Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Thursday declared a statewide state of emergency due to “extreme drought conditions.”
“The declaration comes as snowpack peaked about three weeks early and was the lowest recorded since 1930. Currently, all 29 counties are in severe drought, with 22 counties experiencing extreme drought conditions as defined by the U.S. Drought Monitor,” a press release from Cox’s office read.
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“Our snowpack provides 95% of Utah’s water supply,” Cox said.
“This winter, that supply fell far short of what Utah needs. We are now relying heavily on reservoir storage, which remains at 70% capacity thanks to careful management during wetter years. But those reserves are being drawn down faster than we’d like. I urge every Utahn to treat water as the precious resource it is,” he continued.
“Since April 1, much of Utah has seen only 50–75% of normal precipitation. More than 60% of the state is now in extreme drought. The impacts are already hitting
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