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Water levels below average throughout state, experts say

Posted at 8:37 PM, Jan 27, 2014
and last updated 2014-01-27 22:37:05-05

SALT LAKE CITY -- Water levels throughout the state are below average, which water conservation experts say means prolonged drought. 

The snowpack is melting now, while it should be building -- northern Utah's sits around 60 to 70 percent of average, while Southern Utah is in the 50 to 70 percent range. Both parts of the state are too far below average at this point to catch up. 

"How much water you are going to have for exterior water becomes an issue,” said snow Surveyor Randy Julander. "Those kind of secondary water will be the ones we will focus on in terms of conservation and saving water."

Julander said as far as reservoir storage is concerned, Southern Utah is actually doing better than northern Utah. 

Weber Basin Water Conservancy believes it is the worst off-- it expects to see water supplies deplete rapidly from reservoirs. 

"We have now a 90-percent chance of having less than normal snow pack and runoff comes this spring. It's becoming more and more of a certainty that we are going to be somewhat down in our water supply. The question is how much," said Tage Flint general manager at Weber Basin Water Conservancy.

Overall the experts say water supply has not improved, and conditions continue to decline.