Monsoon rain hasn’t done much to refill Utah’s shrinking reservoirs. Here’s why.

moabtimes.com · September 9, 2026

Monsoon rain hasn’t done much to refill Utah’s shrinking reservoirs. Here’s why.

# Monsoon rain hasn’t done much to refill Utah’s shrinking reservoirs. Here’s why.

The rain has helped Utah use less water, but it doesn’t provide the same reservoir boost as winter snowpack.

By Editor Moabtimes on September 09, 2026

By Samantha Moilanen The Salt Lake Tribune

The summer’s deluge of monsoon rain has eased demand on local water supplies, but it won’t be enough to pull Utah out of a drought or refill the state’s shrinking reservoirs, state water officials warn.

Ken’s Lake was at about 21% capacity as of Friday, Sept. 4. Photo by Doug McMurdo

That’s because monsoon storms often hit lower elevations and come in short, intense bursts, said Laura Haskell, drought coordinator with the Utah Division of Water Resources.

Much of that water rushes over the ground instead of flowing into the streams that feed Utah’s reservoirs.

Spring snowmelt, on the other hand, comes from Utah’s high-elevation mountain snowpack and quickly feeds reservoirs over several weeks. That provides more than 95% of the state’s water supply, Haskell said, making this year’s record-low snowpack especially concerning.

The muddy, debris-filled runoff that monsoonal flash flooding often causes can also “make a big mess” if it flows into reservoirs, Haskell said. That water would then need to be cleaned up before the reservoir could be used again.

A massive lightning bolt strikes behind the Utah Capitol as an evening storm rolls into the Salt Lake Valley on Monday, Aug. 24. Recent monsoon rain hasn’t boosted Utah’s reservoirs. Photo by Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune

The rain, however, is still helping Utah’s water supply in other ways, Haskell said.

Wetter weather means people can turn off their sprinklers, reducing demand, while cloud cover and higher humidity can slow evaporation from lakes and reservoirs.

But the state’s reservoirs are expected to keep dropping through October, when irrigation season ends and farmers typically draw less water for their crops.

At the end of August, Utah’s reservoirs were at 52% of their total capacity statewide, according to the state water division.

That’s 15% below what’s typical for this time of year — and 18% lower than where reservoirs stood at this time last year.

“Our reservoirs, lakes and streams are really struggling this year,” said Joel Williams, director at the Division of Water Resources, in an August update, adding that “every drop saved today adds to our collective resilience.”

Of the 47 Utah reservoirs included in the Division of Water Resources’ online database, 14 are now at 20% capacity or less.

Haskell said the outlook isn’t bleak yet, in part because some of Utah’s larger reservoirs — including Deer Creek, Starvation and Sand Hollow — hold several years’ worth of water and still have reserves from the record 2023 snowpack.

Smaller reservoirs near depletion. Image courtesy of the Utah Division of Water Resources

Smaller reservoirs, however, are in much worse shape: Several are only about 6% full, and some are now so low that “they can’t actually get water physically out of the reservoir,” Haskell said.

While Utah’s reservoirs typically run lower by the end of summer, this year’s record-low snowpack and accompanying drought meant the state had to start drawing on stored water much earlier than usual, Haskell said.

Usually, snowmelt continues filling reservoirs through mid-June before water managers begin drawing them down.

This year, that shift came about a month earlier, in early May, she said.

Steinaker Reservoir, north of Vernal, was 14% full as of Tuesday, Sept. 2. Photo by Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune

## Some reservoirs hit record lows

Utah’s largest reservoir, Lake Powell, has fallen to a record low, sitting at just 22% full as of Aug. 30, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

The declining water level threatens the Colorado River Basin, a critical water source for wildlife, hydropower and more than 40 million people across seven U.S. states.

Lake Powell is now about 30 feet above the level at which Glen Canyon Dam’s turbines can no longer generate hydropower.

Popular recreation reservoirs also are seeing the effects of the dry conditions. Pineview Reservoir, a popular spot for boaters and other recreationists near Ogden, has fallen to its lowest level in decades. Ogden City officials plan to draw the reservoir down further to upgrade a drinking water pipeline.

The reservoir was at 15% of capacity as of Sept. 2, according to data from the state water division, with plans to draw it down to 2% by Sept. 15.

Dropping water levels have also forced boat ramp closures at several Utah state parks. The main ramp at Antelope Island State Park is closed, as are the Escalante Park Ramp at Wide Hollow Reservoir and the Painted Rocks and Oasis ramps at Yuba State Park.

Pineview Reservoir near Ogden is at the lowest it’s been since at least the 1970s. Photo by Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune

On top of that, Utah is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons on record, with more than half a million acres burned statewide.

To combat wildfires, firefighters can draw water from pre-approved dip sites, including Minersville Reservoir, Kent’s Lake, Scipio Reservoir, the Millard County Road Reservoir and Utah Lake, according to a July update from the state water division.

Haskell said water officials are hoping for a strong winter that can replenish reservoirs and the state’s water supply. If that doesn’t happen, officials will have to conserve more aggressively, including by restricting outdoor watering.

For now, she said, “We try to hope for the best that we’re going to have a great snow year.”

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