Experts: Snowpack improving, drought conditions persist


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WEBER COUNTY — Tuesday's snowstorm may have brought a hefty blanket of powder to the mountains along the Wasatch Front, but it's only making a small dent in our current drought conditions.

Tage Flint, general manager of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, said there is little chance for our snowpack to reach average levels this year.

"It would require something like one and-a-half storms per week," Flint explained. "We need a much higher than normal snow year between now and April."

That's not to say the snowfall didn't bring some major improvement. Snowpack levels on average in northern Utah are now 66 percent of normal, up 7 percent from Monday. Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District reported very similar increases at around 10 percent.

But the forecast isn't all bleak. Flint said a very wet fall last year is now the one factor that will very likely save Utah residents from any water restrictions, but agricultural customers may face some very slight cutbacks.

"If we weren't able to hold and store water in our reservoirs, we'd be in a lot of hurt right now," Flint said. "Our reservoirs holding water over from last year are looking much better than they did a year ago."

Flint said one more factor that helped this year is lower overall water usage.

"Our population is getting better at using water more efficiently," Flint said. "We're actually using less per-capita."

Linda Townes, a spokeswoman for Jordan Valley Water, said Utahns can't depend on that storage water to keep us afloat for long. She said another dry winter like this one would bring a major setback to the supply.

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Mike Anderson

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