A very dry future: Utah drought continues

Utah is in one of the worst droughts it has seen in decades. 

In early May when preparing for this dry summer, Gov. Spencer Cox issued an executive order restricting irrigation cycles for all state facilities. 

After realizing how bad the drought was going to affect the state, another executive order was announced on June 8 that limited facilities irrigation even more and pleaded with Utahns to limit their water use. 

And now, after still seeing no relief, it has come down to huge water shortages and the potential to even have water restrictions next year.

According to FOX 13, water districts said this year isn’t what they’re worried about, it’s next year that they believe will pose a bigger threat. 

However, in Hyde Park, Mayor Charles Wheeler talked to FOX 13 and stated that he was extremely worried and even sent out an emergency notice to all of the residents.

He warned that at the rate citizens were burning through water, their tanks would be empty by Saturday.

This scary, but very realistic thought, comes even before the U.S. drought monitor released the newest update on Thursday that showed 98% of Utah in an “extreme drought” condition.

Wade Campbell, a city council member in Smithfield, also stressed the severity of Utah’s conditions and hopes people will recognize how important it is for everyone to do their part.

“Irrigation companies that supply secondary water for the city and outlying areas are already on restrictions and I know they will become more restrictive, or limited, within the month,” Campbell said.

And not only do dry conditions cause water shortage, but it also creates a huge increase in the risk of wildfires. 

Because of the lack of water, it takes away moisture from the ground and dries out the soil. This makes vegetation extremely flammable and any spark could immediately set it on fire. 

This is also the reason why most city mayors in Utah are creating bans and restrictions on all fireworks this year.

And with six currently active wildfires in Utah, government leaders say they are doing all they can to preserve as much water as possible.

As for Cache County, there have already been two wildfires: the Curtis Creek Fire and the Ant Flat Fire. 

According to the Twitter updates from Utah Fire, on Thursday the Curtis Creek had been 90% contained while the 25-acre Ant Flat Fire had been 25% contained with good progress. 

However, as of Sunday, both fires were 100% contained. Lightning was the cause for both.

Campbell also pointed out that while he is doing his part to reduce water usage and lead by example, others still aren’t doing what they should. “Lawns are green as ever for some,” he said.

And as stated in a previous article, it is also possible to report water wasting to the nearest water agency if an individual happens to see others not following proper protocols.

By doing this, it brings awareness rather than negative attention to the individual in order to ensure that all Utahns are doing their part to help prevent as many negative effects from the drought as possible. 

A senior at Utah State University, Kylie Hanson, said the best way for Utahns to conserve water is to remember that we’re all going through this and we just need to be conscious of how much water we’re using. 

“Like not leaving the sink water running longer than it needs to, putting extreme limits on sprinkler use and taking much shorter showers,” Hanson said.

There’s no doubt that Utah has a dry future ahead, however, Cox and other statewide officials continue to plead with citizens to do whatever possible to conserve water.

-Jacee.Caldwell@usu.edu

@JaceeCaldwell