Utah governor rescinds 2018 drought emergency declaration

FILE - Gov. Gary Herbert talks about the Utah Department of Transportation’s I-15 Technology Corridor construction project at the Rain office in Lehi on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. A strong water year prompted Herbert to rescind a 2018 executive order declaring a statewide emergency due to drought. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

A strong water year prompted Gov. Gary Herbert to rescind a 2018 executive order declaring a statewide emergency due to drought.

SALT LAKE CITY — A strong water year prompted Gov. Gary Herbert to rescind a 2018 executive order declaring a statewide emergency due to drought.

Precipitation has been well above normal statewide this year, with regional averages between 110% to 200% of normal, according to the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, the agency that reports precipitation for Utah. Heavy snowfall and rainfall significantly reduced drought conditions in the state.

“What a difference a year makes,” Herbert said in a statement Monday.

No area of the state is currently experiencing severe drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, comprised of a group at the University of Nebraska and federal agencies.

About 15% of Utah — mostly in San Juan, Kane and Washington counties — is experiencing moderate drought. When the governor declared the drought emergency, 99% of the state was in a moderate drought, with over 88% of Utah experiencing at least severe drought conditions.

Utah experienced unprecedented drought conditions last year, which harmed the livelihood of many families and strained agriculture, industry, wildlife and recreation, the governor said. Reservoir levels across the state were depleted in the face of a historically dry summer and below average snowpack.

Citing the conditions in all of Utah’s 29 counties and low reservoir levels, Herbert declared a state of emergency last October based on recommendations of the Utah Drought Review and Reporting Committee. Herbert’s drought declaration follows disaster declarations already made in Box Elder, Carbon, Emery, Grand, San Juan and Wayne counties.

The declaration allowed communities, farmers and others to access state or federal resources.

Even in a normal year, water in Utah is a scarce natural resource, Herbert said. Utahns, he said, should appreciate and continue to conserve water as communities, industries, neighborhoods and families.

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