SALT LAKE CITY — Local water districts are rolling out restrictions and fines as the resource continues to be stretched in Utah's ongoing drought.
"When our reservoirs are full? We have a two year supply. And we’re about 60% at capacity right now so we have a little over one year supply left," Weber Basin Water Conservancy District General Manager Scott Paxman told FOX 13 News.
Paxman and Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District General Manager Jacob Young testified before the Utah State Legislature's Natural Resources Interim Committee on the impacts of the state's drought. Jordan Valley has called on its 800,000 customers to reduce water use by 10%.
"To help incentivize that reduction? We do have some penalty fees and surcharges associated with high water use," said Young.
In Weber Basin, they have sought 20% reductions in water use and are now threatening to cut off outdoor use to customers who exceed their allowance (the agency said it will not shut off drinking water). Paxman pleaded with people in urban areas to reduce their outdoor water use.
"If you can reduce your watering by one watering a week? It saves three to five thousand gallons per lot," he said of homeowners with lawns. "Over 700,000 people? That’s a lot of water."
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Members of the Natural Resources Interim Committee appeared glum as they got the latest bad news from state water managers on Wednesday. Reservoirs will be strained this year after snowpack was "no-pack."
"Statewide? We’re about 70% of average. Which is OK and that’s what will get us through this year," said Joel Williams, the director of Utah's Division of Water Resources.
But he added that some communities have already seen their outdoor water use severely restricted or shut off entirely.
"There are communities though, that don’t have water storage and are already facing dramatic cuts, reducing or eliminating outdoor watering and focusing their supply on indoor use only," Williams told lawmakers.
Agriculture producers have already seen cuts to the amount of water they will get this year.
The Great Salt Lake remains at risk. Lake Powell remains in danger of not being able to generate electricity for millions at Glen Canyon Dam. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has ordered releases of water from Flaming Gorge upstream to prop up Lake Powell and the Colorado River system.
"The releases from Flaming Gorge this year are projecting to prevent it from actually hitting minimum power pool this year. But then we’re in a tight spot going into the next snow season," Williams said. "If it shapes up like this one did? They will most certainly be hitting below power pool."
Natural Resources Committee Chair Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield, read a long list of areas already seeing impacts of drought across the state. Counties are starting to issue drought declarations and FOX 13 News is told Governor Spencer Cox will issue an emergency drought declaration on Thursday. That will free up some federal and state funding to help areas impacted by drought.
