Late July rains help Utah's water outlook By BRYON SAXTON Standard-Examiner staff OGDEN — July was a Mr. Hyde-and-Dr. Jekyll month when it came to Utah weather. Above-normal precipitation allowed the state to make a full recovery and then some for the month, and for wildland firefighters to receive a helping hand. Last month, the north end of the state received between 150 to 220 percent of average precipitation, while the south end of the state received between 100 to 150 percent of average precipitation, said Randy Julander, snow survey supervisor for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. "We did quite well in July," he said. The first three weeks of the month were "exceptionally hot, exceptionally dry," Julander said. But then the rains came at the end of the month, cooling temperatures down and helping put out wildfires, he said. The rain also reduced the demand for irrigation water during what is normally the hottest stretch of the summer for Utah, he said. "The demand side is where it helps us the most," said Tage Flint, Weber Basin Water Conservancy District general manager. "(July) usually is very predictable for us," Flint said of what is normally a hot and dry month. But this year, July weather proved to be unpredictably wet — not wet enough to add a lot to reservoirs, Flint said, but enough to reduce the drawoff of water reservoir storage during what is generally the four hottest weeks of the year. Standard-Examiner file photo A tire hangs from a branch on Pineview Reservoir in May 2013. Flint said reservoir storage is still low at 45 percent. Water suppliers want that figure to be closer to 65 percent of storage capacity before winter. "We have had three bad years of snow- pack," Flint said. To reduce the amount of secondary water being used the remainder of this season, the district intends to shut off all irrigation water supplies Oct. 1, rather than its regular date of Oct. 15, Flint said. "Everything we save now is water that we can use later," Julander said. Because of the turnaround in the July weather, Julander said, and the strong start August is off to in regards to precipitation — and with wet and cooler temperatures forecast for the first week of the month — water officials are looking at having between 40 and 50 percent storage carryover in area reservoirs going into fall. "We love it," Julander said of the state's water situation for the month of July. "Here, in Utah, you take what you get and smile." Contact reporter Bryon Saxton at 801- 625-4244 or bsaxton@standard.net. Follow him on Twitter at ©BryonSaxton.