Swing in temperatures helps water managers get ahead of spring runoff

OGDEN — A shift to unseasonably warm temperatures is drawing plenty of people outside. Thomas White and wife Shelia Tucker-White were among the many walking along the Ogden River today. "It's just beautiful today. It's lovely," White said. "April fools, we had snow, so it's nice to come out and just be able to walk the walk." Water managers, however, are happy with the recent swing between cool and warmer temperatures for a different reason."We feel that's ideal because it gives us a chance to breathe between the warmups," Scott Paxman, General Manager and CEO of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District said. "If it was just to stay at 80s and 90s, it'd be a totally different story. We'd have a lot of water coming down all at once." Paxman says Weber Basin is doing controlled releases right now, mostly from Pineview and East Canyon reservoirs. The gradual melt-off is helping them make room for what's still to come down off the mountains. "With a normal snowpack, there should be plenty of water to fill the reservoirs and get plenty to the Great Salt Lake as well," Paxman said. "That's what we're anticipating."With many reservoirs hovering right around full levels, Paxman doesn't anticipate any watering restrictions. "When our reservoirs are full, we have a two-year water supply. So we could go two years without with minimal precipitation," Paxman said. Still, he said it's always a good idea to conserve. Additionally, most of Weber Water Basin's customers now have metered secondary water connections. And while the supply will start coming back online on April 15th, he said they're considering shortening the irrigation season in the future from May 1st to October 1st. "Really this time of year, unless it's really hot and dry, you don't need the water before May 1st or May 15th even," Paxman said.

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