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LYNNDYL, Millard County — A town of 120 people in Millard County is out of water and a county official is seeking public assistance to get the town through the long weekend.
Lynndyl is about 16 miles northeast of Delta and six miles from the closest town of Leamington. According to Millard County Commissioner Dean Draper, the town operates on two wells to serve the needs of residents and livestock, and without water, the situation is urgent.
"Lynndyl has two wells, one of which has gone dry, and the other the pump has failed," Draper said. "They don't expect to be able to repair the one pump until late Monday afternoon. We're trying to martial the forces to get both culinary water and water for their livestock."
Running out of water has been a reality for towns in Utah recently. Scofield in Carbon County ran out of water last August when its well failed and its springs dried up. Around that same time, Echo in Summit County and Hyde Park in Cache Valley also ran out of water.
The concerns are growing across the state as temperatures rise and drought conditions worsen.
Temperatures above 90 degrees, including near triple-digit temperatures along the Wasatch Front and mid-100s in St. George, returned across the state Thursday. That's expected to continue through Friday before temperatures slightly cool down the rest of the weekend, with thunderstorms expected in some areas.
According to the Utah Division of Water resources, 82.83% of the state is categorized as being in extreme drought, with 99.88% meeting the severe drought requirements.
Draper said that even with limited resources from nearby towns, many are coming together to help the town of Lynndyl the best they can.
"There's a little town of Leamington about six miles east of them, and Leamington is providing (people) with potable water if they drive over with containers," Draper said. "And they have a fire department water tender that is delivering water for their livestock. The communities are rallying together and helping each other, and they're doing a really good job of being good neighbors to each other."
"The problem is, you're going into a long weekend, and (officials are) doing their very best to find out what it is they have to fix. … It's affecting the lives of 120 people, and they're looking for help. They've exhausted their resources, as far as monetary, for this small little town. We're hoping that we can get them some help."
