WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah — An area of dry rock in Washington County that has been dug out by engineers and construction workers doesn't look like much right now but it might be what saves the water future of southern Utah.
"I mean, it's like a bank account. You need to be able to save for a rainy day. Water comes when it comes, and you need to be able to store it for when you need it," explained Trinity Stout, Washington County Water Conservancy District Reuse project manager.
Stout was born and raised in Hurricane before becoming a professional engineer in water resources and environmental engineering. He now uses his dreams of water engineering to help build the pieces of a water reuse system for the county.
The dam at the site of the future Chief Toquer Reservoir will be about 125 feet tall and store around 3,500 acre-feet of water.
"We'll be able to put runoff from our nearby mountains in here," Stout explained. "And also, we'll be able to store excess reuse water here during the winter months to be able to use for outdoor irrigation during the summer months."
Besides Chief Toquer, construction of the Graveyard Wash Reservoir is underway west of Santa Clara. Two others, one in Ivins and another in Warner Valley south of Washington City, would be added as needed.
The reservoir system will be connected by 60 miles of pipeline.
"Water is too scarce to use just once. So the reuse program will utilize existing supplies to be able to use our water more than once here in Washington County," added Reuse Program Manager Morgan Drake.
Drake explained how the system will take the water that goes down the drain in sinks, showers and gutters and keep it. Advanced purification systems will make some of it pure to drink again, but most will be used for irrigation. It will ultimately add the equivalent of 18,500 Rice-Eccels Stadiums with about a foot of water.
"We can store water to get us through the drier years, which we are in record drought, and we're going to be seeing drought more and more," Drake said.
Southern Utah is still experiencing its driest year on record, though some local farmers have received some hope from rain and snow over the last two weeks.
But Drake cautions about anyone getting too excited.
"The storms in the last two weeks have provided more snowpack," he said. "However, the soil is very dry. Well, with the soil absorbing the snow, it might be up in the mountains. It's not necessarily going to reach us, and it may not reach our reservoirs."
