Water has been a huge topic of discussion over the summer months due to the drought we are facing this year. Castle Country Radio was able to sit down with Drought Coordinator, Lauren Haskell to talk all things water.

Many folks may be wondering how we are looking as a state during this drought. “98 percent of the state is currently in extreme or the worse category of drought, exceptionally drought and it’s the whole state, there almost isn’t an area that’s doing better than another,” said Haskell. The conditions do change a little bit depending on the local water system but as a whole if residents are careful with their outdoor watering and careful with our water in general, officials think we can make it through this year.

“The Price Utility website has some information about your local water conditions and things they would like you to do. Like for example, they ask that you don’t water on Sundays so that they can replenish the water storage for the next week. Scofield Reservoir in June of 2019 was more full than it was in June of 2020, and much more full than it is in June of 2021,” stated Haskell. That is why following all the water restrictions set in place by one’s city is important to observe during these summer months.

The Utah Department of Water Resources has a very informative website that residents are welcomed to visit. “It is https://slowtheflow.org/ its very easy to find. There’s a whole part about indoor watering tips, there’s simple things that you can do, and facts that you may not know, and there’s outdoor things, the weekly lawn watering guide, but then other things like don’t’ water when its windy because the water just blows off to where you don’t want it anyway, its not doing any good,” stated Haskell.  By visiting the website, you could also learn about rebates, irrigation evaluations, and waterwise plants.

One thing all residents should do is prioritize their outdoor water needs. “Grass is very, very resilient, it can be a little bit stressed, it can yellow a little bit, and it will come back but we don’t like trees to die, those are a big investment, they provide shade and take years to grow. So there is a prioritization of watering trees, and then shrubs, and different plants, until your grass is kind of the bottom of the list because it is so resilient,” said Haskell.