An update on how Utah is dealing with drought

With the infrastructure concerns of Utah being tested by weather — or lack of it — this summer, talk of what’s being done to help the drought has become more commonplace. With it being the hottest summer in recent years all across the country, and even internationally, it’s good to know there are plans in place to mitigate the effects of the drought on the Beehive State.

The office of Utah’s Governor, Spencer Cox has contributed to the conversation. He recently released some data about what has been taking place to lessen the drought’s effects.

“We all need to be part of our water solutions,” Cox writes. “Reliable, clean water is essential to our quality of life and continued prosperity.”

Changes to the way water is used
Among the changes that Cox is touting in his report are these:

Grass rebates

With residential water use at 60% for outdoor watering, Utah legislators started one of America’s first statewide grass rebate programs. Three are also limits related to grass allowances for new or remodeled state facilities.

Changes to agricultural water use
Previously, farmers were asked to use or lose their water supplies for every growing season. That changed with this latest legislature session, as farmers can now use less than the allotted amount without penalty.

Grants for optimization
There is $70 million up for grabs for agricultural businesses that are wanting new technology to revamp irrigation systems.

A new task force was established

The Agriculture Water Optimization Task Force was formed to identify issues related to water and better sustain water supplies for agricultural use.

A resource to monitor progress
One interesting resource that people can check is drought.gov, a national resource that provides drought stats. If you select Utah, you can see the drought conditions currently, as well as in the last week and last month. It’s updated on Thursdays.

A look at the map in July shows that central Utah is mostly in the Exception Drought range, while most of the state is in the Extreme Drought range. Northern Utah is mostly considered to be in “Severe Drought” conditions.

What you can still do
It will be a good idea for districts to continue any efforts with water conservation and was to help minimize the consequences of the drought. With a concerted effort, everyone in Utah can work through this state emergency and try to lessen the effects of the drought on our fellow citizens.

If you have any more questions about how districts or boards work in Utah, go to our website for more information.