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The Glen Canyon Group Aquifer is refilled by snowpack in the La Sal Mountains, located southeast of Moab. New research shows there’s less water in the aquifer than previously thought.
The city of Moab is planning to implement water conservation measures in the coming months based on a recent study that found the Moab Valley may hold less water than previously thought.
Researchers from the University of Utah and the U.S. Geological Survey used carbon dating and other modern techniques to determine there are around 2,500 acre feet of unused water flowing through a shallow aquifer just south of Moab called the Valley Fill Aquifer each year. That’s much less than the 11,000 acre feet of water scientists believed to be there, based on a 1971 study.