SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced the city will enter a Stage 2 Advisory to address potential water issues following a poor winter season.
In her announcement Thursday, Mendenhall will lay out how the Stage 2 protocols will call for Salt Lake City Public Utilities to reduce water usage by 100 million gallons each day.
"I want to say that the difference between this year and last year is stark," Mendenhall said. "We have much lower snowpack and higher temperatures, and that has the potential to put real pressure on our water system."
According to a notice from the mayor's office, the reduction can be achieved through "voluntary indoor and outdoor conservation," but government facilities will be required to reduce indoor usage by 10 percent.
Watch full Mendenhall briefing on water advisory in video below:
Despite the advisory, there is no required or mandatory action needed from residents, but they are being asked to assist in the efforts.
"We can only reach this goal with our public's help," said the mayor, "and we know that by taking small steps right now, early in the spring and summer season, it makes a significant difference in the long-term supply over the course of what may be another very dry summer."
It's suggested that residents use about 30 gallons less water each day,
Mendenhall's order comes on the same day that the Utah Division of Water Resources said the state's snowpack is the lowest on record, and that it had peaked on March 9 at 8.4 inches, about half what the state usually receives at the beginning of April.
Laura Briefer, the Director of the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities, said the reservoirs that serve the city are in good shape, but they should be used judiciously as there is no indication about what next year will be like.
"These reservoirs serve as an important insurance policy to protect us and help us be resilient to year-over-year droughts," Briefer explained.
Following the warmest winter on record in Utah, the agency is calling for communities and residents to review drought plans for the coming months and into summer, and Mendenhall asked that residents hold off on their first lawn waterings until mid-May.
The mayor believes what the city and residents learned during drought conditions in 2021 and 2022 will prepare them for what's ahead this summer.
"Salt Lakers showed up," she said. "In fact, they showed up in such a big way that we saved more water than the goal that I set when we asked our residents to reduce, and I know that we can do that again."
