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LAYTON — With 98% of the state now in drought, the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District is asking all users to cut back on their usage this coming season by 20%.
"We look at snowpack, we look at precipitation, we look at groundwater levels, and groundwater forecasts as well as soil moisture," CEO and general manager Scott Paxman explained. "All of those things tell us we need to have a moderate restriction, which in our case was 20%."
Paxman said the recommendation was made to the board, which voted and agreed the restriction was needed, but it added one more stipulation: that users start their watering season late, on May 15, and end it early, on Sept. 15.
"Those are going to be a little tougher, especially if it's hot and dry this spring or hot and dry this fall," Paxman said.
Paxman added that the board will reexamine the water outlook and make adjustments as necessary. While many reservoirs are now at 60% capacity and higher, with Pineview around 80%, he said we need to be prepared for the future.
"We're always uncertain what the following year's going to produce," Paxman said. "So we're always anticipating it could be a bad year as well. Which means we've got to store as much as we possibly can."
Similar to many water districts statewide, Weber Basin Water Conservancy District can help users who have meters monitor their own usage online.
