Washington County water manager stays optimistic despite forecast of another dry winter

ST. GEORGE — October marks the beginning of a new “water year,” a 12-month period when precipitation totals are measured and predictions are made about how much water may end up in the state’s streams and reservoirs. While Washington County may be in a “comfortable” position going into the new water year, forecasters are predicting another dry winter ahead as the drought continues.

In this file photo, Washington County Water Conservancy District general manager Zach Renstrom speaks during a breakout session of “One Utah Summit,” Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 5, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“So we look at what’s coming forward, of course, and where we’re at,” Zach Renstrom, general manager of the Washington County Water Conservancy District told St. George on Tuesday. “This last year, we ended up dead even, just exactly average. The soil moisture content is about even. Our water year, because of those monsoons that came in, kind of gave us a good little bump.”

With the monsoons having wet the soil, it’ll help keep runoff from any snow that falls at higher evaluations from being soaked into the ground before reaching a body of water. This is important as the annual runoff refills the county’s reservoirs year after year.

“We feel comfortable that there will actually be run off and we can then get that runoff to put into our reservoirs this coming year,” Renstrom said.

While Washington County came out even, the Natural Resources Conservation Service reported that Utah ended the 2022 water year with 75% normal snowpack. Soil moisture levels came in at 39% of saturation, which is 2% above last year and slightly above normal for this time of year.

With the new water year also comes uncertainty, according to the Utah Division of Water Resources. As 95% of Utah’s water supply comes from snowpacks, a poor or even average snowpack will not refill the state’s reservoirs.

Though Renstrom said he felt people were starting to get “messaged out” by the constant calls for water conservation, he said it is a practice that needs to continue.

In this file photo, the scene of a rainstorm in Colorado City, Ariz., July 25, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Ina Barlow, St. George News

“As we welcome the new water year, we should all make a resolution to be more waterwise,” Candice Hasenyager, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, said in a press release earlier this month. “Utahns have made major strides in water conservation this summer. As the irrigation season ends and we spend more time in our homes, I urge Utahns to look for ways to save water indoors.”

Renstrom also recommended decreasing indoor water use in addition to continuing calls to curb outdoor watering.

Ways to decrease overall indoor water use include turning off running water while brushing your teeth, only using the dishwasher and washing machines when they are fully loaded, and cutting off a few minutes of those 10-minute-long showers.

As for what the new water year holds, Renstrom said weather forecasters are predicting another dry winter.

“Right now they (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA) are predicting a drier snowfall this year, less precipitation,” he said.

“One of the things that we’re doing right now is preparing our system for a drier year,” Renstrom added. “And so we hold water in our reservoirs a certain way, we release waters a certain way to make sure that we have stored water for next year, if we have a really dry winter.”

The county and state will once again be looking to its reservoirs to help residents through another drought year.

In this file photo, Quail Creek Reservoir, Hurricane, Utah, Oct. 28, 2020 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

As of Oct. 1, the start of the 2023 water year, 37 of the 47 reservoirs in the state are below 55%, which is about the same as last year but still about 12% lower than normal for this time of year, according to the Division of Water Resources.

“We do have a plan if the reservoirs go dry, what we might have to do, but right now, our reservoir levels … are pretty decent, about 60% full, and the soil moisture content is average,” Renstrom said. “So we feel that coming next year, that we’ll probably, hopefully, have an average amount of season.”

Concerning whether there would be a need for more water restrictions in the coming year, Renstrom pointed to the conservation ordinances passed by the county’s municipalities for new construction earlier this year. The ordinances are considered to be among the strictest in the state.

“We don’t anticipate any restrictions,” he said.“We’ll just ask our citizens, our neighbors and friends, just use water wisely, be conservative with it and treat it as a precious resource. We feel comfortable we’ll have the water we need.”

Programs and tips related to water conservation can be found on the water district’s website under the “Conservation” tab.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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