July 2022 Newsletter

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

By Rodney Banks

What an interesting spring we have had. It has brought much needed precipitation to some parts of the state and very little to other areas of the state. As we move into the summer months, we are getting hotter and dryer. Some of the intense storms have brought many challenges due to flash flooding and the resulting debris flows. All of these events seem to always bring into focus the power and unpredictability of water.

As I reflect on this time of year when we celebrate the independence of our country, and remember our ancestors who came before us, I am reminded of their sacrifice, hard work, and forward thinking. We all have some of that same opportunity in front of us now as we have been given a few tools and resources to address a number of the issues we face with the current drought. More needs to be done, but it is at least a start.

As a water community we typically keep a low profile. The current drought has raised that profile higher than it has in the past. My hope is that we will be able to go outside of our comfort zones and convey the message of how important water is and what it will take to manage our limited water supply for the citizens of this great state.

Thank you all again for your tremendous efforts every day. We are all hoping for more precipitation and cooler weather as we go forward over the next several months.

WATER OUTLOOK

BY Jordan Clayton (NRCS)

Precipitation in Utah’s mountains during June favored eastern Utah, with all basins at 100% or greater precipitation for the month at our SNOTEL sites. The Duchesne and Northeastern Uinta regions both boasted >200% of normal rainfall! Southeastern Utah benefitted from an early start to the summer monsoon, though this also produced some destructive flash flooding. At the same time, western Utah – the Lower Sevier watershed in particular – continued to struggle and received less than 25% of normal precipitation for the month. Statewide, that averaged out to 1.1” for the month of June, which was 113% of normal and brought the water-year-to-date precipitation to 93% of normal. As of July 1st, soil moisture levels at Utah’s SNOTEL sites were at 48% of saturation, which is 9% higher than last year at this time.

In Utah’s valleys, precipitation in June measured at our SCAN sites generally favored the eastern and northern portions of Utah. Other areas, such as the West Desert and Southwestern Utah, barely received any measurable rain. Overall, this averaged out to 0.5 inches of rain for Utah’s SCAN sites in June. Soil moisture levels in Utah’s valleys averaged 37% of saturation, which was slightly higher than last year’s value. Soil temperatures were close to normal. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of early July, 83% of Utah is classified as experiencing Extreme (D3) drought, and 8% of Utah is in Exceptional (D4) drought, the worst category.

Utah’s reservoir storage was at 58% of capacity as of July 1st, which is the same as last year’s value. This year’s below average snowpack resulted in a limited amount of water supply for our storage system, which has unfortunately contributed to the Great Salt Lake recently breaking a new record for its historically low water level. Water Availability Indices (WAIs) for Utah basins combine our current reservoir and streamflow levels for each basin and compare these with previous years. WAI values are exceptionally low for the Upper and Lower Sevier and Beaver drainages which are at only the 2nd percentile. Also extremely low are the Virgin, San Pitch and Joe’s Valley watersheds. Contrastingly, several watersheds in northeastern Utah (such as the Blacks Fork and Smith’s Creek drainages) are close to normal water availability for this time of year.

WEATHER OUTLOOK

BY Glen Merrill (NWS)

There is a positive to another year of below average snowfall coupled earlier than normal melt off on years when La Nina remains in the dominant phase of ENSO. This, a higher probability for more robust monsoonal circulation development over the Desert Southwest and northern Mexico. Over the last few months of spring this such development was anticipated and it’s come to fruition early this year. The first surges of moisture moved north across the area beginning the second week of June, with the initial coupled with the last cool storm system of the season which tracked in from the northwest. The combination of both brought intense thunderstorms along the spine of the Wasatch Plateau northeast across the Uinta Basin, and widespread precipitation across much of eastern Utah. Debris flows off the Bear burn scar damaged US 6 north of Helper, and even one F2 Tornado touched down tearing up acres of trees over Indian Canyon on SR 191. Since, additional surges have yielded multiple days of flash flooding in Capitol Reef National Park, Zion National Park, Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument, and most recently in the Book cliffs north of US 6. This is summer time precipitation, generally localized, intense, and sometimes damaging. Said, it has aided suppression of wildfires thus far.

For the month of June, the eastern basins of the state saw between 110-150% of normal precipitation, but the western basins of the state were left out to dry with less than 30%. Trends thus far in July have remained quite similar, with eastern Utah remaining within the western periphery of these monsoonal surges and continuing to see well above normal precipitation, while the western areas of the state continue to be left out to dry. Temperatures averaged over the month of June and into the first week of July have been near to 3 degrees above normal for the period, though we’ve seen several periods of well above to well below normal conditions over brief periods.

So how do we look moving forward? The Climate Prediction center 8-14 day, and one month outlooks favor a continuation of robust monsoonal conditions across southeastern Utah, but trend less optimistic further to the west and north across the state. A similar trend to what we’ve already been realizing. Further out in time, lower confidence exists regarding above/below/normal precipitation potential for August and September, but that window is typically the peak monsoonal surges across the state, especially in the north. Regarding temperatures, it’s a broken record in the outlooks. A high probability of above normal temperatures throughout this season remains.

WATER AND THE LAW

By Peter Gessel

(SMITH HARTVIGSEN, PLLC)
THE UTAH WATERSHED COUNCILS ACT:
DEVELOPING LOCAL SOLUTIONS FOR LOCAL
WATER ISSUES

How often have you seen state-level solution proposed for, or imposed upon, a localized water issue? How successful have those solutions been, when compared to those developed locally?

If you are a state agency employee or stakeholder that worked to develop those solutions, what if a local forum, with strong stakeholder involvement, had already been in place to assist in those efforts?

A new state program may hold the answer for facilitating local involvement in developing solutions for both local and statewide water issues. In 2020, the Utah Legislature passed the Watershed Councils Act to develop “diverse and balanced stakeholder forums for discussion of water policy and resources issues” at the local watershed and state levels. The Act allows for creation of twelve basin-level local watershed councils, which feed into a state-level council. The state-level Utah Watersheds Council, which meets quarterly, includes representation from DNR, DEQ, UDAF, and other state agencies and institutions, as well as appointees representing municipal and county governments, special districts, reclamation projects, agriculture interests, environmental interests, and business and industry interests. Each basin-level local council may also appoint a representative to the state council. In this manner, local watersheds can make their needs and concerns known on the state level, while the state agencies can better coordinate with each other, tailor their programs to local needs, and help inform the Governor and Legislature of those needs.

Implementation of the Watershed Councils Act was delayed by the pandemic, so no basin-level local councils have been created to date. However, the Division of Water Resources hopes to facilitate the creation of two local councils this year. The local councils develop their own organizing documents and policies for “open and equitable” governance by the full spectrum of watershed stakeholders that reside, work, or own the right to divert or use water in the watershed. As local councils are created, the state-level council will certify each council as meeting these organizational and operational criteria.

Watershed councils “are not vested with regulatory, infrastructure financing, or enforcement powers or responsibilities.” Without such an investiture, why should local stakeholders participate? How will this not complicate or replace existing efforts in each watershed, or become “just another meeting?” The purpose of the Watershed Councils Act is not to replace or complicate existing efforts, but rather to facilitate and augment those efforts by improving coordination and communication, both on the local level and between local stakeholders and state agencies that are tasked with developing and implementing local projects and plans. For instance, a state agency seeking local feedback and involvement on a project or plan can engage an established local watershed council, rather than attempting to create such a group from scratch any time such a need arises.

With perpetual population and economic growth increasing stresses and demands on drought-depleted water resources, the need for forums that facilitate local engagement to develop watershed-scale solutions for pressing water issues is greater than ever. If you would like more information on the efforts to develop a local council in your watershed, check out https://water.utah.gov/watershed-councils/ or contact Dan Adams at 801-520-4762 or dadams@langdongroupinc.com.

MESSAGE FROM THE
DIRECTORS CORNER

By Carly Burton

UTAH WATER SUMMIT CONFERENCE
The Summit conference committee has been busy the last few weeks putting together the agenda for the upcoming Utah Water Summit which will be held on October 18, 2022. We are moving the conference to the Davis Convention Center due to numerous requests from last year’s attendees and others. The theme this year is “Drought – Regional and Local Challenges and Responses”. We have included important topics such as issues with the Colorado River Authority of Utah, Drought Contingency Planning, Great Salt lake Legislative Action and Recovery Plans, Watershed Planning and forest health, Building Drought Resiliency Through Managed Aquifer Recharge, Reliable Water Supply – What Does It Mean and how do we Evaluate it? And Water Supply Outlook for 2023 & Comparisons with Historical Drought Years. The agenda this year is timely and addresses important drought related issues we all are dealing with. We will have information available on our website by mid August, including the agenda, registration information and hotel accommodations. We look forward to seeing you there.

WATER TIDBITS
I have been keeping a close eye on several important reservoirs in the state and I thought it would be of interest to readers on the latest statistics. Lake Powell is currently at elevation 3539.28 feet which is 160.72 feet below full. The lake peaked at elevation 3539.84 feet on July 8. The active contents amounts to 6.4 million acre feet which is only 26% of full capacity. Total inflow so far for the 2022 water year is equal to 4.5 million acre feet or 52% of the average of 8.7 million acre feet. The big question in my mind is will we ever see Lake Powell full again in our lifetime? I have my doubts. Bear Lake is currently at elevation 5912.52 feet or 11 feet below full elevation. The lake elevation peaked at 5913.6 feet about a month ago and has been dropping ever since due to releases for irrigation below Bear Lake. The lake will continue to drop and is expected to bottom out at 5909 by late fall. Bottom line is we will need an enormous snowpack this coming winter to recover, not only at lake Powell and Bear Lake but statewide, as well.