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  1. Feb 2022
  2. www.deseret.com www.deseret.com
    How bad is Utah's drought? Water managers dipping into emergency supply
    6
    1. Greenbean711 09 Feb 2022
      we really need next winter's snowpack to be outstanding to preclude a continued decline in our reservoir storage levels. However, we could potentially be looking at statewide reservoir storage in the 15-20% of capacity range (or worse) by the end of next summer if conditions remain similar to this year.

      Unfortunately we haven't had an outstanding winter this year. With less than two months until the first day of spring I don't think that we will have the amount of snow that we needed to get ourselves out of this drought.

    2. Greenbean711 09 Feb 2022
      "It takes several years of higher lake level before the microbial mat can recover,"

      This drought could affect the Great Salt Lake along with all of Utah for years to come because it can take multiple years for ecosystems to recover

    3. Greenbean711 09 Feb 2022
      Lake Powell may reach its lowest level this month since it first began to fill in the 1960s.

      Many of our lakes are lower than they have been in 50 years. Lake Powell along with other lakes have only been decreasing in size since July.

    4. Greenbean711 09 Feb 2022
      Water watchers are also keeping a close eye on the Great Salt Lake, which is expected to dwindle another couple of inches in the coming days. When that happens, it will reach a historic low not observed in more than 50 years — 1963.

      The Great Salt Lake is at a historic low and this was back in July. Which means it is even worse now.

    5. Greenbean711 09 Feb 2022
      Reservoir storage statewide continues to drop and now averages 58% (down from 59% last week). Twenty-six of Utah's largest 42 reservoirs remain below 55% of available capacity. No additional reservoirs dropped below that threshold in the past week.

      Twenty-six reservoirs were below 55% capacity in July of 2021. We need more snow if we want to fill them back up again. I'm worried that if we don't get more snow the drought will continue for years to come

    6. Greenbean711 09 Feb 2022
      And it's not just farmers. The impacts of the drought threaten the Great Salt Lake ecosystem as well as boaters who hope to enjoy Utah's reservoirs.

      Being in a drought affects many different things and people. It affects farmers who need water to grow their crops. It affects ecosystems that rely on water such as the Great Salt Lake. It also impacts summer fun activities because there is not enough water in the lakes to boat on or play in.

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    deseret.com/utah/2021/7/17/22580015/drought-utah-faces-potentially-crippling-water-shortages-food-supply-reservoirs-great-salt-lake