Utah Gov. Spencer Cox points to the state's strong soil saturation levels and the monsoonal rain in the immediate forecast for his optimism that next year's spring runoff will be as efficient as this year.
remains in a good position, about four-fifths full at the momentAt the beginning of his monthly press conference Thursday, Cox pointed to the state's strong soil saturation levels and the monsoonal rain in the immediate forecast for his optimism that next year's spring runoff will be, which would help continue refilling the state's reservoirs that topped out about 86% capacity this summer.
The state's reservoir system had plummeted to about 50% full this time last year, and about 42% full in fall 2022 before the reservoirs began to rise because of strong precipitation. Utah's mountain precipitation collection this water year, which began last October, remains about 138% of normal, boosted heavily by this year's record snowpack, according to Natural Resources Conservation Service data.
This year's high snowpack also kept soil moisture levels high even before the summer monsoons returned in recent weeks. Utah's soil moisture levels have now shot back up to 40%, as compared to the mid-August median of about 30% since 2006, the agency also reports. The current levels are just below the record high for this point in the year since data collection began.that started to reverse Utah's water trends and helped this year's spring runoff be as successful as it was.
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