Current Water Situation:
After five consecutive years of drought (six for the southwestern portion of the state) Utah experienced a much wetter than average 2005 water year. The drought conditions, which plagued virtually every western state for half a decade, abated somewhat for the southwestern portion of the country, including most of Utah . The 2005 water year nearly doubled the amount of water stored in 24 of the state’s major reservoirs (excluding Flaming Gorge and Lake Powell ). Total water stored in those 24 reservoirs had declined from nearly 3.5 million acre-feet in 1999 to about 1.25 million acre-feet (about 33% of capacity) in 2004. Although the 2006 water year has not been as wet as 2005, it has still been a boon to the state, boosting statewide reservoir storage nearly half a million acre-feet to 2.85 million acre-feet, about 75% of capacity. Utah ’s improved reservoir storage situation implies that water supplies should be adequate for agricultural use, as well as municipal and industrial uses throughout the summer and fall of 2006.
Most of the unfilled capacity shown in the graphic above is in Bear Lake . Although Bear Lake has benefited from two wet years, it still has a long way to go before filling. Bear Lake’s low level is reflected by the Bear River Basin’s Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI), which at -2.2 is the lowest in the state, and continues to classify the Bear River Basin as being in a drought “phase 1” situation. Although the Bear River Basin maintains a drought phase 1 classification, there are adequate supplies in the basin for agricultural uses as well as M&I uses. The only other area of the state with a SWSI below the normal range is the Price River Drainage at -1.2. |
