Officials from the Central Utah Water Conservancy District have begun sending around 87 billion liters of water from Utah Lake to the Great Salt Lake in an ongoing managed release. The plan will send around 1 billion liters of water each day along the Jordan River as part of an effort to keep water levels stable ahead of the coming snowmelt.
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This may sound like an especially large amount of water, but it is reportedly the third controlled release of this type in the last decade.
“Our job is to always have an eye on where water is now and where it needs to be. This is a way for us to be proactive for the spring runoff and do all we can to ensure water levels in Utah Lake and Great Salt Lake are healthy,” Gene Shawcroft, the general manager of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District General, said in a statement seen by KSL.com.
Around 95 percent of Utah’s water comes from snowpack melt, and at present, the snowpack in Wasatch Front, in north-central Utah, is currently above average for this time of year. When this melts, the water will inject a substantial amount into the already high waters of Utah Lake.
As of February 28, the lake was nearly 96 percent full, which is slightly lower than it was this time last year. However, the water level will likely continue to rise as snow melts over the coming months. This means the lake is quickly reaching what is referred to as its “compromise level”. At this point, the control gates are opened to release water into the Jordan River. This prevents flooding along its shoreline and also lowers the risk of flooding further downstream.
But while Utah Lake is going to experience an excess of water intake from the snowmelt, the situation is different for the Great Salt Lake. The lake’s southern arm receives inflows from the Jordan River. As of February 28, its water level was measured at 1,278 meters (4,193 feet) in elevation, about 1.5 meters (5 feet) below its minimum healthy level.
The Great Salt Lake may also receive a boost from other controlled releases from across its basin in the coming months; even before the snowpacks have started to melt, many reservoirs are already approaching the upper end of capacity.
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