PROVO — Fresh snow covered the Y above Provo on Wednesday while rain fell in the valley below, symbols of the end of Utah's six-year drought and the start of a new problem for the state's water experts.
They must persuade Utahns to continue to conserve water while the state's rivers brim with it and flooding and mudslides dominate the news.
A ticking population time bomb is the reason experts want residents to keep cutting back on watering their lawns this summer. The state must prepare to spread its water supply among a population expected to double by 2050.
With that long-term outlook in mind, it was easy, despite Wednesday's soggy conditions, for two experts from Utah State University to maintain straight faces as they preached conservation during a workshop with Provo's largest water users.
"It's not about the drought any more, it's about a population increase," said Rachel Lopez, a water expert with the USU extension service.
Lopez and USU colleague Molly Waters are urging state and city officials to use the media to drive home the new message.
"The drought and water conservation have been inexorably linked over the past six years," Waters said. "It's been a blessing and a curse. The media carried our message about water conservation, but it was always in the context of the drought. Now the drought is over but the problem of population growth is still here."
This is the third year Provo has gathered its largest turfgrass irrigators, which include Brigham Young University, the city's Parks and Recreation Department, the Provo School District and churches. The first meeting was called to plead for help because of the drought, public works director Merrill Bingham said, but he also said a wet year isn't the time to stop.
"It's not a drum you beat in the dry years and then put away in the wet years," he said. "It's a drum you beat all the time."
Utahns and Provoans have cut their water usage drastically during the drought. In 1995, Utahns used 321 gallons of water per person every day. Now the state average is 267. Provo was as high as 326 gallons per person per day but is now at 224.
"We think we're doing pretty good," Bingham said. "Can we do more? I think we can. I think we can get under 200."
Despite the long-term concerns, Utah does have an embarrassment of riches this spring. Provo is dumping some of its South Fork spring water into the Provo River because it can't use it, something Bingham said the city hasn't done for years.
The snowpack at the Timpanogos Divide near Cascade Springs is up 257 percent this year. At this time two years ago, there was no snow left up there. Last year there was about 15 inches. This year there is 30 inches.
Bingham hopes the wet year helps Utah Lake rise — it's been 6 feet below compromise level — without any flooding along the Provo River.
Waters said conservation of the state's current water supply must provide 42 percent of the water needed for the masses of new people expected in the state over the next 45 years.
"We consider water conservation to be a form of water development," Waters said. "It's a reservoir, and it's a lot cheaper than building a dam."
Another 27 percent of the "new" water will come from agricultural conversions, irrigated farmland developed for new homes. The final 31 percent will be from expensive new water sources.
USU offers free water checks to homeowners or business owners who want to see how efficient their sprinkler systems are. Those in Utah, Wasatch, Summit and Juab counties can call 851-8467. Others can call 877-SAVEH20 or their local USU extension agent.
Tips offered Wednesday included not watering when the wind is blowing or when it's raining or during the heat of the day. Less frequent, deeper watering is more effective because it creates deeper roots. The USU experts said most lawns need to be watered only twice a week with a half-inch of water. Turfgrass in Utah requires 24 to 30 inches of water a year to be healthy and green.
Despite the drought, some people still aren't listening.
One Provo company used 16 feet of water on its lawns last year, said Bingham, who wouldn't name the business. On Wednesday, that company's sprinklers were running full bore during a torrential downpour.
There is still enough wasted water in Utah to cut the state's water usage by significant amounts, Waters said.
"We couldn't have been blessed with a better water year," she said. "It's the perfect year to have at the end of a drought — and the best time to conserve."
E-mail: twalch@desnews.com