Utah lawmakers are set to pour millions of dollars into dealing with the effects of last winter's record snowfall during today's special legislative session.
The bill, sponsored by House Budget Chairman Val Peterson, R-Orem, would also use $10 million set aside for wildfire suppression for infrastructure repairs, along with $6 million for emergency response.
Later Tuesday, Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Joel Ferry told the Legislative Water Development Commission that even after all of the runoff so far, there's still more snow in the state's mountains than all of last year or the year before. More than 100 "active sites" are being monitored in the state because of what's already record soil saturation, Ferry said, warning runoff could make some areas prone to landslides.
Having the emergency order in place "helps us in mobilization, in utilizing resources that we have set aside," Ferry said. "We've got a long way to go. Flood risk is still a significant concern."
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