Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is once again asking residents for a day of prayer over the Beehive State’s water, this time on the heels of a historic winter that brought much of the state out of extreme drought.
On Thursday, Cox declared Sunday, July 2, as a day of prayer and thanksgiving in Utah, asking faith leaders across the state to offer prayers of thanks after a winter that dropped as much as 900 inches of snow in parts of the Wasatch Mountains.
“I believe prayer can be a powerful tool,” Cox said. “There is real power in people of all different faiths and backgrounds uniting together and pleading for help from a higher authority than our own. I also believe that people who pray for water will conserve water, and we need to continue to conserve.”
For the last two years Cox has asked constituents to unite in prayer to ask for help with the drought.
According to the U.S. drought monitor, Sevier, Piute and parts of Garfield, Iron, Beaver Wayne and Millard counties are currently experiencing moderate drought. But most of Utah is currently either not in a drought, or listed as “abnormally dry.”
Cox first called on Utahns to pray for rain in June 2021 — that same week, most of the state was in either exceptional or extreme drought, the most dire rankings.
Some praised the governor, but he was also met with online “vitriol,” with scores of social media users calling on Cox to do more than pray to address the drought.
“Over the past years we asked Utahns to join us in praying for water. It worked. Utah saw a record-breaking winter and our reservoirs are filling up!” Cox said on Twitter. “We believe that there’s nothing more powerful than people for all different faiths and backgrounds uniting together and expressing gratitude.”
Despite the rosy picture painted by the drought monitor, Cox reminded Utahns to not get complacent. Scientists warn the above-average precipitation is prompting new growth that could turn into wildfire fuel later in the summer. And although the Great Salt Lake has risen about five feet thanks to runoff, one exceptional winter does not mean the lake is saved.
“I’m grateful for the prayers and conservation efforts of Utahns during the worst drought in our state’s history — and for the record snowfall we received this year. While there is still more to do, I hope we can pause and give thanks together this weekend for the miraculous winter,” Cox said.