by Kyle Dunphey, Utah News Dispatch
April 20, 2024

Utah’s streams and reservoirs are in good shape heading into the spring, with the snowpack likely seeing its peak for the season and runoff expected to bring more water down from the mountains in the coming weeks. 

The Utah Division of Water Resources on Thursday reported the state’s reservoirs at about 85% capacity, which officials say is “impressive” for this time of year. The announcement comes on the heels of an above average winter, with Utah seeing about 132% of the normal snow water equivalent — essentially how much water is in the snowpack — at the beginning of April. 

March alone brought 150% of normal snow water equivalent, and 156% of normal precipitation. 

That brings the water year, which is defined as the 12-month period from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, to about 117% above normal. Across the state, the snowpack appears to have reached a peak of 18.8 inches in early April. 

“The timing and magnitude of our snowpack peak plays a crucial role in our water management strategies,” said Candice Hasenyager, director of the Division of Water Resources, in a statement. “We have all this snow still in the mountains, and we need to pay attention to how it melts.”

Reservoirs around the state are currently averaging about 20% above normal capacity for this time of year, with many reservoirs releasing water to make way for spring runoff. Deer Creek reservoir is currently at 96% capacity, with Strawberry at 92%, Echo at 85% and Jordanelle at 81%. 

That’s a stark contrast to last year, when the statewide reservoir capacity was around 50%. 

“Spring runoff is really where the magic happens for water supply,” Hasenyager said. “Knowing how much water to release and estimating how much water will make its way into the reservoir requires continual monitoring.”

State data also points to 60% of Utah’s streams flowing at normal to above-normal levels. That water is giving a needed boost to the Great Salt Lake, which hit a historic low of 4,191.3 feet in 2021. The division on Thursday reported a 2.5 foot rise in levels since October, bringing the elevation of the lake’s south arm up to 4,194.5 feet as of Friday. 

Most of Utah’s water supply — an estimated 95% — comes from the snowpack. Spring runoff will continue to result in above-average, sometimes dangerous, flows near streams and rivers. The state is urging residents to be cautious, with the high volume resulting in “treacherous” conditions, especially for children and pets. 

“Rising temperatures, while beneficial for spring runoff, require careful monitoring. A balance must be maintained to avoid both flooding from rapid melting and inadequate water replenishment from slow melting,” reads a press release from the Division of Water Resources. 

Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Utah News Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor McKenzie Romero for questions: info@utahnewsdispatch.com. Follow Utah News Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.

Click the link to read “Nine practices from Native American culture that could help the environment” on The Washington Post website (Samuel Gilbert). Here’s an excerpt:

Zuni waffle gardens

Certain ancient practices could mitigate the deleterious effects of global warming. From building seaside gardens to water management in desert terrain, these time-honored practices work with the natural world’s rhythms. Some might even hold the key to a more resilient future and a means of building security for both Indigenous communities and other groups disproportionately impacted by climate change.

[jim] Enote has continued this ancient garden design, creating rows of sunken squares surrounded by adobe walls that catch and hold water like pools of syrup in a massive earthen waffle. The sustainable design protects crops from wind, reduces erosion and conserves water…

‘Good fire’

Before European settlers traveled to the American West, Indigenous people managed the landscape of northern California with “cultural burns” to improve soil quality, spur the growth of particular plants, and create a “healthy and resilient landscape,” according to the National Park Service.

“The Karuk have developed a relationship with fire over the millennia to maintain and steward a balanced ecosystem,” said Bill Tripp, director of natural resources and environmental policy for the Karuk Tribe. “A good portion of the resources that we depend on, in the natural environment, are dependent on fire.”

[…]

Ancient irrigation

In New Mexico, there are 700 functioning acequias, centuries-old community irrigation systems that have helped the parched state build water resilience. These acequias — a design from North African, Spanish and Indigenous traditions — were established during the 1600s. The name can refer to both the gravity-fed ditches filled with water and the farmers who collectively manage water. Unlike large-scale irrigation systems, water seepage from unlined acequias helps replenish the water table and reduce aridification by adding water to the landscape. The earthen ditches mimic seasonal streams and expand riparian habitats for numerous native species…

The original carbon capture technology

U.S. forests are carbon sinks, sequestering up to 10 percent of nationwide CO2 emissions. Indigenous forestry can play a critical role in reducing global warming by restoring biodiversity and health to these ecosystems, including the management of culturally significant plants, animals and fungi that contribute to healthier soil…

Dryland farming

The Hopi nation in Arizona receives an average of 10 inches of rain per year — a third of what crop scientists say is necessary to grow corn successfully. Yet Hopi farmers have been cultivating corn and other traditional crops without irrigation for millennia, relying on traditional ecological knowledge rooted in life in the high desert…

Restoring salmon runs

In recent decades, an Indigenous-led plan has begun to restore salmon runs on the Klamath River. The salmon began to disappear in 1918 when the first of five dams blocked the path of the Chinook salmon as they made their way upstream to spawn…

Resilient seeds

Seventy-five percent of global crop diversity has been lost in the past century, further threatening food security as agriculture becomes increasingly vulnerable to climate change…

Swinomish clam gardens

When Swinomish fisherman Joe Williams walked onto the shore of Skagit Bay in Washington to help build the first modern clam garden in the United States, he was overwhelmed with a sense of the past and present colliding. “It was magic, really,” said Williams, who also serves as the community liaison for the Swinomish tribe. “I could feel the presence of my ancestors.”

[…]

Climate-smart Indigenous design

In the field of architecture, Indigenous knowledge and technologies have long been overlooked. Julia Watson’s book “Lo—TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism,” published in 2019, examines Indigenous land management practices that represent a catalogue of sustainable, adaptable and resilient design, from living bridges able to withstand monsoons in northern India to man-made underground streams, called qanats, in what is now Iran…