This past year, the lack of snowfall and precipitation has raised many red flags for the people living in Utah.
According to Drought.gov, 100% of people in Utah county are affected by drought and 58.6% of the entire state of Utah is in an extreme drought rating.
Erik Wermel is a Conservation Supervisor at the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District (JVWCD), and he spoke on the issue.
“The snowpack, not only in the highest elevations, but also in the mid and lower elevations of mountains, is a large part of what our water scenario is," Wermel said. "The water that we are able to capture and distribute as it slowly melts off of the mountain peaks, does a lot for a water scenario in a way that just the monsoon rains that we get don’t."
The Utah Division of Natural Resources website stated 95% of Utah’s water comes from snowpack, and reservoirs are dependent on snowpack and runoff.
The Utah Division of Natural Resources tracked snowpack levels and found that the snowpack in the 2026 water year is at a record low — and that the peak on March 9 was half of what the state usually gets by the beginning of April.
Landscaping
Water-wise landscaping is a tool that can be used to decrease the amount of water used by homeowners.
Shaun Moser is the Conservation Garden Park Manager at JVWCD and was a part of the original team to create "Localscapes."
Localscapes are made up of five elements that create an outdoors landscape that saves water. This was specifically made for the Utah area.
“We estimate that a quarter acre landscape, which is about the average size of a landscape that most people have — it’s around 200,000 gallons of water per year to water that landscape. But if you install Localscape, it’s about 60,000 to 70,000 gallons of water,” Moser explained.
The five elements that make a Localscape unique are a central open shape lawn, gathering areas, activity zones, paths and planting beds. A central open shape for your lawn creates a smaller amount of grass to water, mow and care for.
BYU students getting involved through research
While upgrading landscapes and switching out types of grass can help save water, this is not a solution for many college students and non-homeowners.
"For college students, I would say one of the best ways to get involved is looking into and studying water conservation,” Moser said.
Clarissa Peterson is one of the BYU students that is a part of the Hybrid Bermudagrass research team. She works with professor Brian Hopkins and other BYU students.
Hybrid Bermudagrass is a warm season grass that tolerates high temperatures and generally requires less water, making them more drought tolerant.
Hopkins was involved with introducing Hybrid Bermudagrass to Utah. It is originally from the southern states.
“It has a very deep root system and has some physiological aspects to it that make it use less water,” Hopkins said. “I only watered my grass in my yard three times last summer.”
Hopkins has placed Hybrid Bermudagrass at his own home.
“Every week we’re maintaining the grass by mowing it and making sure the irrigation is working. Then we take measurements to measure how green it is, how much water is in the soil and how good it looks visually,” Peterson said.
Behind the greenhouse by Provo's Kiwanis Park is where the team does all of their research. With her group, Peterson sets up plots of grass and gives each plot a different treatment.
“Lawn provides a lot of benefit to people, but it also uses a lot of water. So to be able to be involved in bringing this type of grass to Utah, which does save a lot of water,” Peterson said. “It has been cool to be a part of that solution.”
Peterson said that working on this project has made her more conscientious of water and how even just switching the type of grass you use can save so much water.
Brian Maughan is another BYU student who has gotten involved in water conservation through research. He works at the Hydroinformatics lab that works with researching and producing software to collect water data.
The lab works with Geoglows, an organization whose main goal is to make sure that water data is being shared across different countries. This is so it can ensure that a country has the data they need to prepare for a drought or a flood.
Maughan is currently working with a group to create a model that can map a flood and show the impact associated with that flood anywhere in the world.
“The reason why I work here, is because I actually see a really global vision that we’re helping people. Not just here in the valley, but everywhere around the world in countries that don’t really have the means to plan accordingly with their water,” Maughan said. “It actually makes me feel like I’m fulfilling the BYU mission statement.”
Maughan said that working in this lab has helped him understand where water comes from and why it is important.
“It really does matter, trying to make sure that it’s conserved and we’re paying attention to it actively so that everyone has a general knowledge of it. Where it comes from, how it’s managed and what natural disasters can be associated with that anything could happen,” Maughan said.
Spreading the word
Hailey Simko is a Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation major at BYU. She has been passionate about water conservation from a young age after watching a documentary about tigers in India and how their water sources are running out.
“In my own life, it’s hard to find ways to get involved because I’m not a homeowner and most of the water use is outdoors,” Simko said. “But I’m trying to convince my parents to switch our lawn to Hybrid Bermudagrass.”
Simko has been encouraging water-wise habits within her family and her apartment complex to do her part in water conservation.
Some of these simple ways are making sure she does not leave the tap running, and not taking long showers everyday.
“I can’t control everything, though. I know for my house if I live in Utah, I’m going to try to do a desert landscape and try to match the species that are here naturally,” Simko said.
Simko emphasized how water is the most basic essential resource that is usually taken for granted.
The Great Salt Lake is one of these water sources that may be taken for granted.
The lake has been a growing concern over the years, and now more than half of the Great Salt Lake’s bed is exposed, according to the Grow the Flow website.
Maycen Robinson got involved with a group called the BYU Great Salt Lake Rescue Coalition after taking a climate change class with Ben Abbott, who mentioned the group that was starting at BYU.
When that group transitioned into a chapter for Grow the Flow, she was nominated as president.
Robinson said their main goal is to increase education and awareness among BYU students.
“There are a lot of people that I talk to on campus when I tell them what I’m doing, they don’t actually know what is happening with the Great Salt Lake,” Robinson said.
The Great Salt Lake has been providing water for watering lawns and fields for decades across the Wasatch Front. This has supported growth in these counties.
The parent organization of Grow the Flow works with researchers and legislators to discover the best way to save the Great Salt Lake.
“There really is a collective effort. I think oftentimes, when faced with a problem, people want to find one source of blame. Working with the people in Grow the Flow has taught me that mindset doesn’t lead to progress. This issue affects everybody and everybody shares some responsibility,” Robinson said.
Robinson emphasized the most effective way to make a difference in water conservation, community members must work together to make a change.