M Focus on: Public Works
Provo prepares for future water needs
Pictured is a manufactured channel at Riverview Park, where another ASR pilot study occurred in Provo, Utah. The view faces the east with Rock Canyon in the background. (Photo provided)
By JANET PATTERSON | The Municipal
When it comes to water, rainfall and snowfall can seem like a feast or famine commodity. Right now, it’s definitely famine in the western United States.
A monitor well is drilled near the mouth of Rock Canyon to observe groundwater levels during ASR pilot studies. (Photo provided)
36 THE MUNICIPAL | JULY 2021
In March 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned that nearly half the country is experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions. Its seasonal drought prediction for 2021 is that most of California and all of Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico will have droughts that persist. Provo, Utah, is one of those places and has been working hard to deal with how to manage its precious water resources for the city’s future. The fourth largest municipality in Utah and located about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, Provo has experienced population growth that equates to an increased demand for water. Couple that with climate change, and the amount of useable water for
