Scientists are warning that climate change and growing populations could cause major problems with future water supplies in a number of American cities, including Salt Lake City.
The Huffington Post says there are 11 cities that could have water scarcity issues. In fact, 10% of current watersheds are “stressed” with demand exceeding supply.
Salt Lake City is #11 on the list of cities that could completely run out of water. Why?
A new report from NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) shows that already water-strapped Western cities — like Salt Lake City — will likely face increasing challenges when it comes to water. The researchers found that for every degree Fahrenheit of warming in the SLC region, a 1.8 to 6.5 percent drop in annual water flow of local streams could occur. By midcentury, that could mean that some creeks and streams that supply water to the SLC region could dry up several weeks earlier in the summer and fall. In 2012, the University of Florida’s Environmental Hydrology Lab found that Salt Lake City was at “high” risk for water shortage.
