SALT LAKE CITY — There's good news and bad news for Utah's reservoirs right now, according to Laura Haskell with the Utah Division of Water Resources.
The good news: Reservoirs are about 20 percent more full than they typically are this time of year, thanks to the last two winters. The bad news: Parts of southwest Utah are in extreme drought for the first time in two years.
“In southern Utah, the snowpack is really low, and the soil moisture is also very, very low, and what that means is that when this snowpack does melt off, a lot of the water will go into the soil before it makes it to the streams and reservoirs,” she said. “We are drying out in the state. We just haven't had the winter storms that we'd like.”
We unfortunately do not have the power to make it snow, but Haskell said there are little things we can all do to save water during the winter. The DNR’s website slowtheflow.org has tips like making sure that your dishwasher or washing machine is full before you run it.
Last weekend’s storm, combined with forecast totals for this week, could really help.
“The northern half of the state is about where snowpack would typically be this time of year,” said Haskell. “The southern half of the state still got a big boost, but they have a long ways to go.”
