By Michael Sanchez, Utah Division of Water Resources
The Utah Division of Water Resources has partnered with Weber Basin Water Conservancy District and the Great Salt Lake Commissioner’s Office to expand and explore the use of Airborne Snow Observatories (ASO) technology in the Great Salt Lake Basin. This ASO project, known as “Wings over Weber”, is the second of its kind in Utah and the first focused on a watershed within the GSL Basin. The project is funded, in part, by a grant from the Bureau of Reclamation.
“This partnership represents a critical step forward in our efforts to understand and manage our snowpack,” said Joel Williams, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources. “By utilizing this new technology, we can gain insights into our snowpack, which is crucial to our water supply.”
This technology is a NASA-developed method to enhance snow measurement. ASO technology has been effective and useful in the areas where it has been applied. ASO works by flying a plane with special instruments (LiDAR and a spectrometer) over a watershed to measure the depth of the snow beneath. The plane flies in a lawnmower-like pattern back and forth, capturing an accurate spatial representation of the snowpack and snow water equivalent. The data gathered is ingested into a snowpack model, which is then used to produce a spring runoff forecast.
The first of two planned aerial snow surveys in the Weber River Basin was completed on March 8 of this year. Data collected during these flights will be incorporated into advanced snowpack modeling efforts used to generate seasonal water supply forecasts for the basin.
The data gathered will support water managers and planners as we confront the challenges related to drought and GSL levels. A clearer understanding of a system’s water availability allows for more effective operational decisions, such as reservoir releases and flood control, ultimately helping to preserve our precious water resources.