Utah
Utah reservoirs are socking away the water to store for next year
Statewide reservoir storage across Utah remains at an average of 77% capacity, an overall 6% decline from last month.
Overall, however, the major river basins look to be in good shape and have weathered the searing summer heat by maintaining decent capacity as the summer comes to a close.
The latest report issued this month by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service said the Provo-Utah Lake-Jordan basin dropped in capacity by 13%; Weber-Ogden was down by 22%; Bear dipped by 11% and southwest Utah suffered a loss of 12%. Those values changed from July 1 to Sept. 1.
The struggles of central and southern Utah
Other regions in Utah did not fare so well, with water levels that have been depleted at a much faster rate.
San Pitch took the biggest sucker punch, dropping by 62%; both Tooele-Vernon Creek and Beaver took hits of 44% and Upper Sevier lost capacity of 31%.
“While Utah’s reservoirs are generally in good shape, we continue to encourage water managers to conserve water where possible to prepare for the possibility of a return to drought conditions in future years,” the report noted.
Across Utah, even this late in the water year, some of the basins are doing well with their performance of the median of precipitation. Eight basins that include the Weber-Ogden and the Provo-Utah Lake-Jordan — major water suppliers for the Wasatch Front — remain above average.
The miracle of monsoon season
Each summer, Utah’s thirsty landscapes and water managers around the state have hope etched in the skies that clouds and the attendant storms will deliver relief-giving moisture. This summer did not disappoint, the report noted.
“While Utah’s mountains typically get some decent precipitation during the month of August due to the seasonal monsoon, this year’s August was better than average. Utah received 2.7 inches of new precipitation during the month, which is 178% of normal,” the analysis said. “This brings our statewide water year to date precipitation to 105% of normal, up 2% from last month. Utah’s mountain soil moisture levels responded nicely to the monsoonal moisture — though it should be noted that soils have been quickly drying since most of that precipitation fell in the middle to late portion of August.”
Saving water for those not so rainy days
Despite the amount of water in many of the state’s reservoirs, it is not time to let the water flow unhindered. As the nights get cooler and growing season winds down, irrigation systems are also preparing to shut off the valves for the coming fall and winter.
Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, which operates the largest secondary water system in the West serving more than 18,000 connections, will end its irrigation season Oct. 15.
Most districts use that date as the cut-off for delivery of secondary water, but the Utah Division of Water Resources says just because the water is there, does not mean it needs to be used.
The division has a weekly lawn watering guide and for this week, most areas are down to two weekly outdoor water applications or three at the most. Conditions change from week to week.
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Utah
Utah Paralympian returns a double-medalist
![Utah Paralympian returns a double-medalist Utah Paralympian returns a double-medalist](https://ksltv.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Paris_Paralympics_Closing_Ceremony_17456-scaled-e1725944070628.jpg)
SALT LAKE CITY — Ali Ibanez is now a two-time Paralympic medalist.
The Team USA women’s wheelchair basketball player arrived home Monday after the team took silver against China in Paris.
Ibanez also competed in Tokyo, and team USA won bronze that time around. Ibanez’s neighbors lined her street with American flags so she would feel celebrated when she arrived.
“We have a Paralympian on our street,” Robyn Ivins has known Ibanez since she was a baby. She says even as a small child, it was clear Ibanez was never going to let her disability stand in her way.
Ibanez was born with a condition that would make it impossible to walk.
“She has always been amazing, and this, just to see her now in her second Olympics,” says Ivins. “I just cried on Sunday.”
Ali and the women’s wheelchair basketball team brought home a silver medal in a hard-fought game against China.
Ali also competed in Tokyo where Team USA brought home bronze. Ali says this won’t be her last time on the court on a world stage.
“You know, silver is better than bronze, obviously gold was the goal, but that’s going to happen in L.A.,” says Ibanez.
“We have loved her since she was born and tiny and we just wanted her to know how proud we are of her,” says Ivins.
Utah
Utah Hockey Club Unveils Jerseys for 2024-25 NHL Season in Video, Photos
![Utah Hockey Club Unveils Jerseys for 2024-25 NHL Season in Video, Photos Utah Hockey Club Unveils Jerseys for 2024-25 NHL Season in Video, Photos](https://media.bleacherreport.com/image/upload/c_fill,g_faces,w_3800,h_2000,q_95/v1725908368/qohpmwhaq9aqu5ouzfte.jpg)
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
The Utah Hockey Club will make its NHL debut in the 2024-25 season. And now we officially know what digs they’ll be wearing when they first hit the ice.
On Monday, the new team released images of the new home and away sweaters the team will be rocking in its maiden NHL season:
On Saturday, the team revealed what the ice will look like at the Delta Center for the upcoming season:
The Utah Hockey Club will be based in Salt Lake City and compete in the Central Division of the NHL’s Western Conference.
The club made a number of big moves this offseason to fill out its initial roster, swinging trades to acquire defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino and drafting Tij Iginla and Cole Beaudoin in the first round of the NHL draft. The majority of the roster was filled by assuming the former roster of the Phoenix Coyotes, which suspended operations after the 2023-24 campaign.
Utah
Voices: Lawmakers must protect all Utahns, not just their own chambers
![Voices: Lawmakers must protect all Utahns, not just their own chambers Voices: Lawmakers must protect all Utahns, not just their own chambers](https://www.sltrib.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com%2Fsltrib%2FRNF6ASERVVANFHEOGFNU2464UQ.jpg?auth=34cbf533ae51e1ef4e1c9685b1852191e4ad54ea0c9d0d44df8c0f4b74e15784&width=1200)
Recently, I toured the Utah Capitol’s basement, viewing the $60 million rubber base isolation system that protects the building from earthquakes. The tour guide emphasized the project’s worth, citing the Capitol as “the single most expensive piece of property in the state,” with “incredible historic value.” This system, comprising 256 rubber rings, allows up to 48 inches of total movement during an earthquake.
This retrofit was part of a larger $212 million restoration in the early 2000s, addressing the clear and present earthquake hazards in a region facing a 43% chance of a magnitude 6.75+ earthquake within the next 50 years. For perspective, this size earthquake would release approximately 37.5 times more energy than the 2020 Magna 5.7 magnitude quake. While impressive, this project highlighted a stark reality: Our state prioritizes a stone building over its most valuable asset — its people.
Utahns — who make up our society, innovate, build, have children, employ and are employees and pay taxes — are truly our state’s most important resource. Yet, the Legislature consistently chooses to safeguard their own house over the homes and lives of the people they were elected to serve.
Consider these facts about the risks:
While there are some initiatives to help retrofit homes (i.e. the “Fix the Bricks” program in Salt Lake City), these are funded by federal dollars only when there is available funding. Moreover, this program has a waitlist counted in years and has only been available to help retrofit a few hundred homes each year. These retrofits are limited to houses within Salt Lake City, and we have yet to see large scale financial backing for these efforts at a state level, despite the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) providing decision makers with a roadmap to URM replacement and FEMA sponsoring meetings at the state level regarding URM safety.
Despite these risks, our lawmakers — who asked the public to help fund their house’s safety — have continually failed to prioritize the safety of Utah’s citizens. This negligence peaked this year when the Legislature chose to sunset the Utah Seismic Safety Commission — a public panel which had been active for 30 years at no cost to the state. The commission advocated for incremental changes in northern and central Utah’s infrastructure. And this has taken place less than five years after the 2020 5.7 magnitude earthquake, which caused an estimated $600 million in damages.
The inadequacy of these efforts underscores the urgent need for comprehensive, state-level action. Yet, despite these clear risks and obvious shortfall in current measures, our lawmakers’ inaction stems from viewing these life-saving measures as “too expensive.” This short-sighted approach ignores the potential loss of thousands of lives and rebuilding costs estimated at $75 billion or more. To modify the adage, we can either spend some pennies now or we will pay in pounds later.
It’s time for our elected officials to recognize that their most sacred duty is to protect the people they serve, not just the buildings they themselves occupy. We must demand action now to retrofit schools, incentivize home improvements and reinstate the Utah Seismic Safety Commission.
As I left the Capitol that day, walking past its impressive columns and under its newly reinforced dome, I thought of the thousands of unreinforced homes and schools I passed on my drive there. Each one represents a family, a child and a future that deserves the same level of protection our lawmakers have ensured for themselves.
As Utahns, we pride ourselves on our sense of community and resilience. Let’s channel that spirit into ensuring our homes, schools and infrastructure are as secure as our Capitol, the Salt Lake City and County Building and, more recently, the Salt Lake Temple. Because ultimately, our state’s true strength lies not in its government buildings, but in its people. It’s time our priorities and our policies reflect that fundamental truth.
(Matthew Morriss) Matthew Morriss, PhD, P.G., has spent more than four years working in geology in Utah.
Matthew Morriss, PhD, P.G., has spent more than four years working in geology in Utah. He’s researched historic earthquakes in Thailand, Myanmar and Oregon and been part of other geologic studies in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Mongolia.
The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here, and email us at voices@sltrib.com.
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