Current Events
September 2013
WaterPro, Inc.
12421 South 800 East
Draper, UT 84020
801.571.2232 Office
801.571.8054 Fax
www.waterpro.net
September Office
Hours:
WaterPro’s office will be
closed at the following times
this month:

Monday, September 2 – all
day in observance of Labor
Day

Friday, September 27 from
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for
a company meeting
In This Issue:
 It rained; do I need to
water my lawn?
July Rains Did Not End the Drought
You may have heard that Utah
received higher-than-average
rainfall in July, with totals ranging
from 130 percent of average in the
north to 219 percent in the south,
according to the Natural Resources
Conservation Service’s Utah Snow
Survey. So does that mean the
current drought is over?
Unfortunately, no. The Deseret
News on August 10 quoted Ron
Thompson, manager of the
Washington County Conservancy
District, as saying “It was very
helpful for the watershed as a
whole. For plant growth, livestock
operators and the watershed, they
dearly needed it, and it was all
beneficial.” However, he said that
the intense nature of some of the
heavy rains caused problems.
“Anytime you get 2-plus inches in a
couple of hours, it rarely does you
any good,” Thompson said.
So, how does the water picture
look for the state? Let’s look at it
from several points of view:
 Soil moisture. The report from
the Natural Resources
Conservation Service said that
the above-average rainfall
actually did little to improve
Utah’s abysmal soil moisture
levels. “Even though July
precipitation was much above
average, soil moisture is
exceptionally dry, at the bottom
of historically observed August
1 values across the entire
state,” the report said. In fact it
says soil moisture across the
state is at “zero percent.”
 Reservoir storage. The July
rains did nothing to replenish
the state’s shrinking reservoirs.
In fact, water use during the hot
summer has shrunk them even
further. Capacity statewide is at
59 percent, or 12 percent less
than last year.
 Precipitation. During this water
year (which runs from October
1, 2012 to September 30,
2013), precipitation in the
Provo-Utah-Jordan area (which
includes Salt Lake City and
Draper) is only 79% of normal.
In fact, most of the state is
below 85% of normal in terms of
precipitation.
“Water shortages and
restrictions are being implemented
statewide,” the report noted. While
restrictions have not yet been put in
place in Draper, that may be a
possibility if the drought continues
into next year.
Page 2 of 2
Wildfires affect
water supplies
This hot, dry summer
has been a brutal one for
wildfires across the west.
As of mid-August, at least
10 wildfires were burning
in Utah, with many more
in neighboring states. How
does this affect water
supplies and watersheds?
 One obvious effect: an
increased risk of
erosion and flash
flooding. Fires destroy
soil-tethering vegetation,
and many burned plants
also release a waxy
substance that creates a
water-repellent surface
on burned areas that
contributes to erosion,
runoff, and flash
flooding.
 Ash, silt, and debris from
fires can clog rivers
and reservoirs, and
complicate the water
treatment process.
 Fighting fires
consumes water
supplies and can
contribute to shortages.
What can we do? Since
many wildfires are started
by humans, we can all be
careful when target
shooting, camping, using
fireworks, or engaging in
any activity that may
spark a wildfire.
Current Events
September 2013
Fracking and the Water Supply
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,”
has been a great boon to the energy
industry in the US. It has allowed this
country to become a major producer of
natural gas, driving down prices and
raising the realistic picture of energy
independence for our nation.
But many communities are
discovering that cheap energy
production can have unintended
consequences, and a major
consequence of fracking is increased
pressure on limited water supplies is
some of the country’s driest states.
For example, in some communities
in Texas, wells that were used by
residents for decades are running dry
as energy companies drain local
aquifers to get the water required by
the fracking process. Farmers and
ranchers no longer have the water they
need to grow crops and water
livestock, and even lawns and trees are
dying because of water use restrictions
on residents. In some counties in
Texas, fracking accounts for up to 25%
of water use.
pollution. Industry insiders say this is
due to bad practice rather than being
an inherent risk of the fracking
process, but it still remains
controversial.
Many in the energy industry are
trying to address these issues by
coming up with ways to use brackish
water rather than fresh water, or to
reuse water for the fracking process.
This is a complicated issue and we
at WaterPro do not intend to take
sides. We only wish to point out that
our supply of clean water is limited,
and we support any technology or
policy that puts a high priority on
protecting the water supply.
In addition to using large amounts
of water, fracking has also been linked
to some incidents of ground water
Water Flow from Lake Powell Cut
According to an article in the August 17
edition of the Deseret News, the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation has taken
emergency steps to reduce the amount of
water taken from Lake Powell to its
lowest level since the reservoir was filled
in the 1960s.
“This is the worst 14-year drought
period in the last hundred years,”
according to Larry Walkoviak, Upper
Colorado Regional Director. Lake Powell
is only 45% full, triggering the
emergency action.
The Colorado River basin is the
major source of water for agriculture,
outdoor tourism, and residential use
in much of the West, including the
city of Las Vegas. Reducing the
amount of water flowing out of Lake
Powell will negatively affect the
water level in Lake Mead
downstream, which could result in
much less power generated by the
Hoover Dam, as well as water
shortages in Las Vegas as one of the
city’s major water intakes will
become useless if the lake’s level
declines too far.