HOA turf, parking strip changes and xeriscaping incentives considered to help in Utah's drought Utah officials say drought recovery could take years and last updated 2021-07-08 19:41:50-04 SALT LAKE CITY â Utah lawmakers are exploring a number of water policy changes to promote conservation as the state's drought emergency worsens. On Thursday, "Unfortunately, it will take much more than an average winter to pull us out of this drought. If we get an average winter, it will take much longer than that to refill our reservoirs, our ground water and to improve our conditions statewide," said Candice Hasenyager, the agency's deputy director.