Gov. Cox issues executive order, declares state of emergency regarding drought in Utah

FILE – In this July 16, 2014 file photo, what was once a marina sits high and dry due to Lake Mead receding in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Arizona. Extreme swings in weather are expected as part of a changing climate, something Brad Udall, a water and climate research scientist at Colorado State University, has called “weather whiplash.” The drought-stricken Southwest got a reprieve this year with average and above-average snowfall following a year that sent many states into extreme drought. Nearly empty reservoirs quickly rose, including Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the largest man-made reservoirs in the country that hold back Colorado River water. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

by: Craig Proffer

Posted: May 13, 2021 / 02:38 PM MDT

Updated: May 13, 2021 / 02:38 PM MDT

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Gov. Spencer Cox has issued another executive order regarding the ongoing drought in Utah.

This latest executive order declares a state of emergency in Utah, and will allow communities and agricultural producers affected by the drought to have access to federal emergency resources.

According to the Utah Department of Natural Resources, 100% of the Beehive State is currently experiencing drought, with 90% of the state experiencing “extreme drought.”

Gov. Cox previously declared a state of emergency on March 17 due to the ongoing drought in Utah, and issued another executive order on May 3 requiring water conservation state facilities.

The May 3 executive order forbade irrigation at state facilities between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., required sprinklers to be shut off during rain storms, and ensured landscape water systems were operating efficiently.

For more information on Utah’s ongoing drought as well as water conservation tips, click here.