SALT LAKE CITY – Utah State University graduate Todd D. Adams has been named as head of the Utah Division of Water Resources. He has been appointed by Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Brian Steed to replace the Eric Millis, who retired after nearly 32 years with the division.
After graduating from USU with both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in civil engineering, Adams began his career with the division in 1990. According to a press release, he has served as the division’s deputy director since 2013.
“Todd has a wealth of experience that will serve our state well as we look to manage this critical resource,” said Steed in a press release. “He is well respected in the water industry, and he will continue to look for ways to stretch and best manage our water supply.”
Adams is also a member of the Bear River Commission Technical Advisory Committee, a member of Utah State University’s College of Engineering & Industrial Advisory Board as well as USU’s Civil & Environmental Industrial Advisory Board, and has served as the division’s cloud seeding coordinator for six years, among other responsibilities.
When Adams began with the division, Utah’s population was about 1.73 million. Today, that population has added 1.4 million more people with more growth expected, making water conservation increasingly important in the division’s mission.
“The secret is out. Utah is a great place to live,” Adams said in a release. “People want to stay here. And they’re also moving here, and they don’t bring water with them. We are working to balance those needs with increased conservation efforts, improved efficiency, water development projects, ag conversion and more. We have to have a multi-faceted approach.”
Adams has also served as Utah’s Division of Water Resources legislative liaison since 2009, helping legislators shape many bills relating to canal safety, water conservation, secondary metering and more.
“I’m a believer in our division’s mission to ‘plan, conserve, develop and protect Utah’s water resources,’” said Adams. “We will take a look at what we’re doing and look for ways to do it better and make sure it’s in harmony with our mission. We have great staff, and I’ve been fortunate to have been mentored by our outgoing director who left things running very smoothly.”