The wet winter of 2022-23 provided a reprieve to Utah’s water crisis that has been building in recent years, as characterized by falling levels of the Great Salt Lake and Lake Powell. But that does not mean that Utah’s water problems have come to an end., according to a new brief from the Utah Foundation.
The brief, “Flowing into the Desert: A Background on Water in Utah,” introduces a series on water in Utah planned by the foundation.
Utah ranks among both the nation’s driest and fastest-growing states. This means that approaches to water governance ensuring the sufficiency of affordable and high-quality water are a major concern, study authors said.
The background brief provides a reference to explain some key ideas and definitions that are involved in discussions around water supply and use. The planned reports will focus on how is water in Utah governed, major conservation efforts and issues surrounding two major water systems.
The Utah Foundation said the background brief will be updated as needed to help explain any terms and concepts that become relevant in the upcoming water reports.
“While the past winter broke records, Utahns still have some hard choices ahead of them,” said the report’s lead author, Christopher Collard. “These reports will provide background and help inform those decisions.”
The full report is available on the Utah Foundation website, www.utahfoundation.org.