This summer's unusually hot and dry weather means that fire is a disaster Utahns are becoming well acquainted with. Todd Crowl, a professor in Utah State University's Department of Watershed Sciences, says the changing climate combined with Utah's rapid increase in water consumption points to the immediate need for new water practices.
"All of that says we're going to have real serious issues and challenges in Utah as well as most of the West and event the Midwest in terms of future water, water availability, and water sustainability."