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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's capital city will start the irrigation year where it left off last year in terms of water restrictions.
Salt Lake City officials on Tuesday announced it will remain on Stage 2 of its five-stage water shortage contingency plan, citing current supply levels, stream flows and water demand. The city reached this phase last year for what was then the first time since 2004.
"The studies and forecasts I've closely watched are trending toward a season of higher temperatures and lower precipitation," said Laura Briefer, the director of the Department of Salt Lake City Public Utilities, in a statement Tuesday. "The entire state of Utah remains in severe or extreme drought. Soil moistures are slightly better than last year, but snowpack is below normal. As a result, all streamflow projections are below average."
Utah's reservoir storage is at about 56% capacity statewide, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources. In the Utah Lake Basin, which includes Salt Lake City's water sources, reservoirs are collectively at 61% of capacity. Salt Lake City leans on Deer Creek Reservoir in particular during drought years and when it needs to meet summer demands — it is at 84% capacity.
The levels statewide have increased some as some of the snowpack melted earlier than usual, peaking on March 22. But this year's snowpack stands to be below normal even with this week's storms, which is cause for concern.
"We cannot wait until later in the season to be proactive about water conservation. We have to make changes today," added Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.
Salt Lake City supplies water not just for itself but also for Millcreek and Cottonwood Heights, as well as parts of Holladay, Murray, Midvale and portions of unincorporated territory in Salt Lake County. The second stage of the plan means voluntary actions for residents, while municipal and other government facilities will be tasked with cutting back on watering.
The city didn't reach the second phase of the plan until late May last year. However, city officials said people stepped up when that happened. About 2 billion gallons were saved through reductions last year, which is about the same as filling up Mountain Dell Reservoir more than twice.
"Last year, our residents and business owners were incredible partners in reducing water usage city and valleywide, and I'm confident they'll show up again this year to help conserve this precious resource," Mendenhall said.
The city's announcement came as Salt Lake County leaders received an update on new state water laws in the state during the second course of a four-part water summit. The first segment of the summit focused on the state of the snowpack in Salt Lake County.
Most laws that impact the county this year are changes to landscaping regulations, opening the door for more xeriscaping. There are goals to reduce the use of water at state facilities, which Michael Shea, the sustainability director of Salt Lake County, said could be a good model for the county to use.
He added there's hope that improved secondary water metering will help the state better track all water uses.
"It really was one of the strongest (legislative sessions) for water conservation — really, water conservation's never been as big of a focus as it was (this year)," he said. "We're going to continue to monitor the drought and how much snowfall levels ... (but) this, most likely, is going to be an ongoing problem and it's something we'll have to get back to if drought conditions continue year after year."
If conditions worsen, Shea added governments may have to make "tough decisions" to preserve water in the future.
As for the decisions now, Martin Jensen, the director of the county's parks and recreation division, said that his division is invested in the issue because it's a big water user. The goal of the department is to strike a balance between consumption and what people want out of public spaces.
They've started going through every county-managed park to evaluate old leaky pipes that can be replaced, and they've looked at ways to reduce water usage and find areas where vegetation can go dormant, Jensen said. He added five of the six golf courses in the county are currently on secondary water sources to reduce water, while the process is underway for a sixth.
That's likely just the beginning.
"We have been paying attention for years and we will continue to pay focus on this and try best practices, and ways that we can conserve," he said. "We know that water is a precious resource. We also know parks and green spaces and open spaces make our lives better."
