Wasatch County Water Intelligence Brief

August 31, 2026 | Free-Tier Edition

Situation Summary

Provo River flows in the Heber Valley are running at 255–267 cfs and rising as of August 31, with the downstream Hailstone gauge reading 58 cfs rising — a late-summer pattern that signals continued surface delivery availability for Heber Valley irrigators this week, though late-season reliability should be monitored closely as seasonal draw-down progresses. Park City area municipal and recreational users should track Jordanelle Reservoir storage trends through USBR Upper Colorado Region as the system moves deeper into late-season conditions. Reservoir storage data and 7-day forecast details are available in the full brief.

Snowpack Conditions

All three stations reporting to the Provo River basin show negligible to zero snowpack as of August 30, 2026 — which is the normal seasonal condition for this date. No percent-of-median figures are shown for any station because the historical median SWE for late August is also 0.0"; these readings do not indicate below-normal conditions today.

Station Readings (August 30, 2026):

Two important disclosures about this station network:

First, the three SNOTEL stations physically located within Wasatch County — Currant Creek, Daniels-Strawberry, and White River #1 — drain eastward to the Duchesne River and Colorado River basin, not to the Provo River. They are excluded from this brief because they do not monitor snowpack that contributes to Heber Valley deliveries or Jordanelle and Deer Creek storage. The primary Provo River basin snowpack indicators are Beaver Divide and Trial Lake, both located in Summit County.

Second, Wolf Creek Peak is physically located in Wasatch County and does drain to the Provo River basin, but its SNOTEL record began only in August 2020 — less than six years of data. Seasonal comparisons for this station should be interpreted with caution given the short record.

Seasonal context: The 2026 water year was characterized by an anomalous March heat wave across the Mountain West; Provo basin stations melted out approximately 4–6 weeks ahead of the historical median meltout date. That event is now background — the current story is what late-season flows and storage reflect.

Streamflow Conditions

Three USGS gauges on the Provo River are reporting as of August 31, 2026, and all three show rising conditions — an encouraging late-summer signal for Heber Valley irrigators.

Gauge Readings (August 31, 2026):

The upper-system readings at Heber City (255 cfs) and Charleston (267 cfs) indicate active flow through the core Heber Valley agricultural reach. The divergence between the upper gauges and the Hailstone reading (58 cfs) reflects normal in-system diversions and losses between those points — not a data anomaly. The rising trend across all three gauges is the operationally significant signal this week.

No causal explanation for the rising trend is available in the data provided. Heber Valley irrigators should confirm current delivery status directly with their ditch company or the Provo River Water Users Association, as gauge readings reflect total river flow, not available delivery allocation.

Seasonal Guidance

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

Data Sources: SNOTEL data through August 30, 2026; USGS streamflow data through August 31, 2026.

Data Current As Of: August 31, 2026. Water rights administration status current as of Utah Division of Water Rights records.

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, Jordanelle, and Strawberry Reservoir operations), Provo River Water Users Association, and Utah Division of Water Rights for regulatory decisions and water rights administration. Streamflow and snowpack data are provisional and subject to revision by USGS and NRCS respectively.