Summer is here. How full is every major Utah reservoir to start the season?

SALT LAKE CITY — Summer is here and those planning to spend it by a reservoir will find many filled to the brim — or at least close to it — to kick off the season.

Nearly three dozen of the state’s largest reservoirs are currently listed at 90% capacity, including 18 reservoirs that are at or exceeding full capacity and 10 more that are within 3 percentage points of full capacity, according to the Utah Division of Water Resources.

“This is extremely encouraging,” Michael Sanchez, a spokesman for the agency, told KSL NewsRadio earlier this week. “We’re just seeing … big benefits over these last two years.”

The division listed Utah’s reservoir system — excluding Lake Powell and Flaming Gorge — at almost 93% capacity at the start of summer on Thursday, about 17 percentage points above where it was in June 2023. The reservoir system already reached its highest point in 13 years.

So which reservoirs are the biggest winners? Per statewide data, every major Utah reservoir around the Price area and northward remains at least 81% full. Most reservoirs in southern Utah, including Sand Hollow, remain 70% full or higher.

While reservoirs store Utah’s water supply, many are also popular outdoor recreation spots. Many reservoir-based state parks anchored state park visitation in 2023, with several reservoirs ending up close to full capacity last year. Sand Hollow led the way with more than 1.4 million visits.

“People were looking to play in water a lot last year, and they had a lot to play on,” Devan Chavez, spokesman for the Utah Division of State Parks, told KSL.com in February.

However, not all reservoirs are the same. There are two reservoirs just southwest of Price — Huntington North and Yuba — that are listed below 50% capacity, largely because some parts of the region weren’t able to capitalize from the snowpack collection and runoff periods over the past two years.

Panguitch Lake, now listed at 73% capacity, is its own story. It was at 87% capacity when cracks were found near the top of the dam in April. It has remained lower because of controlled releases that helped drain the reservoir to keep its water below the cracks while permanent repairs could be made.

Then there’s Lake Powell, which is now only up to 41% capacity despite gaining over 20 feet in water elevation so far this year. It remained less than half-full last year but still brought in a record 5.2 million visits as the reservoir rose from record lows.

This year’s rise is doing the same. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area officials reopened the Bullfrog Main Ramp in Kane County on Tuesday. Its visitation for the first two months of this year is already 16% higher than last year, according to National Park Service data.

While Utah’s reservoir system is the highest overall in over a decade, Utah leaders are still urging residents to be careful when it comes to water consumption. Gov. Spencer Cox noted last month that the state will not stray from water conservation efforts this year.

“Keep conserving,” he said at the time. “It’s actually working. I know we’ve had a good water year, but we’re well ahead of where we would have been because people conserved last year in what was a record water year.”

Contributing: Adam Small