WASHINGTON CITY, Utah — It's already been one of the driest winters that anyone can remember in southern Utah, and now, it turns out, there's a lot less water coming in.
The Utah Division of Water Resources said the southwest portion of the state is suffering from an incredibly low runoff supply after the mild winter. The area is expected to see just 18 percent of the water it usually receives.
A spokesperson for the Washington County Water Conservancy reiterated that while the last two years left enough reserve water to get through this year, all bets are off if there’s another dry winter. That’s why they say water use restrictions may still have to be implemented.
Those possible actions have some residents wondering on social media why the Washington City Council last week gave the final go-ahead to a 2,300-home development that will include the largest surfing wave pool in the nation.
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Alaia, named for a Hawaiian word for joy, is a 570-acre master-planned resort that will include an 18-acre lake and wave pool, with parts of the destination already under construction.
Washington City Councilman Kurt Ivie explained that the agreement with the developer of what used to be Stucki Farm goes back long before people were thinking about drought.
"Stucki Farm was a beautiful area where they grew fruit. The owners then sold that to a development group back in 2006, and they got a planned unit development that was approved by the city council at the time," said Ivie.
Ivie and the water conservancy claim Alaia will use existing wells on the farmland with salty water that can’t be used for drinking or reuse irrigation, but, like the ocean, can be used for swimming.
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Ivie added that breaking the agreement would cause legal issues for the city and its residents.
"These people have a right to develop, but again, I think the point is, the city, they will never get one drop of city water, period, for this pool. It's their own water," he said.
Troy Belliston was the only council member who voted against the development.
"In light of the ask of the developers, and the need of our future growth, it is exceptionally tone deaf to approve an enormous surf park in Washington City," he said.
If there is hope for the dry southwest, the National Weather Service said the La Nina system, which has been attributed as a cause for the dry winter, has surprisingly stopped, which may pave the way for a return of a wet El Nino that could prevent a worst-case scenario next summer.
