The Utah Department of Natural Resources has provided an update on water and the lack of it in the state. The April 21st update reports that Utah’s snowpack is the lowest on record and peaked three weeks early. The state’s peak was on March 9th at 8.4 inches. Water conservation remains critical as water managers prepare to rely on existing reservoir storage to meet summer demands. Reservoir storage averages 72% full in the state. Red Fleet Reservoir is at 41% full, Steinaker Reservoir is at 51%, Flaming Gorge is at 80%, Moon Lake Reservoir is at 73%, and Starvation Reservoir is at 92%. As noted in the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s April Water Supply Outlook Report, every major basin in Utah had record-low Snow Water Equivalent(SWE) as of April 1st, and some were almost completely melted-out. Most of Utah’s 140 individual SNOTEL sites were at record-low, with 53 sites already dried out by then. By one week later, the number of snow-free sites in Utah had increased to 64. Snow Water Equivalent for the Northeastern Uintas is at 14% of the historical average for this time of year and Duchesne is 26%. Stay up to date on conditions at drought.utah.gov.
