Salt Lake County Water Intelligence Brief

September 21, 2026 | Free-Tier Edition

Situation Summary

Jordan River flows at Salt Lake City are holding at 235 cfs as of September 19, and Little Cottonwood Creek is delivering 4 cfs and falling as of today — conditions consistent with late-season baseflow recession across the county's primary watershed. For the county's three suppliers — Salt Lake City Public Utilities, Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, and Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake & Sandy — the operational question this week is how quickly late-season flows continue to decline and what that means for imported Provo River Canal deliveries through the remainder of the season. Reservoir storage data and 7-day forecast details are available in the full brief.

Snowpack Conditions

All five SNOTEL stations monitoring Salt Lake County's Wasatch watersheds are reporting at or near zero snow water equivalent (SWE), which is normal for this date — median SWE across these stations is also 0.0" at this point in the calendar year. Current readings:

Station record note: Atwater (reporting since August 2022) has less than four years of record and should not be used as a primary trend indicator. Brighton (since 1986), Mill-D North (since 1988), and Snowbird (since 1989) carry the historical depth needed for meaningful seasonal comparison. The operationally significant snowpack story for 2026 is timing: stations melted out 4–6 weeks ahead of the historical median meltout date, driven by the anomalous March heat wave. That early meltout is now past history; it is context for understanding why late-season flows are where they are, not today's headline condition.

Streamflow Conditions

Two active USGS gauges are currently transmitting data for Salt Lake County:

The Jordan River reading reflects late-season composite inflow from the full Jordan River Basin system, including return flows and upstream Utah Lake contributions. Little Cottonwood Creek's falling trend at 4 cfs is consistent with normal late-season tributary recession following the end of meaningful snowmelt contribution.

Data gap notice: Gauges on Big Cottonwood Creek (10168499, 10169000), Mill Creek (10170000), and Parleys Creek (10171500) are discontinued and not transmitting current data. These canyon drainages feed Mountain Dell and Little Dell reservoirs and are critical to Salt Lake City Public Utilities' canyon watershed operations. Contact Salt Lake City Public Utilities directly for current flow data on those systems.

Seasonal Guidance

Subscribe for the full brief including reservoir storage, weather forecasts, depletion analysis, and detailed operational recommendations.

Data Sources: SNOTEL data through September 20, 2026; USGS streamflow data through September 21, 2026

Data Current As Of: September 21, 2026

Important Disclaimers: This brief provides automated analysis for informational purposes only. Specific numerical claims have not been independently verified. Consult official sources including your local water district, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Upper Colorado Region (for Deer Creek and Jordanelle reservoir operations), Salt Lake City Public Utilities (canyon watershed storage), and the Utah Division of Water Rights for regulatory decisions and water rights administration.