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Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake counties
Posted: February 16th, 2015, 10:13 pm
by Col. Flagg
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8656 ... s-say.html
SALT LAKE CITY — As winter persists in its vanishing act throughout Utah, the weather experts pour over the maps, charts, measurements and forecasts and can only become more depressed.
The weather outside is delightful, but the effects are frightful.
Saturday marks the 40th consecutive day that temperatures at the Salt Lake City International Airport have been above average.
"It is not just down here in the valley, but mountain temperatures have been abnormally high as well," said Randy Julander, supervisor of the Utah Snow Survey with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. "West-wide, it has just been a bloodbath when it comes to temperatures."
The mood was grim this week during a meeting of water supply managers at the Salt Lake City headquarters of the National Weather Service.
"We are in unprecedented territory," said Randy Graham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "We are going to make a real run at the warmest winter on record."
Consider this:
Snow conditions in the mountains are the same as they were on April 1, 2014. Snow density measurements indicate the higher elevation snowpack is on the cusp of melting.
Lower elevation snowpacks are already gone.
Only 10 of 150 U.S. Geological Survey stream gauge stations remain in "ice."
Overall, conditions are six weeks ahead of schedule.
"We are down anywhere from 10 to 40 percent relative to January conditions, and every day that we go on without a storm, we are basically dropping 1 percent a day as we go on through this whole thing," Julander mourned.
Lest skeptics think a couple of good storms will solve the problem, the experts warn it is improbable that this winter will look anything close to normal for snowpack.
Soil temperatures at a depth of 20 inches have jumped 2 degrees over the last two weeks, Julander said.
"Even if we get a good snow, with that stored heat, it will melt the snow. The ground can store an enormous amount of heat over a short period of time, and we should be getting colder temperatures in the ground. We've had three weeks of solid good temperatures," he said. "It is bad and getting worse."
I have a relative who works closely with water shares and water rights and he says if we don't get above normal precipitation now through May, the water restrictions from last summer will only intensify with rationing a real possibility and anyone living west of about Redwood Road in Utah and Salt Lake counties (Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, The Ranches, Bluffdale, Herriman, Riverton, West Jordan, Taylorsville, West Valley City, etc.) could be paying more for their water and sewer services and will see even more drastic measures owing to their locale.
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 16th, 2015, 10:16 pm
by Col. Flagg
And let us not forget the stinking NSA data center in Bluffdale uses 11 million gallons a day to cool its servers and mainframes so they can spy on and collect data on political dissidents domestically. X(
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 16th, 2015, 10:26 pm
by Fiannan
Col. Flagg wrote:And let us not forget the stinking NSA data center in Bluffdale uses 11 million gallons a day to cool its servers and mainframes so they can spy on and collect data on political dissidents domestically. X(
Exactly!
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 16th, 2015, 10:40 pm
by Thomas
Overblown. Last week KSL reported snowpack at 80 percent of normal. Just because you cant see it on your front lawn doesn't mean it didn't fall in the form of rain. We have had years with much less precipitation but the same snow sat on the ground for months. We also had way above average rain fall in Aug, Sept and Oct which helped keep reservoir levels up and ground water charged.
If you pay attention, the news has to make a story of water every year. We are either having a drought or a flood like five years ago when my ward was filling sand bags day and night.
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 17th, 2015, 4:36 am
by marc
Fiannan wrote:Col. Flagg wrote:And let us not forget the stinking NSA data center in Bluffdale uses 11 million gallons a day to cool its servers and mainframes so they can spy on and collect data on political dissidents domestically. X(
Exactly!
+1! I thought the exact same thing. Judgement is being poured out not only on this gentile nation, but upon Utah as well. That's my opinion, of course. Thank you, Utah government! :-w
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 17th, 2015, 5:31 am
by freedomforall
Anybody hear of water purification tablets? Water filters? Water filled packets?
Is the Jordan River nothing but a stream? Is Utah Lake nothing but a massive mud pit? Is the Provo River reduced to a trickle? How about Echo Lake, Strawberry Reservoir, Rockport Lake, Jordanelle Reservoir, Deer Creek Reservoir, Mountain Dell Reservoir or Cascade Springs? Or you can get water close to home:
Extract Clean, Drinkable Water From Plants
The Tulsi Plant Can Be Used To Remove Fluoride From Drinking Water
What plants can you get drinkable water from?
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 17th, 2015, 6:31 am
by Benjamin_LK
Col. Flagg wrote:And let us not forget the stinking NSA data center in Bluffdale uses 11 million gallons a day to cool its servers and mainframes so they can spy on and collect data on political dissidents domestically. X(
It's just a waste of water as far as I am concerned. Industrial water consumption is huge, it makes household water house look puny in comparison, why use so much water in such an arid climate?
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 17th, 2015, 12:00 pm
by Col. Flagg
Thomas wrote:Overblown. Last week KSL reported snowpack at 80 percent of normal. Just because you cant see it on your front lawn doesn't mean it didn't fall in the form of rain. We have had years with much less precipitation but the same snow sat on the ground for months. We also had way above average rain fall in Aug, Sept and Oct which helped keep reservoir levels up and ground water charged.
If you pay attention, the news has to make a story of water every year. We are either having a drought or a flood like five years ago when my ward was filling sand bags day and night.
Thomas, I got first-hand information straight from someone who is in the know about this issue who is aware of the situation and how much water there is in our aquifers and reservoirs – I don’t know how they can report snowpack is 80% of normal when we’ve only had a few storms this winter that have put any snow in the mountains, not to mention the warm temps (50’s to 70’s) which has been melting the snow too rapidly??? Utah reservoirs, on average, are at 50% capacity right now.
http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/ ... IrDf6F19-A
“Meterorologist Dan Pope said it's been warmer and drier, and that means less snow. With the exception of a few spots throughout the State, Utah's snowpack is well below average.
"Everybody else is running at 70%, 60%, even 50% of average," said Pope”.
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 17th, 2015, 2:53 pm
by Thomas
The situation certainly is not ideal but when have you ever heard them say it has been ideal?
Rember all the rain we had in December and January? We would be neck deep if that had been snow. It rained for three days non stop at least twice plus several other significant rain events.
Remember the rain that wiped out the freeway between st George and Vegas? The same storm caused flooding in SLC. We also had a lot of rain late summer and early fall. Two or three times normal.
That water and the snow that has melted makes it way to reservoirs and to ground water.
My point is we have had much worse years that seemed better because the four inches of snow that fell in dec never melted til march.
All that water didn't just disappear. They always have to be complaining about something.
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 17th, 2015, 3:15 pm
by shadow
Col. Flagg wrote:And let us not forget the stinking NSA data center in Bluffdale uses 11 million gallons a day to cool its servers and mainframes so they can spy on and collect data on political dissidents domestically. X(
They use the water to cool down their massive spy gadgets B-) The water doesn't just disappear, it's recycled, reused, and sent on its merry way.
But yeah, water situation isn't good. We're 6 weeks ahead of schedule. Instead of running out of irrigation water in August/September when we don't need it as much, we'll run out in June/July.
Water isn't the only issue, trees are starting to bloom with over two months left of likely hard freezes.
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 17th, 2015, 4:15 pm
by freedomforall
shadow wrote:Col. Flagg wrote:And let us not forget the stinking NSA data center in Bluffdale uses 11 million gallons a day to cool its servers and mainframes so they can spy on and collect data on political dissidents domestically. X(
They use the water to cool down their massive spy gadgets B-) The water doesn't just disappear, it's recycled, reused, and sent on its merry way.
But yeah, water situation isn't good. We're 6 weeks ahead of schedule. Instead of running out of irrigation water in August/September when we don't need it as much, we'll run out in June/July.
Water isn't the only issue, trees are starting to bloom with over two months left of likely hard freezes.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. But if there are no fruits because cold temps killed it, one better buy a lot of different cereals with dried fruit in them. Strawberries, raisins, apples and banana's?, etc. Then one can know where the fruits are again.
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 17th, 2015, 5:05 pm
by samizdat
shadow wrote:Col. Flagg wrote:And let us not forget the stinking NSA data center in Bluffdale uses 11 million gallons a day to cool its servers and mainframes so they can spy on and collect data on political dissidents domestically. X(
They use the water to cool down their massive spy gadgets B-) The water doesn't just disappear, it's recycled, reused, and sent on its merry way.
But yeah, water situation isn't good. We're 6 weeks ahead of schedule. Instead of running out of irrigation water in August/September when we don't need it as much, we'll run out in June/July.
Water isn't the only issue, trees are starting to bloom with over two months left of likely hard freezes.
This looks eerily similar to the Bishop Koyle prophecy...not that I believe in it but it would be an interesting coincidence if it were true.
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 17th, 2015, 5:19 pm
by Col. Flagg
shadow wrote:Col. Flagg wrote:And let us not forget the stinking NSA data center in Bluffdale uses 11 million gallons a day to cool its servers and mainframes so they can spy on and collect data on political dissidents domestically. X(
They use the water to cool down their massive spy gadgets B-) The water doesn't just disappear, it's recycled, reused, and sent on its merry way.
Only some of it is recycled and what is is used for watering parks and other non-culinary uses, but it's a small fraction.
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 17th, 2015, 5:33 pm
by Lizzy60
An interesting article from Popular Science ------
http://www.popsci.com/computer-models-s ... ted-states" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Re: Water becoming a serious concern for Utah/Salt Lake coun
Posted: February 17th, 2015, 9:49 pm
by SkyBird
Yes from the surface we are short of water, but the geologists say under Utah and Salt Lake counties is a huge reservoir of water that has not been tapped into. So huge that it would make Utah lake and Great Salt lake seem like puddles. I use to live in Oregon and we could drill down and get well water anytime but here it is against the law... makes no sense.
I recall reading "Visions of Glory" where water came out of the ground and inundated most of Utah and Salt Lake Valley's ...
https://books.google.com/books?id=R4kaE ... nd&f=false" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;