reservoirs

There’s no good time to lower a reservoir, said one researcher, but this is “probably the least bad time.”

The declaration isn’t a surprise. Utah’s water outlook has been deteriorating for months following the state’s warmest fall and winter on record.

With the worsening drought, the Colorado River is already at a “worst-case scenario,” and Gov. Spencer Cox thinks that may force states to find common ground.

Despite this week’s rain and cold front, drought continues to hold Utah in its grip. That has water districts considering mandatory reductions this summer.

Utah’s statewide snowpack level has reached a record low. Much of the West is in the grip of a snow drought, impacting everything from water supplies to mountain forests.

Projects across Utah’s Colorado River Basin meant to protect water supplies and restore rivers are in a holding pattern — including a $200 million reservoir near Price, Utah.

Drought and steady demand along the Colorado River are draining the nation's second-largest reservoir. Land that was once submerged is now full of beavers and thriving ecosystems.

Utah is launching a new multimillion-dollar program that pays farmers to leave their irrigation water in the Colorado River — and tracks where that saved water ends up.

Although Utah’s reservoirs are in good shape now, soil dried out by the summer heat could mean water problems for the runoff next spring if monsoons don’t pick up.

Negotiations over the water supply for 40 million people are hinged on how you interpret the words "will not cause," written into the century-old Colorado River Compact.

Water levels in the Great Salt Lake are still below healthy levels, while many reservoirs around the state are full or near full. A resident at this year’s Sailfest wondered why they don’t send that water to the lake.

The hot, dry outlook for this summer’s rainy season shows Utah’s recent string of wetter-than-average years may be coming to an end.