples of single-year reservoirs. The difference between them and a large reservoir like Deer Creek, is how often and for how long the water is used.

“Deer Creek and Strawberry [reservoirs], those are large reservoirs that are designed to hold water over multiple years,” Haskell said. 

And they’re the reservoirs that supply Utahns with water when much of the state is in severe drought.

The length of time it took to refill Utah’s reservoirs, and for the state to fall off the U.S. Drought Monitor’s ‘exceptional drought’ listing, is notable Haskell said. 

“We had some great snow years, things have recovered amazingly,” Haskell said.  

Other stories:

• Compass Minerals, State of Utah reach deal that will send water to Great Salt Lake
• Utah DNR now tracks groundwater trends online, some concern over depleting levels
• Utah needs $60 billion in water infrastructure upgrades in the next 35 years, state report finds

 

 

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