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Opinion: Rain in the East doesn’t help drought in the West

Utah’s drought doesn’t feel any less painful knowing someone else’s land is flooding in the East

SHARE Opinion: Rain in the East doesn’t help drought in the West
Cracked earth is seen in the waterbed of Jordanelle Reservoir near Kamas,

Cracked earth is seen in the waterbed of Jordanelle Reservoir near Kamas on Aug. 4, 2021. Utah’s drought is impacting the Great Salt Lake, Lake Powell and whole communities in the West.

Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Robert E. Bakes from Idaho recently wrote an op-ed telling Utahns to worry less about climate change shrinking the Great Salt Lake and impacting Lake Powell’s ability to provide needed water. Because climate change can be good, too, he says. If we aren’t getting rain, someone else — probably east of us — is getting higher-than-usual precipitation, making things greener in other parts of the U.S.

Somehow, knowing the rain and snow we miss is enriching others is no great comfort. 

Worse, forests to the west of us are getting less rain and snow, which means a more devastating fire season with smoke getting trapped in the Wasatch, endangering our health.

But I guess we can all migrate east to greener pastures — as we lose homes we love and watch our property values drop as we make our hurried exits.

Robert Cooper

South Jordan